Sunday, April 26, 2009

DAYS OF EVERYTHING



CO Heidi to backcountry, ID

Like any job, cross-country skiers get their two weeks - ours are just two weeks of UN-paid vacation.

How are these two weeks different that the 351 other days of a pro-athlete's life?

They are not logged. I wake up and go for a run, I meet friends for coffee, I go for a backcountry ski and then bee-line it to a deck for lunch. I shoot to the gym and finish the day with a bike ride and some grilled food. I wear lots of sunscreen and still get burnt. I laugh more than I speak and I am going all day long. I sleep hard at night and I am thankful every minute.

These are the days of everything. You can do it all because there is not a race in the morning and there are no intervals at 7am. They are not days of slacking, in fact they are filled over the rim. I am healthy, I am able and these are my 2 weeks.

I am the luckiest kid ever and May first is on Friday. It might be the start of the weekend for most, but for me it is the begining of 2010. I have been sick and injured, broke and currently homeless but Vancouver is 10-months away. There are skeptics - but I am not one. The game has been on since I was 5 and it will not end today.

Living the dream,
Kate

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