Tomorrow is another day...

Yesterday was tough- very tough! In any other 30km classic race I would have been pretty happy with a 6th place finish, but as we are all aware, this was an Olympics trials race. And so, of course I am dissapointed with the result.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about the last week. The week went well for me- I've improved, but I know its not enough. To make the Olympic team you need to ski like an Olympian and although I am getting there, its just not enough this time around.

I did however learn a lot. And no matter if I continue to chase the Olympic dream for another four years or move on to another challenge I know I will remember the emotions of the last week and I know it has made me stronger (although that might not be apparent under the tears right now :)

I also watched in awe as my teammates nailed down gutsy performances in no doubt very tough and challenging competition, terrain and battling personal matters. I am very amazed at their strength and courage and I am so proud to be their teammate!

So for now the whole "not making the Olympics" part totally sucks! BUT tomorrow is another day and I am healthy, happy and have amazing friends and family, teammates and coaches. So tomorrow I pick a new daunting dream and see if I can chase that one down!

Congrats to all those who were named to the Canadian team- the world better watch out because there are some fast skiers ready to strut their stuff in Vancouver!

Have a great holiday!! and of course...most definetly eat way too much!!!

cheers,
Brooke

Fighting Cold Weather

I am not a huge fan of cold weather- I love spring skiing and dress overly warm for cold weather- yes, I'm usually the one skiing around with full icebreaker in -5...my body really doesn't like the cold.

BUT I LOVE winter and I LOVE snow. So I have worked on ways to keep warm...especially when you get down to fight weight in racing- it doesn't leave a lot of insulation! I also have tried to get rid of any post race coughing quickly as in the past it has developed into bronchitis, lung infections, exhaustion from not sleeping, and basically everyone thinking you have the plague so they don't come near you!

1) get in a good warm up. I have finally got a pretty good warmup routine down and along with running back and forth testing race skiis, I seem to stay warm for the start.
2) change your top, toque and gloves before the start of the race! in the past I would get in a good warm up and sweat so much that it would freeze on the start line.
3) ski with warm sport drink or tea in your waterbelt. I know its not super good with the plastic and all, but it does keep your lungs warm on those frigid days.
4) for long skiis carry some extra neck warmers. I like fleece neck warmers because I find they don't freeze as fast as some of the other ones out there , they are also a lot bigger and allow the air to get warmer. I usually change my nexk warmer once or twice in a long ski on a really cold day and if you have to do intensity- keep your mouth and nose covered. It might be terribly uncomfortable, but I would rather fry my lungs in a race then in a workout!
5) always wear long underwear under your tights- keeping your muscles warm keeps them moving efficiently.
6) saline nasal spray: use it before and after workouts to cut down on coughing. I forgot this on our trip to West Yellowstone and coughed for about 4 days after.
7) change right after your workout and drink something hot! Always bring a warm toque and gloves. Your body wastes energy when its cold!
8) socks are so so so important: invest in atleast one very good pair of socks with sweat wicking properties. I recommend Icebreaker hiker mid-weight, they dry fast and are not super thick.
9) re-fuel right after your training or race...you burn more calories in very cold weather!
10) if you are suceptible to bronchitis and lung infections, bad coughing etc. it might be a good idea to hold off on racing when it is at the cut off for races!

I hope that helps!
Brooke

Tweet Headwear...yes, I crochet too much!

My friend Siri and I started a toque (and other fun things) company (I use that term loosely). What started out as an arts and crafts/wine drinking night has slowly evolved into selling some of our hats and then from there turned into a website and then a Artisans Festival.

The company is called Tweet Headwear. The name evolved from the "tweeting" sounds my boyfriend and Siri's boyfriend made when they spotted a "hot chick"...so "Tweet" was born.

The site is evolving every day and as it stands, no two toques are the same. We also do headbands, hair bands, earrings, and then some other things are in the works...especially if you like feathers!

go to: www.tweetheadwear.weebly.com if you would like to check out the photos, you can purchase items online or just send me an email or call!

...I Thought I would use my blog for a small marketing tool!

Have a great day,
Brooke

West Yellowstone Super Tour

Well the first race weekend has come and gone. I love the Supertour! There is always great music pumping, tons of athletes and the energy is always high. You can't be far off your 'A' game at these races as the time gaps are small and there is always another racer there to sneak past you if you didn't ski a flat powerful enough or a downhill aggressive enough...I love the supertour!

The first races of the year went really well, I was pleasently surprised by the new found strength I have worked hard to develop over the last few years, and getting my butt handed to me by the ankle biters on the Academy time after time in anything double pole related has definetly started to pay off!...although extremely humbling (my ego has taken quite a few hits...those girls are fast and strong! Look out!)

All in all I feel like my fitness is there and now we just have to do some sharpening and get to a place mentally where I can push past my limits!- basically the fun part about racing and all the hard work we put in through the summer! (its the reason I race!)

Next up is the Alberta Cups here in Canmore this weekend. It looks like its a pretty deep field with a ton of racers of all ages! The sprints are on Saturday followed by an individual start on Sunday.

This will be the Academy's debute as a full 20 athlete team! We have some awesome new suits too!

On Tuesday we leave for Silverstar to start the Olympic Trials races! YeeeHaww!

See you on the trails!

and thank you to everyone who has supported me on this quest! I am super excited to see what I have in my engine!

cheers,

Brooke

Winter is here!

The last few weeks have been awesome! Training is moving along nicely and although I am starting to feel the last three weeks of a tougher block I feel like I have made a ton of positive gains! To top it off most of the skiers in the valley have been taking advantage of the ski loop at the Nordic Centre and although its small, its a much needed break from slamming my poles into cold pavement!

Canmore of course was beautiful today, we finally had a sunny day! today we did a combination run/ski workout. We skied around for 2 hrs and then ran up the highline trail to finish off a volume day. There is a ton of snow on the highline which made navigating some of the rocky sections a little challenging.

We leave for our first races on November 21st to West Yellowstone. I am pretty excited to start racing as I have worked really hard on my weaknesses this summer and I am hoping it will translate to faster skiing.

I hope you have great day!
Brooke

Its Been a While

Wow, its been a while!
Honestly I just didn't have anything to write about other then how training is going and well, for me training is always going well- I love it! I have always maintained that even when I stop racing I'm pretty sure my training will increase because then I wouldn't have to worry about optimum recovery or trying to peak. BUT for now I am pretty happy to just keep following the program and trying to find a way to get fitter and faster everyday.

Canmore has been pretty cold and snowy, so our rollerskiing has been thrown off a bit, and I will admit I didn't dress well enough or warm up well enough for our first intensity in the cold, but I am adjusted pretty well now. I love running in the snow! Everything looks so clean and in the forest it muffles the sound of your footsteps its just beautiful.

Obviously I would have liked an extra few weeks for rollerskiing, but this weather isn't so bad for training, in fact I rather like it a lot- it means the season is coming up and that means an opportunity to chase my dreams!

have a great day!
Brooke

Kind of funny

This is a photo from the Calgary race (Ambulance Chasers Charity Run) we did last weekend...

Canmore Challenge Update

The Canmore Challenge chewed me up and spit me out. The course trashed my legs and my ego! There is nothing more humbling then getting you but kicked by nature and happily paying $40.00 to get it kicked!

The race went well I did what I could with what I had on that day. The women took the race out hard and from less then five seconds in I was racing for survival. At one point I forgot I was racing and just had "up and over" running through my head. I didn't have anything in the tank for a speedy finish as I had hoped, but I was happy with the almost puking, just want to lie down and sleep feeling after- that was the point afterall! I am still recovering...apparently I'm getting old!

This race was also the qualifier for the World mountain running championships and although it is tempting to hop on that plane for an Italian holiday I think staying here and staying focused on skiing is the best thing. Mountain running will be there next year and the year after!

We have a mellow week this week! and then testing week next week. The race I did on Saturday served as a "prep" for our V02 Max test which is running and although I gave it my all on Saturday I will have to get myself in a whole different zone for the V02 test.

off to work!
Brooke

Trail Racing Season!

(K-Country/Delta lodge 5 peaks 2008)

Trail racing is my favorite sport next to sking. I love everything about it! The only time I don't love it is when I am on my own and there are "Bear in Area" signs-this is usually the time I start sprinting and an easy workout turns into a race.

This weekend is the Canmore Challenge weekend. I have never actually raced in the Canmore Challenge! I have done a few 5 peaks races and a Zugga Invitational (also a cult fav!).

I haven't been running too much this spring as I am trying to work on my weaknesses which is mostly anything to do with upperbody strength. So I've been hanging out in the gym and then dragging myself around the pavement with my arms. Some one actually commented on my shoulders so I must be getting stronger! However, as most runners know, too much muscle is not a good thing and I have this terrible fear that I now "run like a nordic skier".

Running like a Nordic skier isn't a bad thing...it just means you don't look as pretty when you run. Finesse and flow are replaced by power and not as much efficiency.

That all said I am so excited to race! The Canmore Course is relentless and it definetly allows you to find your limits (and push past them). The key is to stay relaxed enough climbing that you can focus on the downhill and rooty section- you don't want to be so smashed at the top of a climb that you can't put it in full throttle for the descent!

Good luck to everyone racing! It looks like we are going to have a nice dry course!

ciao!
Brooke

Academy in the Canmore Leader

please click on link

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/rockymountainoutlook/sports/45661242.html

Silverstar- Camp #1

The skiing was better then it was last November minus the cold! However we did get quite a bit of fresh snow the first few days we were there which at first I wasn't overly thrilled about, but as soon as the sun came out, the camp seemed like a holiday (that may be a bit of a stretch, but for those who work full time/flex time you will probably understand me when I say that training camps are like holidays!).

Most of the time I come out of training camps feeling better then when I went into them, this is mostly due to the fact that I actually have time to do the little things, something I need to do a better job of while at home.

The new team is great! It was amazing to see the improvements in everyone and also the lack of complaining that accompanied most training sessions last year. Overall I think we are coming into the spring a whole lot fitter as a group then we were last spring.

We also had our first time trial/ race. To be honest it felt pretty good and although I was dead tired the next day, it was so fun to push hard!

...now its time to see if Canmore decides to have a summer, right now it doesn't appear that way!

mountain biking

Before you venture out this spring to cruise around on your mountain bike do the following:

1) get it tuned
2) listen to your gut if you think the brakes are not working properly.

I took a huge crash yesterday and cracked my helmut in two places! I rolled down a hill and straight into a tree with my head. Thankfully nothing more severe happened other then a super bad headache and a super stiff neck.

I walked to the nearest bike shop and they confirmed that my brakes were cooked..the fluid needed to be blead and the pads replaced.

I'm a huge moron!

ride safe!
Brooke

Sponsors and Supporters Helping me to achieve my Dreams!

THANK YOU TO MY FOLLOWING SPONSORS:

Alberta World Cup Society for their scholarship to the Academy
Salomon Skis, boots, bindings and clothing
Silvertip Resort: Ross Jansen and Jim Little
Icebreaker Merino wool clothing
Swix Poles
Mitchell Cohen of Daniels Corp
El Natura Lista Shoes

Also a Special thank you the following People:
Steve Gosling
Janice Peters
Philip Gosling
Maxine and Frank Schmidt
Mike Cavaliere
Phil Villneuve
Chris Jeffries
Jan Derpak

HOW WE GOT TO SCANDINAVIA!!

Thank you to the Following People for their Generous Financial Donation to help Sara and me go to Scandinavia:

Carignan Mechanical: Rene Carignan
Jamie Coatsworth
Dieter Kromm
Angus Cockney
John Easton
Wes Hewitt
Janet and Ed Lightner from the Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham, Washington
Sian and Angus Leyshon-Doughty

Thank you to the following People, Companies and Stores who generously gave us items for our Silent Auction and Raffle Fundraiser:
The Bicycle Café, Canmore: Jay
Lush, Banff: Jenn Nicholls
Unlimited, Canmore: Dave Carlson
Icebreaker Merino Wool: Louis Julien-Roy
Salomon Sports: Phil Villneuve
Trail Sports, Canmore: John Gallagher
Vallhalla Pure, Canmore: Jamie
O’Canada Soap Company, Canmore
Canmore Eagles, Canmore: Marshall Kennedy
Monod Sports, Banff: Philip Monod
Lululemon, Banff: Michelle Oszust
Fast Trax, Edmonton: Jack Cook
Canmore Nordic Centre: Magi Scallion
Life Sport, Calgary: Norm Person
Alpine Helicopters Ltd, Canmore
Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge:
Chandra Crawford for all the sweet autographed swag
Ultimate Ski and Ride, Banff

Thank you the to the following People who have provided their time to helping us with our fundraising efforts to get to Scandinavia

Ken and Raylene Hewitt for helping us with organizing all of our events and making sure we executed them properly!
Pate Newman and Thompson D’Hont for helping us set up our Silent Auction
Greg Thompson from Canmore Nordic for helping us with our Silent Auction at the Western Canadian Championships
Mike Carleton of Rocky Mountain Racers for helping us with our Raffle

Silvertip Resort for their constant support of my racing and providing me employment to help fund my dreams!


As you can see there are a lot of people that made this trip happen. Words cannot express how amazing it was to receive such an overwhelming amount of support!

26km until the season is over...

Brooke, Erik and Sara Crust sking on our first day

Brooke in the Sprint Qualifier

As I mentioned in my last post, our final stop on our Scandinavia Tour (Sweden and Finland) was a place called Bruksvallarna. Situated in a mountain valley we lived in a nordic ski dream world. Perfect trails were 10 meters from our door step, the food was amazing, the company was enjoyable, the sun kept the temperatures around 5 degrees and the smile from my face never left. This definetly capped off a great year.

We raced a skate sprint and a 26km skate mass start on the friday and Saturday at the end of our stay. The sprint went well and I felt like my legs were recovering really well, which made it very easy to be excited to race the next day. I moved through my quarter final easily, but got knocked out in the semi-final in a three-way sprint finish. I do have to mention that this sprint race was made up of mostly distance athletes which I think made it more competitive for me. I felt like I put it all on the line for the first time in a while and that was such a great feeling, I entered the 'B' final knowing that all I could do was push as hard as I could from the gun. The course was really soupy by the end of the day and I used this to my advantage as I do tend to ski well in powder or adverse conditions, so I put the hammer down from the start and crossed the line winning the 'B' final. I was very happy with this result! Sara had some bad luck in her qualifier and got caught up in the slush, but faught hard in her quarterfinal which actually had the winner of the day in it.

The race I was most excited for was the 26km skate race up the mountain. This was hands down the hardest race I have ever done. I found that I was constantly having to keep my mind focused and fighting the whole way. Half way up the ski hill the pack started to break up and I remember telling myself that I had a choice to either try to go with the leaders and learn the speed or to remain where I was and settle for the same result in the middle of the pack I have become so accustomed to. So I decided to just try to close the gap and found that I could easily ski with the leaders. I had a moment of intimidation at the top of the climb when two of the girls went for the sprint preem and I just wasn't aware enough to cover there sprint- I think I was still in shock that I was with the leaders in an international race and feeling really good! Their gap gradually widened to one minute by the end of the race and I skiied the last 10km by myself which I don't particularly like doing, but I used it as a chance to force myself to keep fighting.

I crossed the line in 4th knowing that I couldn't have skiied any harder. This is exactly what I went to Sweden to do and it was such a nice way to end the season.

Podium in Bruks, I'm the one with the huge grin...I was pretty happy!

I am learning more and more that you have to be so gutsy if you want to win, but with that you also have to be pretty calculated and know where to push and where to recover.

Sara had one of her best races (despite what she may think) as I think she faught through the fatigue of a long season which is what you need to learn to do if you want to eventually win!

It was an amazing trip and a I am so thankful for the opportunity to have had the chance to travel and race in Sweden and Finland.

Brooke and Sara...with our helmuts ready for the skier cross, that I didn't do because I was too scared.

There is still snow in Canmore, but I think I might give it a few more days until I get back skiing...I am still actually anxious to train, but I know that I need to recover a bit before I head back into training full time.

For now its back to work and finding some sponsors for the final 9months of my skiing carrear!

ciao,

Brooke

Scandinavia Race Update

My apologies for taking so long to post an update.

The last few weeks have been an experience to say the least. I have raced in Europe before, but I have not stayed for longer then 10 days. In addition, I didn't know what to expect coming here after the racing season had concluded in Canada.

When I stepped off the plane in Stockholm I immediatly was excited to see the city so after an hour run on the ski trails by the airport/ across from my hotel I took the train into Stockholm. I immediately fell in love with this city, and definetly plan to go back either for school or work in the near future, there is something about the buildings, the proximity to sking, the nightlife and the confrences (there is currently an architecture confrence on in Stockholm). I loved the combination of cobble stone with the river with lots of shopping. There is nothing you can't do there!

The following day I had some intensity planned, but due to lack of snow I would have to run. I decided that it would be fine to run for an hour and a half. When your excited, any practical thought seems to fade. This is what happened in my case! The run was amazing! I ran in a t.shirt through the countryside that surrounded stockholm. Here there were some old churches and a bike path that continued along the road. I got back and my legs were pretty much screaming at me and I knew that it may have been a bit ambitious of me to run for so long and do 15min of tempo....

That all said, I went back to the airport and met the rest of the team. We drove to Gavle which is about 1.5hrs from Stockholm and waited for Sara. I may have took too many melatonin pills and advils to try to stop my legs from hurting and I was pretty loopy when Sara arrived. I also managed to sleep almost the entire 8 hr van ride to Pitea and then also fall asleep that night- so much for jet leg.

The races in Pitea were a learning experience. I don't think I had trained enough during the two weeks between Nationals and our trip as I just couldn't digest the pain. In the 3.3k prologue it seemed I had forgot how to race and fight through the course, this was confirmed when Charlotte Kalla went zooming by me, I had wanted so badly to go with her as she started 30sec behind me, but I couldn't wrap my head around what I was doing. The classic race was much better, but I just couldn't convince myself to fight- it was very odd!

We left Pitea and headed for Finland. We raced in Tornio, Pello and Yllas. All of which lie on the Tornio River just north of the Arctic Circle. VERY cool. Sara and I did much better here, it would seem that our jet leg was wearing off! The only downside was that it was so grey the entire time and our hopes for a spring skiing holiday didn't really come true! I managed to race to my best points races for the year in both the skate races. I was 5th in Tornio and 6th in Pello. Both races I found like I was pushing as hard as I could but I was making some technical errors on the corners and downhills that definetly cost me time. Yllas was one of those days that I just wasn't prepared for. I didn't really warm up or test skiis, I had no idea where the course was and my head was somewhere else. Sara on the other hand I think has figured out here classic skiing as this was one of her better races this year! The biggest thing I have learned here is that you have to bring your 'A' game to every race no matter what or you will lose places very quickly. Everyone here is fast and going for it. I find sometimes in Canada you can be lazy and still come away with a good placing, but here you have to fight for inches and seconds. This actually makes the course way more fun!

We are now in Bruksvallarna in Sweden. It is like a dream world here. I didn't know you could crust ski in the mountains, and I didn't know that so many people ski here. There are cabins all over the trails where you can go get some waffles or a beer. It is so tempting to ski for the whole day and have a beer on the patio at our hotel...but we have races on Saturday and there will be plenty of time for socializing then!

The course for Saturday is INTENSE! it will most likely be warm and slushy, and it climbs up the alpine hill for 3km...I'm actuall okay with that. The part I am a little apprehensive about is the descending!

All in all its been such a great experience!

ciao

brooke

When Secret Training is the only option!

Canmore is spectacular at the moment. Today it was about 5 degrees with freshly groomed trail. Now I should have enjoyed this ski EXCEPT, I had my head down hammering trying to keep up with my coach...my heart rate was about 180 most of the time and sentences were spurtetd out in one breath. Today I got "coached".

Now I have to go do some secret training because my ego is bruised...I will NEVER let this happen again!!

hahahaha, have a great day!

Brooke

Quick Nationals Post

This will be a quick post. I am at work and have a stack of paperwork, emails and messages to return. It seems that when I'm here I am more efficient then I think- when I'm not it is a big pile of administration, my heartrate always is super high the day back after a few days off of work- the red light flashing on my phone indicating messages is a big awful jolt of reality. I prefer my bubble on the ski trails!

That all said, I'm still at work, rambling and jittery from coffee- not a great state to be in if efficiency is the name of the game.

So I will write more later, but the good news is that I finally found out what it feels like to win. I always new it was supposed to be amazing, but very few things compare to skiing into first on your home course in front of your mom, the coaches who taught you to ski, coaches who just want you to perform to your potential that they always saw, teammates who pushed you so hard in the summer that limits are no longer part of your volcabulary and then at last being the one to throw your hands in the air at the finish line.

I won the National Championships aggregate this week after two golds, a silver and a 7th place.

Some may say they were tired from travel, or that they were sick or didn't have the best preparation for Nationals or that its a joke. I definetly let those comments take away from my wins. However nothing can really compare to getting high fives from friends, tearful hugs from your mom, a hug from your coach, bombarded by congrats from the coaches who taught you ski (along with the cookies that were so coveted on the bus to and from training in highschool), wax techs who worked so hard and dealt with my aloofness (to say the least) but were so happy to see good results, younger athletes who look up to you, hugs from far away friends via friends at the site, emails and cheers from people you didn't know, but now are a part of your network of support, grandparents who just are so happy to hear a giddy voice on the other end of the phone, the hugs from those who have seen you so crushed from "not making it" to witnessing the polar opposite and most of all, for once I didn't have a doubt that I was the fastest on that day!

I still don't know what I did differently. I think I was just happy to race and figured out how to manage my nerves- I'm not saying I wasn't nervous because I almost puked before every start, but I realized that the nerves meant I was ready. I didn't give energy away to others and above all I demanded more of myself, I was just so done with being dissapointed!

So yeah, pretty amazing week.

I should get back to work...

next up: Sharkfest and the Scandinavian Tour...still training, but today I think I will just go hang out in a hot tub with a stella!

ciao!

xob

Western Canadian Championships

Wow, we had amazing weather for the weekend!

After the World Cup and Rossland races I was pretty confused and upset and this added to the water I was throwing on my fire for racing! Not good at all!

So after a week of sleeping and basically walking around like a zombie I snapped back into reality and gave myself a quick kick in the ass! Life is too short to be bummed about something that I can't change!

So after some deliberation I decided that the best thing to do was to stay in Canmore and get fitter and work on my weaknesses. I wasn' t in the head space or physically prepared to go to Europe, so along with some of the other girls on the team we decided to "get faster".

Its been a good month, I feel like I am learning something everyday in technique and what works for me and my body is absorbing the training. Its also been awesome to bomb around with my teammates and just know that everyday I am improving. It definetly isn't world cup, world champs or OPA tour, but this is what I had to do. Its kind of like working your way up the corporate ladder- you have to pay your dues with a smile and enthusiasm, even if it means bringing the boss their venti, 1/2 foam, vanilla, non-fat cappachino with a sprinkle of chocloate and a pinch of cinnamon steamed at 104 degrees double cupped with a cup sleeve and stir stick. Meaning its tedious and frustrating, but you know that the hard work will pay off at some point. This is pretty easy to achieve under a blue bird ski, -1 temperature not skiing on a trail more then once in 3hrs- Note to readers...the Nordic Centre is AMAZING right now!

Westerns was a lot of fun! However the ankle biters on the Academy are getting fit FAST! So this wasn't going to be a walk in the park, and knowing you "should" win seems to provide enough pressure that I didn't need to add to it, so for the weekend I went with a purse to carry around the race trail instead of matching luggage. Wow, it was way lighter!

The sprints were not so fun. I really don't know what happens in classic sprinting. I have speed, I have strength, but something happens during the course of a classic sprint that inevitably makes me resember a "recreational" skiier (words from the coach!). So yeah, we will chalk that up to experience...BUT props to the girls from my team, man they are on fire right now...watch out Nationals!

The 10k classic was fun, I didn't have the same snap and energy that I had at the Bow Corridor the week before, but I did ski technically really well and I LOVED hearing a split in a classic race that I was first, I almost started giggling on the side of the course! I don't think that this has ever happened...pretty cool! That all said I need to be about two more minutes faster if I want to win a Noram.

The 15k skate. Oh man, this course was not a good one for someone who relies on climbing. the first 2.5 k of every loop was down hill and then there was some rolly sections, but no long steep climbs that are characteristic of Canmore. Let alone the downhill sections were technical and I am a bit of a sketch ball decsending. I'm never in control and the phrase "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm okay I'm okay, sweet, sweet I made it, okay now go" seems to be on repeat when I go downhill. I decided that I wanted to win and win by a lot, so this kind of made me go a little too fast at the start and although I held it for about 11k I started to get to the point where I no longer could wipe the spit off my face and the downhill turned into a swearword-a-thon...all bad! I glanced behind me and saw a red arm...and then I just started skiing for survival. It was actually a lot of fun to know I could change gears, I haven't had that in a while. Huge props to Sara, she threw down and gave me a run for money...it bruised my ego a bit as I tend to think I am a skate specialist, but the 15k has always been a tough one for me!

All in all a great weekend!

We are racing at the Kananaskis ski Marathon/ Cookie race on Saturday...I'm so excited to get out there. K-contry where the venue is got over 50cm of new snow so the course I'm sure will be pristine and amazing!!!

have a great day!

xob

NEW SPONSOR: El Natura Lista Shoes

I am VERY excited to announce that El Natura Lists Shoes has come on board as a casual shoe sponsor. This company is emerging into one of the top shoe retailers around the world, please read below for what makes this company so special...I'm sure they're values will make you run out and buy a pair right away!

El Naturalista Frog Eco Policy:
El Naturalista is an international shoe brand that makes comfortable yet fashionable footwear inspired by nature and people. Adherence to our environmental policy is a prerequisite for doing business at El Naturalista. All suppliers, factories, agents and sales personnel must be strongly committed to our earth friendly practices.

We are continually working to find even better and more eco-friendly ways to produce our shoes. Our customers are aware of our environmental policies and our increasing sales demonstrate that consumers approve and support- our efforts.
We use natural materials and dyes
We avoid using polluting substances and toxic products
We seek to protect the environment
We maximize the use of biodegradable and recyclable/recycled materials
We pay fair compensation to providers and employees
We promoted traditional forms of production
We support the use of appropriate new technologies
We operate with corporate transparency
Shoes and material
El Naturalista uses the least harmful materials in the production of our shoes. We use natural dyes. We use recycled materials as much as possible: for example, the recycled polyurethane inner liner and the recycled rubber in soles (N 096 Iggdrasil). When dyeing leather, El Naturalista uses the least harmful chrome combination for the environment. Additionally, El Naturalista has developed the "pergamino leather", which is treated without the use of chrome.

Please visit their website at:http://www.elnaturalista.com/index.php/en

They even have a sweet music player.

For those in Canmore, they sell their shoes at Indigo Bay on Main Street

ciao,

Brooke

Thoughts

Shayla and I with our new "podium wear"..

Good Afternoon!

So this is the post that I really didn't want to write.

I spent the last eight days trying to push thoughts away, and trying to make a bit of sense of what I'm feeling.

I wish I was posting that I made the World Championships team. I didn't. Instead I was going to write a post that was hopefully motivating and listed off the things that I did wrong and try to put a positive spin on things. There were some things that went well, but really when I look at it from a numbers point of view which is definetly not the most delicate way to look at things. Simply put I wasn't fast enough.

I know, I'm really setting quite the tone for this post, but really thats all I can come up with. I didn't ski tough enough and I couldn't focus enough to fight to get where I needed to be. My body has been recovering quite well from everything this year. I haven't been sick and I've been consistent. All positives, but I haven't been able to go from good to great. I don't think I'm missing an extra 4th or 5th or 6th gear, I've made the finals in ever skate sprint this year. I also don't think I'm lacking endurance or fitness.

Basically I race to fitness which is what gets you in the mix, but it NEVER will make you a winner, it won't allow you to have that extraordinary day where you can't wipe the grin off your face. Racing to fitness puts you in a comfortable place where you almost always know you could have dug deeper.

Wow, this is getting more negative as I go.

In the state of confusion and sadness I have toyed with the idea of quitting- its not "stopping" or "bowing out" and when I spoke with one of my best friends about this his answer was the question " are you wanting to quit because you gave it your all and there are still faster skiiers in front of you or are you quitting because you don't love the sport anymore?". Ahhhh, interesting, it posed a bit of a dilemma in my point blank decision to quit.

I'm still thinking about the answer- I know what your thinking...if you loved it then the answer would be quick. But that is not always true. Sometimes the things you love the most are also what cause the greatest heartache!

All I know is that I am close, so very close and perhaps thats why it hurts the most. I wanted it to be now. I think about the hours of training this summer, the waivering in belief (which may have been what harmed me the most) and well it is overwhelming to think of putting in another summer.

The one positive I will take from this is that I have trained fulltime now for two years and I've made it this far, then what would happen if I added another year to the mix? Its not sacrifice, there is nothing that I have sacrificed. I love my life as an athlete, but I find the road to success quite stressful and I don't deal with it well. I tend to heap so much pressure onto myself that I drag this huge back pack (along with matching suitcase, ski bag, duffle bag and purse) around the course with me. If for once I could push it all aside and just ski for the pure joy of wanting to be the best athlete I can on any given day would probabley result in the accomplishment of goals I have set. So until I can check this baggage I know I will be on layover for a while.

It is frustrating, there is no easy way to deal with it. If I want to fix it, I have so much work to do- and none of that work is physical. I just don't know if I am strong enough to sift through the baggage.

I am fighting every thought to run away from this feeling, but I know that I have to fight it. Its not really about skiing anymore, its about becoming a stronger, tougher person and its a little scary right now.

Thank you to all those who cheered me on at the trials and world cups and thanks to those who have provided advice, hugs and a shoulder to cry on.

The cool part is that all those who were selected (namely Shayla and Chris) must be on cloud nine because the exact opposite of what I'm feeling is complete elation- so I am pretty excited for them. It just echos even more that you need to believe in yourself no matter what, and I haven't really nailed that down yet.

I don't know where I'm off to next. I think I will be heading to Vermont for a Super tour and then to New Hampshire or to do the American Birkie. We also have Western Canadian Champs here in Canmore, but yeah, its a little hard to get amped when you want to be racing world cup wearing your National team suit.

ciao

b

TRIALS WEEKEND

(yes, that is me with all the spit!)
Well the trials weekend is over.
There were things that went really well and things that I so badly wanted to go well, but didn't.

SKATE SPRINT:
I usually approach sprinting as a "workout" and as a way to learn to ski with more power and to learn to use tactics. I have never once thought I was a sprinter. That all said I surprised the heck out of myself on friday. The field was a lot weaker without the Americans and even some of the key Canadians weren't there, none-the-less the fastest were there! I made it through the heats pretty easily, and even felt confident enough in my kick that I didn't have to lead the heat- very cool to add another element! Now I know why sprinting is fun! As I lined up for the final all I could think about was that I have the same opportunity to win this as any other girl on the line! I ended up third, in a photo finish with Peri...its okay lunging is on my to-do list for this week! I was pretty excited!!

PURSUIT:
The pursuit was kind of a hard one to swallow. My body felt awesome, my skiis were good, and I was actually really confident in my ability which allowed me to be excited to race instead of letting my nerves run away with themselves.
The race started and I had a great position and I even remember saying to myself, this is too easy!! As we came around under the bridge of one of the fastest and longest downhill sections of the course on the first lap of the classic leg I hit a patch of ice that sent me to the edge of the course. I got back up as fast as I could, but lost the pack and I fought to get back on the train, but I just couldn't get them before all the downhill sections. I picked up a few spots and skated with everything I had, but in the end it just wasn't enough to get the leaders back. I ended up 6th which is not awful, but it isn't going to get me on a World Champs team. So after a sleepless night and I will admit, a whole bunch of tears. All I can summarize is that it just sucks and the result is not a reflection at all of where my fitness is. Its pretty frustrating. BUT I get a second chance in 10 days, so I am focusing on that. I know that I can be there, I just have to patient. ARGGGHHH!!!

CLASSIC SPRINTS:
Oh how I love learning experiences...

Not a bad trials, but not the great ones I had dreamed about!
xb