Olympic Journey

What a blur the first part of this Olympic season has been! In short, December didn't go as well as I had hoped, though there were some bright spots in the form of our two 8th place relay finishes!  In the end, I had to go to the final stage of U.S. Olympic Trials at the IBU Cup in Ridnaun, Italy just after Christmas.  Here's a quick run-down...

Over Christmas I had the chance to ski at my home ski area - Bogus Basin in Boise, Idaho. photo: Zachary Hall

First, I have to start by saying that I haven't raced at the IBU Cup since Olympic Trials in 2010.  Four years later, I was nervous trying to make the 2014 team.  There were lots of things for me to remember, like testing my skis without the help of our excellent technicians.  But there was also the comfort of being on a slightly smaller stage, and the chance to have some good, confidence-building results.  There were four races (two weekends of IBU Cups) that were to be part of trials.  The first weekend was two sprint races, and the second an individual and a sprint.  The day before the first race it started snowing, well, dumping really.  The snow continued through the night and into the next day.  All told, we must have received a couple feet of snow, so needless to say, race conditions were crazy.  You could barely see on the downhills, lots of racers fell, and there were even a couple broken rifles.  I was nervous, especially given the challenging conditions, but was proud of myself for sticking to my routine and executing a solid race.  The next day was calm and fast, and I put together a great race, finishing as the top American in 9th place.  It was reassuring to have such a good result and from there the nerves subsided and I was able to focus just on racing like usual.

Racing in Ridnaun.  photo: Detlef Eckert

It wasn't all stress and racing though.  There was a torchlight parade to a mine near the venue where we were able to take a nighttime tour and then enjoyed a small party outside the bar near the mine.  The weather was also beautiful.  While our teammates were dealing with fog and rain and less-than-ideal conditions on the World Cup in Oberhof and Ruhpolding, we enjoyed lots of blue sky and sunshine after that first snowy race.

Torch parade! photo: Hannah Dreissigacker

Beautiful ski in Ridnaun as the sun goes down.

The second and final weekend of racing started off with a tough individual.  I didn't have my best race, not skiing aggressively enough and not shooting as well as I had hoped.  However, I was able to rebound with a solid result in Sunday's sprint and put myself in a comfortable position on the points list.

I'm looking forward to seeing these five rings all over the place again!

I've seen myself on the 2014 Olympic Team almost since leaving Vancouver in 2010.  Getting here, though, hasn't been easy or certain.  I've had my share of ups and downs, but that only makes finally being able to once again say I'm an Olympian (a two-time Olympian!) that much more exciting.  I'm really looking forward to competing in Sochi, and couldn't ask for a better team to share this experience with!

These girls! Two 8th place relay results and all-around awesome teammates...on to Sochi!  photo: Nordic Focus

Oberhof Ski Hall

More video blogging from Germany!

Training in Germany's ski hall is fun (though skiing on a 7 minute loop for 2 hours can get a little repetitive).  We love being here because it gives us a great chance to get on snow in September!  Here's a look inside the Oberhof ski hall.

 

 

Ruhpolding Video Blogging

Check out my new video blog! Curious about the Ruhpolding venue?  Here's a little peek at the range area and a more difficult part of the course.  The US Team has had a couple weeks to work on this course, which should benefit us this winter at the World Cup!   

 The Ruhpolding stadium area.

 

Ruhpolding World Cup course section

Germany Training Camp Is...

...sometimes sunny...

(photo: Leif Nordgren)

 ...sometimes foggy...

Susan on top of Rossfeld.

 ...a culinary experience...

Saturday afternoon workout ending with drinks and snacks at the Alm!

 ...lots of time on the range...

Boys waiting for slowfire drills to start in Ruhpolding.

 ...beautiful...

Inzell!

 ...lots of "wild" life watching...

Hannah and Susan make friends with the cows near the Backeralm.

 ...2 weeks finished, 1 to go.

Auf Wiedersehen, Inzell und Ruhpolding...Hallo Oberhof!

Travel

Hello, internet world!  I have been woefully absent from blog, twitter and facebook for the last little while, but summer is the time when things just happen and technology falls by the wayside.  I've been traveling around a lot since early June, and though many athletes will tell you travel is the worst for training, I think when that travel brings you to places and people you love, it can actually be beneficial.  So here's my last month in review...

Sunset off Brooklyn, NY looking towards Lady Liberty. (photo: Luke Studebaker)

After a week of solid training in Lake Placid and a brief stop in Brooklyn, NY to see my brother, I headed to Alaska where a "heat wave" was in full force.  Much to the dismay of the Alaskans, temperatures were hovering in the mid-70s F with jumps into the 80s F (about 27C)!  I, being from the hot Great Basin Desert of Idaho, thought these temperatures were just wonderful.  I don't think I've ever worn shorts and a tank top in Alaska - until this June!  It was perfect training weather, and the heat coupled with the drought they were also experiencing made for great adventure weather as well.  It was a fun couple weeks training and hanging out with Zach and enjoying the seemingly eternal sunshine.

Alaskan summer barbecue!

The baby moose were everywhere...a true training hazard at times! (photo: Zachary Hall)

Backpacking near Crow Pass through tall grass... (photo: Zachary Hall)

...and crazy river crossings! (photo: Zachary Hall)

Pioneer Peak

Everlasting and beautiful Alaskan sunset.

Just after the 4th of July holiday, I headed for a brief visit to Massachusetts, were my extended family was renting a beach house for the week.  I was only able to stay the weekend before heading back to Lake Placid for training, but it was great to see my family and connect with the next generation!

Baby Eva! (photo: Mike Taveras)

Now it's back to the grind in Lake Placid.  It's been really rainy here while I've been away, but the weather seems to have turned and we may actually have some dry training sessions this coming week.  Everyone is excited to be back together working hard, and we're all taking advantage of the summer with barbecues, dips in the lake, and blueberry-picking hikes.  It's going to be a great month!
 

The women's team happy to be back together (chocolate mousse helps, too)!

 

Spring Training

Sunny, snowy Bend!

This spring has been pretty great for training.  I've been able to get in lots of on-snow skiing between Alaska and Bend, Oregon.  We've also had some great focused treadmill technique sessions, including a VO2 Max test, and some solid shooting work with both slowfire and combo training.  In addition, I was able to spend a week at home in Boise, visiting old friends and training in my old stomping ground. 

Lactate testing in Bend.

Dad and Uncle Ray de-bone chickens...quite the process, but with delicious results!

 

The beautiful Camas Prairie in northern Idaho.

I'll be in Lake Placid for one more week and then will be heading up to Alaska for the midsummer sun...and some training of course!

A midnight Alaskan sunset.

Full-Swing

The 2013-2014 season has officially started.  Well, the training season anyway.  After a great first week of training in the Alaskan Arctic, Anchorage Spring meant lots of running (and some crust skiing!) before I headed off to Lake Placid.  We began with a week of shooting-intensive work and then traveled to Bend, Oregon to find late season snow.  There's definitely less snow here than last year, but the skiing is still great and being able to put in training hours on skis instead of rollerskis in May is awesome. 

April crust skiing at Portage Glacier in Alaska.

Zach and me overlooking Blackstone Bay...a beautiful, if windy, view!

Mornings in Bend mean great skiing conditions....

...and afternoons mean perfect biking and running weather!  I love Spring in the West!

After spending next week at home in Boise, Idaho, I'll be back in Lake Placid for two more weeks of camp and then off to the land of the midnight sun (Alaska!).  I'm feeling motivated and excited for summer training.  Only 263 days until the Olympics begin....onward to Sochi!

May in Lake Placid can still mean chilly weather, but it doesn't mean we can't start making things perfect!