Rest Week

Every so often I get a rest week where I have only 6-8 hours of training. The second week in September was my third rest week since training started in May and my first since June. I had a bit of a tough summer as I was fighting with knee problems after a roller ski crash. I find that injuries can be really tough mentally so I needed a mental break as much as a physical break.

I decided to spend the week in Salmon Arm. Most of my friends had already left for school so I spent the week catching up with my family. I fantasized about enjoying hot BC weather all summer but this did not seem likely at the beginning of the week as it rained for the first two days. Luckily it started getting nice on Thursday and it was sunny, though cool, for the rest of the week. My mom had the week off work so we spent three days at her lot on Mabel Lake. It was just warm enough to read on the beach in the afternoons and it was nice to just chill out. I did some fun mountain biking and kayaking for a bit of training, had an epic Scrabble game and the fire ban was lifted so we had a campfire complete with toasted marshmallows.

View from the beach at Mabel Lake

Kayaking on Mabel Lake

On the weekend my dad and brother joined in for a family hike. We explored one of the new trails near Salmon Arm and had a really nice hike up to some bluffs above Shuswap Lake. At the top we could see smoke and burnt areas on the opposite hill from the Notch Hill forest fire. Thankfully most of the smoke had cleared out of the Shuswap area by then so it wasn't smoky during my visit.

My brother and I enjoying the view

I did have a bit of training to do so I visited some of my old training sites. The pavement on my old roller ski roads had deteriorated making some sections sketchy but there were 4 km of newly paved road that were really nice for skiing. It was odd to be skiing on a road that used to be full of washboards and potholes but I enjoyed the smooth new pavement. Unfortunately I also rediscovered the neighbourhood dogs that have an aversion to roller skiers. Luckily yelling kept them at a safe distance.

When I left, my parents loaded up my car with fresh and frozen fruits and veggies from their garden and orchard. I also stopped at a fruit stand for more fresh food. I've been glutting myself on apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, corn, peppers and tomatoes since I've been back in Canmore. My freezer is now fully stocked for the winter and I've been making awesome smoothies!

I've been back training for just over a week now and I feel rejuvenated and full of energy. It's amazing what a rest week can do!