Recovery Week

Successful biathlon and cross country skiing requires a huge amount of training. My training, like all other skiers is planned in cycles. Every three weeks I plan a training week with a half to two-thirds of my normal training volume and intensity. This keeps me from getting overtrained and lets me do other fun things. I kicked off this recovery week with a trip to Little Deer Isle, Maine with my family. We enjoyed some ocean shore living and I went on a great sea kayak. Next week kicks off a big training block in Fort Kent. I am currently soaking up all recovery I can. 

Back In The Groove

May is the first month of training for most Nordic athletes and I am no exception. The month of May is used to develop base fitness and correct the strength imbalances and injuries that accompany the long racing season. I spent the month of May running, cycling and lifting weights. This week marked the transition to more specific training with my first rollerski interval session of the season. After this week of training I have a low training week to prepare for the first real training block of the year.

Coastal Training 

View to Canada from the Jalbert Athlete House in Fort Kent, ME 

I will be living in Fort Kent again this summer with a host of new Maine Winter Sports Center teammates. I am really looking forward to training with a motivated group of athletes this season. In the coming weeks look for a “Meet the Team” series of blogs introducing my teammates. With 90 degrees Fahrenheit predicted for this weekend, I think that summer is officially here.  

Spring 2013

For most of the month of April I could be found doing something like this:  

For the next few months I will be doing mostly this: 

Training season is here again. I'm happy to be back to work and looking forward to sharing the new year with my teammates, coaches, friends and family. 

The Training 2012-2013

For those curious readers who wonder how much and what I do for training here are some raw numbers for the 2012-2013 season. 

These numbers represent the period from April 14th 2012 to April 14th 2013.  

Total Physical Training: 732 Hours
Total Shots Taken: 12,845 rounds 
Total Training Time with Shooting: 850 hours 
Total Number of Rest Days: 54 
Total Time Skating or Skate Rollerskiing: 304 hours
Total Time Classic Skiing or Rollerskiing: 55 hours 
Total Time Double Poling: 70 hours 
Total Time Running: 109 hours 
Total Time Biking: 92 hours 
Total Time Strength Training: 89 Hours 
Total Easy Training: 586 Hours
Total Hard Training: 69 Hours 

Next season will see a slight increase in hours, more hard training and more strength training. Biathlon requires a huge investment of time and resources. I am happy to say that I truly enjoy the journey. 

Wrapping Up 2012-2013

The final races of the 2012-2013 season are in the books and I am taking some needed rest at home in Southern Maine. Following the racing, coaching and socializing at the Mammoth Biathlon Invitational I rejoined my Maine Winter Sports Center teammates in Truckee, California to contest the US XC Supertour Finals.

Kris Freeman Winning the US National 50k Title 

The road forward passing through Soda Springs, California

The 50k became quite long for some....

The races were a success for me and my teammates. The Supertour Finals consisted of 4 races: 3k Freestyle Prologue, 15k Classic Mass Start, Classic Sprint, and finally a Hill Climb. Following these races the US National Championship Women’s 30k and Men’s 50k took place. I raced well in the Prologue and 15k classic mass start, posted a typically mediocre classic sprint finish, and struggled with slow skis and fatigue in the hill climb.   

The challenging racing, beautiful surroundings and positive team environment allowed to me relax, push myself and gain motivation for the upcoming 2013-2014 season. I gained invaluable insights into how my World Cup teammates Annelise Cook and Kris Freeman race and train, along with getting a better handle on just what coaches and wax techs go through to hand athletes fast skis.

My coaches and I are currently planning my training for the upcoming season. I am looking forward to another great season with the Maine Winter Sports Center.

Thanks to everyone and anyone who helped me along this season. Every bit of support, advice and kindness I received contributed to my success.  

If you are interested in supporting me or the Maine Winter Sports Center for the Olympic Season of 2013-2014 please contact me at: Raleigh.goessling@gmail.com. For for updates follow me on Twitter: @TheRGoessling 

March Madness-Halftime

The month of March had been filled with long travel days and intense racing. I am currently in Truckee, California training with my MWSC teammates for the US Supertour XC Finals. These  races will be my last of the 2012-2013 season. My endeavor began in Fort Kent, Maine with the US National Biathlon Championships. As usual the organizing committee and community of Fort Kent came together to pull off a stellar event. I skied and shot well enough to win all 3 competitions. The highlight of the series was Mass Start race, where I sprinted for the victory against my good friend Casey Smith.

Immediately following the racing in Fort Kent I began my journey west. My first stop was Whistler, British Columbia, host to the 2013 North American Biathlon Championships. I met up with a number of my fellow US Biathletes in Seattle, and under the guidance of Methow Valley Biathlon coach (and Casey’s mom) Betsy Smith we made our way north. I experienced every condition during my time in Whistler, including by not limited to: rain, snow, sun, sleet and clouds. The senior men’s field was very competitive due to the presence of a number of Canadian national team athletes. I had a decent race in the Sprint, placing 7^th overall with 2 misses. In the following pursuit race I posted a lifetime best shooting score with 19/20, good enough for 3^rd place. After a day of easy training and sightseeing in Whistler Village I was well prepared for the Mass Start and Relay races to come. I held strong with the leaders for the first few laps of the mass start, before untimely standing misses moved me back. During the second to last loop I followed a strong move by fellow American Bill Bowler and regained contact with the podium group. I took full risk in the final standing and tried to shooting fast and clean. I misses two and left the range in 5^th. On the final loop the travel and racing of the previous weeks caught up to me and I found myself struggling in for another 7^th place. I did my best for my team in the scramble (1^st) leg of the relay, but fatigue was still dragging me down and I failed to tag in a good position. My time in Whistler was incredibly valuable and I was lucky to spend it with a great group of up and coming American biathletes.   

After the relay my friends Casey, Mark and Corrine loaded into Casey’s Subaru for the long drive to Mammoth Lakes for the Mammoth Winter Biathlon Festival. I have attended the event in Mammoth for the last two years, and I had another great experience this season. Warm sunny weather dominated our time there. It was great to reconnect with the enthusiastic Nordic and biathlon community in Mammoth, and do some fast fun racing; well, as fast as racing can be at 9,300ft!

The altitude and racing in Mammoth Lakes has put me in a great position to perform in the upcoming XC races here in Truckee. I am excited to get down to racing next week.  

Skiing with the Bangor Daily News

Yesterday I skied the 2.5k course with a helmet camera for the Bangor Daily News.

Check out the video here: http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/06/sports/usa-biathlon-championships-returns-to-fort-kent/.

If you tire of looking at my feet, fast forward to end for a cool perspective on standing shooting.

Tomorrow is the first race at US Nationals. I am ready to enjoy some fast fun racing in Fort Kent.