Spreading holiday cheer...with a snow storm!

I couldn't have asked for a better holiday gift then a great big snow storm! Before saying more I should first state that I was very fortunate to receive many great gifts from my family and am very thankful for all of them. But I must honestly say I am also very thankful for the snow storm that is going on outside right now here in Caribou. Things were starting to look a little too brown for the end of December.
Now that the big Christmas holiday is behind us, my focus is now directed at putting together an amazing racing season for myself. The races at Mount Itasca went pretty well, with the exception of the first race. My skiing is feeling good and my shooting is oh so close to being right on. I was very happy with my second place finish in the sprint race. I know I can put it all together now and excited about doing through the rest of the season.
So what is in store for the upcoming months of winter racing? The next couple weeks will be focused on getting some high quality training in. I then hope to be off to Europe to race in a couple of German Cup and Alpen cups. The competition over there can't be beat. I am excited to get a full season of biathlon racing in.
This is the next step in making a big jump in my biathlon career. This trip will be a self funded one, so I am in the midst of looking for people and/or companies that would be interested in helping out an athlete work her way to an Olympic podium in 2014. It starts right here for me. I have much to offer in return for your support! If you or anyone you know might be interested in helping me out, please let me know. All of your support is greatly appreciated!

Wishing you all an amazing Holiday, filled with lots of good friend, family and that cold fluffy white stuff!
cheers,
BethAnn

A little inspiration

The racing season is now pretty much in full swing. I am here in my home town of Grand Rapids, MN for the IBU Cup team trials at Mount Itasca. All my thoughts are focused on the races at this point. So, instead stumbling over more words to write I am going to pass on this very inspring youtube video. A very good friend of mine sent me recently and want to share it with all of you now. It nearly gave me goosebumps. What can I say, I am a sucker for things like this. I hope you enjoy it.
And best of luck to all the other Nordic and biathlon racers who are putting on a bib this weekend and throwin' down. Hats off to all of you!
-BethAnn

Fall/winter 2010

Fall/winter 2010

The 'bou

Caribou is where I am at. I am back and happy to be so. Although I am not here for much longer. I head out on Thursday to my home state of Minnesota. I am very much looking forward to not only seeing my family while I am there, but also taking advantage of all the snow they have and, oh ya, racing! Can't wait to race!
The last week at home has been busy, of course, but nice. The rainy weather made us all do some creative thinking for training once again. Thanks to the work of those at MWSC and Big Rock I didn't have to pull my rollerskis out once! Thank GOODNESS! :)
There is about a one kilometer man made loop at Big Rock, which held up through all the rain we endured this past week. It's been nice to join in with the MSWC X-C team for a couple workouts and a time trial this past Sunday. Despite being more or less on the same team, as the season rolls on it becomes harder and harder to meet up with our non-shooting teammates. I was glad to get to do so this past week.
The word on the street is everything South and West of us got snow yesterday. Here in Caribou it was mostly rain. Enough already! Things did turn to snow sometime last night and we now have a couple inches covering the ground again. I am going to dig my fish scale skis out and see if I can get some sort of snow skiing in today. Wish me luck and even more so...wish for more snow!
Happy winter to you all,
BethAnn

Below are a couple pictures from the time trial this past weekend. It was seven laps for the women and ten for the men. And I think everyone actually did the correct number of loops. Go team.

Bags packed

We are just about all packed here in Canmore and ready to head out in the morning. We have a long day of travel ahead but that is pretty standard of any travel day at this point.
Our last few days here in Canmore proved to be all that I expect of this place. The temperature warmed up and the skiing seemed to get better by the day. We were even able to sneak another time trial with the Canadians in.
Oh and I did mention we had a very nice Thanksgiving ham dinner together as well. It was great. Everyone made their own contribution to the meal. It was something to be thankful for, amongst many many other things.
Here are a few final shots from our stay here. The critter viewing highlight of the trip was catching this heard of elk gathered right in town. It was quite the surprised view while driving up to the venue one morning.
More to come from Maine shortly.
cheers, BethAnn

Good Eatin'

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am spending yet another Turkey holiday Canada. While I am not with my family, I will be able to enjoy the day with my teammates. We plan on all pitching in to make a Thanksgiving feast we can all enjoy.
While traveling for training camps and races in North America, we generally do all the cooking ourselves. We split up the cooking duties with different pairs of people cooking and cleaning every night. And I must say, I think we do a darn good job. Good health, nutritious and delicious meals play an important role for athletes. We need to make sure we are recovering well after workouts and refueling to make sure we have the strength to get out there and work hard for our next workouts that lie ahead. There is always something to be preparing for.
One of my favorite meal contributions I have started to do regularly is to make bread for the team. I am very thankful this Thanksgiving holiday for this bread recipe that I received from my father-in-law. The recipe originally comes from his father, so that would make it David's grandfather, Geoff Chamberlain's original recipe for Oatmeal bread. It has been well received by everyone on the team so I would like to take this opportunity to share it all with you.
Mr. C’s Oatmeal Bread

Boiling water 2 cups
Molasses ½ cup
Salt 2 tsp
Butter 1 tbs
Yeast 1 pkg
Rolled oats 1 cup
White flour 5 cups

Add boiling water to rolled oats. Let stand 1 hour. Combine
Molasses, butter, yeast, and flour. Beat thoroughly. Let rise
land beat again. Turn into buttered bread pans
and let rise again. Then bake.

First rise almost 2 hours at temp. 75 – 80 F. Bake at 400 F.
for the first 15 min. then 350 F. for 25 min. or until the loaves
shrink from the sides of the pans. Makes two (2) loaves.
Don’t forget to proof the yeast. The rolled oats are the
old fashioned kind.

I am looking forward to sharing more heart healthy and delicious recipes with you all, so stay tuned for more.
Until then, happy baking and skiing to you all!

Waiting out the cold

This morning I rose out of bed and continued on with my normal morning routine of bundling up for a quick walk/jog outside before coming in and making breakfast. I knew with the burn of my first inhale, once I stepped outside it was going to be a challenging day. When I say challenging I mean the challenge of trying to figure out what we can do for training without frying our lungs in frigid Canadian air.
It is nearly 11:00 am while I writing this and the latest temperature check reads -20F. In reading this I am actually feeling better since it went up two degrees in the last forty minutes. I am not one who is afraid of cold weather but I have had enough experience to know that trying to ski when it is -20F out is just not a good idea.
So for the time being I will get caught up on all my other activities and keep brainstorming for what is the best plan for training today. Thankfully the forecast calls for temperatures in the 20s (above zero this time:) ) in the next couple days.
On a different note, I hope you all enjoy the photos below. Many thanks to my teammate Ben for standing out in the cold, cheering us on in our races and freezing his finger while taking many of these shots. I believe some of the photo credit also must go to my coach, Seth. Although I will be honest, I don't know who took what.
Hope to have a real ski report for you all shortly, having come off the ski trail and not a weather report explaining why I am not on the ski trails right now! Ah the joys of winter!
Happy skiing to you!
BethAnn

Working out the kinks

Yesterday was the official season opener! Cooler temperatures shocked everyone's systems a bit while we all unwillingly pealed our layers off as we each pulled up to the start line. It was a sprint race. U.S. biathlon put on the race, as it is a trials race for the December World Cup and IBU Cup teams. We were happy to add some international competition to the field however with some Canadians and even a New Zealand racer!
I had a mix of low points and high points during the race. I had a few more misses than I would have liked and don't feel I am quite at the top of my game yet skiing. I was able to stay relaxed skiing and had a pretty good mental game while I was out there. So while the results sheet doesn't show what I wanted, I feel confident that with a few corrections here and there it will in time.
Due to snow conditions our second trial race has shifted from today to Thursday. This gives the folks up at the Canmore Nordic Center an extra day to make snow and push it out on course. Hat's off to all of those workers who are getting this job done. They have done an amazing job! Many many thanks to all of them.

Here are a few more photos from the past few days.

It's wonderful to be able to travel, race and train with such amazing friends.
I haven't seen this name on skis in a wax room for quite some time. Congrats to Chad for becoming a father for the second time over this week!

This a shot of the view out our door yesterday morning. I was like a little kid in a candy store when I saw REAL snow on the ground when I woke up.

The trails up here at Canmore Nordic Center are being used by all! You have to appreciate places like this and people like this one here in this photo.

SKIING

Today was my first official day skiing on snow! They are experts at making snow here in Canmore. It is a good thing too since there is absolutely no natural snow on the ground or in the forecast.
The loop was just short of a kilometer and pretty full of skiers but hey it was skiing so I was happy.
More skiing on the docket tomorrow. Can't wait. Better get to bed so I am good and rested for more of it tomorrow.
Sending you all happy, snowy wishes,
BethAnn
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Day one in Canmore

We finally made it to Canmore and had our first offical day of training yesterday. It was an interesting scene at the venue with everyone on rollerskis and the snow blowers going full blast at the same time. Most of the rollerski loop was clear with a few exceptions going in and out of the range. All and all it is good to be here.
I jumped on a mountain bike yesterday afternoon for training with Lanny and Tracy Barnes. Great riding all around this area and we even spotted three big elk. That was the highlight of my ride. Although we also came across a pretty cool closed down mine as well.
I am off to training this morning. We are unsure of what things will look like this morning. I am bringing running shoes, rollerskis, skis and a mountain bike just to cover my bases!
Hope you enjoy the photos in the mean time.
cheers, BethAnn

Unexpected stay in Toronto

Traveling....never a dull moment. Since I am still in transit, I will make this update a quick one.
After departing on a VERY small 18 passenger plane out of Portland, ME yesterday I had hoped to arrive at my final destination, Canmore Alberta about six to eight hours later. Instead ended up in Toronto for the evening and am now, some 18 hours later am still working my way to West.
Katrina, Seth and I are the only three on this traveling adventure. Both Kat and Seth did make it through customs in time to get on the flight last night to Calgary. I was not so lucky.
I am only now hoping that our luck changes upon arrival in Canmore. I am looking for a big snow storm of good luck once we unpack at our hotel. That isn't too much to ask, is it?
Due to the lack of snow in Canmore right now, we had to pack along rollerskis for the trip. This was not something I enjoyed doing but snow or no snow, the training must go on.
Below is the only photo I took so far on our journey West. Hope you enjoy the view from inside our tiny little aircraft from Portland to Toronto. And did I mention it was a very bumpy two hour flight? Oh how thankful I am for my ability to sleep through just about anything!
Happy snow dances to you all!

-BethAnn

Picture tale

A Sunday morning early departure was the official end to our Utah training camp this year. I will admit it was a bit of a disappointing one, having had to spend much more time that I would have liked sitting on the couch with my foot elevated and numb from ice. I will still say it was a good time.
My ankle recovery is going a bit slower than I had hoped. I am currently doing all that I can to speed the recovery along. It is frustrating but dealing with injuries is part of being an athlete. And in the end, no matter how impatient I get, I will recover and chances are it will happen sooner than later at this point. So I won't whine anymore about that.
Since I am short on words this evening I am going to wrap up the rest of my camp summary in pictures. Hope you enjoy!
-BA

Utah

October training camp. Things start to pick up this time of year for Nordic athletes. Everyone is dreaming of the day, someday soon, when they can pack their rollerskis away for the winter and officially announce the start of the ski season.
I would gladly spend hours on my rollerskis right now however. Last week, about four days into our training camp here in Utah I severly sprained my ankle and it has left me hobbling around unable to do a lot of our scheduled training.
I have never been all that much of a patient person when it comes to injuries or sicknesses. Apparently someone thought I needed to work on this because here I am being challenged again to rest, recover and just wait it out! ERRRRR
I know I will make it and perhaps a little extra rest might do me some good going into November.
It has been beautiful out her in Utah. Perfect weather, as always, and a great group of biathletes, including those on my team at MWSC and many more from the National & Junior Teams and National Guard teams. Solider Hollow is a great place to train for any biathlete and I think this crew is taking full advantage of our time here.
I have many more photos to post...but must wait for a better internet connection to to so. Stay tuned.
Until then...think snow...
Thanks for checking in,
BethAnn

A traveling fool...

So it begins. Saturday I will leave for our training camp in Utah. The start of much more traveling ahead. II love the travel but struggle with a bit at times. I am always excited when it is time to pull out my luggage again, but I also like to create my own nest and have space of my own. I have gotten pretty good at doing so in any space I have, whether it be a hotel room, ten square feet around a bed, or car seat, which makes things much easier. Now if I could only find room in my suitcase for my husband, I'd be all set!
Regardless, deep down I do love it. Perhaps because the travel is associated with things I love, training and soon....racing! There are always a number of unknowns when going into a racing season, including my specific travel schedule. Things are always subject to change and a lot depends on how well I am racing.
Here are a few dates and places I do know and a few others that I hope to be at:
October 10th-24th - Solider Hollow Utah training camp
November 8th- ? - Canmore, Alberta, CAN, December World Cup trials
February 4th-6th - World Cup #7 Presque Isle, Maine
February 10th-13th- World Cup #8 Fort Kent, ME
March 1st-13th - World Championships, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
March 17th-20th - U.S. Nationals, Mount Itasca, Grand Rapids, MN

A day in the life of...

Coffee. It is how I like to start my day. Not a quick cup while running out the door but getting up a bit earlier than I have to so I can sit for a few extra minutes and slowly sip my pipping hot cup'o joe. If I had my way I would start with an espresso, but until my piggy bank full of pennies multiplies into a full heard, (do pigs live in heards?), I will settle on my French press coffee with a splash of half and half.
After my coffee I am officially on the move. No two days ever seem to be the same in my crazy life as a biathlete and massage therapist.
As the days get colder and shorter, my schedule seems to fill up faster. I'll be posting much more on these events in the days, weeks and months ahead. With any luck one thing will remain the same, I will always be starting my day with my cup of coffee.
cheers, BA

FROST!

I have only lived in Northern Maine for around five years but even I know that getting the first frost of the year on the third of October is NOT normal. But let me make this clear...I am not complaining. There are more tomatoes then ever from the Chamberlain Families garden! Despite a good stretch of rain and wind last week, we've had a beautiful Fall.
I have continued to make the most out of it spending all the free time I can in the kichen. My cooking and baking list so far includes: Pumpkin cookies, bread and soup, carrot soup, apple sauce, tomato sauce, zucchini-lemon muffins, roasted beets and carrots and lots and lots of pesto! MMMM there will be a lot of good eatin' at my house for a while.
Last week was a kind of low/recovery week for me. It was well planned since it was pretty dreary and wet for a number of days in a row. I wasn't afraid of being creative on those days when the weather was so very NOT inspiring.... Training with high winds, cold temps. , hard rain or darkness, no matter. Nothing a good spin bike and Netflix on-demand viewing can't fix. I wouldn't recommend this on a regular basis but on occasion...it's pretty nice.
Today would not be one of those days however. I woke up and had to pull out the old Toko scrapper out of my glove box to scrape a heave frost off my windshield. (Yes I do actually use a ski scraper to scrap my car window, works quite well actually and ever breaks!) Once the sun finally did come up, it has warmed everything up nicely and it has turned out to be one of those picture perfect Fall days. The trees in near peak foliage and the air just cool enough to wear a sweater, but not cold enough to need anything else. I am off to go and dig out the rest of my ski tights and hats for the colder season ahead! Raking leaves today....making snowmen tomorrow!?! I can always dream!
Cheers, BA
A few shots from my adventures in the kitchen and garden.