Muscle memory is a funny thing. Even after years of not doing something, your body remembers how it should feel and will start to make corrections whenever you try it again.
Yesterday was my first day back on the slopes in two years. I have been skiing off-and-on for 24 years and this was the longest I've ever gone between runs. It was strange not to feel completely confident and wonder what I was capable of. My first run was extremely rusty - my movements were off and unfamiliar. I worried I would be awkwardly and uncomfortably making my way down the mountain all day. My second and third runs were similar, but I could feel my arms and legs auto-correcting, trying to fine-tune my movements in ways my brain wasn't yet comprehending. By my fourth run, my brain caught up. My movements became more fluid and I knew what I needed to do to feel better and more in control. I was making a comeback.
Throughout the rest of the day I felt better and pushed myself in more difficult terrain. My first mogul field was ugly - it was icy and despite the hundreds of lunges and squats I've done in the gym my legs were ill-prepared. But I tried again, identifying what I was doing wrong and slowly improving. By the end of the day, my abilities weren't where they were two years ago, but I knew with enough work they would be.
Today was a different story - on my second run I felt completely comfortable. I was gliding down the slope, my motions fluid, my skis an extension of my legs. My poles planted effortlessly; my arms and shoulders moved on auto-pilot, synchronizing with my legs and hips. I could feel myself in complete control. My form needed no correction.
Not all of my runs were as perfect as that one - I had a few less-than-graceful moments in some advanced terrain - but it gave me hope that one day soon I'll be hopping through mogul fields, making it look easy, just as I used to.
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