Sun, Mountains and Pasta

The view from our hotel deckI just arrived in Antholz, Italy after a tough week of racing in Ruhpolding.  Racing did not go exactly as planned in Ruhpolding, but I am hoping to get back on track this week in Italy.I knew going into Ruhpolding that I had my work cut out for me because Ruhpolding is by far my least favorite course on the World Cup.  The course is comprised of complete flats leading into steep uphills.  Basically, you have to jump skate the uphills and then recover for the next sprint.  I am not a great sprinter and I have always struggled in Ruhpolding.  In fact, before this year I had never scored a World Cup point in Ruhpolding.  Needless to say, I was a little disappointed with my individual results there, but I was pleased to walk away with some points in the bag.The relay, however, was a really solid result for the team, but I wish I could have been more solid on the shooting range.  Lowell, Jay, and Jeremy had fantastic races but I was not able to back them up.  I was so tired heading into this race from the previous two weeks of racing that I simply did not have much in the tank.  If this had been a training day, I definitely would have taken a day off.  Unfortunately, we have a pretty small team, so when the relay rolls around its time to step up, whether your tired or not.  On the positive side, I think this result was really encouraging in that we were 6^th place despite a weak leg from me.  It definitely makes me wonder where we will be when everyone pops a race.I am really looking forward to the races here this week.  I have had some of my best races here in the past and this is definitely my favorite course on the World Cup.  Unlike in years past though, I will be training through these races in order to best prepare for the Games.  Because of this, I am a little unsure of what my form will be like, but from here on out, it’s all about the Olympics.