Sharing the Journey

My bro and I - 2013

My bro and I - 1992.

 On Monday, I met with my coach for coffee and to have a final debrief on the season before we took off for our April break. Monday also marked the conclusion of the team selection meetings at the Cross Country Canada offices where decisions are made and futures shaped. I was absolutely thrilled to find out that I had been selected for the 2014 Canadian Senior Development Team! What a sigh of relief and feeling of gratification to be recognized and moving in the right direction. It has been a goal of mine since I was a Junior racer to someday make it onto the National Team. Being selected is an incredible honour and I can't wait to keep the momentum going forward.

Receiving the news that I was selected is one form of happiness. But being able to share the news? Now that has been a completely different level of elation. I had been selected and could share the news with family and close friends, but still didn't know if my brother, Phil, had been selected. I grew up chasing down his path and now that we live and train full time in Canmore together, we have shared so many experiences through the highs and lows of the sport and life. There was no doubt in my mind that he deserved to be selected, but that wasn't up to me. On Tuesday evening, my mom called me. Her voice was a mix of excitement and tension so the conversation could've gone either way. 'Honey, Phil just left a message on the phone. He was selected for the National Team!' Whooa mamajamma. This was exciting stuff. Phil's selection was much more emotional for me because I have seen first hand how determined, persistent and passionate he is and couldn't help but feel overjoyed that he was given credit for his hard work!

Growing up in the Bow Valley, I always felt very fortunate and did my best not to take it for granted. The mountains, the people, the lifestyle. It really is an amazing place to grow up. This week, however, I am only beginning to realize just how fortunate I am. Word has slowly spread around the community that Phil and I were named to the team and the reception has been so heartwarming. Being able to share my journey with others is what makes it all worth while. At the end of the day, I am nothing without the people who support me. I have neighbours, friends, co-workers, team mates, coaches, doctors, massage therapists, sponsors, competitors, teachers and family that support, challenge, encourage and inspire me to follow my passion. For this, I am truly grateful. My journey in ski racing is still in it's infancy, but I am so excited to see where it takes me. My passion for ski racing is what fuels me day to day, but the community of support behind me is what allows me to pursue it. If I am able to give even an ounce of inspiration to someone who has inspired me, then I know I am doing something right.

Thank you! From the most honest and sincere place in my heart. There is plenty more hard work yet to come and the days won't always be as sunny as this past month has seemed, but your support will see me through. I am off to El Salvador with my brothers and sister for some surf and sun but will be back training full time at the beginning of May!
Hasta luego amigos todos. 

New addition Lup and the Widmer family. Just one of my support networks. Thank you and love you so.

Check out a fun video I made over the past season! https://vimeo.com/64365225

Blue bird nationals

Whistler Olympic Park treated us to some gorgeous weather. It was hard to focus with such gorgeous back country views tempting me!

I'm in Vancouver winding down after a beautiful and successful past couple of weeks. The Canadian National Championships wrapped up last week in the Callahan Valley at Whistler Olympic Park and marked the end of my season. I am really happy with how the week played out - I came away with my first Senior National title and won the Aggregate for Open Women and U23 Women as well!

Training before heading to Whistler went really well and I felt mentally and physically prepared to put it all on the line for the last event of the year. Marlis Kromm and I teamed up for the sprint relay and continued our dream team success of 2007 when we won the team sprint as Challenge Girls.

Marlis Kromm and I win sprint relay gold for Foothills Nordic

Foothills, Hardwood and Rocky Mountain Racers on the relay podium

International women's podium for 5km Skate

 The 5km Skate race was the following day and having a strong race at Sharkfest a couple weekends previous had given me a boost in confidence. I was stoked to see how I would measure up to the rest of the nation and a couple Americans as well. This race was so demanding and rough, but all the more rewarding! The weather was warm but the trails remained in good condition and I had amazing skis as well which always helps.

Awards - pumped about Granola Girl!

Canadian Women's Podium. Alana Thomas, myself and Alysson Marshall

My strategy was to ski the first 1km relaxed and confident but aggressive and then gradually turning up the speed. It played out well and I ended up 3rd Overall and 1st Canadian. I've worked a lot on my skate skiing and distance speed this summer and fall so to be able to put it all together on race day and see the hard work pay off is so gratifying!

The day of the 10km classic was hot, hot and hot! The Open Women were racing in the heat of the day and the course held up well, but it still meant lots of slush and klister. Not exactly my forte of an event or conditions, but I put out my best none the less. I really surprised myself today. I have really struggled with my classic skiing this season and being able to ski the whole course in the track today was a feat in itself! I compared the race today to doing a VO2 Max test on a stationary bike. The slower you went - the more resistance was applied and the harder it was. It was all about keeping up the momentum today and trying not to get too bogged down! I faded big time on the last lap and let some seconds slide, but I ended the day as 6th overall and 5th Canadian. So I can be happy about that! My time off the leader was nothing to brag about, but it is miles of improvement over my usual distance classic showings.

Pound dat. At awards with Amanda and Peri

Women's International Podium, 10km Classic

Sprint day! Not gonna lie - this classic sprint course really intimidated me. I know where my strengths are and I let the mental block of not being able to stride efficiently get the better of me. I qualified in 9th position and a long way off the leading time - but the day was just getting going! The afternoon brought out the sun and the tracks went from an ice sheet in the morning to a slush fest in the afternoon. It felt like someone was adding an extra 10m to the course every time you went through the stadium! After a fierce fight between Kate, Peri and I in the semi-final, I earned myself a spot in the A final. Trying to stay hydrated and not overheat today was really important. The energy management was a whole different ball game today than staying warm when it's -16! There is a long striding section right off the bat on this sprint course, so as long as I could maintain some contact with the field striding, I could play to my strengths in the double pole section towards the finish. I played this strategy as best I could in the Afinal, but I didn't have enough gas to best anyone. Ending the day in 6th was not my strongest race, but a definite improvement from the qualifier in the morning.

Fighting for grip in my quarter final

Following Peri through final corner into stadium in quarter final

Women's international podium - Sprint day

The next day I participated in the annual Fast and Female event and was privileged to lead a group of keen 15 year old female racers around the race course at WOP. It always amazes me how receptive to feedback they are and how keen they are to improve. Really exciting to be around and a lot of fun to work with them!

Fast and Female participants at Whistler Olympic Park 2013

Emily Nishikawa and I taking in the view at Top of The World on a day off from racing. Wicked views of Black Tusk!

The Academy women and staff hit up some Indian food between race days.

The final day of racing was a 30k Skate mass start. I was so excited to race today! I knew that my skate skiing and distance felt really strong and that I would have a good chance for a strong result today. The sun was out - I mean really out (16 degrees!) - and the conditions held up decent. The Academy had really good skis today so I did my best to take every advantage of it! The Open Women set up to do 6x5km course. I skied as relaxed as possible for the first half of the race, maintaining a top 5 position throughout. As the race went on, more and more ladies were dropping off the pace and I was still feeling decent! Just how long was I going to hang on for? It was hard to say but I found that the more I focused on the little moments, the faster the race went by. By the 4th lap, it was only 4 women skiing together. By the 5th lap it was down to the final 3. Zina Kocher, Bettina Gruber and myself. On the final lap, Zina made an attack on the first hill out of the stadium and I was not ready to be charging that early out of the finish. As much as I wanted to charge, the legs just weren't feeling it, but could hang on to a decent pace that would get me to the line in 3rd Overall, 2nd Canadian. It may not be golden - but one of the most rewarding and fun races of the season! I learned a lot about pacing and skiing in a pack today. Really valuable and exciting experiences.

Zina Kocher leading the front pack of women in the 30km skate.

Hot damn it's hot. Reeling in the finish line after 30km and the final race of the 2012/13 season!

Justine Brisbane of the Rocky Mountain Outlook and I post 30km. It was so great to see the Bow Valley sending a reporter to the National event for coverage. All the BV athletes appreciate the support!

Wowza that was a tough one. Good though! My skis were unreal thanks to Salomon and the wax support!

Happy retirement Kate! Russell is pouring out the bubblay after a good champagne shower on Kate.

Now What? Unwinding after a season is so great in itself and it makes it even more special when you are able to end on a strong note. I have just returned from some solid time ski touring in the mountains around Whistler as well as Revelstoke. I'm recharching for a couple days here in Canmore before I take off for part II of my April adventures - in El Salvador for some surf sessions!

Thank you so much to all my sponsors for their support. Without your financial assistance I may as well be busking on a street corner for money. And we all know I can't sing. Huge thanks to Buff Canada, Valbella Meats, Shades on Caribou, Banff Lodging Co., Soroptimist's International, Ticino Restaurant and the many family friends that have shown their support this season. It means so much to me that I have your support. And of course - to my family. Without a doubt the best support network I could ask for. You are amazing.

Devon, my bro, Brent and I on top of Mt. Cayoosh in Whistler area. Just one of the summits we bagged over the past couple weeks.

A little expired

I wouldn't say that keeping on top of the blogging world is my strong suit, but I'll try to update on the last month and half's 'happening's' none the less.


Since returning from Europe at the end of January, there was an unwanted break in my domestic racing season. I had the option of traveling straight to Eastern Championships from Munich, but opted to come home, recharge and race the Canadian Birkiebiner instead. I was really hesitant with this decision at first because aside from the U23 ladies returning from Europe, all my team mates and competitors were racing in Ontario. Choosing to come home and race a 55km loppet didn't seem like a bad idea, and I'm sure either way it would've worked out, but this way I was able to recharge and try something new! The Canadian Birkiebiner took place in Edmonton and is a point to point race with plenty of feed stations along the way. Marlis, Annika, Coach Chris, his bro Matti and I headed to Edmonton to first feast at La Ronde in downtown Edmonton and of course to race the Birkiebiner!

Skiing a section of the course the day before the race. Great weather! I didn't ski the race with a pack to make it a 'legit' Birkie - but had I done so, this would've been my pack of choice.

Conditions were spectacular... the day before the race! The morning of, the fresh snow and warmish temperatures rolled in and made for some really tricky waxing conditions for classic. All I kept telling myself was to just 'put your head down and go'. I paid attention to my heart rate monitor for the first 1.5hrs of the race, keeping my heart rate checked into zone 3 and making sure I was feeding enough. After that, however, I completely lost track of time and was engrossed in getting after each kilometre.

The last 10km of the race were the most painful but the most fun. 10-15 kilmoetres is my usual distance of racing (the most I had done before this race was 30km), so it seemed to blow by after already having completed 45km. Trying to push your body harder when it has already been at lactate threshold for 3 hours proved to be a challenge I had never faced before. I increased my tempo and was gaining ground, but my heart rate stayed stagnant for the duration of the race.

Side note: Conversation the night before the race 
Heidi: How long do you think this is going to take us? 
Chris: Aaaahhmmmm, 3 hours. 3:15 max

3 hours and 50 minutes from the time the gun signaled the start, I crossed the line as the 5th finisher and 1st woman. It was a lot longer than expected, but I honestly had no idea it was taking me that long during the race. I stopped looking at my watch because it was proving to be more distracting than anything! The Birkie veterans merited that these were the slowest conditions they had every skied in so it made my time a little more justified.

The next set of racing brought me to Grande Prairie for the Western Championships. I'm really getting to know my province of Alberta these days! Skate sprint went really well for me, I won the qualifier and the heats. I was joined by Alysson Marshall in second and Kate Brennan in third for an Academy women's podium sweep.

Alysson and I go 1-2 on sprint day

The following day brought tricky waxing conditions and a 10km classic race. Not my strongest suit, I ended up 6th today and know I could've skied a lot more efficiently and tried out a different pair of skis. I know my fitness is there, I just needed to focus on skiing the race better technically and more aggressive.

Getting in touch with my Alberta roots. Grande Prairie style.

The final day of three races back to back in this miniTour was a 15km skate race, pursuit start. They combine your times from the previous two days of racing and with the added time bonuses, you are given a handicapped start time from the leader. I started in 5th position today, 1:08 behind the leader. Let the hunt begin! I was able make up time ahead of me as well as 2 positions to finish with the fastest time of the day and 3rd overall in the MiniTour. It was a great weekend of racing in Grande Prairie. Great vibe, organization and race format!

Final stage 15km skate podium. Amanda Ammar, Alana Thomas and myself.

Celebrating my birthday with staff at Buff in the comforts of CrazyWeed restaurant. Then off to Nipika for more cake and chill time.

Kate and I enjoying the warm conditions and Nipika vibe.

Racing returned to the loppet scene last weekend for me. I celebrated my 22nd birthday the week before at Nipika and finished off a great week with a 10km classic race in Lake Louise. It was an awesome event to return to because this is where my racing career began. Rippin' around the 1km track on the lake is apparently all it took for me to be hooked into racing. Who knew it was so simple? I guess I just really love skiing. The weather was wreaking havoc on the roads for the drive up, but the grooming staff did an amazing job at the race site and the track was firm and groomed by race time - the weather cleared up too! I finished as the 2nd racer overall and first woman. Such a fun event to come back to and really reminded me of the pure joy of going hard on the race trails and feeling that gratification at the end.

Rebecca and I all smiles at the start of the Lake Louise loppet. Loving the bibs.

In the start gate - Cred: Daniel Patterson

Classic sprint qualifier Cred: Daniel Patterson

Back to Canmore for the most recent racing action at the Alberta Cup racing, Saturday being a classic sprint and Sunday a 5km skate. The weather. Was. Amaaazing. Perfect blue skies and Canmore glory for the classic sprint day. Classic sprinting hasn't been my strongest suit this winter and I was really focusing on skiing the transition sections well today. That said, I'm happy that it paid off with winning the qualifier. It was a long wait for heats to start in the afternoon because the volunteers were working around the clock to pack as many ages and racers into today as possible.


A HUGE thank-you to all the support Rocky Mountain Racers put into pulling off a great weekend!! For the heats in the afternoon, the sun had softened up the course a bit and meant it was time to switch to klister. I used my classic skis for my quarter final round, but opted to double pole for my semi final and final heat. It was a good opportunity to try it out and worked well in my semi and final, even though I could've played my line choice a bit better. I ended the day in 2nd, behind Alysson Marshall and Sarah Beaudry took bronze.

Right off the start - Cred: Daniel Patterson

Sunday! 5km skate race. I swear this post is almost over. Solid day for me today. I am really happy with my fitness and how this weekend turned out. Both the classic sprint and 5km skate events will repeat themselves at the Canadian Nationals in Whistler so it is good to use them as a tune up. I won today's race by 27sec over Alana Thomas and Julia Ransom took third.

The season has almost come to a close, but not before we finish off with the Nationals! The next week and a half will be a big focus on classic sprinting and volume training to get me primed to end my season with best performance possible.

Thanks for checking in! Adios Amigos

In other news... 

Flower Power! Hailey and I decked out in flower prints for the Flower Power themed Soroptomist International fundraiser. Women helping women. The funds raised help this dedicated group from the Bow Valley district support other women.

Zoe Roy and I out for an afternoon flight with a friend in his Cessna

Scoping out the plane before take off

 I've been working on my bread baking skills. Fresh baked sour dough!

Pen to Paper

Classic Sprint U23 Championships - Liberec CZE Cred: Lisa Patterson

My school day doesn't begin at 8:30am with the sounding of a school bell, but I am a student none the less. I am back in the Bow Valley and reflecting on my most recent trip to Europe for the U23 Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. There were big improvements here and painful questions left there which means I have to put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard - and figure out where to go from here.

Russell is set to go. Nice Salomon collection!

Globe and Mail, The Simply Bar and FnF travel mug. Makes my travel that much easier. 

We arrived in Austria for a training week before the Championships from January 12-17th and couldn't have asked for better skiing and scenery to help adjust to the European way again. Add in some delicious food, cappuccino's and das schlitten and you've got a great week of preparation.

Thumbs up from Austria

Ew, gross. But had to share. After freezing my finger tips in TBay the skin died and hardened to the point where I couldn't type on my iPhone anymore! The thick, dead skin finally peeled off and I felt like a new snake.

The ladies post intensity in Ramsau stadium. Great venue and great group!

The team loaded up the Euro diesel vans and headed north to the Czech Republic. Estimated travel time was 6.5 hours. 13 hours later we arrived in Liberec. Snowy, narrow roads and a lack of snow plows made this an epic day - good though! Always grateful for wicked team mates and good tunes to get us through this day.

Great lunch at the Freistadter BrauHaus

Every nation at the Championships were staying at Hotel Babylon which is different than most years when teams are spread out across the city and rarely interact. The Babylon is comparable to all of Vegas crammed into a kitschy eastern block hotel. Complete with water park, bowling alley, science centre, casino, snake display and turtles - the Babylon was stacked with surprises and it took me the whole first week to get my bearings in the massive setup.

The courtyard in the centre of the hotel. Just a glimpse into the oddity of the whole place.

Nom nom nom. Annika in one of the displays at the 'IQ Park' at Hotel Babylon

Lots of time in elevators

Compared to the week previous when the World Cups were hosted in Liberec, there was a lot of snow! I was happy to arrive to the sound of snow guns blowing and a trace of new snow to get the distance courses open. We also explored some mountain trails about 30 minutes outside of Liberec where the locals and tourists flooded to. The trails were packed and endless! So endless in fact that Annika, Marlis and I got lost and had to make our way to the mountain rescue van to give us a ride back to the team van. We never fail to make a casual outing a little more interesting ... and complicated.

I had been counting down to the sprint day all season and now it had finally arrived. The plan was written out on paper and the body was set to rock - but there was a disconnect. I put my best effort on the line - in no way did I feel entitled to qualifying and knew would have to put up a fight no matter what the battle. Coming up short in a qualifier is such a hard pill to swallow. I started ranked 15th and finished in 34th position. I know I am capable of so much more than that so not being able to achieve a result that I had set my mind to today was frustrating. I think that being so frustrated and angry as my first reaction was healthy in that I didn't feel that I deserved this result. Sure, I hadn't given my strongest performance on the day but had I just been upset and depressed, it would've said to me that I didn't believe in my capabilities in the first place and just accepted the disappointment.

An afternoon outing for coffee. The cafe Praha didn't disappoint. Almond extract, chocolate and coffee - delish!

I did a lot of Q&A inside my head that afternoon. Where did I go wrong? What could I have done better? But gave myself a timeline to analyze it, learn from it and move on. The next day was a 10km skate individual. An event that I had really been looking forward to in Thunder Bay, but because of my head I was advised not to compete. I hadn't done a skate distance race since last season! I was really motivated and ready to put an aggressive pace out today. My goal today was to race for every second. I have been in that situation so many times, and especially in sprint racing, where a second here or there could move you up (or down) numerous positions. That meant that the slobber on my nose would have to wait for the finish line in order for me to wipe it off. Ain't nobody got time fo dat. My pacing paid off and I finished the day in 28th position.  Not the most substantial result in comparison to the rest of the world, but a huge accomplishment for me and miles of improvement over last year.

10km Skate individual Cred: Lisa Patterson

Pursuit day rolled around and we even had a glimpse of sunlight to start the day off! Alright, alright - this was going to be good. The mass starts on the international level are always fun for me and even though I have terrible points and am always seeded at the back, it makes it that much more fun to chase down the pack. The classic leg went well but I didn't have as much energy and snap going into the skate. I let my position dwindle and ended the day in 39th position but still happy that I put in a good fight and am skiing distance so much stronger than this time last year. I have to be happy with that.

Feasting at our go-to joint, Pizzerie Maskovka

So, how do you measure success? A number beside my name, time back from leader, FIS point standings. These are all ways of tracking performance, but success is all about improvement. Where am I in comparison to last year? In sprint racing, I faltered and didn't improve on my result from last year but am richer from the experience. It taught me the fine art of relaxing in classic sprinting goes a lot farther than counting on pure strength to muster out a fast result. My distance racing is a big step in the right direction. Progress and therefor success have been made there and it is so gratifying to see the improvement and actually feel fit on the course. Still, there are many hurdles to overcome in order to be competitive at the highest end, but I am moving in the right direction.

Delicieux! Best cappo I found in Liberec paired with an apple delicious-ness.

The last day of competition was all about the Juniors. This year, the team was so solid. It was super exciting to share in the adrenaline and pride surrounding this event. I can't wait until they finally let the U23'scompete in a relay as well! We packed up the site after cheering and made way for Prague. The city that I had heard many good things about didn't disappoint.

The brutes climb of the course. Good though! Raph anchoring

Colin, Andy, Frederique and Russell. Go Canada!

The Canadians packed up after the relay and set off for Prague. A beautiful city that definitely lived up to its reputation. When we arrived, the sun had set, the city was lit up and there was a magical snow fall that set the most magical European scene.

All smiles playing tourist in Prague

Top floor hotel room in downtown Prague. Room with a view aaand comfy bathrobes.

For the masquerade

What kind of lover are you? Just ask the chair.

Poppin' da bubblay. Happy Birthday!

Maya, myself and Frederique

Lazrrrr light show in Prague nightclub.

Now that I'm back in Canada, I'm getting back into the training and recovery after Europe. Staying healthy throughout the trip and after is a feat in itself! I am so grateful for my experience and at the end of the school day, I have some homework to get to but look forward to putting my lessons learned up against the next test.

May the best of your today's be the worst of your tomorrow's.

Czech Obama