May update

Since the last time you heard from me I spent two weeks on Kauai, 3 days driving my new (to me) car from Utah to AK, had some sweet spring skiing and now I am just finishing up my 5th week of training for the year.

After a great week in Fairbanks to end the season I enjoyed doing absolutely nothing for a week before Annie, Hazel and I got on a plane to spend two weeks in Kauai. The last time we were in Hawaii we were on the go pretty much the whole day. This time with the addition of a 5 month old definitely made us adjust the pace. We got in some sweet hikes and saw some amazing things, all a little closer to the car that we had before.

There was another big life change this spring when the 1987 VW van that I have driven since I learned how to drive retired. It has been replaced by a 2001 Audi A4 wagon that I bought down in Salt Lake and spent three days after Hawaii driving the 3000 miles home. So much more fun to drive and this winter is going to be a whole new experience with a heater that works and the sweet bonus of heated seats! Still the van will be missed...

The first training period of the year is 3 days from completion before I get my first week off. We hit things off pretty hard with the first training and testing camp starting April 27. There was some great crust skiing down in Turnagain Pass that we got to take advantage of to make the break in to training much easier on the body. Plus the chance to watch a bunch of people who aren't the greatest tele skiers unleash their skills on race skis is a blast!

Since then I have been settling into the routine of summer. Training, working, and spending time with baby Hazel. The pace of life has had to adjust a little bit. Not quite as much down time so my time management has had to improve a little. It makes me focus more on what I am doing and I think for the training it is a good thing. Something I like to think I have been pretty good at, but it has been forced to a new level.

During the week off I get to spend a day or two helping coach the APU juniors at the first APU Death Camp down in Girdwood. East High's xc team used to have a Death Camp back in the 1990's and Charlie Renfro decided to bring it back. Not sure what the details are but there will be some sweet adventures.

Champ!

Last night I got my first National Championship since 2006! I knew when I won my last one that any win could be your last so to get back on top after a rough couple years feels super good.

I was the 4th starter in the "A" seed so I knew that there were a lot of fast guys behind me so there wouldn't be much information to get from the time checks out there. I just had to ski as fast as possible and hope my time would hold up. After I finished I heard how many guys were not far back after the halfway and I started to get real nervous, even a little queasy. Finally I heard the announcement that I was the National Champ and it was all smiles!

This past week I have been really nervous about this first race because my body has felt awful. Just sluggish and tired since last Sunday... Finally after a few days up here with some tune up workouts and some solid couch time my body finally started to come around the morning of the race. Still I had no idea if I would be able to ski fast or not. Out on the course I had no clue what I had, I was just going as fast as I could with what my body could do. Fortunately it was enough.

Yesterday was a sweet day for APU with 3 on the National Championship podium. Becca Rorbaugh, 2nd US and Brent Knight, 3rd US. First time on the podium for both of them.

Now it's a couple days recovery and get ready for Friday nights pursuit.

50

Today was a solid effort. I managed to stay out of trouble early and pick my way up thru the field once again and was sitting comfortably in 15th at 15k and was right in the lead pack at 25k. Then I hit a little rough patch. I was able to work thru it until about 30k when I started to run out of gas and had to let the lead group go. I really had no idea whether there was 10, 15, or 20k still to go I just knew I had to try and hang on to the other guys who were around me. That worked for a while but there was just nothing left in the tank...

The course today held up really well thanks to a massive salting effort by the race crew. The area by the wax cabins has rivers of mud so to race on hard, fast, snow when it hasn't been below freezing for a few days was so nice compared to the alternative.

The wax crew did a sweet job once again and I big thanks to the whole staff this week! Those guys do amazing work.

Leaving World in 2005, I wanted to be in the fight the next year. 2006, the same. 2007, the same. This year I was finally in the fight and it makes ski racing over here so much cooler! I still have the last third of the race to work on but to be in the mix with the best guys in the world the week has been a huge confidence boost and I cannot wait until next year in Whistler!

I leave Tuesday to go back home and will be racing the Tour of Anchorage on Sunday if I can stay heathly on the travel home. I have been the question from some of the other skiers if I am heading up to Lahti, Finland for next weeks World Cups. It would be great to get some more chances over the next few weeks but I am really looking forward to getting back to my girls in Anchorage.

Relay

Today I skied like a rookie. It's only my second international relay... but I'm still pretty annoyed with myself.

Other than the sections of the course that were salted (few) it was a full on slushfest out there. 5 inches of dirty wet corn. On those days it pays to start out smooth because if you go too hard there is no place to recover and every section of the course is work. Plus people tend to fade hard in these conditions so it you can ski a strong second half you can make up a ton of time on people.

Freeman started off and skied a great first leg coming in not far behind the Canadians and Germans who had some great skis being driven by Devon Kershaw who was on a mission. Cook skied a solid second leg as well bring us in 7th (I think) 20 seconds behind Kazahkstan and 15 or so in front of Italy. I started out nice and smooth trying to gradually work my way up to the Kazahk when about two thirds of the way up the first climb Killer Piller Cottrer came flying by. Had I been thinking, I would have thought "there is not way that I can maintain this for 30 minutes" and kept going about my work. Instead I picked up the pace and stayed with him over the top of the hill and tried to get a ride for a while hoping he might settle down. He didn't and that didn't work. I made it up the next small climb behind him and then my legs started to get wobbly. It took a little while but I managed to get myself back together and salvage something of a race out there but my legs were never right again after the early effort. Pretty frustrating.

Next up for me is the 50k on Sunday. The ladies do a 30k tomorrow which will be a good preview of how the course skis. If it is anything like it was today out there it will most likely be the hardest race that any of us have ever done. Making Sapporo, the previous hardest, look like a walk in the park. The rumor is that they will salt the course which would be beautiful.

Awesome!

Today has been amazing. It has been 27 years since the US won a medal at Worlds and to witness it and the way she earned it... Awesome.

That's more like it

The classic race was a hairies day and I was on kick wax... just a frustrating experience.

For the first time in my skiing career I was in there. The first half of the race classic skiing was just real comfortable. I had great skis and was relaxed in the pack. Starting back in the 50's you are very much at the mercy of those in front and I managed to avoid the crashes and tangles that can send your day down. I just stayed relaxed and picked my way up when it wouldn't take too much work. Climbing comfortable next to some World Champs was a great feeling, climbing past some was even sweeter!

Coming into the exchange I was sitting in 16th position and feeling good. My exchange was pretty slow and I ended up coming out a bit further back than I went in not a big deal since there was still a lot of skiing left. The biggest bummer of the day was I missed feeds on the first two laps of the skating. The feed zones are crazy and that just happens sometimes... So on the third lap I started to get some cramping and yo yo off the back and then on the final lap I wasn't able to hang on... Still I managed to get it back together and gain time back up to the guys right in front of me on the final climb and finished strong.

In the end it was my best mass start on the World Cup level, my best FIS point race, and a great boost of confidence. I was right in there with the best in the world for 25k! I am super excited for the relay and the 50k to come next weekend. Now I get a little rest and I start that off with a massage in a few minutes. 

Tomorrow we go

The ladies were under way today and tomorrow it's our turn. 

The courses here are beautiful. They are set around a hilltop overlooking the town and a really exposed which means it can get quite windy. Yesterday it was blowing hard and snowing so some places the course was icy fast and others you had snow drifts... today was much nicer.

It skis a lot like Soldier Hollow but a little bit bigger to make up for it being at low altitude. A lot of fun to ski when you are feeling good and brutal if you are having a bad day. It has two major climbs, a few minor ones that are still as big a anything we have seen in the US this year, and some gradual and flats thrown in between but everything is skiable. US course designers could learn some things from these guys... 

So I've been classic skiing better than ever, feel good, dig the course, and I can watch the new Lost episode online tonight... all good.