Jessie Diggins has no plans to retire but says she really needs a break from skiing

How does Jessie Diggins plan to celebrate the most successful season of her World Cup career? With some good sleep. In her own bed. And if she’s feeling extra adventurous, a trip to the local library.

The Afton native hit the reset button on her competitive drive this week, dialing it down to zero after keeping it at 11 for the past four months. Diggins’ World Cup cross-country season ended last Sunday in Falun, Sweden, with a victory that secured her place as the circuit’s overall champion. This week, she returned to her home and her husband in suburban Boston, ready for some hard-earned R&R.

In an interview with the Star Tribune, Diggins, 32, called the season “a crazy fairy tale with a happy ending.” After revealing last fall that she had a relapse of an eating disorder, she roared to a career-best 2,746 World Cup points, along with setting American single-season records for individual victories (six) and podium finishes (12).

In about six weeks, she will begin training toward the 2024-25 season. The next step would be a possible run at a fourth Olympic Games in 2026.

None of that will be on Diggins’ mind for a while. After pushing her body to its limits over 16 weeks of racing, she’s temporarily trading the fast track for more sedate pursuits.

“It’s like when you’re playing a piece of music,” Diggins said. “There are rests, and you can’t play through them, or you ruin the piece.

“After the season, I need a total reset mentally and physically. It starts with one week of doing nothing, not even breaking a sweat. I’m super active, so that’s hard to do, but it’s so important.”

Diggins relishes the quiet time after the season has been put to bed. She just got a library card so she can indulge in some reading. She likes to cook, and she’s making plans to plant spring flowers.

Diggins and her husband, Wade Poplawski, also will take a honeymoon that’s been on hold since their 2022 wedding, heading to Patagonia for hiking and luxury camping.

The World Cup season brought crystal globes for the overall and distance titles, along with a second Tour de Ski championship. The first American to win two overall titles, Diggins said it also served as an important reminder that she races best when she’s not stressing about the outcome.

As she battled the eating disorder, she said, she was prepared to leave the World Cup circuit and go home if that was best for her mental health. Instead, she reached new heights.

“I came in with no expectations, not even the promise of racing all season,” Diggins said. “I focused on the process and on doing what I loved. And I learned a lot from that.

“There can be a lot of pressure, and I expect a lot from myself.”

She also was reminded it’s best not to look too far ahead. At this point, Diggins isn’t thinking much about the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, though she said it would be “really exciting and cool” to race there. Nor is she considering retirement.

After a few weeks of books and gardening and bike rides, Diggins knows she’ll be itching to dial things up again.

“Right now, I feel like I’m not done yet,” she said. “I love the culture and the people on our team. And between classic technique, fitness, power, tactics, there’s always something to work on. That excites me.”