Back on my feet!

Everything is going well here with my rehab.  I feel like I am improving a lot with every week.  Today I managed my first run outside, which felt awesome!  I guess it was great because I was outside running, the out of shape feeling was not so great…. Check out the link below if you want to read a good article about my surgery and everything I went through last season. I feel like Nat did a better job explaining it than I could.  http://fasterskier.com/2011/04/after-suffering-quietly-since-january-burke-gets-cs-surgery/The new site is almost done.  Check back soon for some big improvements!

construction

I will be making some changes to my site over the next few weeks so things may look a little weird during this time.  I home now recovering from compartment surgery so I will finally have some time to make some upgrades to my site.  Stay tuned for some new content on the site and an update about my surgery, recovery and spring time.

Oslo

I arrived in Oslo on Monday morning for the last World Cup stop of the season.  After two weeks in Russia, Norwegian food has never tasted so good!  It’s also great to be back in more normal temperatures after some pretty cold temperatures in Russia.World Champs were definitely not so great for me but I was very happy with our 6^th place in the relay.  We were only 10 seconds out of 3^rd and this was definitely the closest we have ever been to a podium in the relay.  This was also one of my best races of the season so I was very happy to finally contribute a strong leg to our effort.After the races here this weekend I will head to Germany for one week.  Next weekend I will be partaking in the Schalke biathlon team event.  I have never competed there before and I am really looking forward to racing in front of so many fans.  After the race, my season will be over and I will go home for some much needed recovery time.  In last five months I have been home for 9 days so I am definitely looking forward to some time in my own bed!

Ouch!

I am back in Italy now after a really tough tour at home.  I had hoped for big results in the US World Cups but it was not to be.  In the end, I had to be happy that I was at least able to start the races in Fort Kent.  In hindsight, it might have actually been smarter for me to sit out those races.  I had basically been on the couch for the two weeks prior to the Fort Kent races with the flu and it showed.  I felt like I was doing my first intensity sessions of the year there….Ouch!  I feel like everyone expected a miracle from me in Fort Kent and I was sorry to disappoint.  I just hope that the World Cup will return to the US over the next few years when I am 100%!After over three weeks of coughing, I am finally starting to feel better.  I have put in a solid week of training here in Italy and I feel like my form is coming back.  The bright sun and great Italian food are also helping me come around.  I will be here for another week of training and then I am taking off for World Champs in Russia.  I am confident that I will be back on good form for Russia.  Who knows, maybe all this down time will actually benefit me for these later races! 

Sick

I am extremely disappointed to report that I won’t be starting the races here in Presque Isle.  I have been sick with the flu and an upper respiratory infection for the last 10 days and I am just now starting to feel better.  I had hoped for a quicker recovery but I have been unable to train at all for over a week now.I was finally able to start some light training today but I am still a ways off from being able to compete.  I am optimistic that I will recover enough to start next week in Fort Kent.For those of you who are in the area, come check out the races!  The organizers are doing an incredible job and it is a great opportunity to catch a world-class event.