Playing catch-up

So lots to catch you all up on. I ended up having to pull out of the downhill at Bormio on race day. It was a tough call, but ended up being the only real option.  I was struggling with my back. I have had some problems before but was able to work through them with PT and muscle activation work and keeping my core really strong and activated. In Bormio I was struggling to get certain muscles to fire and had nerve pain down my gluteus and through the side of my calf. It wasn't so much the pain as not being strong and able to resist all the forces I needed to on such a difficult course.  

When I was home I ended up getting some injections in my back to calm down the nerve pain. I spent every day home doing PT, mostly with John and Ben at Olympic PT in Seattle. They rock.

After heading back to Europe, I got a day of free skiing and a day of SG training at Veysonnez, Switzerland. The first training run at Wengen got moved up a day due to weather expected, so I had to ramp up my schedule with my back.  

The good news was that my back felt solid and I didn't have any of the pain that I was experiencing before. Still, Wengen is a tough hill, very taxing at 2 minutes, 33 seconds long.  

It is a fun course though with some very cool features, unique only to Wengen.  The Hundschaff- (the jump between the cliff and the net) is very intimidating the first few times you go down the hill. The race line is as close as you can go to the net, so you don't have to turn back much to prepare for the next turn. That makes the line about 3 feet wide, as you line up the gate (on the jump) and the net. Another unique feature is the tunnel. There are no gates here ... just have to squeeze through this tunnel with the train passing overhead at just under 60mph.

On to Kitzbuhel next!