Picabo was in peak form while winning this 1994 World Cup downhill race. By the middle of January, she had been cleared to ride up to 45 minutes on the bike but was still holding herself back to half an hour. A key to her rehab, and to any workout program, is patience, not pushing yourself too far, too fast. And, yes, patience isn't the strong suit of a woman who makes her living flying at 75 mph down steep hills. Much of what Street was doing when working on her hamstrings could have been called prehab, i.e., doing everything possible to make sure that by the time her knee was ready to go, the muscles around it would be strong enough to protect it.
Strong hamstrings are especially important in supporting the knee.
Overdeveloped quads paired with underdeveloped hamstrings can leave the knee susceptible to injury, so throughout her rehab, Street has worked the left hamstring particularly hard to provide her left knee with extra support. Picabo's Workout Tips Find your motivation. There are mornings when I get up thinking about skiing and the Olympics. Don't let anger or stress be that motivation. When you're mad or tense, you're pounding your feet harder, not concentrating on using good form and staying within your range.