Birkie, Birkie, Birkie

This past weekend was the American Birkebeiner in Hayward, WI. Although it took place on the same day as the Olympic 30K in Russia, the conditions couldn't be much different. While Brian was about to suit up in a t-shirt and no hat for his 50K, I was bundled up and read to face below zero temperatures with winds gusting up to 30 mph head on! This was by-far the coldest Birkie I have ever done. My feet are still red and swollen a day later.

My was was a huge success! I wanted to ski well on 2/22/14 for a long time and whether it was at the Birkie or the Olympics I would be happy as long as I reached my goal. I was able to hang onto the passing lead group of guys and separate from the rest of the Elite women's pack. I realized that with such a strong headwind, getting away any other way would be impossible.

This was my 3rd Birkie win and I cannot begin to explain how great it feels! I think the best part about the entire weekend was how much fun I had, how many friends I saw and getting up at 1AM to watch Brian race the 50K at the Olympics.

Today I hosted a Fast and Female Event here in Hayward and it was a HUGE success. We had over 75 girls attend and we went over the importance of goal setting and when you muss one goal you canoalways start focusing on your next one.

A Full two weeks of Training, Travel and Racing!

Wow! What an incredible two weeks I have had!!! After we found out that Brian made the Olympic Team and I did not we got to work hashing out our next plans. Brian was headed to Sochi to represent the USA at the Olympics and I was headed back to the US to get people excited about Team Gregg and hopefully win some races and make some money :)

Before I left Europe I had the chance to spend another 10 days with my favorite training buddy (Brian). We explored the Italian Ski Trails that meandered through the valleys of the Dolomite Mountains and spend hours running and at the gym! Although one goal was met we still had more racing left to prepare for!

After Italy I dropped Brian in Munich for his Olympic processing and I hoped a plane to Vermont. It was probably one of the hardest good-byes I have ever had to say to him but I am so happy for him that it quickly subsided. I quickly met up with some old friends, the Mallorys, from my high school racing days in Vermont and we traveled together all the way to their house near Burlington. 

I just finished a full week of high volume and a weekend of high intensity racing here in Vermont and I am hoping that my solid results will help me secure the Super Tour overall so I can re-join Brian on the World Cup again this spring :)

I head home tomorrow and I am excited to sleep in my own bed for the first time in 4-1/2 months! I am also thrilled to get to watch the US Ski Team ladies make history on Tuesday at the Olympics!!! Go Team USA!!!

Some photos from the past few weeks below:

Interval Day at the Toblach Stadium!

Beautiful Over-distance Ski 

Psyched to be together!!!

More intervals, testing and coaching each other.

The reward for a long ski up the mountain

The grooming was perfect everyday! These guys get it done early!

Happy to be getting a coffee!

Holly Brooks my roomie from the 2010 Olympics

Goal Reached!

The Mallorys who were the best travel partners I could have imagined coming to Vermont from Munich too!

The Midwest gals all racing for East Coast colleges/ Universities

Dick Drissengacker and Judy Geer (below) the owners of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center! Their generosity this week was amazing!!! Thank you!

Jen Rolfes who I used to coach all grown up and graduating from Harvard this spring!

The Alberta World Cup Academy from Canmore, AB who helped me wax all weekend! My skis were rockets and I am so thankful!

The Proud Wife!!!

So much about being an athlete seems to revolve around a selfish need to constantly be focusing on yourself! You have to train well, sleep well, eat well, etc...and your biggest advocate is YOU!!! The Olympic Games are the pinnacle event for all athletes in their lifetime! The experience is nothing less than magical and the memories are worth every bit of effort and sacrifice along the way!

How could something in an athlete's career ever top their trip to the Olympic Games? In 2010 when I was named to the Olympic Team I wasn't sure there was anything greater I could achieve athletically! I soon realized I was completely wrong! Qualifying for the Olympics was a huge goal of mine and a huge accomplishment after many years of dedicated hard work, but when I reached Vancouver and began the process of getting "outfitted" for the Games I realized there was so much more than just being an Olympian. At opening presentation we, the athletes, were asked what we wanted our "Olympic Legacy" to be. We kept these words to ourselves but mine still sits on the card by my beside. I suppose many could use performance or process goals, pleasing coaches or loved ones or even the ability to meet as many new people as possible in the two weeks of the Games. I thought long and hard about why I had spent so many years chasing my goals and committing myself to such a lofty dream.

I soon realized it really wasn't about me. Sure I had spent a good portion of my life focusing on me and how my training, racing and recovery was going, but at the end of the day I realized that Olympics or not it was more about the achievement of everyone in my life up until that point! I realized it was just the beginning of the opportunity to motivate and inspire others!

In 2010 my husband Brian was beyond excited for me to compete in the Games. He called and checked in everyday, he followed the live feeds and sent motivating messages and photos to my email. He was an incredible support network for me and he made my whole experience absolutely awesome! Fast forward four years and there have been numerous school visits, clinics, lessons and mentoring moments. I loved being a part of all of them! I absolutely LOVE sharing my passion and drive with all those I meet! I Love the concept of challenging yourself and aiming high with your expectations, of putting yourself on the line when there is a similar chance you could loose as there is you could win!

Brian exemplified all that I could ever hope for! He saw my success and realized if I could do it he could too! After working with so many youths, as a part of In-the-Arena, and hoping that you are successful at planting a seed of inspiration for them to chase their own dreams, I am so proud that perhaps the most inspired person was the one I shared almost everyday with for the past 4 years!!!

Brian qualified and was officially named to the 2014 US Olympic Team last Wednesday! I am beyond proud and I am more excited for him than I ever was for myself! He has been so dedicated and thorough with his training, so dialed and precise with his equipment and most of all so humble and gracious of his achievements and success! Watching his progress over the past 4 years has been an honor to be a part of!

I wish I could be there with him when he enters the greatest sporting arena of all time, but he knows I will be there in spirit and love!

Best of Luck to Brian and all the In-the-Arena athletes who will be competing in Sochi! I am so honored to be a part of such a wonderful group of athletes and people!

I can't believe this is happening!!!

Wow! What an exciting couple of weeks for Brian and me. Sometimes when making decisions it is easy to look at the most fun and entertaining option and hope that the rest of your plans fall into place. With this being an Olympic Year, Brian and I have often had to look the other direction when opportunities arise to visit friends, family or spending long hours in large groups. For me the idea of forgoing social situations is easy since I like my quiet time, but for Brian, a very family oriented and social butterfly, this decision has a major impact!

The goal of the weeks over the Christmas and New Year's Holiday is to recover, train and prepare for our most important races, US Nationals. With low snow, travel and the potential for a lot of distractions I suggested to Brian that perhaps we should head straight to Utah to start getting used to the National's courses and altitude. Brian was very torn and ultimately spent his first Christmas EVER away from his family. I know this was a major impact for him and I was beyond thrilled when the new opportunity arose for his parents and sister to join US in Utah the week of Nationals!!!

Brian's family has been a huge part of his love for skiing. I can still remember heading out for an easy family ski and 3 hours later finishing with the whole group! They have been such a major support group for us that when we formed "Team Gregg" we knew it meant way more than just Brian and I.

Team Gregg consists of so many people at this point, that it is hard to really say who we know that isn't somehow a part of the success of our Team! I have to express how incredibly grateful I am to be a part of the amazing Gregg family! Between West Yellowstone, Silver Star, Bozeman (driving to the plane and dispatch), Rossland and US Nationals Team Gregg has been behind us all the way! Our Logo was designed by Brian's Sister Tara. our patches were arranged and sewn on by Alieta (our sister in-law) and Brian's mom, our Technical Support and Media operations have been lead by Chad, Brian's brother and our splits have been handled by Jim, Brian's Dad! The entire family provides help with ski testing, transportation, race logistics, feeds, equipment transfers, bib pickup, clothing gathering, food preparation, point calculating and of course crazy loud CHEERING and HUGS while we are racing and when we finish! Those who aren't at the race provide incredible support and encouragement from where ever they are! and we feel the positive vibes :)

Brian and I had an amazing US Nationals and we know it was due to all of "Team Gregg" and our supporters! We are know living a dream by traveling the World on the World Cup with the US Ski Team for the next two weekends before the 2014 Olympic Team is named! We cannot express how thankful we are for this opportunity and how fortunate we feel to be on this journey TOGETHER!!!

We are currently in the Czech Republic after racing a sprint race on Saturday that was a bit of an eye opener for us! We are getting used to the time change and change of pace here in Europe now and we are very excited for our next races in Poland!

Our dream since we got married was to make the Olympic Team together! At this point we have done a darn good job putting ourselves in the right place at the right time. Now we must wait, train well and race well before we find out! It is nice to have each other during this "waiting" period and these are the days that we will remember and cherish for the rest of our lives! This year will certainly become a favorite Christmas time topic for many years to come :)

I know I have said it before but THANK YOU to everyone who has helped make this DREAM SEASON possible for the both of us!

Family Dinner in Midway from the Crockpot!

Waxing in the Bathroom!

Ski Testing with Tara

Team Gregg Banner from Tara and Simon!

Patches being sewn on by Jan

Jim making sure the food is tasty enough!

The Team Gregg Chataeux in Midway!

A National Title

Awesome Entertainment

Ski Marking :)

Shuttle to the Airport!

Cheering on Kikkan, Andy, Sophie and Simi in the heats at the World Cup! Kikkan Won!!!

Morning Jogs along the course!

My awesome Wax Tech Patrick! He volunteers his time!

Cheering for Team USA!

Kikkan's award ceremony!

Distance run through the woods and fields of the Czech Republic!

Monkeying around!

Awesome photo!

An Enormous Thank You!!!

There is something about adversity that seems to cause a surge in drive, willpower and success for me. Brian and I were faced with the devastating news that we would be without the coach and wax tech we had planned on for the season, just two weeks before it started.

We rallied, and our family and friends rallied even harder! We suddenly found ourselves surrounded by the greatest support system an athlete could think of. We had uniforms, travel logistics, race support and warm meals to carry us through. But most of all we had the unyielding support from those who were closest to use to keep chasing our dreams!

With a lot of hard work, late nights and even more generosity, Brian and I are now the US Continental Cup leaders, TOGETHER!!! We are both beyond excited and grateful for all of the support we received and are continuing to receive.

I just want to send a HUGE THANK YOU out to the numerous individuals, teams, sponsors, companies, family and friends who have made this possible. There have even been a few strangers who have helped with rides and logistics when needed! This has been a major community effort and I cannot believe how wonderful the journey has been and the successes have been, when they are shared with so many!

Brian and I are off to Utah tomorrow to begin our preparation for the US National Championships. After Nationals I will be heading straight over to Europe to begin my World Cup campaign before the 2014 Sochi Olympic Team is chosen. As I mentioned before this is a fantastic opportunity and the fact that I get to share all of these "adventures" with the man I love is even more special! The Gregg Family is sooo incredible and they have been at every race weekend so far! We would be nothing without the relentless effort they put into each event for us!

I am looking forward to some quiet time with Brian in our little studio rental in Midway, but also looking forward to getting out and training well before the races start in early January! Here are some photos from the past two weeks of racing and traveling!

Getting help at Bohart Ranch with some wax tools and a warm place to hangout!

Loving the process and grateful for the support!

A Thank you message to one of our fantastic donors Ski and Tea out of Hayward, WI!!!

Ready to Race with my awesome new sponsor Madshus beneath me :)

Jean, the owner at Bohart with the Team Gregg Crew (Matt Liebsch is an honorary member!)

Sprint finals start line! 

Skiing with Friends. Zoe is one of the most multi-talented people I have ever met!

Cheering for the sprint heat ahead of mine.

Sharing the moments with Team Ninja! These girls know what they need to do and how to do it!!!

The best part of the whole process! Keeping things FUN in the Gregg house :)