The past few weeks of training went well with no major setbacks.  I was dealing with a small shin injury during the last week but I hope to have that under control now.   Other than that, everything went as planned and I was able to train some high volume weeks in preparation for out camp.

One big change that I am making this year is that I will spend a lot more time training at altitude.   I will spend four of the next five weeks at altitude in Italy and Austria.  In order to improve, I need to continue to experiment with new training methods and altitude training is definitely an area worth exploring.  I have had positive experiences with the small amount of altitude training that I have done in the past and I optimistic that I can make some more gains here.

Now I am off to finish packing!  More updates and pictures to come from Italy.

I don’t want you to think I am complaining though.  I know these hard weeks will pay me back this winter!

Although the camp was productive, it was super busy for me, as I also moved out of my apartment and into a new house.  I didn’t think this would be such a big deal but the whole move, combined with the training camp was a little more stress than I had anticipated.  I would basically train all day and then come home to paint and continue to unpack and organize my gear.  This was fine for a few days but after two weeks I was definitely happy for the end of camp and for things to finally settle down in my new place.

I trained over 100 hours of physical training in the last five weeks and this combined with the move definitely put me a little under.  Luckily, my coach had scheduled some recovery time for me this week so I have been enjoying some extra sleep and relaxation.  My goal during this week is to recover back to 100% because when normal training resumes on Monday, I will start one of the largest training blocks that I have ever attempted.

Now that I am back to my normal routine, I will have more time to update over the coming weeks!  Thanks for checking in!

Skiing at Whiteface on the 28th of April

After enjoying a relaxing April, I am now back to my normal training routine.  Unlike the previous few Aprils, this year I decided not to travel anywhere and instead I stayed right here in Lake Placid.  I spent more than six months on the road last year so I was really content to just relax around home this spring.

Of course I was just not sitting around for the entire April, but I was just not following any set training schedule.  I did spend quite a bit of time talking with my coaches this spring and together we now have a plan for next year.  I am really excited about the plan that we made.  I feel like we kept the aspects that have worked well for me in the past but we are also exploring a few new areas.  Of course I want to continue improving so in order to do that I need to continually mix up my training.  Even though I am happy with how my shape was for most of last season, I need to try new things to give my body some new stresses to react to.

Today I was out for a four-hour bike ride and now my legs are definitely a little sore.  I always find that I have the hardest time with training during the first few weeks back after spring break.  My body is always a little shocked and it takes a few weeks to fully adjust.  Some of the adaptations come really quick though as I can already feel my appetite kicking back in.

Springtime in Lake Placid is always a little unpredictable and the weather can vary from summer temperatures to winter snowstorms as we saw last week.  Last week we received a pretty decent snowstorm and I had to dig my skis back out for another two days of alpine skiing.   Although that was fun, I am hoping for some warmer temperatures for my spring training.

Thanks for checking in!

I ended the season with some solid races in Russia and was able to hold my 14^th place finish in the overall world cup rankings.  My previous best overall finish was 25^th last season so I am definitely happy with my improvement and I feel like I am moving in the right direction.

This season was definitely an incredible learning experience for me.  Whether it was my three podium finishes, wearing the yellow bib or my disappointing Olympics, I definitely learned a lot this season.  The most important lesson that I learned is that I can compete with the best guys in the world.  It is no longer a question of if this is possible but rather a question of how I can do this more often.  I definitely have a lot of work to do if I want to reach the top more often but I am excited for the challenge.

Now I will take a few weeks away from the biathlon world to recharge my batteries for another year of racing.  I don’t really have any big plans for the spring yet, but it feels nice to have no itinerary for once!

A big thanks to everyone for all of the support this season!

The real reason I wanted to update today was to share with everyone a project that I got involved with last fall with the US Anti Doping Agency.  The project is called I Compete Clean and it is designed to help promote clean sport.  This is something that is really important to me and it is a project that I am proud to be a part of.  I hope to become further involved with this cause in the future.  Below is a video from the campaign and you can click here to check out the website.

Thanks for checking in!

It’s also been great to be home to have some time to myself after a very disappointing Olympics.  I went into the games with very high expectations but I was unable to perform at my best.  Some factors at the Olympics were out of my control; some factors were in my control.  Either way, I came home empty handed and very disappointed.  I won’t make any excuses for my performances at the Olympics.  I had world-class support and I had some good opportunities to make it to the podium, but for one reason or another it did not happen.  Although these results were very disappointing to me, I know that I did everything possible leading into the games.  It’s not like I am looking back now, wishing that I had worked harder.  I know that I gave my all, and in the end that’s all that I can ask for.

Of course my coaches and I will go through a very detailed evaluation of the Olympics in an attempt to figure out why things went the way they did.  Now it’s time for me to move onto to my next races and learn from my mistakes at the Olympics.  I am extremely motivated about the future and I will surely use my disappointment from Vancouver as fuel over the next four years.

Unfortunately, I got a bad sinus infection immediately upon arriving home.  Because of this, I have been unable to train at all this week.  I am starting to feel a little better now, but I am not in the shape that I wanted to be in heading into the last three world cups.  Tomorrow I take off for Finland and then to Norway and finally to Russia for the last world cup of the season.

I also wanted to say thanks to everyone for all of the support over the last few weeks.  This has not been an easy time for me but it has been much easier with the support from the best family, friends and fans.  Thank you!

Sometimes the important things in life, like my Nephew Ryden, help put sport in perspective!

This morning I flew back over to Vancouver for team processing.  Team processing is where all of the athletes and coaches receive the Olympic clothing and go through some last minute media training.  I was shocked by the amount of gear that we received here and I am now a little embarrassed by the amount of bags that I am traveling with…

Lowell and Wynn getting started

Tomorrow morning we will travel up to Whistler and check into the athletes village.  I am really excited to get up there and settle into my normal pre-race training routines.  I am now only a week out from my first competition and I can’t wait to get things started!

Thanks for checking in!

I 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.