Happy Father's Day, Papa!
This weekend I can't be at home with my dad where I should be, but I'll be thinking of him every minute. He's the best father I could have asked for and I'm grateful for his undying love and support for the past (almost) 25 years. I'm lucky to have you in my life and I love you, Papa!
Ramping it up in The Valley: Training in June
With the arrival of my biathlon teammates (and one xc teammate) here in Fort Kent this weekend, I’m looking forward to some less-lonely training in the weeks to come. This week the weather has been great and I’ve been enjoying my “low week” before we have out testing and shooting camps starting next week. By the end of the weekend the Jalbert House, our athlete residence here in Fort Kent, will be home to six athletes with one more arriving in July.
The last couple of weeks have been exciting and busy, complete with my first training camp of the season in Lake Placid, NY. Bethann and I drove over to meet Seth for a week filled with shooting and easy volume, mostly in the form of rollerskiing. On the range I had a very productive week, recording my highest score ever in the accuracy, shooting test that we do regularly throughout the training season. I’ve been working on changing my standing position a bit this spring to allow for a more stable, less taxing position while I shoot. We’ve also been modifying my rifle a bit but it’s not done yet so you’ll have to wait to see the final result.
After Lake Placid we trained here in Maine for a week before taking a breather to recover a bit. I’ve been out on the 4-wheeling trails with my mountain bike and had some good and some not-so-good rides. It turns out that tired legs make it harder to ride up steep little pitches over and over during a 2 hour + ride. Who would have thought? In other biking news, I’m doing a fundraising ride called Ride Aroostook in the end of July….check out this link to learn more and donate:
It’s a great event to raise money for a great cause and it’s being put on by one of the big Maine Winter Sports Center sponsors so it’s a great chance for me to help them out in return for their support!
This next week we have our first camp here in the County in conjunction with the Nordic skiing half of our team. We’ll be in Caribou most days doing a lot of physical testing and spending out down time reviewing the importance of good nutrition, mental training, teamwork, and other notable topics. Should be a fun but tiring few days. The following week we’re back in Fort Kent for three shooting-focused days to start off a big volume week.
Enjoy the weather…soon the days will start getting shorter again and you know what that means: WINTER IS COMING!
