Frida Karlsson risks missing the start of the season due to a foot injury. Now she is self-critical, admitting that she has difficulty feeling pain until it’s too late.

Frida Karlsson is currently in Tenerife for alternative training and rehab. Last week, she announced that her season preparation plan had changed due to the foot injury that has troubled her throughout the fall. The foot injury has, in turn, led to overuse in the groin area.

This isn’t the first time Frida Karlsson has suffered from an injury or overuse. During her career, she has had to change her plans on multiple occasions. In August, she skipped the national team’s camp in Trondheim because of the same foot. After a few sessions on snow in Vålådalen in mid-October, she felt something wasn’t right.

“My body didn’t respond as I wanted after the first snow sessions in Vålådalen, and we realized that skiing is still a bit off for me. I needed to make a change to ensure the best possible conditions moving forward,” Frida Karlsson said then.

“Damn, how stupid I am”

This isn’t the first time this has happened to you. Do you feel self-critical?

“Yes, you always do. I think, ‘Damn, how stupid I am for making the same mistake again.’ At the same time, I have difficulty feeling pain. By the time I feel something, it’s usually too late,” she says to Langd.se and continues:

“It varies for each of us endurance athletes, in terms of how we wear down. Some get sick, others deal with injuries; for me, it’s been this foot that’s caused trouble, on and off, for several years now. This summer was really good, and maybe I pushed a little too hard.”

What’s your plan going forward?

“I can’t make a long-term plan; we’ll have to take it day by day. I’m in constant contact with my physiotherapist back home. We want to make sure things are moving in the right direction. Hopefully, I can start incorporating some double-poling at the end, but otherwise, it will just be cycling. I’m trying to take the situation calmly. I won’t have much time on skis before the season starts, but I hope to be fit and ready for the season opener in Bruksvallarna.”

“We have to find ways”

The Swedish national team’s medical team maintains close contact with Frida and her own physiotherapist. The women’s team coach, Stefan Thomson, finds it unfortunate that Frida hasn’t managed to stay on the right side of the limit.

What kind of monitoring routines does the national team have to catch these issues?

“Firstly, the national team has a medical team with doctors and several physiotherapists, who, in turn, communicate with the athlete’s own physio. It’s important that this runs smoothly. This is something we work on and develop every year. We adjust the load based on the injury and constantly discuss what’s best. It’s a balancing act to determine what can be done in training to keep things going. That’s the dilemma of working at the highest elite level; we have to find ways even if there’s an injury.”

What could you have done differently?

“Of course, you examine yourself, but I think we did a lot right. Ideally, we want to be close to the limit but on the right side, and it’s always unfortunate when you cross to the wrong side. Overall, I think we did most things right,” concludes Thomson.

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