NY, AK, & UT

The past few weeks were fantastic. The latter two weeks in August were spent putting in a block of intensity training as well as getting things ready to be away from the Training Center during September and October. I also completed a complete overhaul of my rifle stock so it now fits me much better and has a shiny new paint job. Check out the finished product...

My reworked rifle stock.

While in Lake Placid I had the opportunity to put in a few quality sessions on the brand new roller ski loop and rifle range at the Olympic Complex in Lake Placid. What a blast! The loop has a couple of screaming down hills and a tough steep uphill into the range. We now have the ability to do shooting with close to max heart rates, which is a huge asset for training. In my short tenure as a biathlete I’ve lacked consistent shooting with heart rates similar to those seen in races. That is now remedied.

Training on the new Lake Placid range.

At the beginning of September Sara and I flew to Alaska to spend a month with my family. It was a perfect time for a change of training venue and what better place than the mountains and trails of AK? The month we spent there was filled with numerous adventures starting with a short hunting trip a few hours north of Anchorage. Fall in Alaska is typically altogether too short, but this year was different. The aspen and birch were ablaze in hues of orange, yellow, and gold and were the perfect contrast to the red of blueberry bushes that carpet the North country and higher elevations.

Unfortunately the hunting trip only netted us pictures and no meat for the freezer, but it was a great time. Other notable AK moments were calling in a giant bull moose to within 15 feet while on a training run in the mountains and having a grey wolf eye check us out for several minutes from a ridge on the edge of the city.

The trip home to AK was a well needed break before the season starts getting really busy. It was fantastic to spend time with my family.

A walk with my niece & nephew

I'm in Heber City, Utah now for an altitude training camp and a series of rollerski races. Adjusting to the altitude has been tough, but I'm starting to feel better after a week of training. The races are this week so check back soon for an update.