February 2011

Two days ago, I raced my first 15km pursuit ever…at the World Championships! Maybe not the ideal time to experiment with pacing, but it sure was fun while it lasted. It was an interesting day with heavy fog that made it hard on the spectators and racers alike; you couldn’t…

Never in my life have I ever been more excited or nervous! It was somewhat overwhelming to be racing in front of screaming crowds of thousands, in front of tv cameras, alongside the best in the world. But it was amazing! I got to the stadium and during my warmup,…

Tonight I got to experience the crowds lining the most famous street in Oslo, that leads from the palace past the National Theatre. People showed up to cheer and wave flags for their favorite countries, as the athletes, accompanied by a flag-bearer and a group of school kids decked out…

Holmenkollen venue, Oslo, Norway. It’s just too amazing! Yesterday was my first training day at the venue, and my eyes were WIDE open the whole time. We are staying at a Radisson Blu hotel in Oslo, and the organizers arranged for shuttles that zoom back and forth to the venue…

Updated with pictures from Holly Brooks! I get it now – why people work so hard, train for so many years, push themselves right to the edge in races. It’s just so exciting to be a part of the World Cup! Because when thousands of people are screaming, waving flags,…

Today we left Beitostolen and drove down some really windy roads to Drammen. We totally got short-changed by the GPS, which took us off the main road early on, and I thought I was going to get carsick. But we made it, and I’ve totally been re-charged with excitement and…

Yesterday my little sister, Mackenzie, did the 35km Mora Vasaloppet. What a badass. THIRTY-FIVE KILOMETERS!!! I myself have never, ever raced that far. I’m so impressed and proud of her! The fact that she won her age class and was 24th overall, and won a sweet dala horse is definitely…

I’m knocking on wood as I write this, because I’m scared to jinx this beautiful sunny streak we’ve been having lately! Today was another blue sky, bright sun, and crisp trails type of day. We had the final race of our “mini-tour” today; a 10km skate for the women and…

Tomorrow will be the third day of the Scandinavian Cup races here in Beitostølen. And I couldn’t be more excited! Originally, we had thought the skate sprint, classic 5/10km and skate 15/30km (which has since been shortened to 10/15km) was a mini-tour, but it turns out they’re separate races. No…

The last week or so has been absolutely crazy (and I say that in a good way!) We pack our bags, drive a few hours into a completely new country, unpack, race, and two days later we’re off to the next country! I’m learning a lot about…well, a lot of…