Trainin’, Fishin’ & Lovin’ Every Day
All summer I told myself I would write more frequently. And here we are; at the end of the summer writing for the first time. Oops!
I left off with recovering post knee surgery. Happy to say I am rehabilitating smoothly. I would not call it a miracle fix, but, long term, it will have been worth it. After two months of physical therapy with Robert, I was walking sufficiently enough to head back east. I left Alaska in late May and stopped by the family ranch in Wyoming to help move cows before I made my way back to Vermont. Somehow, I am not sick of driving across the country yet!
Biathlon-wise, I upgraded my rifle stock and it has made shooting way more enjoyable. With added parts like a sight riser, spare round holder, and flat bolt handle from Lost Nation R&D, I am really excited to up my shooting game :)
June was a great month for training. In fact, it was one of the biggest blocks I’ve ever done. Keeping a training log over the years has allowed me to see trends and compare data to past years where I can see the progress I have been making. And we are trending upward! Early summer in Vermont is magical. The weather is reasonable and there are creemees (soft serve ice cream) shops EVERYWHERE. A huge highlight for me was seeing lightning bugs for the first time!
Picture break!
Life-wise, I also started a more permanent position at SenecaWorks LLC and am really loving working with the team! In July, we had a mini team retreat in Alaska where we went salmon and halibut fishing. I got horribly sea sick on the first day and used my lunch sandwich as bait when I untimely hurled it over the side of the boat. It worked, though, because then we started pulling in rockfish one after the other. I am very happy with a full freezer!
I also met up with my Vermont teammates in Alaska and ran the Crow Creek Pass and cheered on the Mount Marathoner’s on July 4th. For anyone who doesn’t know, Mount Marathon is a bit of a legendary race…. My crazy self even thought I should sign up for the race next year. We will see ;)
Sadly, I also got sick during this trip, and I do mean sick. I think it was a virus or food poisoning or a bacteria or a mix of all 3! Either way, it wiped me out. I went from my June high to a July low.
Picture break again :)
Sadly after my July sickness, I did not quite recover enough to race well at the USBA Summer Nationals August 5th and 6th, but I attempted anyway. It was great cheering on my teammates taking podiums all weekend! Additionally, August has featured more ventures to Craftsbury to train with their team. It has been refreshing changing up the scenery and chasing after new people.
But don’t worry there is still time for redemption in September! We raced two time trials on the 13th and 14th. I finally felt healthy enough and confident enough to call myself a biathlete after these races. There’s much to look forward to. including more racing in Utah in October.
There is still time for social activities, as well. It is not a Vermont summer without biking, hiking, and dipping in the water. It has been a hot summer, so I make a Bucked Up collagen lemonade every day. It is fool-proof easy to make; just add a scoop of collagen and a similar sized scoop of lemonade powder into water and give it a good shake. You could even blend it with ice for a slushy if you’re feeling really adventurous! Use code 20ZOE for a 20% discount off collagen and all other Bucked Up products :)
Thank you for reading my blurb and I look forward to seeing some of you in Utah in a few weeks! Stay tuned.
