Camp Re-cap and Rest Week

Now that the national team camp is over, and we're finishing up a busy rest week, I finally have time to catch up on things.

The camp ended well. The second week started with the duathlon I wrote about in my previous post, and ended with a trip to a good friend's wedding in New Hampshire. In between, we had VO2 Max testing on the big treadmill at the OTC. Overall, it was a great camp, with some really high quality training. It was great to get to train with such a big group of girls and I'm definitely looking forward to the next camp when we're all together again.

VO2 Max testing.

Though the camp was great, I was more than ready for the rest week that followed. After a quick trip to New Hampshire over the weekend for my friend's wedding, Zach and I spent the next couple days house and dog sitting for a friend in Lake Placid. It was great to get out of the OTC for a few days and get to cook and enjoy having a whole house to relax in. We began some light training at the end of the week, and are gearing up for an interval week next week. After heading to Jericho, VT for some combo training (rollerskiing and shooting) on the roller loop there for Monday and Tuesday, Zach and I will go down to Rhode Island to spend the Forth of July with my family at the beach. While training won't stop for the holiday, it will be nice to hang out on the beach a bit and see my family.

Dartmouth Nordi girls reunion! Post-wedding hike up Mount Moosilauke.

A beautiful rainbow while house sitting.

Week 1

We are just beginning the second week of our first training camp. Everyone is here-the National A and B teams and the Development team along with some potential recruits for next year. It was a big week in terms of hours and intensity, but I feel like I handled it well. Some highlights include a couple fun shooting competitions, a 7 hour day that included a long hike/run and a bike ride, and of course lots of long rollerskis with good conversation.

Melinda, Wynn and Zach on our long hike/run at Avalanche Lake.

Shooting work on the Scat machine.

This week is another big week-the last week of camp. We began with a swim-bike race yesterday that was really fun, and quite entertaining seeing a bunch of biathletes attempt to swim fast-a difficult feat when you don't float too well. Later this week we're going to be doing some VO2 Max testing. The testing will make for a bit lower hours this week, but it will be interesting to get to see how we do in testing. Then, at the end of the week, Zach and I head to Dartmouth's Moosilauke Ravine Lodge for a friend's wedding. It should be a great week, with a much deserved break waiting at the end.

Pre-swim-a little wary
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Biathletes swimming...not too bad actually...

Heading off on the bike portion.

Back to School

It's been a while since I last wrote, so what better time to catch up than sitting in a coffee shop across the street from my alma mater?

This weekend is Dartmouth graduation, and an easy training week for us before the national team camp begins on Monday. It seemed like a perfect time for Zach and me to get away for a little break from the OTC and to catch up with a few people here on campus. So far, it's been a nice visit. Today's rain is definitely putting a damper on things, but the weather looks much better for Sunday's commencement exercises: it's going to be 90˚F! I suppose summer really has arrived, despite the recent dreary weather.

It has been a busy last few weeks as training has ramped up and things have gotten back into full swing. Last week was a volume week with 25 hours of training for me. It was my biggest week ever, and though I did miss an interval session because I was feeling a sore throat coming on, I felt great about the training I put in. Making the decision to take the day off is tough, but you have to know when to rest. Training through sickness can just make you more sick and then you end up missing even more training. It was a good lesson for me: with a lot of rest and forgoing the intervals, I was able to stave off my cold and finish the training week. Knowing when to train is important, but knowing when to rest is perhaps even more important, and certainly more difficult.

It's not been all training these last few weeks, though. During our last low volume week (3 weeks ago), Zach and I went to Rhode Island to paint my Grandpa's house for him. We were lucky with the weather and were able to get a lot done. It was also great to spend some time with my Grandpa and my aunts, uncles and cousins. As an added bonus, we got to get all dressed up and go to the Providence Opera. It was amazing, and definitely not something we have the opportunity to do very often!

Safety first!

Just like new!

Off to the Opera. We clean up pretty nicely...

So, that's the cliff notes version of the last month. I'm really looking forward to the national team camp over the next two weeks. It's going to be great to get to work with the "A" team coaches and train with everyone for a while. This is a real "kick off" for the season, and I am more than ready to put in the work.

Spring!?

With a wave of unseasonably warm weather, spring has arrived in more ways than one. This week is the first week of training in the 08-09 season. It seems strange that we've already come full circle back to the beginning. There's one big difference, though. Whereas last year at this time I was finishing up school with a whole month of classes left, this year I am beginning to train full time. It's going to be a huge advantage to have a whole month more than last year. And after a nice break from biathlon, I'm really looking forward to training again and kicking this season off right!

End of the Season

Vacation!

The 07-08 competition season is done, and it ended with a bang for me! Canadian Nationals was a huge success, as I finished 3rd overall and top US athlete (again!) in the Sprint race. I was really happy with my race. I skied hard and shot well, with only 2 penalties for the day. It was a great end to the individual race season.

Women's Sprint Podium

The relay was the last competition for the year and it was a great race. Though my legs were tired from 2 weeks of racing, I felt pretty good and had a lot of fun in my first relay competition. The way the teams worked was that there was 2 men and 1 woman (although some teams had 2 women and 1 man-our setup was the faster choice), and as with all relay competitions, you had three extra rounds to hit the five targets at both shooting stages. My teammate tagged off to me in 2nd place, but I was quickly passed by a team who had chosen to send their men in the first and second positions rather than first and third as our team had elected. I skied well though, and used 2 extra rounds to clean my target both in prone and standing and tagged off in 4th place to our last leg. Although he had some trouble in the first shooting stage, he skied well and moved us up to 3rd place. It was pretty neat. Getting to stand on the podium three days in a row was definitely a great experience, and a great end to the season.

Getting into position in the relay.

After the races, my parents, who had come to see me race, and my boyfriend Zach and I drove down to Seattle where my parents flew back to Boise to work and Zach and I continued down the Oregon coast for a little vacation. It was a bit rainy and cold, but very nice to have a break from skiing. We had nowhere to be and nothing to do; it was great.

Zach and me on the Oregon Coast.

Now I'm home in Boise for a week and then back to Lake Placid to get going on next season...

Canadian Nationals Day 1

Wow! It's been an amazing week here at Canadian Nationals so far. In addition to being able to ski at an absolutely breathtaking venue that will host the 2010 Olympic Games, I had a fantastic race on Thursday. The Individual race (15K with 4 shootings and 1 minute penalty for each miss instead of the usual 150m penalty loop) went very well. I was able to ski each loop a little faster than the previous and had only 3 penalties for the day, putting me into third place overall! It was definitely a great result for only having 1 year of focused biathlon training.

Leaving the range

Tomorrow is the sprint race, followed by a mixed relay on Sunday. Both should be great races, and I'm especially looking forward to the relay since I have never raced one before. We are all taking advantage of being able to train and race at this venue, but I must admit, I am looking forward to after the race on Sunday when the season will be over and vacation will start!

Close-up of prone shooting.

Women's Individual Podium!


Photos courtesy of Max Cobb. Check out more photos of US Biathletes in action at http://gallery.mac.com/maxkcobb#100148&view=mosaic&sel=0

Nationals Summary

Mass Start 2nd and 3rd place

US Nationals/NorAm Championships ended Saturday with the mass start competition. I had a good race with good shooting and skiing, despite a long week of racing. It was an exciting race, since it came down to the last lap.

Mass Starts are always exciting since you always know where you are and can often tell how other racers are doing. The first lap of the Nationals mass start was cool because the whole group of women pretty much stayed together, meaning we all entered the range at the same time. I had one penalty and left for the second loop with a small group of skiers, around 5th place. After clean shooting in the second prone stage I was just behind a couple skiers, and moving up in the standings. Standing shooting went well, as I had two penalties in the first stage and one in the second. By the last lap I had moved into 4th position, just behind third and within sight of second. I battled hard over the last 2.5K lap and took over 3rd position, and if the course had been another half kilometer I would have been able to catch 2nd place as well. It was a great race though, and very exciting to do well in the last domestic race of the season. Also, due to my races in Minnesota, I was able to take the NorAm Overall title for the 2008 season. It was a great first season as a full-time biathlete.

And it's not quite over! We are now just outside Vancouver, BC, Canada for Canadian National Championships at the 2010 Olympic venue. The area is amazingly beautiful, and the venue is fantastic. It's a great and inspiring opportunity to get to ski and race here now. It is the first large-scale biathlon events to be held at the Olympic venue, and so far everyone seems to really like the courses and the set-up. Some nationals team members are here, so I'm looking forward to spending time with some people I haven't seen all season. It's going to be fun to race here and end the season with such an exciting experience!

Range at the Olympic venue