Sunday, March 27, 2011

US Nationals 30K Classic Race

Today was the US Nationals 30K here in Sun Valley, ID. The conditions were perfect and the weather was beautiful! Sun Valley lived up to it's name with tons of sunshine throughout the morning. I woke up this morning feeling better then I had the night before. I had a rough day yesterday and was pretty tired from all of the excitement. I had to take a quick trip to the ER because I almost passed out. This is a little crazy but I have had this happen a few times before. As women athletes, we put our bodies through a lot,  sometimes our bodies respond wonderfully and sometimes they act totally crazy. I sometimes experience menstrual cramps so badly that the pain actually causes me to pass out! Now it's bad enough that there is no way to really stop the pain, but I also cannot tell when and where it will happen. Once it happened in the Prague airport and now at our team condo here in Sun Valley.

I was at the condo with Jessie Diggins when the pain got so bad I was on the verge of passing out. Jessie phoned for help and as I was being taken away she stayed back at the Condo very scared for me. After talking to the doctor for a while it was determined that I was OK. A few minutes later I had my two teammates there with me to cheer me up. Jenny and Jessie were hilarious and we made the best of the situation.

I owe the girls a lot! I am so grateful for all of there help and support! Today as the gun went off I started in Bib 3 and felt great. A few K's later and a number of slips on some long uphills and I could feel my body suggesting that I rethink the race. I don't like to drop out of races but I could tell today that I was not going to make any progress by being tough and sticking it out. I skied 15K with my friend Evelyn and then we called it a day. We have 4 races in 5 days coming up so there is lots of time to feel better and better.

The best part about today was how great Jennie and Jessie skied. They both were in the top 10 and were happy with their races! I am so glad that the distraction yesterday, although it affected me, didn't seem to impact them!

On to the next race!!!

Monday, March 14, 2011

The Junior Olympics in Minneapolis, MN

No, I did not race in the Junior Olympics but after the fun filled week here at Theodore Wirth I feel like I did!
I heard that the Twin Cities was in contention for the Junior Olympics in 2011 a few years ago. When they were awarded the event everyone here in the Twin Cities were pretty excited and ready to show the country what we've got here!

Countless hours and labor went into making the JO's go off without a hitch. The courses were ready, the volunteers were ready and all of the other events and accommodations were in place, the only thing left was the snow. Every effort was made to get a snowmaking system and loop that would accommodate such a major event if mother nature was not cooperating.

Thankfully, Minneapolis was blessed with the most snow we have seen in the past 7 years I have been living here. The week of the event came and the temperatures remand cold making the snow absolutely perfect yet warm enough for the spectators to enjoy.

I had the honor of being recognized for my achievements in the past couple of years, and recognizing the outstanding achievements of the racers throughout the week, by presenting the medals at the awards ceremony.I spoke to the audience of parents, coaches and athletes about never assuming you cannot achieve something without even attempting it first.

The highlight of the event was watching the J1/OJ Girl's relay where the Midwest team took first. Not only was it great to see the Midwest succeeding but it was even more special because of my connection to the girls who won. I have spent time with each of them over the past year and I hope that they have learned a lot from training, racing, living  and just hanging out with me.

I am so proud of Jessie, Libby, and Elizabeth!!! I can't wait to see what they can do in the future :)