HAL Interview with Professional Skier Brooke Gosling

Posted June 30, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Her Fitness, Her Health, Her Motivation, Her Nutrition, Special Features, Interviews

HerActiveLife is excited to share our recent interview with Canadian professional skier Brooke Gosling!  We caught up with Brooke via email; in this interview, she shares her inside tips on what keeps her motivated, who inspires her, how she trains, how she fuels her body, and how she hopes to make the Canadian Olympic team.  In addition to answering some more serious questions, Brooke had fun with our twelve “Just for Kicks” questions!

HerActiveLife (HAL): You are an extremely active and successful athlete.  You ski professionally in Canada, you mountain bike, and you even ran Division I at the University of New Mexico.  How did you get involved in athletics?

Brooke Gosling (BG): I started to get involved in athletics when I was 14. Part of the gym curriculum was to run for 12 minutes around a track and see how many laps you could do. I think I ran it in a pair of purple converse shoes. Shortly after that the cross country coach kept asking me to come out, but it wasn’t the “cool” sport to do. After about a month I joined the team, acquired new friends, and fell in love with running. I think I placed near last in our provincial championships in grade 9, but by the time I was a senior I finished 12th. I just really liked the feeling of working hard and seeing results. I don’t think I have the “genetic” or natural ability for athletics; it took me a few years of working hard to get to a point where I was competitive (for running and skiing). The coaches at my high school, both in skiing and running were quite extraordinary so it was very easy to stay after school and train- it was fun. Plus the friends I made on the teams are still my best friends today. I think the biggest part of the high school program was that it taught me to view athletics as a lifestyle, not necessarily something I would do just on weekends.  It also taught me to always enjoy what you are doing, whether it is hard intensity or a long easy hike.

I started mountain biking this year in order to keep my body in shape for skiing, and to also give my mind a rest from always thinking about skiing. My Dad introduced me to biking when I was about 17, but I remember being petrified of the speed and the technical aspects, but could always be quite strong on the climbs. When I moved to Canmore three years ago I picked it up again. The terrain here kind of forces you to be out of your comfort zone a lot of the time, so I think I’ve definitely become a lot stronger on the bike- Hopefully now I can beat my dad! Racing has been a blast- I just got moved up to Expert, so hopefully next year I will be racing elite.

HAL: Are you a full-time professional athlete?  If so, what do you want to do after your competitive career? If you juggle athletics and career, how do you find the time to train?

BG:I am a full time professional athlete, but with a moderately full time job. I work for a construction company in Canmore and without them I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to train and race as much as I do. They have been fantastic and very understanding about flexibility and giving me time off when I need it. Canmore is pretty expensive to live in, so even if I had extra money I think I would always need a part time job. Plus, I think it’s important to have a few hours where you can think about something else other than training and recovering.

As far as time is concerned, there are definitely a lot of early mornings, but as I said above, training and competition is a lifestyle, so it’s easy for me to wake up and go for a run because I love it- I would probably still be active most mornings if I wasn’t competing. Some mornings, if I’m lacking motivation, I just get up and run to get a newspaper, but just take the long way to the store!! My job is also pretty flexible, so when I have a volume week or an intensity block I will only work 10-12 hrs, then on easy weeks I can work 30-35hrs.

I have an Honours BA in Finance and I want to be a research analyst, but at the moment the amount of hours required to work in this field are just not compatible with my athletic goals, so I am putting it on hold until I am ready for it.

HAL: What is a typical week of training like for you?

BG:Cross country skiing has a lot of periodization training in it. So we would generally do strength in the gym with weights 2x a week and then specific strength 1x week (double poling, legs only) -This varies from the distance athletes to the sprinters. Then we have weekly cycles of easy, medium, hard/volume, recovery. I also have intensity blocks which are monitored at approx.15minutes of intensity pushing 7mmol of lactate- so lactate threshold work, this year I’ll do three of those and they are 6 days everyday of intensity- its actually not as intense as it sounds as long as you pay attention to heart rates and the lactate readings (my coach pricks my finger after every interval and checks the lactate in my blood on a handheld machine- if I go over 7.0mmol then I am cut from that day) - this is to prevent overtraining. If you do the workout wrong then you are not getting the benefit from it.

We also have a glacier camp where we log between 25-30 hrs over 6-7days on snow. I want to stress though that this is all done at a very low heart rate (zone 1) so approx. 130-140bpm. About 70 percent of our training is done in zone 1 to build a base. Usually I train twice a day with stretching and core in the evenings- because I’m getting older physio and stretching has become extremely important.

HAL: What has been the highlight of your athletic career?

BG: Thus far the highlights of my career have been a few things- this past season I was 5th in the 30km at Nationals and had a 2nd place in a NorAm. These were, in a sense, break through races because it gave me the confidence to know that I can be one of Canada’s top racers if I just be patient and keep training and doing the “little” things right. I remember crossing the line in second and having this insane amount of emotions going through me because the year before I never really broke the top ten. It was also pretty motivating to be going up the last climb and having my coach and team manager screaming at me like crazy- I think they were more excited then me! I definitely won’t forget that day!

I won the Keskinada Loppet in Ottawa this year (its part of the World Ski Marathon Circuit). It’s a 54km skate race on a pretty hilly course- I was in a bit of a troublesome mood because I hadn’t qualified for Worlds (I was 5th on the selection list and needed to be 4th). I started relatively conservatively, but all the other girls in the race were drafting off of me. Which made me even more annoyed so at about 30km I just started skiing away as fast as I could and broke from the pack- I was pretty surprised with having the courage to do that- I learned a lot about my ability too…I can always go harder!

Also, being named to X-C.COM, the Salomon Canada Team was a huge turning point. They have provided an amazing amount of financial support, equipping me with the best of equipment, technical support, travel and accommodation costs and the support that it takes to be a professional athlete.  I am still in awe that they wanted me on their team!

Running with UNM was definitely a lot of fun- the coaches on the track team were just amazing. I actually don’t think I would have stayed in athletics if it wasn’t for them helping to bring my love for competition back.

I also went to Austria in 2002 for the World Mountain running championships for Canada (yes I ran up a mountain!) and that was pretty cool. I don’t tell too many people that because I always get the “you did what?” look.

HAL: What has been the toughest moment?

BG: Toughest moment? When I accepted a scholarship for skiing to UNM I went down there with the intention of training with some of the best skiers in the US and in turn becoming one myself. This didn’t exactly go according to plan. I got VERY over-trained, lost a lot of weight, and was always sick with something. After two years I lost my scholarship for skiing. It wasn’t necessarily losing the scholarship that was hard, but more so it felt like my dream of becoming a great athlete wasn’t going to happen. I called my parents from a pay phone after I found out and I felt like I had just completely let them down. But they both told me to go back to school and finish what I started. So I got my degree and also had a running scholarship for a year and met a bunch of new people- so in retrospect it worked out okay- it was just definitely a bit of a rougher route to follow!

HAL: Who inspires you?

BG: MY PARENTS! I always tell them that they are the ones who gave me the stubbornness and determination to go after my dreams!…but they are truly the most hardworking, dedicated, supportive people I know. It’s actually quite intimidating sometimes how hard they work and how successful they’ve been in their respective jobs. Sometimes I think they believe in me more then I believe in myself!

HAL: What is your favorite quote?

BG: “Nothing is handed to you on a silver platter; you earn it through determination and persistence in the face of obstacles” and “Pain is not an option”

HAL: What’s one thing about your sport that people might be surprised to find out?

BG: We do a lot of SLLLOOOOWWW training for a lot of hours. We eat A LOT.

HAL: What’s your biggest goal as an athlete?

BG: I want to represent Canada at the World Championships and at the Olympics. BUT most of all, I want to have no regrets and to get to a place where I know I couldn’t have done anything more- I want to reach my potential.

HAL: Do you follow a specific training diet?

BG: Yes and no. The 2nd biggest adjustment I made, other than consistent training last year, was eating better. I eat a lot more red meat now and also “try” to limit sugar or refined foods. My roommates have been very helpful- as they are the ones who noticed that I have a lot of sugar crashes (I have a very big sweet tooth). BUT, as with everything, if I see results, and I feel better then I think it’s a good thing. Cutting out sugar has been a huge adjustment, but I feel way better, I’m not as irritable (which I always attributed to training too much) and I have more energy. The other thing I’ve had to focus on is hydration. I had no idea drinking a lot of water would be so helpful! Again, it has to be a lifestyle issue; it can’t be something that you have to “think” about all the time.

Just for Kicks: 12 fun Q&A’s with HerActiveLife

HAL 1: If you could trade places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?  Why?

BG: Definitely Beyonce or Gwen Stefani. They are hot, strong, fit women. Oh - and they can sing and dance- I have been told by my brother on numerous occasions that I shouldn’t do either!!

HAL 2: Favorite song?

BG: Shook me all night long - ACDC; Bullet and a target- Citizen Cope; Motor Cycle Drive By- TEB; Apparitions- Matthew Good Band (Sorry I don’t have just one!).

HAL 3: Favorite movie?

BG: I’m a big fan of eighties movies with Molly Ringwald- Pretty and Pink, Sixteen Candles etc.

HAL 4: Favorite book?

BG: I’m a closet magazine junky: Glamour, Cosmo, Shape, Fit, Outside, Women’s Health etc. It’s actually quite bad. I go to a coffee store in town just so I can read the gossip magazines that they have there. Hahaha…I guess I’m not in the closet anymore eh?

HAL 5: Favorite food?

BG: I love breakfast burritos with green chilies- from New Mexico!

HAL 6: Favorite places to train?

BG: Mono Cliffs Provincial Park in Orangeville, Ontario for running, Larch Hills Ski area in Salmon Arm, BC for skiing, Lake Minewanka in Banff, AB or Vernon, BC for Mountain biking, Kananskis Provincial Park hwy. for roller skiing

HAL 7: Favorite websites?

BG: www.heractivelife.com www.fast-women.com www.x-c.com www.skifaster.net www.fasterskier.com www.rundlemountainclycling.com

HAL 8: If you had to describe yourself in 5 words or less, how would you do it?

BG: Endurance, Dedication, Stubborn, Emotional, A Romantic

HAL 9: Pet-peeves?

BG: NEGATIVITY. I absolutely do not know how to tolerate people who say they “can’t”.

HAL 10: Any hidden talents?

BG: Does being ridiculously klutzy count?

HAL 11: Pre-race rituals?

BG: YES. I wear long underwear almost all the time- even when it is 15 degrees. I also wear the same underwear and socks for every race. I am pretty adamant that I get a good warm-up. I like running in the morning, even if it is a blizzard! I feel like something is missing if I don’t eat a banana in my breakfast.

HAL 12: Life philosophy?

BG: -Live each day one at a time. Live in the moment because it’s all those small moments that will culminate to the eventual achievement of a dream. -Roll with the punches- life is full of ups and downs, but it is the contrast of those experiences that make life wonderful…sometimes you have to go down before you realize what resources you need to go up.