Reflections of Old & New

Home for a week.

The Dolomites.

Don't try this at home - wild Yaks!

The Antholz training venue...

It has been far too long since I last updated. To the handful of you that actually read my blog, I'm terribly sorry and, as is usually the case after an extended absence, will commit to trying to be more consistent. This time will be different. :) Whoever you are and wherever you may be, welcome back!

Since it is now August 1st, that means I'm already well in to the summer training schedule. Coming off a very successful season, yet realizing that I didn't make a couple of the teams I was pursuing (missed both the early season World Cup and Olympic team by one spot) has been a unique experience. It's always interesting when a situation can at the same time be both the Yin and the Yang. That certainly seemed to be a central theme of the last season. Of course, referring to the Yin and Yang would suggest equal parts euphoria and defeat and there was actually much more of the former, though that's almost always easier to see in hindsight. However, somewhat ironically at times, that can be a catalyst for growth. And did I ever grow. Some call it the 'calm after the storm' and others 'purification by fire', but regardless of cliche description, last season's experiences gave me new perspective on my life as an athlete and, more broadly, on sport's contribution to the whole that is me. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say I'm back training and have a renewed drive to excel in biathlon while continuing to search for a healthy balance between that and the other facets of life.

Coming off of last season's successes of qualifying for the European Championships, being the Olympic Team alternate, and winning the overall North American Championships, I was excited to be renamed to the National Team. The team has been reduced to only eight men this season so it was great to have made the cut. The improvements to the team structure are already evident to me since I finally have access to full-time coaching and a much better support network. I'm into my fourth year of residency at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid (can you believe it?). Hard to imagine how quickly the past three seasons have passed and how much my training has progressed. It's great to see that the positive trajectory continues for me and the Team.

Training has been very focused and effective thus far in the season. We started off the year with a camp in May in Lake Placid. Three weeks of solid training and getting reacquainted with the coaches. Following that camp I was excited to spend two weeks in Alaska with my family. Not getting to be home very often makes it that much greater to return. The weather cooperated perfectly and produced typical Alaska training; read: fantastic. There was plenty of wildlife to see, including moose, fox, eagles, and even a black bear boar that said hello on the Coastal Trail near Anchorage. The weeks following being in Alaska included a shooting specific camp in Lake Placid, a trip to Rhode Island for Sara's grandfather's 90th birthday party, a quick trip to the San Francisco area for a wedding, and then on to Europe for a month-long training camp that has just gotten underway.

I arrived in northern Italy a handful of days ago and have been using the time to get adjusted to the altitude difference. We're currently in the Dolomite Mountains near the Austrian border in the Antholz/Anterselva valley. I've been lucky to see many beautiful places in the world, each one seemingly grander than the last. This area surpasses most of its predecessors on my list with its rugged, steep peaks, turquoise bejeweled lakes, quaint valley villages, and charming culture. I certainly can't do Antholz justice with mere written descriptions so I've included a few pictures above that will whet your appetite should you be in need of a place to venture. I'm here in Italy for another week before heading to Austria for ten days and then on to the ski tunnel in Germany for a final week of training before returning to the states. Hopefully the next locations will be just as photogenic as Italy has already been. If so I'll be able to pass on the views.

Until next time...Ciao.

Euro Champs Wrap-up

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.

Estonia Bound!

Another few weeks have whizzed by. As an athlete, the passage of time is always an interesting thing. The continuous cycle of training, racing, and recovery has it's unique way of marking each day's passage, especially during the winter when I spend much of my time on the road moving from race to race.

Since returning from Europe at the end of January, I've been busy. I was fried when I finally made it back to Lake Placid. After over two months on the road prepping for and racing trials competitions it was time for a few days off. I put my rifle away for a few days and focused on getting caught up on sleep, laundry, e-mails, etc.
The first two weeks of February I put in a volume block and on the weekends raced two North American cups in Jericho, VT and two at home in Lake Placid, NY. Despite the rainstorm in January that wiped out much of the snow pack in the east, the crews worked overtime to get the tracks ready for racing. We had excellent conditions in Jericho and I pulled out a third place finish in the sprint race and came back to win in the pursuit. The following week in Lake Placid I narrowly won the sprint and in the pursuit put together a solid shooting day to win. I was really happy with the racing, especially because those races were the first competitions all year that weren't trials races so I was able to use them more for training purposes than strictly racing. I enjoyed experimented with some technique ideas on course and faster range approaches.

Last week I took a (very) quick trip out to Vancouver to watch Sara and the rest of the team compete in two events. I arrived back home in Lake Placid this past weekend and jumped into a short relay format race on Saturday and then focused on volume and threshold training through yesterday. A I write this I'm sitting in the Albany, NY airport getting ready to catch a flight to Estonia for the European Championships. We have four races next week and I'm looking forward to getting back in the start chute.
Before I sign off I want to express my condolences to the family of Jim Bowles, President of ConocoPhillips Alaska. Jim was killed in a snowmachining accident recently and I know that he'll be missed.