FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

A collection of live feeds from cross-country ski blogs around the web.

  • Catch up from Lahti…

    Ok, so I think at least 50% of my posts have started with “catch up from ____” so maybe my new blog page title should be titled “catch up”. A bit/a lot of catch up needs to happen again here, so here are a few pictures from Lahti, Finland and beyond, and as usual, more to come.
    Morse farm shirt and Skida hat being sported in front of the jumps at Lahti. As I didn’t bring a ton of shirts or hats, these were both sported a lot over the winter!
    Morgan, Holly and Kikkan with a bunch of Finnish kids who were headed out to watch the jumping competition one day. Not a rare sight in Europe. Safety vests always too.
    So over the course of the winter, starting before Oslo, I developed a lot of pain on the back of my heel. I have some pretty good bumps, shown here in these lovely pictures of my feet, and the combination of tight boots, a slightly different fit in this year’s model, and not paying enough attention to the pain I was getting until it was too late, I developed bursitis in my heel. It got so bad that in order to race in Lahti I had a cobbler cut a hole in the back of my boot so I was able to put my foot in it. I have not raced since then and have seen 2 specialists so far to try and take care of the problem. Bursitis can take 8 weeks to heal up, so I am 3 weeks in and have had some relief in the pain, though still cannot touch the area comfortably. The good news is that it is not painful unless something touches the area, so I learned today that I am cleared to train and do whatever doesn’t hurt it. So, that’s great! There is a surgery I can have if I want to that would shave down the extra bone growth that I have, but with surgery there is always a long recovery and possible complications, so I’m going to try and avoid it. I decided not to race in Sun Valley for the Supertour Finals and long distance Nationals and try and give my foot a bit of a break from ski boots and stress on the tendon. I did go up to watch the first 2 races, now am back in Park City, Utah and am headed back to Sun Valley for the final races and Fast and Female the day following. Then I am headed East to see a final doctor and be in Vermont for a bit of mud season, which I hear is in full effect!
    Kikkan on the Podium at World Cup Finals in Falun!!! SO COOL!!!
    YEAH BUDDY!! Just in case anyone is wondering about the effects of cracking a bottle of Champagne post World Cup Podium, ask Kikkan. The effects of toasting with your team of wax techs, coaches and teammates and enjoying the success you have just achieved keeps the momentum going. Kikkan toasted with Champagne after every podium she was on and she was on more of them this season than ever before. Not saying the bubbly did it, but I am saying enjoy and take in success when it happens, because it doesn’t happen every time you strive for it.
    Me when I found out!
    So, I road tripped to Vail, Colorado to see the first doctor, 5 days after returning from Europe. I was surprisingly not sleepy and got to catch up with some great friends and see the sun full on for the first time in a little while. I did forget sunglasses though, so skiing that day was extremely bright! Oh and funny thing, as I’m driving on I-70 just outside of Vail, I look over and see Phil Comen from Onion River Sports driving next to me! Really funny. We didn’t get to catch up, as we were headed to different places and you can’t say too much in a driving snowstorm yelling between two cars going 70, but it was good to se him.
    The Vail trails. Thanks for the Vail Valley Ski Club for letting me tour around on their trails!
    I headed out after my ski on my way back to Park City, but such is so often the case for me, I glanced at the map instead of looking twice (a good rule of thumb for me every time) and, wanting to take a new way home, ended up driving through Steamboat. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when it takes you 3 1/2 hours to get there from Vail, when you can get there in 1 1/4, you know you have gone the long way. As I was settling in for a long drive toPark City that night, I saw off on my right a ski area, with groomed nordic trails. The sun was setting and the moon was coming up and so I pulled a U-ey and went for a ski. Meanwhile, my friend Sarah MacCarthy called me and her parents live in town, so I ended up staying at their house for the night and going on a really great ski in the morning with her dad. We followed it up with a tour of the Steamboat Library and breakfast and then I headed out.
    Night ski in Steamboat. Really pretty night.
    Me at Sarah’s house with her dog and cat!
    And the funny thing is that this is Sarah with my dog, Charley, a week earlier at my house with my parents when I was in Europe! House swap! Thanks parents!
    I did a lot of driving, listened to a lot of music and saw a couple dinos.
    Dinosaur, Utah
    Just a cool tree.
    Road trip must.

    I blew bigger bubbles, but this was the last of the gum, so I was a but compromised.

    WHAT?!? Earings that are as big as my I-Pod? Pretty sweet fashions in this world. Wish I had a pair of these for choice occasions.
    More pictures from Sun Valley and life soon.

  • Championship Season

    March is the championship month for Nordic skiers.  This season continues to make us smile — and we have a few weeks of skiing left.  Last week we had two incredible crust cruising days and members of the team visited a half dozen of different venues.  Here is a our Tuesday crew after enjoying a klister-crust and smoking fast track ski at Trapps.

    Championships seem to have a way of attracting face paint.  Dani Leblanc and Kaitlin Fitzgerald turned over a hundred BKL’ers, parents and coaches into various woodland animals at the 2011 Bill Koch Festival at Breadloaf. 
    Devlin Shea handily took the award for Most St. Patties Day Spirit.

    Practicing tag zone strategy and enjoying the sun at Ole’s.

    Dev and the gals strategizing.

    Dev and Kaitlin preparing for the Sprint at EHS Champs.  This relay was fun in spirit — including jumping jacks and pirouettes — but it seemed effective.  Dev placed 7th and Kaitlin 13th.

    Alum and recent National Champ Sinclair showing Hans proper form for on-ski-jumping-jacks.

    Elena turned 18 years old this weekend in the Big Apple.  Here she is taunting the boys to the next challenge.
    Kaitlin making a rare traverse.

    Heidi Halvorsen finished the season with a bang!  On the first day of Eastern High School Champs with a victory in the five kilometer skate.

    Transformed snow was the word.  Fantastic klister conditions with almost forty degrees of temperature fluctuation during the morning.  

    Devlin in the medals for his Sprint performance at Black Mountain.

    Rafter taking in some sunshine and watching the boys awards for the mass start.

    Today is the first day of the New Year for GMVS Nordic.  The winter has been kind to us with fantastic conditions and successful racing throughout the winter.  As we begin to take stock of this season and look forward to spring break and a rest period — we are fortunate to have the best snowpack I can remember seeing in late March.  Stay tuned for some of our adventures over the next few weeks — and if you can come and join us!!
    We are planning an exciting Summer including: Invite Camps, our Annual Camps (June 25-28 & June 29-July 3) and collaboration with nearby clubs for killer training sessions.
    It corned up hard last night and a new layer of fluff is coming down.
    Congrats to all for great season.

  • Championship Season

    March is the championship month for Nordic skiers.  This season continues to make us smile — and we have a few weeks of skiing left.  Last week we had two incredible crust cruising days and members of the team visited a half dozen of different venues.  Here is a our Tuesday crew after enjoying a klister-crust and smoking fast track ski at Trapps.

    Championships seem to have a way of attracting face paint.  Dani Leblanc and Kaitlin Fitzgerald turned over a hundred BKL’ers, parents and coaches into various woodland animals at the 2011 Bill Koch Festival at Breadloaf. 
    Devlin Shea handily took the award for Most St. Patties Day Spirit.

    Practicing tag zone strategy and enjoying the sun at Ole’s.

    Dev and the gals strategizing.

    Dev and Kaitlin preparing for the Sprint at EHS Champs.  This relay was fun in spirit — including jumping jacks and pirouettes — but it seemed effective.  Dev placed 7th and Kaitlin 13th.

    Alum and recent National Champ Sinclair showing Hans proper form for on-ski-jumping-jacks.

    Elena turned 18 years old this weekend in the Big Apple.  Here she is taunting the boys to the next challenge.
    Kaitlin making a rare traverse.

    Heidi Halvorsen finished the season with a bang!  On the first day of Eastern High School Champs with a victory in the five kilometer skate.

    Transformed snow was the word.  Fantastic klister conditions with almost forty degrees of temperature fluctuation during the morning.  

    Devlin in the medals for his Sprint performance at Black Mountain.

    Rafter taking in some sunshine and watching the boys awards for the mass start.

    Today is the first day of the New Year for GMVS Nordic.  The winter has been kind to us with fantastic conditions and successful racing throughout the winter.  As we begin to take stock of this season and look forward to spring break and a rest period — we are fortunate to have the best snowpack I can remember seeing in late March.  Stay tuned for some of our adventures over the next few weeks — and if you can come and join us!!
    We are planning an exciting Summer including: Invite Camps, our Annual Camps (June 25-28 & June 29-July 3) and collaboration with nearby clubs for killer training sessions.
    It corned up hard last night and a new layer of fluff is coming down.
    Congrats to all for great season.

  • Au Revoir and Merci Beaucoup

    Au Revoir and Merci Beaucoup

    The words from an old Tom Rush tune play on through the night, its words so true by morning their memory still rings in my head.

    Thanks for all you have done. It might sound hollow
    I know you’ve tried to keep me from the cold
    Thank you for the good times that we have known
    But I must find my own road now to follow
    You will all be welcome in my home

    The experience of throwing on the MOD-adorned Helly Hansen jacket has been something I’ve been proud of since the first day joining the program. I hope to see the team blossom and bloom even more from a little bit farther afar.

    Scott I know you well enough to know you might worry away a bit of the day thinking I’m walking away from this team and place. But that is not the case. I am striding purposely, confidently to all that awaits. I am going back to a combination of skiing and school that I know for me is exactly what I need, from this day going forward. Now is not the time for me to hesitate, or be late.

    I would really life to thank Scott Johnston and Midge Cross for opening their hearts and home to me, to Sam and Erik, my teammates who are more comrades-in-arms. To the Methow Olympic board members, the donors, and the supporters that stretch from Mazama to Scandinavia, you all deserve more than the thank you I can give you right now.

    I hope we all can celebrate the good times. I leave this team and this town with my head held high. Like the lyrics of the song say, “You are all welcome in my home.”

    To the best of times. And those that will be.
    -Torin

  • The Difference Between Mass Start And Interval Start Races In One Graph

    Thanks to some help from Jan at WorldOfXC.com, I’ve been slowly gathering the split time data for World Cup races from this season. Analyzing them is tricky, though, for a variety of reasons.

    First, the data quality is poor. There are numerous instances where the live timing data is obviously wrong in a way that I can’t fix by hand, and so a certain number of split times need to be omitted completely. Second, the live timing data itself doesn’t say exactly how far into the race each timing instance is, so I have to infer that from the times and the length of the race. It works pretty well, but I’m sure it’s only accurate to +/- 500 meters or so. Lastly, handicap start races have to be dealt with separately, since the live timing tracks the time from when the first racer starts, not from when each racer starts.

    Still, I’m beginning to find some interesting stuff. A little later I’ll show you some graphs on individual skiers that can shed some light on tactics and performance that I think are kind of interesting. For now, though, the obvious:

    These are the 10/15km interval start races and the 30/50km mass start races from World Championships this year. Since I’m comparing races of different lengths, the x axis isn’t the number of kilometers into the race, it’s the proportional progress through the race distance. At each split measurement, I’ve calculated each skier’s percent behind the median skier at that point in the race and then plotted this progress as a line for each athlete. I’ve included a little alpha blending since lots of the lines are directly on top of each other, particularly for the mass start races.

    Remember that this is tracking relative performance, not absolute performance. So the men’s mass start graph is not necessarily saying that 2/3 of the way through the race the lead pack suddenly accelerated. It’s just that at that point the median skier was finally popped off the back of the lead pack and so either this person slowed down, or the pack accelerated. But you can’t really tell which from this graph.

    The differences here are pretty obvious, no?

    Related posts:

    1. <How I Learned to Start Worrying and Hate the F-Factor (Part 1)
    2. <How I Learned To Start Worrying and Hate the F-Factor (Part 2)
    3. <La Clusaz Recap: Distance Mass Start


  • Craftsbury ST Picture Wrap

    Here are a bunch of pictures that Herve Pelletier and Lilly took over the weekend at Craftsbury.
    The weekend started with a 3 km classic prologue friday afternoon. Saturday morning there was a 15km continuous pursuit followed by a fun 200 meter sprint race and today, the girls raced 10 km and the boys 20 km skate. Conditions were superb and everyone enjoyed the mini tour format.










    Mackenzie took her coaching internship during the pursuit race.


    Sophie enters the exchange.


    Tess and ‘Kenzie relax after their race.
    Austin and Paddy round the barrels in the 200 meter sprint race. Four people at a time raced down their lanes, around their assigned barrel and back.
    Heather, Sophie and Rachel moved through the semi’s and 1/4’s but were beaten by Ida in the finals.
    Sophie.
    Rachel moved into the finals with some great turns.
    Mac cruises up the hill.
    Tyler had another excellent skate race. Here he is mixing it up with the college boys.
    Austin and Nick work together in the 20 km.


    We ended the weekend with a great cookout.

  • Wayne’s Birthday Celebration

    Crust cruising is one of my favorite kinds of skiing.  Crisp, early morning temperatures allow you to cruise on top of the crust.  Then the rising sun creates warmer temps and t-shirt skiing.  Yesterday, we celebrated what would be Wayne Fish’s 62nd birthday with a quintessential spring ski into the Porcupine State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  Bryan Fish organized the ski at Wayne’s request to keep the 15+ year tradition alive after Wayne passed away only a month ago.  There was a great turnout for the 60km crust cruise into the park on a combination of ski trail, snowmobile trail, beaver dams, and stairs to the top of the lookout over Lake Superior.  Everyone came prepared and the ski went off without a hitch, except for the fact that Bryan forgot his Dad’s remains, meant to be spread during the ski.  “Oh well,” Bryan said, “guess we’ll have to come back again next year!”

    Bryan, Bill, and I left Hayward early in the morning while the full moon was still illuminating the sky.  We arrived in the Porkies a little early and had a chance to check out the ice flows on Lake Superior.

    The crew came from all corners of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.  Here, Bill, Bryan, Tom, Dan, Phil, Paul, Mark, and Jon get ready for the 60km adventure ahead of them to ski to the high point of Porcupine State Park.

    Although some sections were a little bare, we the sun was shining and the trail was faster than anyone anticipated.

    According to the map, the trail was all uphill on the way to the summit.  Somehow, it felt like it was all uphill on the way back, too, when the slow snow forced us to use a lot of V1.

    photo: jon rulseh

    The crust skiing over the beaver dams was awesome and we used each dip in the snow to milk as much speed as possible out of the terrain.

    Bryan Fish, leading the charge.

    At the summit, we enjoyed a spectacular view of Lake Superior and a moment of silence in memory of Wayne.

    Things slowed down a bit on the way back and the trail played a real optical illusion.  Somehow, the trail ahead looked like it went uphill.  When you looked behind you, the trail looked like it went uphill as well!  Guess that’s what happens 60km into a 5 hour ski.

    We ended the ski at Lake Superior and played out on the ice drifts.  What  a day.

    Of course, after skiing all day, we had to refuel at Henry’s Inn in Rockland, Michigan for their Allll-You-Can-Eat Saturday evening buffet.  This was my second trip to Henry’s.  This time, I was a little smarter than the first and paced myself through the buffet to avoid what our waitress dubbed: “The Henry’s Hurt.”

    Like any good buffet, Henry’s places a much greater emphasis on their dessert selection than their entrées.

    I opted for a banana split, with a cherry on top, to cap off a memorable day of skiing.  Thanks to Bryan for organizing and to Wayne for starting the Porkies ski tradition and some great memories.

    Wayne Fish – Fairbanks, Alaska 2009

  • Birkebeinerrennet 2011 – I finished!

    From my last attempt at the Birkebeiner, I remember the start being a pretty low key affair. I’m pretty sure I showed up with only one pair of skis (which means I couldn’t leave them in the start lanes while I was testing them), and getting a spot in the first couple of rows was no problem. I had asked for and received an Elite wave start, so I was pretty much at the pointy end of the race from the gun (at least until I drifted backwards). How things change in four years.

    I once again had received my Elite wave start, so I followed a pretty similar approach to staking my claim to a starting place. However, when I arrived at the starting pens just after 7 (for the 8AM start) there were about 100-150 very eager Norwegians waiting to put their skis down – not something I remember from 2007. So I did what I could and followed them in when the pen opened; I managed to grab a spot about 6 or 7 rows back. I didn’t count how many tracks wide the start was because I didn’t really want to know.

    When the melee of ski placing had cleared, I realized there was another pen in front of us with bib numbers stuck in the snow next to the tracks. They were for the people racing in the FIS Marathon Cup class. A class I didn’t know realize existed until right then. Oops. That would have been a good thing to know about and get into. So, between the FIS Men, the FIS Women and the early-arriving Elites I was primed with a start position somewhere in the mid-200s. Less than ideal, but I thought I would work my way up. After all, I came back from a face-plant less than a K into the Engadin last weekend, and getting back to the front there wasn’t much of a problem.

    Really, I was just a bit off when it came to taking care of the logistics this weekend. From not finding out about the FIS wave, to forgetting the insoles for my boots and then showing up at the start with two right gloves, I was almost, but not quite organized. No catastrophic mistakes, but these were all issues that I should not have had. Fortunately housing the night before and transportation up to the race were taken care of by Christian (thank you!), so I only had to get myself into Oslo on Friday. I left myself plenty of time to take the bus, get lost and still figure out where I had to be in plenty of time.

    As for the race itself? It was kind of a mixed bag. Conditions were fantastic. I skied (seriously) on a thin layer of binder and Extra Blue. 54Ks on Extra Blue in late March – it’s hard to ask for much more than that. The start was shrouded in fog, but we emerged after barely a K of skiing into brilliant sunshine and a cloud-free sky. It stayed that way until the finish.

    The start was amazing. The only races I’ve started more than a row deep in the last long, long time have been narrow, seeded mass-starts. And even in those it’s been a long time since I had more than 50 guys in front of me. This was different. I skied around 4 or 5 crashes in the first K, and only had to climb over one person. I was pretty happy to stay on my feet with all my equipment. The first 3-4 K were an exercise in switching tracks and moving up whenever possible. It must have been 10-15 minutes before I had anything resembling clear tracks. By that time the leaders were long gone and I had none of the tools required to make an effort to chase them down. Instead, I settled in for my first 3 hour ski of the year.

    I went through various periods of feeling okay, pretty good, really good, pretty bad and awful. Which seems about right for a 3 hour effort. I started getting the occasional cramp and muscle spasm a little over 30K in (which, in my pre-race plan is where I had figured I might start to struggle hanging with the leaders…); this made the last 20 or so kind of … interesting. Sugar and caffeine definitely helped me on the energy front during the last 20K, but every time I took a gel I had about 5-10 minutes of really bad stomach cramps that made any sort of double poling impossible. I used those times to walk along and look around a little. I thought about taking my camera out of my bag, but decided that I wasn’t ready to turn the day into a full-on tour, so I only have my memories of the scene, no documentation.

    For a race that crosses the mountains through the middle of nowhere, the Birkebeiner has a lot of excitement around it. And by excitement I mean people watching and cheering. I don’t think they were ever packed as deep as they were at Holmenkollen a couple of weeks ago, but there was a lot of noise out there. And a few fires. The first time I’ve smelled smoke while racing since I was at Saint Paul’s School in the late 90s. And bonfires smell different than pipe tobacco.

  • Race Snapshot: IBU WC Mass Start

    And…..we’re done for the season!

    Related posts:

    1. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 4 Mass Start
    2. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 6 Men’s Mass Start
    3. <Race Snapshot: IBU WC 6 Women’s Mass Start


  • Switching Gears

    Well, these times they are a changin’…My life is in a period of transition as I am prepare to begin graduate school this spring. To give you an idea, I recently sold my car and had my last day of coaching for APU….unless I can manage to do some fill-in sessions in the future.Here’s Angela and Joanna cutting up their gourmet cake they brought to share after practice on my last day of the APU

  • Switching Gears

    Well, these times they are a changin’…My life is in a period of transition as I am prepare to begin graduate school this spring. To give you an idea, I recently sold my car and had my last day of coaching for APU….unless I can manage to do some fill-in sessions in the future.Here’s Angela and Joanna cutting up their gourmet cake they brought to share after practice on my last day of the APU

  • Switching Gears

    Well, these times they are a changin’…My life is in a period of transition as I am prepare to begin graduate school this spring. To give you an idea, I recently sold my car and had my last day of coaching for APU….unless I can manage to do some fill-in sessions in the future.Here’s Angela and Joanna cutting up their gourmet cake they brought to share after practice on my last day of the APU

  • Switching Gears

    Well, these times they are a changin’…My life is in a period of transition as I am prepare to begin graduate school this spring. To give you an idea, I recently sold my car and had my last day of coaching for APU….unless I can manage to do some fill-in sessions in the future.Here’s Angela and Joanna cutting up their gourmet cake they brought to share after practice on my last day of the APU

  • Switching Gears

    Well, these times they are a changin’…My life is in a period of transition as I am prepare to begin graduate school this spring. To give you an idea, I recently sold my car and had my last day of coaching for APU….unless I can manage to do some fill-in sessions in the future.Here’s Angela and Joanna cutting up their gourmet cake they brought to share after practice on my last day of the APU

  • Au Revoir and Merci Beaucoup

    The words from an old Tom Rush tune play on through the night, its words so true by morning their memory still rings in my head.br / br / Thanks for all you have done. It might sound hollowbr / I know you’ve tried to keep me from the coldbr / Thank you for the good times that we have knownbr / But I must find my own road now to followbr / You will all be welcome in my homebr / br /The experience of throwing on the MOD-adorned Helly Hansen jacket has been something I’ve been proud of since the first day joining the program. I hope to see the team blossom and bloom even more from a little bit farther afar.br / br /Scott I know you well enough to know you might worry away a bit of the day thinking I’m walking away from this team and place. But that is not the case. I am striding purposely, confidently to all that awaits. I am going back to a combination of skiing and school that I know for me is exactly what I need, from this day going forward. Now is not the time for me to hesitate, or be late. br / br /I would really life to thank Scott Johnston and Midge Cross for opening their hearts and home to me, to Sam and Erik, my teammates who are more comrades-in-arms. To the Methow Olympic board members, the donors, and the supporters that stretch from Mazama to Scandinavia, you all deserve more than the thank you I can give you right now.br / br /I hope we all can celebrate the good times. I leave this team and this town with my head held high. Like the lyrics of the song say, “You are all welcome in my home.”br / br /To the best of times. And those that will be.br /-Torindiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2910103639238326543-3542394142503247595?l=methowolympicdevelopment.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • SKIERS HELPING JAPAN

    Thanks to Kikkan for contributing this website and information to skitrax.com and sharing it with the nordic world. 

    My heart goes out to Japan, and especially to the ones whom I compete with. I have had a few opportunities to let them know that I am thinking of them and their country. Especially, now as all the world cup skiers prepare to finish their season in Europe and travel back home to see the devastation first hand for the first time. Missing home and family takes on a new light when compared to what that means to them as they fly half way around the world to return back to Japan.

    I am glad to have found the website that Kikkan reported on:

    I will take the time to learn more about it and would like to contribute in anyway I can.

  • SKIERS HELPING JAPAN

    Thanks to Kikkan for contributing this website and information to skitrax.com and sharing it with the nordic world. 

    My heart goes out to Japan, and especially to the ones whom I compete with. I have had a few opportunities to let them know that I am thinking of them and their country. Especially, now as all the world cup skiers prepare to finish their season in Europe and travel back home to see the devastation first hand for the first time. Missing home and family takes on a new light when compared to what that means to them as they fly half way around the world to return back to Japan.

    I am glad to have found the website that Kikkan reported on:

    I will take the time to learn more about it and would like to contribute in anyway I can.

  • SKIERS HELPING JAPAN

    Thanks to Kikkan for contributing this website and information to skitrax.com and sharing it with the nordic world. 

    My heart goes out to Japan, and especially to the ones whom I compete with. I have had a few opportunities to let them know that I am thinking of them and their country. Especially, now as all the world cup skiers prepare to finish their season in Europe and travel back home to see the devastation first hand for the first time. Missing home and family takes on a new light when compared to what that means to them as they fly half way around the world to return back to Japan.

    I am glad to have found the website that Kikkan reported on:

    I will take the time to learn more about it and would like to contribute in anyway I can.

  • SKIERS HELPING JAPAN

    Thanks to Kikkan for contributing this website and information to skitrax.com and sharing it with the nordic world. 

    My heart goes out to Japan, and especially to the ones whom I compete with. I have had a few opportunities to let them know that I am thinking of them and their country. Especially, now as all the world cup skiers prepare to finish their season in Europe and travel back home to see the devastation first hand for the first time. Missing home and family takes on a new light when compared to what that means to them as they fly half way around the world to return back to Japan.

    I am glad to have found the website that Kikkan reported on:

    I will take the time to learn more about it and would like to contribute in anyway I can.

  • Final Race in Holmenkollen!

    Mass Start!
    2pm (9am EST) Women’s Mass Start 12.5km
    www.biathlonworld.com
    I started the week knowing I still had some good racing left in me and started the Sprint race know I felt that good. But I also ended the Pursuit yesterday knowing I still had more in me. And in a few hours I am psyched to get to do it. The Pursuit was fun and was an exciting new challenge since this is only the third Pursuit I’ve started in this year. Except starting a little closer to the front put me right in the mix of the top women. With difficult shooting conditions skiing the loops felt relatively calm. I didn’t have superb shooting, but for the day it was good enough. I was confident with my strategy going into the wind and knew what I had to do. Because of this I was able to be bit a more active out on the course and work for every position every chance I got. I had great skis and used them as best I could out there. Actually they must have been the best because they helped sail pass the likes of the Russians, Germans and French. I moved into the top 15 a few times after the range, which felt great and I used it as motivation for only a quick moment. Anything can happen in biathlon, so I continued to stick to my own pace no matter the place. I don’t have a lot of experience in high level pursuits so I don’t always know how much I have left for the sprint at the end, so I pushed it on the last lap anyways, just to see. I might have made an uphill pass too early and wasn’t able to go “full gas” into the final homestretch, but that’s okay. I’ll take that experience. Especially since I get to use nearly 24 hours later in today’s Mass Start. Yesterday was a great reminder to stay calm, go for each hit and enjoy super fast skis!
    The other neat thing about today is that I think this is the first we’ve had 2 women starting in the Mass Start!! All together, we have had 3 women compete in the Mass Start this season. I’ve been doing this sport for awhile now and I am proud to be a part of this momentous step forward. So, cheers to today’s race! 
    Just a few shots from this week in Oslo:
    The stadium takes on a new configuration for the biathlon world cup compared to last weeks nordic World Champs. 
    Typical Scandinavian trail-side picnic.
    Watched the Norwegian Birkebeiner on TV the morning of the Pursuit. This guy was being interviewed at one of the pit-stops during his race. I hope I can do a 54km race when I am that age!
    Waffles and jam never tasted so good. Holmenkollen has been such an amazing experience, especially after being in Russia and after a long season, that everything is just a little bit sweeter here.  
    The view from our wax room. We can look straight down into the shooting range. A bit scary really.
    After the Sprint I took the T-bahn down into town to do my recovery jog on flatter terrain. I was in Oslo 11 years ago and Vigelund Sculpture Park was one of the neatest places. These two women are typical human sculpture’s that form the sculpture park. The layout of the park makes feel more like a monument for humanity because collectively all of Vigelund’s sculptures represent human emotion, interaction, growth and phases of life.