Over the years it's been made more than clear that this sports will kick you in the teeth more often then it doesn't. In others words, the good results are far and few in between the not so good results. No matter how many bad days I have in row I can never say I didn't try. That motivation has always been there. It's that motivation that helped me awkwardly cram the last round into a clip yesterday after the cold rain rendered my hands less than optimally functional. As cruel as the weather can be this time of year, that wasn't the hard part.
The second round of trials did not go as well I had hoped. To be fair, the overall performance was actually a cut above where I was last year. Technique was more efficient, fitness was solid for October, and shooting had as much or more potential. While the potential was there, I was never able to utilize it. One of the key differences this time around was the increase in performance from the rest of the team. It was less of a competition for a fourth or fifth spot and more of a race against the whole A team. It's nice that the guys are doing well, but it also makes qualifying more difficult.
The end result was not being invited to the Utah camp. The fall of 2005 was my first year training in Soldier Hollow. The goal was to see it to a full decade. With the Utah camp out, my shot at the December WC trimester is also out. In the meantime it's back to training in the north. While Utah may be done, a ten day camp in Lake Placid is in. Hopefully by mid November the snow making business will be up and running in the Adirondack region.
Beyond that, the plan is to muster a way into trials at Mt Itaska, MN. The clutch this is absence of support. Aside from trying to find a room and a flight over the athletes from Maine won't even have a coach for the trip. The solution to this is in the works. As someone who hates logistics this has only added to the entertainment. Still, as long as I can make myself there with equipment on time all that's left is to have a few decent races. From there it's off the January IBU cup in Nove Mesto, CZ. If that weekend goes well it's back up to the WC. The advantage to this race schedule is the extra month to prepare for racing in Europe.
This isn't ideal, but historically not having any Euro racing in December has panned out well for me. The last time this happened I landed a spot in the Olympic team and the time before that I had two top tens. So, in the name of optimism, I've got that one going for me. For now it's a game of trying to rearrange my training so that I don't end up training in the freezing rain. If you want to know what kind of conditions could be worse than 20 below try 38 above and raining.
