Reunited

After a long awaited break I have once again been reunited with my rifle! More specifically I am being reunited with my stock and just getting introduced to my new action. I am now a proud owner of a sprint action. For those of you who aren't familiar with this term, a sprint action is a lighter version of the older Anschutz biathlon rifle models. Having been in this sport for nearly twelve years now, I thought it was time for an upgrade. I couldn't be happier about it.
Range OPEN!

T.E.A.M.

Together Everyone Achieves More

After a short break away from Northern Maine, I am now back in town. I was excited to come back to David and of course my garden too! :) I am also excited to start training with all the other athletes around.
This morning the Nordic team and Biathlon team got together to do a track workout here in Caribou. While we weren't doing the same thing, we were all going around the same 400meter loop cheering and encouraging one another on. I think it's great to do some training on your own, teaching you to push yourself on your own, but it is also really great to have some company and have others push you.
I was impressed with our group. Not that I would have expected anything less, it was just really great to witness and be a part of. This is how we all get better; believing, supporting and pushing one another. I feel confident after today that our crew, up here in Northern Maine, is on track for great success come winter!
Cheers,
BethAnn

June

Again, how time flies. June has arrived, which in my mind represents the start of summer, no matter the weather. Thankfully we have had a beautiful May weather and now I am only crossing my fingers that we get more of the same in the summer months ahead.
Training is well underway now, rollerskiing and all. I haven't been able to get out on the range much but have good reason. Rifle upgrades have kept me away from my rifle for a bit, but not for long. I am looking forward to putting some serious time in on the range in the weeks and months ahead.
The week ahead I will putting some training hours in on the road and trails of Massachusetts, while I spend some quality time with my newly born niece, sister and brother-in-law. Like all things in life, balance is key and family time sometimes can't be beat!

My sister Amy, new mom, with three week old Jaclyn Ruth, pretty amazing stuff! :)

Quick clip from the winter months

I was just clearing things off my camera and came across this short video clip I took this past winter while in Czech. As athletes, we all train hard and race even harder. But in the winter months, while racing and traveling to races, we find ourselves with a bit more down time then we are use to. We are often limited on what activities we can do due to transportation, location, and the racing requirements of lots of rest and recovery. In other words, we have to become pretty creative at entertaining ourselves within a mile or so of our hotel, without overexerting ourselves, in a foreign country where we don't speak the language, (I am trying to work on that last point! Thanks Rosetta Stone! :)). This video is an example of one solution we came up with this year.
This January while in Czech the girls team found a couple somewhat bizarre yet challenging puzzles at the local grocery store. We decided they would be a good investment for all of us. This short clip demonstrates just how far we will go to entertain ourselves in our time away from the ski trails.
Hope you enjoy! -BA


int eh

Vermont

Late last week David and I spent a few days exploring the Green Mountain National Forest in and around Middlebury, VT. We got a couple days of camping in. Besides one very wet night, (due to rain that is), we had a great time eating camp food, washing off in the cold rivers and cozying up by the camp fire at night.
While David was checking venues and bike routes out for Fresh Tracks, I had a chance to get a lot of long easy hours of training in, both on my bike and on foot. A good friend and teammate of mine, Annelies Cook, joined me on what became quite the epic bike ride, which included two flats and a long visit to a small town bike shop. We did make it up and down Middlebury Gap twice and explored some new territory for both of us.
Now we are back in Caribou and I am back at the regular routine of working, training and fitting a little gardening in here and there. The weather has been amazing. It's officially growing season! I will defiantly toast to that!
cheers,
BA

A few more spring adventures

We are officially four weeks into the training season now. I have been working on brining my fitness level up through lots of long easy hours with a little speed and threshold work mixed in. I'm trying to keep workouts fun and not too specific this time of year. David and I are currently on short adventure through Vermont. I am helping him scout out some bike routes for Fresh Tracks Adventures trips, (if you haven't checked out their web-site yet go to www.makefreshtracks.com).




In attempt to mix things up a bit, I ventured over to Aroostook State Park the other day for a great hike/run. It was a cool, dreary day but a great one to spend in the woods. My Icebreaker cloths made sure I was nice and warm! Thanks again Icebreaker!





The sign says it all...





Daivd's new business adventure is in full swing. While he will still compete this winter, he is also working hard on getting Fresh Tracks Adventures off the ground. He has spent more hours than ever before sitting behind his little computer, over the last few weeks.




Home for the night. David and I will be camping out over the next few days while we scope out the roads of Vermont for the best bike routes for Fresh Tracks Adventures. It's a great adventure for us too!




The enemy! My gardening is in full swing. I haven't yet planted my vegtable seeds and seedling in the ground, and it is mostly because of this little bugger! He has settled into our neighborhood recently, and I think is anticipating a feast as soon as I put everything into the ground. Something is going to have to be done to ensure David and I are eating the veggies from our garden, not this guy! I am open to ideas, please share! :)




Our current working space! You've got to love Vermont's small town general stores and coffee shops!
Cheers, BethAnn

Fresh Track Adventures

May has arrived and training is back on again. This weekend I managed to get quite a few hours of riding while helping out with David's (and other's), new business, Fresh Tracks Adventures. It is a bike tour company that will focus on lifelong fitness and living well. I was excited to be able to help out with leading some rides along with doing a bit of massage for the riders.
We were in Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec. It is just a short ride across the boarder and is absolute beautiful. The gorgeous country side, rolling hills and beautiful weather made for some pretty great rides. I was also able to get a run in along the lake, do some yoga on the shore and even dared to jump in the freezing cold water before leaving on Sunday.
Hope you enjoy the following pictures. I tried to capture a little of everything we experienced, amazing food, great accommodation, good company and beautiful sites.
Heart AND health happy = big smiles all around
cheers to many more adventures,

BethAnn