I was very lucky to come back to Anchorage and have snow to ski on! It is a skier's dream to be in 70 degree weather dryland training one day, hop on a plane, and be able to ski on snow the next. It's maybe one of the best parts of calling Anchorage and Park City home. Not only could we ski, we could ski in town, making for less time driving and more time getting things done. Living the dream, if you will. Two weeks of getting our feet under us, working on technique, practicing going faster, feeling really cold, and loving our real sport was amazing. Then came Typhoon Nuri......While we sat in our beds hoping to wake up to feet of snow, the thermometers were making our hope something of a far off dream. With temperatures in the 40s, Nuri got the best of us bringing the wetter form of precipitation and wiping out our snow in just one night : ( From dreams to nightmares, just like that.
Needless to say, there is always a silver lining. We can run and find alternative forms of working out with some creativity. I have an opportunity to catch up on my trashy TV shows while biking on a trainer, to get in tune with my inner fish, and maybe even to hit up some Zumba and work on my dance skills. In addition, we have already done all the hard work for the year, so we can take the opportunity to catch a little more rest or in my case, get a little more studying in.
Which brings me to the panic...November brings this anticipation of racing, nerves come in, doubts start to form, excitement strikes, and everything just seems more emotional. In addition, I am beginning my thesis project to complete my Masters of Arts so I am frantically trying to get all the things done that I need to be physically in Anchorage in order to do. It's been some time since I have written a big paper so I also spend a great deal of time in the library, groaning, trying to recall how I could have possibly been able to bust out a paper before midnight the night before it was due. College certainly makes you efficient. Suddenly the realization that I have less than two weeks in Anchorage before leaving for 5 months hits hard, making me look for that big red panic button to push that brings in a crew of people to help me get everything done. Dream on Rosie...
In other exciting news, I am the proud recipient of a grant from the Women's Sports Foundation. This is a big one for me. Not only was I selected out of female athletes from all sports, I had funding cut from other places so I really needed this grant. It is a wonderful organization and truly, without such grants, I would simply be unable to do this. Check out their webpage to see all the cool things they support and read about all this year's grant recipients. http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/
Last but not least, it's full on fundraising season and the National Nordic Foundation is in the final days of their Drive for 25 fundraiser. This fundraiser is about getting lots of people involved in supporting development of cross country skiers in the U.S. by asking many people to give $25. If you are interested, here is a link to my page: https://support.nationalnordicfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=367945
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| Enjoying some skiing in Girdwood. These were new trails to me and they were awesome! |
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| Halloween at practice |
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| Following Sadzarue on a gorgeous day |
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| When it's clear and sunny and there is snow on the ground, things just don't get better |
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| Halloween! Sadie was cheese, Jess and I were troll dolls, something I had many of as a kid. Luckily I am to old to trick or treat so I didn't have to go outside! |
