Early Season Race Recap with Lindsay Williams
Photo: Matthew Clarke
HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Already far into January, but here we go). Hope you are as excited for this year as we are. So many races coming up and we are here for the journey!
Lindsay Williams, Team Birkie Team ambassador decided this past year that she was going to try for the Minneapolis World Cup. Lindsay skied in college and some time after, but since then have been a professional CrossFit athlete and not skied too much since then. Lindsay is a 2006 olympian and currently coaching for the Minneapolis Ski Club and recently joined Team Birkie as a team ambassador. We are really impressed with how se balances it all - skiing, life, dog, and crossfit (she runs a crossfit gym, sick!).
So far this season, Lindsay has competed at the SuperTours in Alaska and most recently US nationals in Soldier Hollow, Utah. Here is a little summary of Lindsay’s season so far:
Heading into this season, I had some very very big goals.. the big one was to try to qualify for the Minneapolis world cup sprint. I knew it was going to be extremely tough, since I hadn't ski raced (except the birkie) for 13 years! But I've always loved a good challenge, so I was excited to take it on!
Then November 13th... only a few days after I announced to the world I would be making a big comeback and racing for team birkie... I was in the gym doing dumbell pullovers (an exercise I have been doing religiously all sumner and fall) I injured my shoulder pretty terribly. It was one of those freak things that just happened... I strained and pulled all sorts of muscles and tendons in my left shoulder. It was excruciatingly painful to move it for 2 weeks. I couldn't use it for almost 3 weeks... so leading up to Alaska I skied on it only a handful of times. I kept telling myself my legs were going to be soooo strong...
Alaska was a great opportunity.. the skiing was amazing, and I got to dust off the cobwebs after 13 years of retirement. The results on paper from the Alaska races were not exactly where I wanted to be, but I was extremely motivated when I left Alaska. I had a solid plan of what I needed to work on going into Utah, and I couldn't wait to get to work!
Then I started feeling sick the day after I got back home. It started as congestion, and I kept training hard, but turned into a TERRIBLE cough on xmas eve... then on xmas day, my heart sank to my toes as the covid test showed positive. The cough stayed with me leading all the way up to that first sprint race in Utah. I would start to think the cough was getting better... but as soon as I would do intensity, my lungs would spasm into a nasty coughing fit. Race day came around, and I was determined to race my heart out. I didn't come this far to give up... so I raced with everything I had in me. I crossed that finish line and collapsed in the snow knowing I left it all out there... but what had that day wasn't a full tank. .. and just a few minutes after finishing, the coughing started. It was violent for 6 straight hours.
3 days later was the classic sprint. I woke up in the morning and I didn't know if I should race... I didn't want to do permanent damage to my lungs... but I also worked so hard to get here. I cried in my cabin struggling to make a decision. I ended up deciding I would give it one more shot. My lungs felt like they were wearing a corsette... but I gave it all I had.
I'm super proud of my effort and my fight. I never gave up. I stayed incredibly positive. ...but I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt. The things that were out of my control kept roundhouse kicking me. It was so frustrating.
Classic Sprint at Soldier Hollow
Photo: Matthew Clarke
But overall it was such an amazing experience. I retired in Anchorage, Alaska after the 2010 us nationals when I didn't qualifyforthe2010 Olympics. I was so burnt out, heartbroken, lost, and I was sure I'd ever ski race again. For the last 13 years Anchorage has been a memory of anguish. ... To have the opportunity to go back to that same venue this year, and re-write that story, was such an amazing feeling. And then, to show up at U.S. Nationals and to be able to suit up with all the young skiers in this country, it really renewed my love for the sport.
My lungs are starting to feel normal again... and now I need to re set my goals, and keep pushing forward. : ) I didn't make my big goal of the wold cups... but I did have a lot of personal wins the last few months. And I'm looking forward to what lies ahead.
We’re excited to see what you can do Lindsay and you are such an inspiration to others!
