Jericho, Take 1

Last week the women's team headed over to Jericho, VT for a week of training on the rollerski loop and range there. Usually, Jericho is either unbearably hot or incredibly rainy, but this time we got (mostly) lucky. With only one day of rain, and a couple really hot days, the week was pretty pleasant. It was also the first time that the whole women's team has been together in a while. Laura Spector came over from school for the weekend, and all of us were back from our various vacations and off weeks. It was great having a solid group again, and gave us a short window to make a video for the US Ski Team Women's Video Challenge. Check out our entry here. The week culminated in a ride back from Jericho to Lake Placid. Nearly 100 miles on the hottest day of our camp was a bit brutal, but we survived and actually enjoyed it. At the very least, it was some great team bonding!

6:45am...heading out!

Heading up the Keane Hill...almost home!

We now have a bit of a break before we head back to Jericho for the National Rollerski Biathlon Championship races. For most, it will be the first part of trials for the December World Cup and IBU Cup races. Since I'm already qualified, it will just be a good chance to check up on the training I've been doing all summer and get that racing feel again. After the races, it's off to Europe for our August camp! It's amazing how fast the summer is flying by. I'm not quite ready for the training season to be done, but I think we're all starting to feel the slightest hint of that winter itch.

Home

After a good training block in Lake Placid, I headed home to Boise at the end of June for a friend's wedding and to hang out with my family. Of course, I was still training, but it was nice to have a break from Lake Placid and have some different training venues and adventures to mix things up. Perhaps the biggest adventure was going on a hike in the Sawtooth Mountains with my mom and running into a black bear. He was probably more scared than we were, and quickly ran away...but it was enough to get our hearts racing and keep us talking loudly for the remainder of the hike. Clearly, I had no chance to get pictures of this encounter, but here are some I was able to snap on my trip.

My good friend Courtney got married while I was home and I was so excited to take part in her special day!

Post-bear encounter at Hell Roaring Lake. So beautiful!

The view from the top of Mount Baldy in Sun Valley. It was a great place to do some L3 ski walking...

...especially because once on top, you can ride the chair lift and gondola down! What a fun way to end a tough workout. :)

I'm now back in Lake Placid for a few days before our team heads over to Jericho, VT for a week of training. It will be nice to get in some solid skiing and shooting training...and to have all the women back training together for a while!