VIDEOS!

I promised a video update a month ago when I first received the flip camera and haven't gotten it to work until tonight! I am psyched! I have to warn you that this is my first movie-making attempt so there is quite a bit of improvement to be had. I hope you enjoy the videos as much as I enjoyed making them.

WHISTLER CAMP 2008:
We stopped at the Pike's Place Market in route to Vancouver. I enjoyed checking out all the fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh cut flowers! The skiing was great in Whistler...check it out for yourself.



ALASKA SPRING SKIING!
Here is a glimpse of the wonderful spring skiing in Alaska. I am skiing with my sister, Kristy and my friend, Laura. We tend to get a little goofy when we're skiing in the sun, so here is a peak at how goofy we get:)

My Travels Continue...

As I write this, I am sitting in the Salt Lake City Airport…in transit from Alaska to Sun Valley. Since my last post, my travels brought me to Whistler, B.C., the site for the 2010 Olympics, for an on-snow ski camp and then up to Alaska for a friends wedding.

The training in Whistler was great! As we expected, there was still about 3 feet of snow at the race venue in Callaghan Valley. We were blessed with great weather and enjoyed many hours of skiing, even in the sun! The first day I skied, I got goose-bumps all over my body just thinking how the trails I was skiing on at that moment are the trails I will hopefully be racing on in the 2010 Olympics. I arrived at the race venue with a different perspective. I was not there to race, I had no need to get the race jitters, I was solely there to get in quality ski training and familiarize myself with the trails. After a week of training, I was already becoming more comfortable with the lay-out of the trails and I was able to visualize the courses and know where each uphill, down-hill, cut-off and turn was.

Mali (left) and Kate (right, In the Arena athlete) ski on the perfectly groomed trail

Not only was the skiing great, but we had some great team bonding time. Without the added stress of worrying about racing, everyone on the team was able to relax and enjoy each others company. We were also able to get to know our new coach for the Sun Valley Olympic Development Team, Travis Jones. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed playing silly games such as elefun!

Unfortunately my fun with the team ended early and I flew up to Alaska a few days before the Whistler camp was over. I was bummed to miss the opportunity to see a Mariners game in Seattle with the team, but I was fortunate enough to be able to fly up to Alaska for my friend, Kikkan Randall’s wedding! When I arrived, the mountains were still covered with ample snow. I decided that skiing didn’t have to be over for the season yet! The next morning I drove up the mountains with my sister and a friend and we enjoyed the best crust skiing ever! It was a beautiful sunny day and the snow was hard enough to ski anywhere! It is days like that, that I am reminded how amazing and beautiful Alaska is!

The bridesmaids and groomsmen at Kikkan and Jeff's wedding. Yep those are hot pink dresses!

Despite great snow in the mountains, I was not able to make it back up there to ski later in the week. Temperatures were not getting below freezing; therefore a crust was not forming to ski on. Instead, I got the roller skis out and began my summer season of roller ski training. I have been doing quite a bit of roller skiing instead of running, due to a foot injury. Hopefully it will heal fast and I will be back to my full capabilities.

Out on a crust ski in Alaska with my friend Laura (left)

The week was filled with lots of wedding festivities and ended with a beautiful ceremony in Talkeetna, Alaska. Once again, we were blessed with beautiful weather and enjoyed a crystal clear view of Mt. McKinley, (not a common thing).

An amazing view of Mt. McKinley!!!!

I am currently headed to Sun Valley and excited to continue my training. At the same time, I will be helping with the after-school program at the YMCA and before long, school will be out! I am even more excited to help with the Summer Day Camps at the YMCA, which will start the beginning of June.

The next destination is Bend, Oregon for an on-snow ski camp in June. They still have a ton of snow so the skiing should be great!

Life is Good

In the past three weeks I've enjoyed some much needed time off. In previous years, I have found that the best remedy for the after-season blues is to travel some where warm and sunny. This year, I found myself in the surf town of Malpais, located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica with fellow ITA member, Zack Simons and some other friends. Now, I'm not much of a surfer but I gave it a good try until a shark was spotted on the third day! That was enough to scare me from going out in the waves. Instead, I enjoyed lounging on the beach and watching surfers from the sidelines.

Crystal and I soaking up the sun

My daily routine went a little like this: wake up, go for a little run on the beach, sip some coffee, head to the beach, seek shade by early afternoon, sip on a smoothie, head back to the beach, surf a little, enjoy the sunset, eat dinner, bed time! woa! It's surprising how a day of doing pretty much nothing can make you so tired!

A beautiful sunset!

A few mornings we were awakened to the sound of Howler Monkeys

The last few days of our trip, was spent in the central highlands of Costa Rica. When we arrived to the town of Monteverde, we were greeted with a much different climate, cold and rain. Luckly, I packed a pair of capri's and a raincoat! We enjoyed walking through the Monteverde Cloud Forest and saw several species of animals: monkeys, tarantulas, millipedes, tucans, the almost extinct quetzal, and a few other birds.

To end our trip, we went on a thrill clenching, nerve racking, extreme zipping, canopy tour. Now, there were several canopy tour companies to choose from but we picked the one with the most extreme sounding name, hence the name Extremeo Canopy Tours. This company had 14 zip lines, 1 rappel, and 1 Tarzan swing that took you through and over the canopy! The longest zip line was over 700 meters long and 500 meters high!!! I was a little scared at first, but then I decided not to think about what I was doing and just enjoy the view. To end out tour, they dropped us off a 10 meter high plank with a Tarzan rope attached and sent us flying on the rope. whew! I think that might have taken 10 years off my life.

Ready to go!

This isn't even the long one!

I am back in Sun Valley. It still feels like winter here, but I can tell that spring is just around the corner. With cooler temperatures and even some snowfall, I have been able to get out and ski, both cross-country and back-country. I took my nice, new, flip camera out for a try the other day with ITA member, Kate Whitcomb while we went back-country skiing. It was pretty fun!

Other than enjoying the outdoors, I've had a chance to help in the kids gym at the YMCA. I can't say that I work much... its more correct to say that I play in the kids gym. Kids never cease to get tired of guitar hero, the wii, or dance dance revolution. I have to say that my skills need a lot of improvement! Amongst the video games, we stay busy coloring, playing with play dough, playing board games, and climbing. There never seems to be a dull day at the kids gym. Its fun to be back and be involved with the kids at the YMCA.

For some reason, I am having troubles downloading my videos. Bummer! I will post another blog shortly with my videos.

Stay tuned!

Time for some Spring Fun!

Well, the 2007/2008 racing season has officially come to an end! I spent the last week of February and the first part of March training hard in Sun Valley for Canadian Nationals and U.S. Long-Distance Nationals.

I was really excited for Canadian Nationals, seeing as we were racing at the new 2010 Olympic venue in Whistler! This gave us a chance to check out the trails, see the layout of the venue, and experience some of the typical crazy weather in the Callaghan Valley. We were greeted with a great amount of snow when we arrived and it continued to snow the entire time we were there. After our visit to Callaghan Valley, we have come to learn that the fresh snow fall in the valley is very wet and heavy. This type of weather made the waxing a bit of a challenge. Despite having difficulty with my skis throughout the week, each race got a little better and I managed to be in the top-10 in the sprint race. I was pleased with the result, considering that I was racing against some of the top world cup sprinters in the event.

On the starting line in the Semi-final sprint heat.

After racing in Whistler, we headed to Fairbanks, Alaska for U.S. Long-Distance Nationals. We flew into Anchorage and enjoyed a beautiful, clear view of Mt. McKinley on the drive to Fairbanks. When we arrived in Fairbanks, we were greeted with some frigid temperatures that we hadn’t felt in a while. Temperatures hovered around 0 degrees in the morning but warmed up to a comfortable 20 degrees in the afternoon. Not too bad for Fairbanks! This allowed for much easier waxing than what we experienced in Canada. Our first race was the 15k Pursuit. This means that we classic skied the first 7.5k and then we switched our skis to skate for the last 7.5k. The classic portion went really well for me. I came into the exchange zone with the top group of women. Unfortunately, I ended up loosing a couple places in the skate portion and ended up 5^th. Overall, I was happy with my effort.

Two days later, I skied the 30k classic race. The profile of the course had me a little scared, seeing as it was a VERY difficult course, with 3,000 feet of elevation gain! As I was warming up, I tired not to think about how tired my body felt from the previous 15k race. I went to the starting line feeling pumped and ready to conquer this race. I managed to hold on to a solid 3^rd American position throughout the race, until a big wall hit me on the last 7.5k loop. I felt my tempo slowing and the pop in my legs fading. Eventually, a few of the girls behind me caught me. As they passed me, I kept telling myself to stay with them and keep going. While my mind was saying one thing, my body was doing another. I dropped back, but was able to hold on to 6^th place to the finish. Whew! When I came to the finish line, I could hardly stand or see straight. I knew that I had put in my hardest effort and it felt good to leave everything I had on the trail.

The racing is over and now its time for some spring fun! I traveled back to Anchorage on Monday, where I am currently, and I’ve been spending time with family and friends. We enjoyed a fun day of back-country skiing in Turnagain Pass where there is over 4 feet of snow. We built a huge kicker and even I got persuaded to jump off it! I have to admit, it was pretty fun.

Building the kicker

In a few days, I am headed to Costa Rica for some fun in the sun. The beach is always a nice place to go to reward yourself after a long season of ski racing. I will keep you posted on my adventures!

How Are Elite Athlete's Made?

I've been thinking about this question for the past couple days and to tell you the truth, I've had to give it quite a bit of thought. I don't feel much different than anybody else. Growing up, I had a talent for cross-country skiing and running but I was never the "superstar." What event or at what moment did I know I wanted to become an elite cross-country ski racer? That, I do know the answer too...

In 2002, I had the opportunity to be a fore-runner for the cross-country events at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games. I, along with 15 other top ranked junior skiers in the nation, were given the privilege to ski the course before the racers. We made sure the course was set-up correctly and made sure that the ski tracks were skied in. I was submersed in an experience that gave me a taste of what it would be like to be a top notch, elite athlete competing in the Olympics without actually having to race! I came face to face with all the top skiers in the world and was able to watch them from front view. Observing each athlete warm-up, compete and simply being in their midst, was very inspiring to to me.

A view of the stadium area

When I arrived at the venue the fist day, I was awe-struck by the lay out of the courses and the site of the stadium. After watching the 15/30k skate race the first day, I was completely inspired by watching Italian skier, Stefania Belmondo. She broke a pole during the race and came back to win the race! Watching her petite body power up the last hill on the course, known as Hermod's hill, was truly amazing! She went from being in 20th place to 1st place within 1 kilometer, going up hill! I knew the only way she made that happen was by pure determination!!! Wow!

Stefania realizes she has just won the first gold medal of the 2002 Olympic Games

This was only the first race of the games, and there were several more to come! Another truly inspiring moment was when North American's, Beckie Scott from Canada, won the bronze medal in the sprint races! It was exciting to see a North American women place so well in an Olympic event. Several months later, this bronze medal turned into a gold due to doping suspension of the women who won the gold and the silver. Unfortunately, doping is a problem in cross-country skiing. Beckie Scott, proud to be on the podium!

In addition to watching athletes from around the world, I was excited to be able to cheer for skiers from the US and even more excited to cheer for my teammate and friend, Kikkan Randall. She qualified for the 2002 Olympics for the first time at the age of 20. Knowing that I had trained and skied with her, made me realize that I could be there some day as well!

Kikkan Randall

Watching this world-class event definitely inspired me and made me realize that I wanted to continue pursuing cross-country skiing and be in the Olympics some day. Six years later, I am still training hard to be in their shoes at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. I must always remember the determination I witnessed watching those games. Now I really know what it takes to get there!

2008 Birkie...Said and Done

It’s hard to believe that the end of the season is nearing! The Birkie is over and the last races of the season are approaching fast.

The Birkie was a huge success this year with nearly a record breaking 7,000 racers. Unlike last year, there was great snow and even some sun to awaken us the morning of the race. Despite the frigid temperatures at the start of the race, the conditions were nearly perfect and warmed up to a comfy 28 degrees by the end of the race.

The night before the race, I was quite nervous and yes a little scared to experience my first 50k starting in less than 12 hours. My goal was to stick with the lead pack of girls and hang on as long as I could. The race started at a comfortable pace as we climbed our way up the power line. I was in a good 8th position. This lasted for 17k until I found myself leading! “What, I’m leading?” I thought to myself. Although it was not my plan to lead at any point in the race, I decided it was okay because I would shortly receive a feed at 18.5k from Hallsey and I would most likely get passed. Well, as I approached Hallsey to take my feed, the rest of the pack slowed down as well and I ended up back in the lead. While I was a little frantic about leading more of the race I figured that if I was in the front, setting the pace for a while, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting dropped. My energy was good and I continued to ski at a comfortable pace. Around 30k I decided to finally let someone else pull the group. Despite a few sporadic surges to break up the pack, the women stayed close together. By 40k the pack finally broke up a bit. I did everything I could to bring up the rear and hang with the lead group of three women. The course became familiar to me as I had fortunately skied it the day before. I knew that the 3k stretch across the lake meant that the finish was quickly approaching. Evelyn, at this point had gapped Kristina Stranberg, Sarah Conrad and I. My skis were still running fast and I decided to lead across the lake, hoping to gap the girls behind me. Unfortunately, that did not happen and as soon as we turned the corner, with 100 meters to go along main street, the two girls made their sling-shot move and started sprinting. My reaction was just a little delayed and wasn’t enough to catch them at the end. I ended up fourth, 9/10th of a second out of 3rd. So close, yet so far!

I was quite pleased with my result. While it would have been exciting to stand on the podium with my teammate, Adam Swank who placed 3rd, I have to look at the positive and realize how far I’ve come. I guess this first 50k sets a pretty high standard for the next one.

I am back in Sun Valley for the next few weeks, getting ready for Canadian Nationals which will take place in Callaghan Valley, B.C. I am excited for these races! I will keep you posted on how things go! Cheers!

The Places You Go....

It's exciting being a skier racer and traveling to new places. Right now I am in Aspen, Colorado for the Super Tour Owl Creek Race. Coming from Sun Valley, one of Aspens rival ski towns, it is fun to compare the differences and similarties of both places. Yes, i would have to say they are both BEAUTIFUL!!! Aspen is definitely a little bigger than Sun Valley, but both ski towns have that up-scale feel. Its always fun to tell people that I live next door to Steve Miller and Tom Hanks and that I arrange flowers for Demi Moore. Then come to find out, Goldie Hawn has a house down the road from where I am staying in Aspen. It all seems unreal! Coming from Alaska, it is an entire new scene in this neck of the woods.

The view from our Aspen Host's House!

As for the skiing in Aspen, cross-country that is, the Aspen Valley Ski Club has done a fantastic job organizing the races. On Thursday, we competed on fun trails at Aspen High School. The women raced a 5k individual start classic while the men raced a 10k individual classic. We arrived at the venue in the morning with temperatures in the single digits, supposedly uncommon for this area. As I warmed up for the race, I reviwed in my mind how I wanted to ski the course...where I would push hard, where I would back off a little and where I needed to mentally stay tough! Racing at 8,000 feet is a little different than skiing at 6,000 feet and a whole lot different than skiing at sea level! Even in a short 5k race, you need to be careful not to start too hard. This is a common mistake and I have learned my lesson several times. I skied into the race with a quick pace but a pace that I knew I could hold onto. I started 30 seconds behind the girl in front of me and my goal was to keep her in sight the whole way. After 2k, I had already gained some time and distance on her and I focused on skiiing relaxed and smooth, with good technique to keep my gain. As I came into the final 500 meters of the finish, I was told that I was one second out of the lead. I knew I had to give it everything! Once I finished, I could hardly see or stand up straight. The lack of oxygen in air definitely made me feel light-headed. After catching my breath, I waited to hear the results as a few girls behind me were racing to the finish. I finished 2nd! I was pleased with my result but I was more pleased that I was able to control my pace and focus on skiing well. Ultimately, I think that is the key to good ski racing.

A podium finish

With one race down, I had another race to focus and prepare for. This time it was a 25k mass-start skate race. I had only heard rumors of how hard the race course was and how it was the toughest race many of my competors have ever raced. People told me that the course started on a golf course and then worked into a 3k climb up an alpine area. Whoa! That right there was enough to terrify me, not to mention that it gains 1,000 feet, as if 8,000 feet isn't bad enough. Without time to preview the entire course, I kept telling myself that it is probably best to race without knowing the profile of the course...that way I wouldn't know where to expect up-hills, where the tops of the climbs were and how far I had to go. As the saying goes, "ignorance is bliss." Well I can't say that the racing experience was blissful but I think I had prepared myself for something even harder than what the course ended up being. People like to exaggerate and the 3k up-hill that I was told about, was probably more like half a kilometer. Don't get me wrong, that was a tough race, but the horror stories I heard, mentally prepared me for a hardest race of my life.

The pack of leading girls broke up after 5k when the climbing began. I focused on staying with the girl in front of me. We stuck together all the way to the top of the climb. I took advantage of the long down-hill to replenish my body with energy in the form of a gue, but in the mean-time I lost a few seconds to the girl I was following. With 5k left in the race, I tried to catch back up to her but was unable to gain the time I lost on the down-hill. I finished 6th overall, satisfied, but already anticipating the race for next year. Now I know what to expect and I think that I can improve upon the performance I had today.

I am headed back to Sun Valley tomorrow. I will spend a week and half training there and then head to the American Birkebeiner in Hayward, Wisconsin. This race is the largest race in North America, with over 7,000 racers. I will keep you posted on how things go!