Opening Ceremonies Line-Up
I'm sitting in the airport in Tallinn, Estonia waiting for the flight back stateside. The U26 European Championships in Otepaa this past week were very well organized, which made them a great event to take part in. My racing this week wasn't stellar - heavy legs made the skiing more painful than usual and slow skis didn't help much in the 20K individual. I did have a strong showing in the 10K sprint, finishing 38th with 90% shooting. That finish set me up well for the pursuit race yesterday, but unfortunately I had one poor shooting stage that really knocked me out of things. While the field consisted of only athletes of U26 age, a number of the best ranked biathletes in the world made that cut so there was no room for major errors in skiing or on the range. All in all, a great learning experience and one that will certainly inform next season's training plan. I was able to get quite a few pictures so I've included a few as a video I shot of the stadium approach and range.
Time Check on Course
Nice Scenery on a Stroll 'Home' From the Stadium
The K90 Jump Visible Over the Race Course
I'm happy to be heading back to Lake Placid for about a week to give my legs a rest and get ready for the final three competitions of the season at the US National Championships in Fort Kent, ME. We race March 18, 20, and 21 and then it will be time for a couple weeks of down time before the 2010/1011 training season officially kicks off.
