The Future: recovery and new training opportunities

The last few weeks I have been busy working on my recovery and trying to figure out what I am going to for training for the next year. I have made really good progress on both. For next year I have been accepted in the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (GRP) in Craftsbury, Vermont and will be leaving the Maine Winter Sports Center. The Craftsbury GRP has had an elite level cross county program for several years and more currently added an elite level biathlon program. With lots of program changes happening at the Maine Winter Sports Center I felt that making the switch to the Craftsbury team would be the most beneficial for myself and for my training. The Maine Winter Sports Center has given me lots of opportunity and support and really helped me progress as an athlete. You can read more about MWSC happenings here and here. I am really excited about the opportunity to join the GRP! More info about the GRP can be found on their website: www.craftsbury.com

My recovery has been progressing very well! Three weeks ago I saw Pete at Winthrop PT for the first time and could not lift my left arm more then one inch, yesterday I was doing overhead presses with 15lb weights in each hand. I have been seeing Pete 2-3 times per week, he has been helping me break up the scar tissue and stretch my shoulder and back in order to regain mobility. The quick progress I have made has been really cool to watch, almost everyday I have noticed an improvement in my mobility and/or strength. In addition to PT I have been exercising everyday. I started out on the sit down stationary bike but since have progressed through the upright stationary bike and treadmill to being able to run outside continuously for an hour. This is a long ways from where I was 8 weeks with 20 broken bones, a punctured lung, and hardly able to walk in the hospital. 

At my last doctors visit I was almost given a clean bill of health, almost being the key word. After 8 weeks all of my bone fractures have healed pretty solidly and I can ease back into normal life paying attention to any pain that I have, especially in my shoulder. I cannot do anything hard intensity wise because of my lung and have to avoid anything that could leave me with a hard crash on my shoulder like mountain biking or roller skiing. 

At the end of May I will be getting another EMG nerve test to make sure that the function is fully returning like it seems to be. If the results of this test come back good I will be moving to Vermont in the early part of June to begin real training. 

Enjoying the sun flowers and snow covered mountains on a hike with my mom.

Helping pour concrete for a center pivot irrigation system, I was the head supervisor and photographer

The first baby lamb born of my family's sheep

National team nominations and more recovery

Yesterday came the much awaited phone call from the US Biathlon national team where I learned if I will be named to any teams, receive any support, or get the attend any camps where I could train with the national team athletes and coaches. I found out that I will not be receiving anything, no coaching, no training group, no support, nothing, they have totally dropped me. This was very frustrating to hear, especially because there are several athletes who I beat in every race all season, except for one, who got named to the national team and are getting full support, full national team coaching, and full opportunity to have the top level training group. I was told that these athletes were named to the national team because they did well at the national championship and showed promise for improvement. This makes me wonder if USBA remembers that won the IBU cup trials in December and had one of the best single results of any American on the IBU cup this season. Additionally I can say with confidence that if I did not crash and was able to complete the season I would have been one of the top US athletes in Canmore at the IBU cups and at nationals.

I could go on and on with reasons and statistics of how I have proved myself and have better results then the athletes USBA is naming to the national team and supporting but that will not help the situation. From here I look forward to making a full recovery and becoming a better faster biathlete.

In much more positive news my recovery is continuing to go very well, I had another doctors visit and have started physical therapy. My lung, ribs, and back are continuing to heal well and I have been cleared to increase my activity level, 1 hour continuous up to two times per day of walking or stationary biking. My shoulder is what the doctors are still concerned with most but it seems to be getting better and they are unsure if I will need surgery, like they had previously thought. For now I will begin to rehab it and we will re-access in June if I need surgery or not. My first "official" physical therapy appointment went really well I was able to lift my arm all the way over my head!! A week ago I unable to lift my arm at all. Pete Dickinson and Winthrop Physical Therapy has been very helpful and supportive of me and I look forward to continue working with them through my recovery process.

In my spare time I used our BBQ as a smoker to make smoked lamb shanks for dinner one night

I have also been making Dr. Betsy's Lamburgeenie dog treats, for sale at Winthrop Vet Services

Doctors, Adventuring, and Shearing

Last week I had another doctors visit which I considered to be overall successful. I saw Dr. Tornabene a neurologist,  Dr. Clarke my primary care doctor, and in the parking lot happened to run into Dr. Thorson my orthopedic doctor. Dr. Tornabene gave me and EMG test which I wont lie was not fun at all! You lay on your side while he repeatedly stabs you with a needle for about 20 minutes, the needles with some electric currents measures your nerve functions. The results of this test came back saying that my super scapular nerve is pinched which limits my arm (rotator cuff) function. The good news is that the nerve is probably not completely severed and we know that there is a problem so we can begin to find a solution. The way that my nerve is pinched is a very uncommon problem and so there is not a specific fix. The team of doctors has been researching the problem trying to find the best possible solution, I will see Dr. Thorson again on Monday to make a plan of action.

My visit with Dr. Clarke was much more promising. He had another CT scan done on my lung and did a general examination. The lung, ribs, and back are continuing to heal well. He said that it is okay to do easy physical activity (keep my heart rate under 150) as long as I am pain free. As far as what activities I can do, I cannot rollerski for a few months because of the high risk of falling which could re-injure my shoulder. Depending on how my shoulder heals I could maybe bike in two months if I am able to safely control the bike with two hands, again I can't crash and re-injure my shoulder. Within the next four weeks I can begin to run on the treadmill as long as I am not pailful anywhere.

Before I crashed my girlfriend Maddie and I had made the plan that after nationals in Truckee, California we were going to take my parents truck camper and go for a road trip along the coast of California and Oregon for a few days before coming home to the Methow where we ski, snowmobile, and adventure the mountains. Obviously this didn't happen, but Maddie still came to visit anyway. We had to scale back our adventures but were still able to have some fun. She chauffeured me around and we explored some places of the Methow she had not yet seen. With the help of my friend Matty (bro Matty not girlfriend Maddie) the three of us took our four wheeler to the top of Washington pass before it was open for highway traffic. I put on a big jacket and enjoyed the smooth ride up the paved road into the mountains. Even though I couldn't really play in them it was nice to at least see the mountains.

Yesterday we sheared my family's sheep, this is a pretty big event and it is planned so that I am home after ski season to help. I couldn't help much this year but was still out in the barn for entertainment if nothing else.

I figured out how to do some air rifle shooting with only one arm

Maddie and I out exploring the Methow 

One the the giant Kodiak Northwest snowblowers at the top of Washington Pass

Some more exploring with Maddie 

Martin the sheep shearer with one of our sheep 

The woolless sheep after being shorn