North American Cups 1 and 2

The racing season is officially underway after back to back weekends of North American (NorAm) Cup Biathlon racing. I am glad to have had the opportunity to kick of the season with high level athletes on quality courses. Over the course of the racing season, my racing form generally improves, so with Trials racing in early December these NorAm competitions where an important stepping stone to the heart of the season.

My ski technique, time on the course and shooting stability steadily increased as I put in more competition hours. The results sheet was a mixed bag, with two poor skiing days and two poor shooting days. I came away with one 3^rd place and one 1^st place finish out of the 4 races. I am very happy with the progress I have made of the past 2 weeks of training and racing.

 The MWSC biathlon team will continue to train in Canmore until next Saturday. At that point we will travel to Grand Rapids Minnesota (My Home State!) for competitions which will determine the final pool of athletes for Olympic Selection.  Kristen Smith, a friend, but not a relation of my teammate Casey caught some great shots from the race days. I can’t wait to challenge the best in the country in Minnesota. For full results from all the biathlon racing action can be found o

n www.zone4.ca, under the blue icons labeled “NorAm/Calforex Cup AM”

Canmore Week 1

The Maine Winter Sports Center Team has arrived in wintry Canmore, Alberta Canada to complete the final phase of the training year. Canmore is a perfect place to train and one of the most scenic biathlon venues in the world. My teammate Katrina Howe ( http://katrinahowe.blogspot.com)  and my friend Jakob Ellingson took some great shots of training this week. To stay up to date on MWSC activities in Canmore like the Maine Winter Sports Center Athletes page on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maine-Winter-Sports-Center-Athletes/144023368995787) Enjoy the pictures of this great area.

Jakob Ellingson 

Jakob Ellingson 

Jakob Ellingson 

Jakob Ellingson 

Katrina Howe 

Katrina Howe 

Katrina Howe 

What's left of the snow storing operation: 

Katrina Howe 

Katrina Howe 

Katrina Howe 

Actually My Photo! We brought some stuff with us.. 

Katrina Howe 

Foray to Forêt Montmorency

November is an exciting time to be a biathlete. New gear starts coming in, the racing season is just around the corner and finally it is time to Ski! On-snow training is by far my favorite type of training. Skiing in the early season always brings back the excitement and joy I felt the first time I stepped on Nordic skis.

Photo Laval University 

 

My first ski of the 2013-2014 season took place at Forêt Montmorency an extension of Laval University, about 45 north of Quebec City. This facility is home to an excellent network of ski trials, dorm housing, waxing facilities and most importantly, Snow! The Forêt Montmorency crew put together an excellent 1.7km loop with snow from last season. You can read about their efforts here: http://fasterskier.com/article/first-tracks-in-the-east-foret-weathers-rain-for-earliest-opening-yet/

 

Photo Laval University 

I was very happy with how I adjusted my technique to snow. I was glad to share the weekend training with four of my MWSC from the Post Grad and Junior Biathlon Teams.

This on snow opportunity will have an immediate positive impact on the quality of my training in Canmore, Alberta the site of MWSC Biathlon’s main on-snow training camp. I depart for Canmore on November 12th. I am excited to take advantage of the excellent conditions and see my friends in the area.

Utah Wrap and The Methow Valley

The final two international team selection races culminated my time in Utah. I struggled mightily in these two tests. My ski speed and shooting scores were well below my performance potential. I attribute this to a lack of recovery and an over-zealous training regimen during the early phase of this high altitude block. I took some valuable lessons away from this experience and I am looking forward to getting on some SNOW in Canmore, Alberta, Canada beginning on November 12^th.

Directly after I finished up racing in Utah, my teammate Casey Smith and I traveled to his hometown of Winthrop, Washington to put on a master’s biathlon camp. Masters athletes are citizen racers over the age of 30. These athletes juggle family, a career and other “real life” commitments while still pursuing their athletic goals. The purpose of the camp was to share our knowledge of biathlon with a segment of participants who have very little access to shooting instruction, technique coaching and other resources elite athletes take for granted. The camp was a smashing success! I learned a great deal about coaching and earned funds that will make my season considerably more affordable.  I would like to publically thank Methow Valley Biathlon and the Smith Family for making the camp possible as well as all of the participants for attending. Special thanks also go out to Bryn Black who drove me to Seattle, put me up for the night and got me to the airport the next morning. Thanks Bryn!

The racing season is right around the corner and I am undoubtedly looking for redemption following my poor performances in the last three significant events. I will be finishing off my preparation for the season with a final dryland training block in Fort Kent, before putting my off-season training to the test with on-snow training and racing in Canmore, Alberta.

Utah Update

I have been training in Park City and Heber City, Utah for the past 9 days. I have trained in Utah for the past 3 seasons. My time at altitude this season has been the most productive of any of my previous trips. Our team has completed a number of challenging and productive training sessions including a long bike ride on the beautiful trails surrounding Park City, test races at the 2002 Olympic Venue Soldier Hollow and long rollerskis workouts on the mountain passes in the area. 

The main objective of our camp in Utah is the selection races next week. These races are a continuation of the selection process that began in Vermont this August. Following this camp I will be running a masters biathlon training camp with my teammate Casey Smith in Washington’s Methow Valley. I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge of biathlon with a new group of people.  After my time in the western US I will be returning it Maine for my final dryland training block of the year. Big thanks to my teammate Katrina Howe for the pictures of the stellar scenery here in Utah.

Harvest Camp

To kick off October I headed to Sugarloaf, Maine for a training camp with the Maine Winter Sports Center Junior and Post Graduate teams. I was very impressed by the work ethic and focus on these young athletes during our training sessions. It is always refreshing to spend time with younger athletes. Their unbridled enthusiasm for the sport is contagious and motivational.

 Our group enjoyed perfect training conditions throughout the camp. The MWSC team was welcomed to the  Sugarloaf area by staff and students of the Carrabassett Valley Academy. They graciously allowed us to take advantage of their stellar dining services, gym and classrooms. I was very pleased with the quality and quantity of training I put in during this time. Highlights of the camp included a long uphill only threshold double pole workout, extremely hard bounding intervals and many long runs and rollerskis through the peak foliage of the Carrabassett Valley.

 Besides training, I was able to share some of my experiences and expertise with my younger teammates through a presentation on training execution and daily dryfire practice for the biathletes.

The mountainous atmosphere and sunny days of the last week has certainly raised my level of anticipation for my departure to MWSC’s annual training camp in Park City, Utah.    

*All Photos Courtesy of the Maine Winter Sports Center and Amber Dodge 

Fall Changes

Fall has arrived in Aroostook County and has brought with it the usual changes. School has begun, the leaves are changing, potatoes are making their way to the barn, the moose hunt is on and training is beginning to get harder. At this point in the training year more high intensity interval (Stop and Go) training is added to the regimen, in addition to an increase in total training volume.  

I have been working hard this fall on perfecting my ski technique and putting in lots of quality hours. This is so I can continue to ski fast and strong throughout the season, without losing too much form as the season goes on.

Last week my teammate Brian Halligan and I had the opportunity to visit the 2^nd and 4^th graders at the Wallagrass Elementary School. We talked with the students about biathlon, active lifestyles and shared a bit about ourselves. Even though we suffered some technical difficulties, our time with the 2^nd and 4^th grades was successful. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with the students as the season goes on. 

Next week I will be joining the Maine Winter Sports Center Junior and Development teams for a 5 day camp in Sugarloaf, Maine. Sugarloaf is located in the Carrabassett Valley and offers great hiking, rollerskiing and leaf peeping opportunities. Following my time in Sugarloaf I will be home in Yarmouth, Maine for a few days before heading west to Utah for the first major camp of the fall.    

Fall is a challenging and rewarding time to be a biathlete. I am looking forward to sharing the journey with my friends, family and teammates.