It is now three weeks since I arrived home from World Junior Championships. Not much has happened, in my opinion, in this time, but then again, I don't consider a lot of the things that I do to be noteworthy. Classes and learning rather than training for a specific goal now dictates my day.

The first week after my return I was sick. After the relay race in Haute-Maurienne, I sort of threw my health to the wind and took little precaution in preventing sickness. For nine months I had toiled in training my body for a month of competitions, but now that this time had passed, I was rather lost in terms of what I was striving for. Whatever virus or bacteria I had really frustrated me. I love skiing, but this sickness did not allow me to go out and enjoy the winter. I had a headache and deep cough that produced stuff from within my lungs. So, I took eight days off from training.

Eight days is a long time for me to take off. I won't deny that when I am not in school, training for biathlon effectively becomes my life. Not having that structure in my day took its toll. I started feeling guilty for not getting out there - even though it would have put my health at risk. Nevertheless, I set a few new goals and was on my way - or so I thought.

One of my goals was to compete in skiing for the University of Vermont (UVM). I had spoken to the head coach, who also happens to be a former assistant coach of the U.S. Biathlon Team, before I left for competitions in December. He had opened up the possibility of me competing for the team.

When I got back from Europe, I left him a message saying that I was eager to get a few races in before the end of the season. Unfortunately, some problem emerged with his voicemail system and he didn't end up getting back to me until the next week. He was down two guys from the team - one to other competitions and the other to sickness. A spot seemed to have opened up for me to compete for my college.

The process of getting cleared to race was infuriating. Because of this website, I was questioned about my relationship with all of my sponsors and supporters. For two days straight, I spent all of my time on getting cleared to compete. I had to ask my sponsors to submit descriptive letters detailing my relationships with them. It was tedious work, certainly distracting me from my classwork, which was enormous after missing two weeks of class while I was in Europe. Finally, I was cleared to race!

On Thursday night (February 12), I drove to Hanover, New Hampshire, after my class on the Russian mafia and economy. The next day, I was renewed, knowing that I would have the chance again to test myself on skis. Getting back into the pre-race routine made me realize why I enjoy being an athlete.

One thing I must say is that skiers don't have any idea what stress and anxiety are all about. When I prepare for a biathlon race, my time is filled from the time I wake up on race-day morning to the time I cross the finish line. Skiing doesn't have zeroing or rifle check. There is no need to worry about the wind or sunlight conditions. All that skiers have to do is go out there and ski as fast as they can. To me, it seems that there is very little mental involvement. Though I am not exactly shaking with fright and anxiety before a biathlon competition, there is a sense of mental involvement. One can neither go into a race feeling to sure of oneself nor lacking all confidence.

Due to some error on our part, the five of us guys representing UVM got to the venue only thirty minutes before my start. I had five minutes to test my skis. It was not too difficult, but as a biathlete you can certainly not show up to the venue just thirty minutes before your race! The race was a ten-kilometer skate competition. It consisted of a five-kilometer loop with rather easy terrain.

It has been some time since I really considered myself a skier. I've done only a few non-shooting ski races in the past five years. When starting these competitions, I always worry about starting out at too fast a pace, or too slow of a pace. Thus, on this particular day I set a conservative pace. I felt good! Over the previous week I had spent a good deal of time working on my technique, and this race was a good test to see if my body had learned the new tweaks or not.

I finished tenth. I was more impressed with my ability to rebound from skipping a week of training and being greatly distracted over the previous two days by being cleared to race. My technique felt more solid.

Since the race, I have been doing some training. Not a lot. I go out training because I like to ski. I have begun formulating my new goals for the upcoming season and arranging my training plan, living situation, and financial support. All the while, I have been carrying a full-load of classes at UVM. I have continued my German and Russian language. I am taking an upper-level class for my geography major exploring the evolution and dispersion of species. The fourth class I am taking is a very interesting Russian studies course about the new economy in that country and the reemergence and prospering of the mafia there.

This Thursday, I will be driving to Lake Placid to follow the World Cup that will take place there starting on Friday. Not only will I write about the American and Canadian athletes, but also I will try to arrange interviews with athletes from other countries. I hope to also watch the best biathletes in the world competing on a course I know well. On Sunday I will drive to Fort Kent, Maine, to continue my media work there. I am planning to compete in the sprint race on Tuesday, which will be a U.S. Junior National Championship event. After Fort Kent, I will start focusing on getting my plans set for the 2004-2005 season.

Stay tuned for more updates - especially on the World Cup!

Peace,
Brian