A Skier's Diary

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Training at a beautiful resort in Chile was part of the summer for Lauren Woolstencroft, who has taken a leave of absence from her BC Hydro job to train full time for 2010.

October 8, 2009

To Chile and beyond: training full-time for 2010

I'm really fortunate that BC Hydro granted me a leave of absence from my job as an engineer for both previous Paralympic Winter Games I've competed at (2002 Salt Lake City & 2006 Torino). I need to dedicate the year leading up to the Games to full-time training, which allows for dryland training, rest and recovery.

So here I go again, on a leave of absence and training full-time for the 2010 Games. And I thought I'd give you an idea of just what that's all about.

Dryland training

Our dryland training program is intense and can take four to five hours per day, six days per week. That's not something you can do regularly with a full-time job.

It's time spent in the gym and time out on my bike, and is a really important aspect of peak performance. We train and race at high altitudes, so fitness is critical – racing at up to 130 km/h requires strong muscles to get you down the hill!!

I'm also able spend more time working with our strength and conditioning coach, and more time in the gym getting ready for the season ahead.

R & R is important, too

We put so much strain on our bodies while training and racing that, without proper rest and recovery you can hit a burnout state very quickly. During the off-season, I was always rushing from the office to the gym and home for dinner. My work with Hydro, combined with my training left little time to properly recover from training sessions.

And then there was the travel. During the competition season, I would get home from weeks on the road racing and, while the other athletes went home to rest and re-energize before the next trip, I spent my time in the office catching up on missed time.

Now that I'm not working, it's great to have the time ensuring I'm recovering properly, eating the right meals post training, and getting ready for upcoming training camps.

As this is a year leading up to the Games, media attention is growing, too. So I also spend time doing media interviews, appearances and photo shoots, along with writing for this blog.

Back home from Chile

I'm home now for just a few more days before heading to a training camp in Saas Fee, Switzerland where I'll be until the end of October. I spent some of August and September in Chile at a training camp, which was great.

I was recently asked which ski resort is my favourite. We're fortunate to have one of the best at Whistler, right in our backyard!

Switzerland is one of my favourite places to train or race. Zermatt (at the base of the Matterhorn) is beautiful and interesting because the town only allows electric vehicles.

I hear Saas Fee is the same, and I'll find out later this month. For that long flight, I'll put in practice the only thing I know that works to fight jet lag – lots and lots of water, plus pushing yourself to stay up as long as possible when you arrive. That's your best chance to adjust to the time change.