The Loppet

Today I completed my eighth Team in Training event. It wasn't exactly the event I'd pictured when I signed up for the Team's inaugural cross-country ski event, the City of Lakes Loppet, last September, but I did it.

One reason I signed up for this event was that, as a native Minnesotan who doesn't like winter, for years I've told myself that I should take up more winter recreational activities in order to get out there and enjoy the season. I bought snowshoes a few years ago, but we seldom have enough snow in the Twin Cities to use them (save last year, when I still didn't use them - don't ask me why. Habit? Too busy shoveling and driving extra long commutes after each snowstorm?). So I jumped at the opportunity to learn how to ski, practice regularly, and do it with a great bunch of people. And then we didn't get any snow. And I learned I had breast cancer.

We started "dry land" training in September, then the team moved to Elm Creek, a park with man-made snow in December. I didn't attend these early ski practices due to being overwhelmed, the pneumothorax, the park being 30 miles from my house, an upper respiratory infection complete with fever, and, I distinctly remember one night I didn't go because it was raining.

I finally made it to my first ski practice on January 7th. I had a 100.5 fever, but knew I needed to get out there, and felt it was now or never. I stayed in the practice area, got some instructions, skied back and forth a bit until my body said that's enough, then went inside and gabbed with TNT friend Rachel for another hour (guess I wasn't feeling that bad!) before heading home.

I made it to a few more TNT practices, and a group lesson, before ending up at Wirth Park last weekend. The Loppet was to start at Wirth, so we wanted to ski it before the actual event. I was happy to ski a different venue, especially one closer to home.

Wirth had a 3.5km loop with man-made snow, and those of us with less experience did not ski the whole loop due a big hill. There were plenty of other hills, though, along with a lot of ice, and I gave up after just one loop, three falls, and some lightheadedness (which I attributed to being out of shape until my oncologist reminded me that my hemoglobin is low - it's been hovering around 10). Two friends helped out by walking me and my gear to the car.

Through all this, I was getting a ton of support from the team - notes of encouragement, offers of assistance, you name it. The first time I fell at Wirth, I had to figure out how to get back up (not that easy on skis), and I got offers of help and tips from everyone around me. I thought that the Team helping me get back up on my skis was a good metaphor for my situation at large. (:

That same evening, the Loppet announced that, due to the lack of snow and warm weather, they were changing the course - to entirely within Wirth Park. The Loppet course would be multiple laps of the 3.5km loop mentioned above.

I knew I didn't have the technical skills or fitness level to ski this course, so I was happy to hear from our coaches that Team in Training would switch "our" Loppet to Elm Creek (which had been our Plan B in the event that the Loppet was to be completely cancelled).

What I would do for the actual event was still to be determined, especially after I developed lymphedema in my left arm from the surgeries and radiation. My arm and hand blew up to way beyond their normal size, and my left forearm and hand would cramp up with even the simplest of chores. Just Friday morning, I went to lymphedema therapy. We discussed the option of bandaging my arm, which might interfere with the ski event, but agreed that the most important thing was to get the lymphedema under control. So my arm got wrapped up with multiple rolls of bandage and padding, with the pressure greatest at the hand and lessening all the way up to the armpit, to force the fluid up and out of my hand and arm.

Now my hand and arm were even larger. My fingers were partially wrapped so that, while the therapist had made sure I could still bend my elbow to bring a fork to my mouth, I found I couldn't hold a fork. This morning I borrowed a jacket and mitten that would fit over that big arm (thanks, again, to those awesome teammates), but the ski pole loop would not fit over my hand.

I started out just holding the ski pole, but almost immediately I realized that wasn't going to work since I couldn't grip the pole without pain. I would also find that my hand would slide down the pole so that I'd be gripping it a few inches below the handle (not sure if that's the right word for it, but hopefully you get my idea!). I ended up skiing much of my first lap holding the left pole in my right hand.

I got rid of the left pole after my first lap, and things got much easier. I still fell once or twice, didn't go very fast, and got pooped on the uphills, but I ended up skiing three laps - two of which were accompanied by my good friend Ramona. This equaled about 7km, not quite the distance I'd envisioned at the beginning of the season, but my goal was to just get out there and see what I could do.

After I finished, I stayed and watched the rest of my teammates come in (with some breaks to go inside and warm up by the fire with a warm beverage and a homemade caramel roll). It was just an awesome morning, not just to get out there and do my three laps, but to see everyone else reaching their goals and finishing.

Now that the Loppet is over, I'm sure we'll get some snow. And I'm excited to get out my skis when we do. I may not like winter yet, but I think I can say I like cross-country skiing (at least when it's on an easy course)! (: