Holiday Fever

December 30, 2016

The holidays started a little early for me this year, mostly unwanted, but they turned out to be pretty amazing! Last year I started sitting out the distance race in Davos, and it has helped me manage the fatigue level of period one, keeping me healthy along the way. I went with the same plan this year, despite starting to really enjoy distance skate races, but I was sure I was staying on track. Unfortunately, just after the Davos sprint, I woke up with a nasty cold that was making its rounds among our team. In a desperate attempt to try to be healthy by the following weekend, I tried shutting it down as quick as I could!

Davos white ribbon training. (Sverre Caldwell photo)

Davos sprint racing. (Noah Hoffman photo)

With a long day of travel to France, a few days of rest, and my boyfriend, Jo, around to cheer up my spirits, I tried to fool myself into feeling totally better by the weekend. I have been dreaming of racing a World Cup in France for several years now, since it feels about as close to "home course" as I will have. Since dating Jo for many years now, I have many friends and family that were coming to watch. Not to mention, it was a relay weekend.. my favorite! I set out to do race prep the day before the race, ignoring my warning signs.. but determined as heck. Saturday morning when I woke up to race.. I knew I was in trouble. I was still extremely sick. That is when I made the tough decision to sit out the weekend. Every athlete in the world is insanely determined.. and to have to sit on the sidelines for a weekend can sometimes feel like the end of the world. Fortunately, all my French friends and family were very kind, and encouraged me to not sweat it. I went up to watch the women's relay, and was amazed with the atmosphere up there. La Clusaz did an amazing job of pulling off that race, and there was an incredible amount of energy on the side of the trail! I can only hope we get to return again!

La Clusaz is the home to our amazing wax technition, Jean-Pascal Lauren.

Adventuring around the La Clusaz region to one of the famous Tour de France climbs, Cold de la Colombiere.

Pretty fortunate to have this little gem around to cheer me up! (Caitlin Patterson photo)

Cheering on some relay racing for Sunday's race.

I spent the next week following La Clusaz trying to get healthy, while doing easy distance and chasing the snow. Buckling down, and being more patient than normal, I waited for the timely two week cold to pass.

Enjoying some wonderful company for a ski! Pauline (girlfriend of JP), Marine, Liz and I.

Making a trip down to Annecy for some site seeing.

Christmas has turned out to be a really challenging time to find snow for the past three winters. With nothing but dirt at my boyfriends home, Meribel, I was forced to stationary bike, hike and exergenie for training. I took a road trip to one of my favorite places in the world to ski, Les Saisies, which was amazing. After traveling to Jo's family's house Christmas Eve night in Hauteville, I ventured on the train towards Villard de Lans on Christmas day to finish off our holiday break. I was greeted with a wonderful 4k loop in Autrans, and some great family time with my brothers girlfriends' family. I have travelled to VIllard de Lans for the past three years, and every time it feels a bit more like home. It is very bizarre that Erik and I both have French significant others, but it is a true gift at the same time. I have some amazing people around me, taking care of me, and helping me from getting too homesick on this long four month overseas world cup tour.

A day in Les Saisies on some amazing trails with the huge Mont Blanc behind.

The Maubet's do it right! Fireworks, Christmas Lights, and an amazing feast!

More food than you could imagine, but so amazing!

Ever wonder who is on the train on Christmas? Turns out there are a lot of people! Europeans are so smart with their transportation!

The second christmas tree, waiting for me in Villard, thanks to Rosie!

Roaming the streets of Villard de Lans with Marine.

From there, I am finally feeling healthy again, and have made the trek to Val Mustair, Switzerland for the start of the Tour de Ski. I am really looking forward to it, maybe more so than ever after having such a long break from racing. The Tour is a beast of its own, and something new every year, so I can't wait to see what is to come!

Here is the schedule of events for the Tour:

VAL MUSTAIR
Saturday, December 31, 2016
12:20 - Sprint F Prologue, 14:50 - Sprint Finals
Sunday, January 1, 2017
13:00 - MEN 10 km C mass start,16:00 - LADIES 5 km C mass start

OBERSTDORF
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
12:15 - LADIES 5 km + 5 km Skiathlon, 15:15 - MEN 10 km Skiathlon
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
11:30 - LADIES 10 km + 10 km F Pursuit, 12:45 - MEN 15km F Pursuit

TOBLACH-DOBBIACO
Friday, January 6, 2017
10:45 - MEN 10 km F, 13:00 - LADIES 5 km F

VAL DI FIEMME
Saturday, January 7, 2017
14:30 - LADIES 10 km C, 15:30 - MEN 15 km C Mass start
Sunday, January 8, 2017
11:30 - LADIES Final Climb 9 km F, 15:30 - MEN Final Climb 9 km F

Happy Holidays to everyone all across the world. I hope everyone got to enjoy a little love and laughter… and maybe even some snow if you were lucky!

Lillehammer Mini-Tour

December 6, 2016

We just completed week two of this years World Cup season in Lillehammer, Norway. Period one seems to always follow the same relative schedule for the first three weeks of the season, so I am starting to feel at home in our Period one tour.

Testing skis, and enjoying kilometers with JP and Rosie. (Matt Whitcomb photo)

The first week, when we arrive to Kuusamo, I am re-introduced to what World Cup courses feel like, and how challenging they are. Just when I think I have wrapped my brain around it, we arrive in Lillehammer in week two, where it turns out there is a such thing as World Cup courses with no flat sections. I am proud to say, I think this is the first year I finally accepted it, and learned to embrace it, rather than fear it. This occurred midway through Saturday's skate race, when I was halfway up the four minute climb on the course.

Zooming into the finish. (Jim Wilderness photo) — Zooming into the finish. (Jim Wilderness photo)

This year's Lillehammer weekend consisted of a mini-tour, meaning we had three races, and the weekend was a combined score at the end. Day one was a classic sprint, day two was a 5k skate, and day three was a 10k classic starting on your combined times and bonus' from the first two races. By the end of the 10k classic, your finishing place was your combined place from the three days. I have always loved the tour format of racing, because I have worked really hard to become an all around skier. The first day started with a bang for me, after qualifying number one in the sprint! I have only done that once before, in Quebec City last spring, but in a skate sprint. So, it felt pretty good to know that I could lay down the fastest time on the course in classic technique as well! As I went into the heats, I made some tactical decisions from the start that didn't put me in a great place, and I struggled to find my strong classic skiing, eventually getting kicked out in the quarter finals. After going from so much excitement, to a lot of disappointment, I struggled to find the silver lining initially. Sprint racing is frustrating that way! Small mistakes, or small moves can be the difference between moving on to the next rounds, or maybe even winning a medal on that day. Every move is important, so I have learned over the years that I can't ever read into sprint racing too much. The golden part is that if I can lay down the fastest time, I can race to the finals as well. So, I am looking forward to more and more opportunities practicing this! We have our first skate sprint next weekend in Davos, so there is more to come soon!

Bjornsen bookends for the qualification rounds. (Sophie Caldwell photo)

Wave to the world... here we go! (Bryan Fish photo)

Pushing over the final climb during quarterfinals (Bryan Fish photo).

Disappointment quickly cured with a little smiley hug like this! Thanks Breck!

The second day of the tour was a 5k skate race. I was looking forward to this race in particular, because we hadn't done any skate racing yet this season. It is also an exceptionally hilly course, which has been a challenge for me in the past, so I wanted to put myself to the test to see what I could do. As I was climbing up the big infamous extended four minute climb on the course, halfway up I started wondering why I feared big hills so much. We do so much uphill training in Anchorage all summer long, I had to stop fearing them! I finished the 5k skate happy with the race, but I just knew I could do better with less fear! Not only that, my roommate and teammate, Diggy, won the race in a totally fearless manner. She went out on the course and just "sent it" without thinking twice. Jessie has always impressed me with her ability to push through all amounts of pain, but she also has inspired me in her ability to never fear failure! She goes out there full throttle, and hangs tough! It was fun to see her stand on top of the podium, which gave me a piece of hope for our whole team this season.

Climbing those hills. Nordic Focus photo.

A smiley crew after finishing that race! (Lilly Caldwell photo)

Watching the boys on TV as Packer chases down a pretty good ride! It has been great to have Packer on the road during Period one, discovering the world of European World Cup racing!

With my newfound realization, I went into Sunday's 10k classic with a different frame of mind. I was starting within a pack of lots of strong skiers, in 12th place, so I knew I was going to need to hang tough. And, surprise, surprise, I really enjoyed the race! I felt strong climbing, and enjoyed getting to every new hill. I had a sprint off to the line for top ten, but unfortunately didn't quite get it, so I finished 11th on the day, which was another improvement from the day before!

One of my favorite parts about Lillehammer, is it generally falls right around the start of December, the time that Christmas starts feeling near by. Lillehammer, as a city, has a lot of festive energy. They always have lots of lights, decorations, and tons of little Christmas shops. I no longer have the holiday homesick feeling when I visit, instead it almost starts to feel like home! Not only that, we had total winter surrounding us. There was real, natural snow on the ground, which sadly doesn't happen so often before January. So, thanks to Norway for a great show!

I am now just arriving in Davos, Switzerland, home of week three of the World Cup. There is no snow on the ground, but there is a little white ribbon of man made snow on the 5k race course, so the winter racing will go on!

Back at it!

November 29, 2016

These past few months, I have taken a small break from my blog, as I have channeled and focused all my efforts and thoughts towards preparing for the start of the season. The last time I checked in was before our final US Ski Team Camp in Park City. A week before heading down to the Lower-48 for the final altitude and high volume training block with my teammates, my previously troublesome heel spurs flared up. I have had a history of dealing with these heel spurs, and recently spent the first few months of this summer’s training avoiding classic skiing in order to get them under control following our spring Bend Camp. Unfortunately, the problem returned.

Trying to remain positive, I dove into my “shoeless challenge” of ski erg, slipper spin biking, and swimming. Spending weeks outside of ski boots and shoes, I spent the past two months attempting to control the inflammation while simultaneously trying to figure out why it was happening. With the help of my coach, Erik Flora, and my physical therapist, Zuzana Rodgers, we mapped out a different preparation route than normal, which didn’t involve a whole lot of days with ski boots on.

Erg "race-off". Jo rowing vs. me skiing......

Ski Erg Intervals- one great way to entertain yourself on this machine!

Back to my swimming roots. (Classic Visions Photography).

Every athlete has stress and anxiety leading into the season. We spend four winter months racing head to head against one another, each weekend fighting to be the best. The routine of racing somehow becomes normal. Although we are nervous for every race, we still fall asleep the night before, and we often carry a certain amount of confidence based on how we have been performing. Then, the summer months come along, and we spend eight months away from the racing scene, training incredibly hard, rarely feeling sharp or speedy. As a result, we come into the season with a big question mark. It’s like we start back at ground zero in the confidence department. No matter how you raced the season before, you always have a hint of question, and maybe even fear.

Even more so than ever, I suffered a case of "question” this season. Although I have had my fair share of injury and diverse training in the past, I have never fought through it the months leading into the season. Not only that, I was in a place that I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to start the season. Fortunately I have an incredible team on my side. I have a coach that reminds me every day that “training is training”, and remains unbelievably positive and encouraging. I have a physical therapist that not only treats my heels, but also helps with the mental part. I have a team that breeds encouragement and confidence. And I have amazing family and group of friends keeping my spirits high!

Pretty amazing to have a team around you keeping it light and fun! (SIA photo- Reese Brown).

My pre-season training partner in crime, ready to hit the nordic trails!

During my final week, I got a chance to say goodbye to many of my friends and sponsors. During a goodbye party that Delta Constructors had put on for me, I was talking to one of the owners of the company. When he asked me how I was feeling leading into the season, I told him my story, and how I was on the verge of frustration levels. He started talking about his company and how with everything in life, there are bone spurs. You will always run into issues, and have to find creative and constructive ways to get around them and remain successful. It was an awesome “real life” reminder.

Thanks Delta Constructors and Ed Gohr for being such amazing supporters!

Making time to celebrate our annual "Thanksmas" with my roommates in Alaska. Although it is often celebrated in early November, before we hit the road, it is still one of my favorite holidays of the year!

We have just completed our first World Cup weekend of the season, in Kuusamo, Finland. In my past, this has been one of my favorite race venues. I often feel rested and sharp, which has allowed me to fall in love with the hills there. With race day only being my third time on classic skis in two months, it wasn’t my usual, poppy and confident feeling on my skis. Not only that, I had more nerves than ever before. But, I survived, and was happy with “the start”. Fortunately we have a four-month season, so I have some time to get my gears shifting, and ready to rally.

Talking strategy with women's coach, Matt Whitcomb. (Noah Hoffman photo).

Celebrating my 27th birthday with my teammates and this wonderfully delicious cake Caitlin Patterson made me in Finland.

After two months of wonder, most importantly, I am so excited to be here racing! Racing is the best part of what we do! Testing your mind and body, seeing how fast you can move on your skis.. it is a pretty fun art! It definitely makes it worth walking around in heelless slippers all day!

Discovering the pain cave again! Big shout out to Jack Novak for giving me a pair of his perfectly soft, worn in, size large ski boots so that my feet can recover! (Ski Trax/Nordic Focus photo)

In the meantime, my amazing and silly wax technician, JP, is "wearing in" and softening my new boots for me. — In the meantime, my amazing and silly wax technician, JP, is "wearing in" and softening my new boots for me.

We are currently traveling to Norway, our next stop on the World Cup Circuit, for a three day mini tour. Norway has always been one of my favorite places to race, so I look forward to the weekend to come!

Pretty fun to have baby Breck on the road with us!

Race Schedule for the winter is:

The Art of Keeping Up

October 10, 2016

September is often known to cross country skiers, and certainly to myself, as the most challenging month of the year. As Kikkan would say, "it feels like trying to keep frogs in a wheel barrow". Every time you get all your froggies collected, a new one jumps out! It is the month that we are both training lots, and training a lot of hard intensity. It is the month that I often find myself doing many sponsor engagements and community engagements. It is the month that school starts back up for me, so I have to find some extra energy for my brain power. And finally, it is the month that the cold, dark and sometimes snow arrives in Alaska.

Spending the afternoon with Alaska Child and Family.

Every year I put on my armor, and brace myself for September, because it is the same every year. I try to direct as much attention as possible towards my ski racing, and minimize the others. The transition from doing tons of distance training, to doing some form of intensity every day is an adjustment! I get used to knowing how much to eat, how much to rest, and how much it takes to recover from training 20 hours during the summer months. As the cold arrives, and I start turning up the guns for September, I find it requires twice the amount of rest to recover and show up the next day ready to rally. Despite the wild world of events, September happens to be one of my favorite months. The rush always gets me excited for the winter, and the racing season to come. Distance training can sometimes feel monotonous and boring, so when it comes time to go fast, I start getting addicted to those endorphin rushes following training, and the wonderful feeling of fatigue, where you know you did a good job at work today!

Taking a long rollerski trip from Trunk Road to the top of Hatchers Pass.

As an athlete, we become addicted to challenging ourselves one more step than recommended. The plan says five times eight minutes of intervals… but six sounds so good! I'm supposed to be in Level 3, should I go a little harder and take advantage of following my teammate that is an expert at uphill skate? Three days of races at the end of a hard training week, how deep can I dig that last day when I feel utterly exhausted? Sunday is rest day.. why not throw in one more workout! The best athletes are addicted to pushing that line, otherwise we wouldn't get this far. The line becomes blurry at some point.. how much is too much? Am I doing damage always finding the extra challenge? Will I be too tired next week if I do one more interval in this set? Or, is this extra interval the mental challenge I need to be confident to make that A-final this winter? When I look from the outside in, to me it feels like an art! Training is such a meticulous and perfect project of action.

An afternoon hiking with my wonderful Delta Constructor sponsors.

Every athlete paints their picture differently. Some go into overdrive, and let their minds take over. Others look to the people around them to try to get the best direction. Some are experts of "sending it", but become very good at turning their actions into beauty at the end. Every year, I learn one more lesson as an artist! I have always been an artist with a little bit of a conservative nature. This is a result of having struggled with injury a lot. I am learning though that there are the right times to challenge my brain, challenge my ability to dig deep, and challenge my ability to think "that's all I have". During September though, it is always the most challenging month to paint. I call it the art of keeping up!

Amazing to have teammates that push you every day!

So what are some of the pieces of this September artwork?

Fast and Female Season- Months of planning for this event, but always such an amazing piece to be a part of. This year we were in the Alaska Airlines Center, which was a fun new twist to our usual event.

What an incredible building! The Seawolves have a pretty nice home.

Endurance Sports Station lead by the wonderful Tiffanie Bird and Tasha Bergt.

School Season- I am working on my Masters in Business at APU. Class starts with three ten hour days of class, and then meeting online the next eight weeks.

My watch was beeping at me a lot! 10 hours of sitting doesn't go over so well with me, or Polar!

Time-Trial Season- We practice our racing and get to challenge ourselves to get ready for the real deal.

Chasing the boys during a sprint TT. Faster skis makes for a fun challenge for both of us! (Eric Packer photo)

Feeling pretty stoked after completing three tough days of racing at the end of the block (Chris Hodel photo).

Injury Management- I have been managing a knee imbalance injury the past two months, so jumping back into the activities I have missed is a slow, but oh so exciting process.

Trip #40 up an "uphill only" hike with my trusted partner in crime! Ski walking has been our best friend this fall!

Hunting Season- Time to live off the land a little. Moose, Fish and Grouse filling the freezer.

Growing up vegetarian means that I have been forced to get over many "dislikes". One of which was touching meat. Several days later of processing, I am finally ok with it!

Staying warm in my down outfit during grouse hunting season.

Enjoying my last campfire before the winter season.

I finally contributed to the freezer with my grouse!

Rainy, Snowy, Dark Season- Staying warm is sometimes the largest challenge.

I can't tell if she is my body guard for the house, or the guard not letting me out of the house?

October time! I am now headed to Park City, Utah for our final season preparation at altitude. I can't wait to meet up with my teammates and do some final training together before we hit the road! I am also looking forward to hopefully getting a little bit of PC's special sunshine to warm me up a bit!

When it rains.... it shines!

September 4, 2016

It was an interesting August up here in Alaska. I spent the first week of the month up on Eagle Glacier for my final camp of the season. It was by far one of the wettest camps I have had up there. Thank god I have a rain suit to keep me dry enough to train as much as I wanted. When you become soaked to the core in the first twenty minutes of your ski, and then the wind starts blowing… it is tough to stay warm. So, I went out every day, put my hood up, my rain pants on, and chipped away at my training, even having some laughs sometimes how crazy the weather was. While the sun wasn't shining, I did finish the week having accomplished some of my goals for the summer. 75 hours of training on Eagle Glacier over the course of June, July and August meant I got to spend lots of time on some of the technical side of skiing in addition to building my base!

Rain suits, dry bags, and smiles.... a wet mess!

Intervals in my dry suit... Smurf skiing!

Famous APU team relay snowball champions.

After that week of wet, I assumed the sunshine would come back. With such an awesome summer so far, the sun never disappeared for too long. Turned out, he needed a little time out. For six weeks straight, the rain came down day after day! When people say "when it rains, it pours"… that felt like the truth! Every morning I would wake up to the familiar noise of rain falling on the roof, and my hopes would die down. I would wake up, turn on my "sun lamp", layer up for the wet, and go puddle hopping on my skis…. again!

Olympic Games with the young kids at The Alaska Club. This little one was the cutest gold medal winner of the day!

Amongst this rainy block, I have also been battling a little overuse knee injury. Similar to the sunshine, I was maybe getting just a little bit too excited with my running this summer. Living in the mountains, and being a cross country ski racer means that running is one of the best forms of training. It is free, it requires no equipment, and it is relatively safe compared to dodging the cars on the road. Unfortunately, my "too excited" has left my a bit sidelined for the month.

Remembering my younger swim racing days during the Olympics, and some pool training this last month.

The combination of the rain, and the frustration of injury took me on a pretty good roller coaster ride this past month. So, I made a rule for myself… something that would seem pretty obvious, but hard to do. Every day, I was going to find something positive. One summer when Swedish star, Anna Haag, came to train with the APU Team, she told me something that I will never forget. "If you are never injured at this level, you are never pushing yourself hard enough". Learning your limits is part of being an athlete. Learning to deal with adversity and find positive ways to get through it comes with the territory. With that on my mind each day, I could either go home and eat an entire bottle of Vitamin D, go into hibernation, and wait for the storm to pass… or I could find the sunshine!

Training differently has not only kept things a little more fresh, but it has gotten my "motivation" back into a high gear. As I am patiently waiting for my tendons to be bomb proof again, I am working on some of my weakness's, something I may not have focused on otherwise. And when I get to head back out in the mountains for a run, I can tell you it will be for more than just the training value…. it will be an overly happy Sadie leaping along!

Starting on the final day of our APU rollerski mini-tour... working on my uphill pain tolerance!

And guess what?! Just when I thought the rain would never stop, the sun came out to play this week! Already I can see smiles popping up on everyone! So if anyone ever tells you "when it rains… it pours", don't believe them! The sun will always come!

Enjoying some uphill hiking with the french boys on the first sunny day!!

On to September!

My 10 Favorites

July 29, 2016

Every summer I make it a habit to travel home 1 or 2 times in the summer months to visit my parents. With the wild schedule I have in the winter, jumping from one country to the next every week chasing the World Cup, unfortunately, I never get to come home in the winter anymore. Every time I make it home during the summer months though, I find myself falling in love with my home town a little bit more. As a kid, I didn't really know the world outside, so I didn't have quite the appreciation I have today. After training all over the world, I am convinced I grew up in one of the greatest places in the world to train. With a few more hilly, paved roads for rollerskiing… it would quickly jump to the front of the list! Last week while visiting home, I collected a list of 10 of the greatest things about the Methow Valley to share just how great this little heaven in the woods is.

1. Family- There is no better thing in the world than spending some time with family. The world is big, and the days go fast, so you have to truly cherish every wonderful moment you get with your family!

Pretty impressive my parents rock a 3 hour run no problem!

A little Granny time on a long layover through Seattle. As you can see, I think I got my height from her!!

2. Cold Water- Anyone that knows me well knows I love to drink "cold water" more than anything in the world. A glass of ice cold water makes my world a better place. So, when the temperatures reach 100 degrees, not only do I appreciate the ice cold water that magically comes out of our faucet in the mountains… but I love the unlimited options for swimming in cold water. High mountain lakes, rivers, creeks… these are saviors when it comes to training in the heat.

3. Heat- ok, I guess I will put this on the list of my favorites. Despite the fact that I have lost all of my heat tolerance, I do still do secretly enjoy the heat. Alaska gets warm, but not quite to the level that the Methow brings. If you heat yourself to the core during the summer, the winter isn't so bad!

4. Unlimited Adventuring- This past week Erik made it a rule that we had to do some sort of new adventure every day. I thought I had already seen the best of the Methow. For anyone that has been there, Cuthroat, Silver Star, and the birthday tour have topped that list for me. But, I discovered even more! It turns out the Methow is the worlds largest running playground. There is incredible running trails everywhere! Even after spending the first 17 years of my life here, I had no idea some of these little secret heaven's existed! I already have a list to explore next time I come!

It may be a sketchy road to get there, but it sure is worth it! (Dead Horse Point)

I forget about these crossings when I spend too much time in Alaska!

5. Peace and Quiet- After spending the past six summers living in the city, I have forgotten how peaceful it is to fall asleep at night to total stillness. No horns, no sirens, no cars, no airplanes… just the crickets. Ahhhhhhhhh!

A silent lake.... before the Bjornsen's arrived.

6. Memories- The place that you grow up will always be covered with fun memories. Whether that is crossing an old friend you haven't seen in forever, or running a trail that you did when you were five years old, or going through old pictures. It always feels good to takea walk through memory lane! Especially when the majority of those memories are warm and wonderful.

Erik with one of his first outfits... hard to believe such a large boy was so small at a time!

7. Secret Spots- The Methow is covered with little "secret spots". For some that is a secret swimming hole, for others that is a secret camping spot, or a secret yurt in the woods. I love discovering these little secret spots. You almost feel like you are homesteading a treasure island.

Look closely for a high mountain Yurt nestled in the woods. Sounds like a pretty sweet spot to visit in the winter!

8. Next Door Neighbors- One day while I was running, my phone sent me messages welcoming me to Canada, and asking me what sort of plan I would like to use during my trip. Sometimes I forget how close our little village in the hills is to Canada. While it may take a long while to drive, a bird or a hiker can get there pretty darn quickly.

9. Mountains on Mountains-Nestled in the woods, this little valley has ginormous mountains in every direction. Steep, rocky, and full of trees- these mountains always feel different than the others I spend my time in.

10. Happy Vibe- A happy buzz goes a long ways! Thanks Methow Valley for filing me up with happy!

Back to Alaska. Back to the snow. Time to put one more focused week of training on Eagle Glacier for the summer. No rest for the weary.

The Team is in Town!

July 23, 2016

The past two weeks have been a fun filled, packed, grueling, and amazing two weeks of training with the US Ski Team in Anchorage. It has been a few years since the team has made the long trip all the way up to Alaska, so it was so fun to have them back. There is nothing more exciting than sharing your training grounds with your teammates!

Headed into the green hills on one of our afternoon run's.

Warm enough to take a dip in a little alpine lake.

Team Sodie keeping it bright and safe on the roads.

It was also the first camp that we have had the whole women's team back together (minus our young C-team additions). With Kikkan having her little boy, and some others being injured, we were missing getting the band back together for a while now. Fortunately, everything worked out, and we got to hammer out a variety of training with each other. This included a lot of rollerskiing, a lot of running, some bounding, weight lifting, and some good old quality relaxation. Miraculously enough, somehow, the weather was absolutely perfect for all two weeks. I must say, I have never applied so much sunscreen over the course of two weeks. Twice a day, every day, we were baking! No complaints though, it was amazing!

My coach, Erik Flora, joining me for my final L4 bounding interval of the workout. Thanks to this incredible coach for pouring his heart and sole into our team! Behind every hard working athlete is an exponentially hard working coach! (Matt Whitcomb… — My coach, Erik Flora, joining me for my final L4 bounding interval of the workout. Thanks to this incredible coach for pouring his heart and sole into our team! Behind every hard working athlete is an exponentially hard working coach! (Matt Whitcomb photo)

Enjoying a sunny final long workout in town before we hit the snow. Steep slopes and selfies don't exactly go well together!

An amazing team of girl's to work hard with. (Matt Whitcomb photo)

One of the many views that makes AK training amazing!

Sharing some snuggles with baby Brecky, Kikkan's little boy.

The second week of camp, we headed to Girdwood, and loaded up into helicopters, making our trip up to Eagle Glacier, where I have already done one week of training this year. Right from the start, the sun came out, and never left us alone after that. This meant for a ton of smiles, a little bit of sun poisoning for some people, and a freshly bronzed bunch. But.... one of those things that comes with the heat is the soft snow, of course. So I would argue we had one of the more challenging weeks of skiing up on the glacier. With slushy, deep, and soft snow.... we were forced to work extra hard every kilometer we covered. But, everyone did a good job of pacing the week long camp, and nobody walked away in a million pieces. It was impressive. There was still plenty of energy and smiles even as we finished our final 3 hour workout of the camp!

Checking out the blue ice on the side of the glacier as we were flying in. It is crazy to watch the impact of the climate on this glacier over the past 6 years I have been skiing up here!

Sun, shorts, and smiles! (Jessie Diggs photo)

Taking a break from the ski trail one afternoon on our newly crafted "happy trail". Thanks to the boys for spending many hours creating this little 3 minute running loop.

Enjoying some company on the "happy trail" with our amazing Physical Therapist, Zuzana Rodgers. Thanks for keeping us all happy, healthy, and charging hard!

So awesome to have Kikkan back, and full of momma energy! (Caitlin Patterson photo)

Taking a little break to fuel up on liquid.. a trick to stay strong through the week. (Zuzana photo)

Ian Torchia en route to set the world record on the "happy trail". Witnessed and started by Lizard Stephen. (Virginia photo).

This year, our foreign guest was from Italy, Virginia de Martin Topranin. Virginia was awesome to have around, and we enjoyed getting to see some of the differences in each other's training routines. I was impressed with her ability to just jump in fearlessly, and excel in our environment. She even spent the first week without her bags and skiing in Kikkan's gear... always with a smile on her face and full of excitement! She even taught us how to make a famous Italian dish, gnochi, one evening. I did a lot of racing around her last winter, so I am looking forward to next winter when I am a little more familiar with her technique and style, and can comfortably jump in behind her in a mass start as if she was a teammate.

Virginia, teaching us the ropes of "gnochi" making. Potatoes, flour, eggs... and a little Italian touch.

Rosie, Erik and Ian rescuing us with some 9PM gas station dinner mid 4 hour fire traffic jam on the way home. Just a little 1 mile run down the jammed highway.

After two great weeks of hard training, I have 10 days off before heading back onto the glacier again, so I pointed my bags and momentum south and have headed down to Washington to spend some time with my family. I only get about 10 days a year now at home, so I am looking forward to doing some training in my home stomping grounds as well as spending time with my parents.

Family First

July 7, 2016

As i have grown older, I have started to appreciate many of the things that I never took the time to as a kid. One of those things is my incredible family! Everyone is incredibly supportive, caring, and we all enjoy to do many of the same things. I have one heck of a crazy travel and training schedule as an athlete, so every small break I get, I often jump at the opportunity to spend some time with my amazing family.

Checking out the Butte and Knick Glacier.

Bjornsen trio-double means business! You can tell there is a small variation in temperature perception.... I think Jo and I have converted to AK weather. The others... not so much.

I am also lucky in that my two siblings are some of my best friends, and my biggest supporters. I get to spend the majority of my training and racing around my brother, which seriously helps during homesick times throughout the winter, but I don't get to see my sister nearly as much. I have been harassing Kaley and her husband, Tyler, for years now to come visit during the 4th of July, and this year it finally happened! With the three of us siblings together, and our significant others, we got to explore Alaska as if we were young kids all together again. It was so nice to share our "training playground" with them, and introduce them to the world of "the last frontier".

Erik and Jo taking a trip down the river on paddle boards.

I even got the opportunity to drag my sister and her husband up the intimidating Mount Marathon. In my mind, hiking this mountain carries a lot of "pride". Because of the challenge, and the fact that there is a race on it on Independence Day... you just feel like you have accomplished something special when you complete it. Kaley and Tyler were champs though, and made it all the way up the halfway point, which meant coming down the most challenging part!

A little sore, a little tired, but she is still stoked!

I am back into the normal swing of training for our US Ski Team Camp here in Anchorage, which just started today. It will be great to get the entire team back together, and share this wonderful Alaskan summer with them. We have our annual "foreign guest" this year, Virginia De Martin Topranin, from Italy. I am looking forward to getting to know her better, and learn more about the Italian way of training. We also have the men and women's team together, which is the first time we have done that in Alaska. The second week, we will be headed up to Eagle Glacier for a week on snow together as well. More fun to come!

Training For Value

June 26, 2016

Summer is the heart and definition of "work". It is the time that we put all our "money in the bank" for the season ahead, building on previous years. We wake up every morning, work as hard as we can all day, and rest to prepare for the next day. It is an easy time to feel like you are working on a "check list". You accomplish your daily goal, only to set out for another daily goal, another weekly goal, and another monthly goal. We measure our "work" by the amount of hours we are training, and the number of workouts we are finishing. With this continued daily "work list", it becomes easy to fall into the mindless effort to check the workout off the list, and forget about the actual "value" I am working towards.

Running in the mountains, and still finding snow!

Quite the "scenery" with the mountain biking in AK!

For that reason, I have made one overarching goal for this summer, and it revolves around value. Rather than getting my workout done, to know I accomplished my daily volume goal.. I have used this summer to use every workout to accomplish a skill. I finished last season wanting to improve skills such as classic uphill running, uphill skating, sprint finishing speed, efficiency in high speed double pole, etc. All of these skills can only be accomplished through starting every workout working towards more than an hourly goal.

Taking some time for some wednesday night yoga in the park.

So what does that mean? It means that this summer I have learned to manage both my physical as well as my mental fatigue. On speed workouts when I am so focused on adapting to new technique changes while also going at my 100% speed, as well as staying on my feet to avoid road rash… all of these things leave me exhausted by the end of the workout. This has meant that I have learned the importance of rest a little more than before. I have started to learn what "value" actually means. It means putting myself in a place to show up twice a day with a brain fully switched on, muscles rested, and heart that is ready.

You better have muscles that are ready to keep up with these mountain goats on the climbs!

Sometimes being "ready" means switching up usual training in order to keep your muscles balanced. (Classic Visions Photo).

Last week I had a "recovery" week, which means that I got to take a week to slow down mentally and physically, and spend a week to "shut down". I always look forward to these weeks, because I know that if I put in a great push of valuable training, I am rewarded for an entire week. I was lucky to be spoiled with some amazing summer weather during that week, so I was able to have a little "vacation" at home, which has been wonderful.

Pretty stoked I can still find snow so close to town despite the serious "summer weather".

Recovery week means you can combine your biking and your fishing in one! Erik and Marine headed for the Russian River on a search for the Salmon!

Working on my balance when the creek decides the best path is down the trail.

Sometimes that means a tumble... (even on your birthday)

Enjoying some time outdoors with the Delta Constructors employees on our "Peak of the Month" challenge.

Recovery Week activities doing some filming with The Alaska Club. (Classic Visions Photo)

I am now headed into another block of intense training before I get to take my next "vacation" home to the Methow to visit family! During this block of training, the National Team will be coming up to Alaska for two weeks of training, one in town, one on the glacier, which hasn't happened for a few years, so I am really looking forward to it!

Ready, Set, GO!

June 12, 2016

It is hard to believe it is June 12, and I am already back at it, training for a new season with new goals, and new aspirations. Last season was the toughest, the longest, and the most racing I have ever done in my life, so it took a little longer to mentally and physically recover from. I managed to burry myself in a "different life" this spring, taking my mind away from being a professional athlete. I finished the second semester of my Masters Degree in Business, I planned a team wide spring fundraiser event, and I spent some time catching up with all the important people in my life that I never have time for when I am training and racing. In the meantime, I managed to fit in some spring adventuring as well. Without Jo around to take me into the backcountry, I was forced to stick to my skinny skis this spring. With a dangerous snow pack this spring in Alaska, it was probably for the better.

One of my few days using gravity to my advantage.

Back to school with some of my teammates, Rosie Frankowski and David Norris.

Skiing in to one of my friends Yurt in the middle of beautiful "no-where".

It always seems funny to explain to everyone around me that even though I am a winter athlete, I only get three weeks off during a year. Come May 1, I am already in the swing of things, even hitting the pavement with my rollerskis despite the snow still sitting on the mountains around town. Even I had trouble wrapping my brain around this idea when I came to Alaska and started training as an elite athlete. But, that is how it works. May 1 comes around and I have already formulated my new goals for the season, and started chipping away towards the jumps I will work to make through the training season. I was lucky this spring in that I got to spend the majority of my "start up" training on snow up on Hatchers Pass coupled with dryland training in town.

Helping direct traffic and bikers for Anchorage Bike to School Day.

Shortly after "start-up", I headed down to my "neck of the woods" in Bend, Oregon for our first National Team Camp of the season. We spent twelve days skiing at Mt. Bachelor in the morning combined with dryland training in the afternoon down in town. This has always been one of my favorite training camps because it makes the transfer from "snow training" to "dryland training" really nice. Getting used to running, rollerskiing and biking can be a challenge after spending five months sliding on the soft snow.

Spring Skiing.... sometimes dirty, but great practice! Thanks Mt. Bachelor for some awesome grooming during our camp!

Taking a day to adventure off the trails up to Broken Top.

There is some pretty beautiful scenery around Mt. Bachelor! Pictured here, Rosie headed up the mountain.

Taking a break on top to take it all in! I love the west!

I especially enjoyed this years camp, because we had some new young ones that just got named to the US Ski Team. Not only is it new blood, and new energy in the group, but these guys are awesome. They have so much excitement, and are training really well as juniors, which makes me excited to see the change in US Skiing! Not only that, it forces us to step up, and be the leaders, even though it can sometimes feel like we are still the "young ones". It has already been five years since I was part of the "rookie group"!

Enjoying some kilometers with our "rookie", Hannah Halvorsen.

Fast and Female with some of our new young PNSA stars! So fun to see these girls having fun and doing well! I miss these young days of Pacific Northwest training and racing.

Passing on some stories, setbacks and lessons I have learned as an elite athlete.

Shortly after Bend Camp, I had a quick week in town to unpack, re-pack and gather my life before heading up onto Eagle Glacier for my first glacier camp of the summer. One of the perks of living in Alaska is the easy access to "skiing". Every month of the summer we spend three weeks running, rollerskiing and biking, and then we drive 45 minutes to Girdwood, jump on a ten minute helicopter ride, and arrive in winter for the last week of the month. This allows us to never get too far from our "skiing technique", but also allows us to do a huge week of training every month in the true sport we are competing in. Every summer I do my first week on the Glacier, I am reminded how lucky I am to live in Alaska and have something like this available to me!

Amazing scenery! Glaciers, rivers, mountains... all the above!

Practicing for my next career, in Biathlon.

I have just arrived home from our first week on Eagle Glacier, and I am pretty excited to get a little "home" time. Even though I am back in the US for the training season, there is not a whole lot of "home". I am constantly zipping in and out, packing and repacking, cramming in life around our training and traveling schedule. I am pretty excited to get a good three weeks in town now, doing some consistent dryland training, and sleeping in my own bed.

Erik, pretty excited as we head up in our "mountain taxi". Thanks to Alpine Air, we always get delivered and picked up safely to our little "heaven" up in the mountains!

I have been struggling with some angry bone spurs, but luckily I was saved by one of the boys on our team who had an extra big boot for me to wear for the week! Thanks Jack Novak! Sometimes you have to get creative in order to make the training work… — I have been struggling with some angry bone spurs, but luckily I was saved by one of the boys on our team who had an extra big boot for me to wear for the week! Thanks Jack Novak! Sometimes you have to get creative in order to make the training work..!

One of those perfect sunny days where the training can't get any better! Eric Packer photo.

Our young APU rookie, Anna Darnell, doing some amazing training this week!

I am pretty lucky to have an team of woman to train with! It makes the kilometers and hours so much more fun!

Thanks to everyone for all the cheers this past season, and all the encouragement! I have just transferred over to my new website, and am back on the regular blogging schedule. Check back in every few weeks this summer to follow along.

Is this summer goal possible? Follow along to see....

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