I am on my way back to Vermont to finish up the last two weeks of classes from a very successful camp that I had in West Yellowstone, Montana. As you know from a few journal entries ago, I left New England for the Big Sky of the West in order to seek out some snow to ski on. Well, that goal was certainly achieved, and I was able to ski twice every day when my training plan called for it.

Last Sunday, I competed in a time trial race against members of the National Guard Biathlon Team as well as a few other athletes. Though my shooting was poor (sixty percent) and my skiing far from superb, it was good to feel pain again. This might sound strange, but being out there on the race course feeling my legs grow heavier by the minute, filling with lactic acid, actually felt good. It reminded me exactly what I have been training for over the past season and half dozen years.

In the end, I finished in fourth place behind National Guard Biathletes Jacob Beste and Ben Kamilewicz, and National Development Team member Tim Burke. I was the top junior. My technique felt much better than before, after having a week of solid snow skiing under me. The max strength that I have been doing since June has added additional power to my technique. Without this added power gain, my V2 technique would be far less efficient.

With the help of Ian Harvey of Toko, I was able to ski with Thomas Alsgaard on Saturday. It was a good experience, and everything that he said made me believe that what I am doing, and how I am doing it, is the best method for me to achieve my goals. He made a point of saying that every athlete should be able to function without a full-time coach because it is ultimately the athlete's body that will determine what the training load can be for any particular day.

Last night, Tim Burke and I skied into Yellowstone National Park with our classic skis about a half hour before sunset. Since the warm sun had caused the snow to transform, and dusk was starting to turn the soft snow into ice, it was a fast ride. We skied along the access road along the Madison River. Along the way, we saw a bald eagle and a small herd of elk. At the end, Tim was just ahead of me speeding down an icy section of the road when I saw him start to motion his arms quickly. I thought that maybe his hands were cold, but then, all of a sudden, an elk stormed across the road in front of him, with its young in tow, and I realized why he was stopping. In total, there were probably a dozen or more elk in the herd. It was the perfect end to a perfect camp.

Peace,
Brian