Happy Holidays to everyone!

A great holiday gift from the Phoenix Airport to all it's travelers, free wireless internet! Thank you! So as you might have guess I am on the road again. I am headed to my hometown of Grand Rapids, MN, via Phoenix, not exactly direct but it will do.
We wrapped up everything in Canmore yesterday with a NORAM race. It was a tough one for me, mostly on the range. For one reason or another I couldn't get the targets to fall, which made for a challenging race. I felt better skiing as I went along but the mental challenge of holding my head high after skiing too penalty loop forced me to dig deep.
I had many things running through my head during the race but one theme stood out more then anything else, what can I learn from this experience. I knew this was a race I didn't want to ever repeat, so I figured while I was out there, I mine as make the best of it. I pushed hard skiing, knowing the intensity would do me good, focused on a few technique ideas I have been working on and worked hard at staying relaxed. Staying relaxed while racing is a big challenge. Believe it or not you can ski a lot smoother, faster and use a lot less energy if you think more about your pushes and gliding on the ski then just going fast. I find this especially hard when things aren't going your way while you are out there.
So my race turned into a big learning experience, one challenge after another. How do you keep your head in the game when you know things are not going well? What keeps you going when you know you aren't going to be able to crawl your way out before the end of the race? I can't say I have a definite answer but know that I can work through it. It is only one day after all. Right now I am looking forward to the days ahead. It's on-ward and upward for me!
Best snow wishes to you all,
BethAnn


A quick shot of the check-in process at the Calgary Airport at about 4:15 this morning. Left over PB and J was on the menu for all! mmmmm