Falun training camp

Greetings from training camp in Falun, Sweden!  I have two full weeks off from World Cup racing before a weekend of World Cup racing in Ostersund, Sweden followed by the 2015 World Championships here in Falun. This is the longest break since the season started back in November.  Most of the US team is in Davos, Switzerland but I needed to stay at sea level to prepare for speedy sprint racing so Pepa traveled to Falun to help me train and peak for the World Championships.  I am very grateful that she is able to be here during these important last few weeks of preparations!

Hello from Falun!

I wouldn't trade my travel and race schedule for anything but I must admit that the pictures of the skiing at home in Craftsbury this winter have made me a tad jealous.  There's nothing quite like a tour around Ruthie's and Sam's!  The trails here remind me a lot of home and so I'm enjoying the opportunity to just go out and ski through the woods!  The snow conditions are excellent and the sun is even forecasted to appear for our last few days here.

A bridge design that could possibly enhance the Craftsbury race trails?

This camp is a great opportunity to train on the race courses, familiarizing myself with all the big uphills and fast twisty downhills.  These courses are some of the most challenging that we race on.  One hill is infamously named "Mordarbacken" which translates to the Murder hill and climbs steeply from the stadium all the way to the top of the K120 ski jump.  Today Pepa skied up it twice and without poles either time so she could get video on her Ipad!  So I am not the only one who is in training camp right now.  Pepa skis every morning, runs on the treadmill whenever I am lifting in the gym, and walked several miles to town and back one afternoon when it was too snowy for our rental car tires to make the trip.

Stopping halfway up the "Mordarbacken" to watch the piston bully groom the ski jump.

Lots of Concept 2 skiergs to choose from while warming up for strength at the local gym

We're staying in cabins that are just a few hundred feet from the ski trails making it easy to roll out of bed and get ready to train!  The cabins were advertised as two bedroom but turned out to be just two rooms with one room room being the bathroom.  Each cabin is one room with a couple bunk beds and a kitchen and living area.  We're spending a lot of time together but Pepa wasn't keen on being bunk mates.   Quick Bulgarian negotiations later and we now have two separate cabins and haven't gotten sick of each other yet.

Big snowflakes falling on the Swedish cabins

Along with Pepa's heavy training she has been paying closer attention than normal to nutrition and I've been impressed with her culinary skills.  She still doesn't trust anything I cook, preferring to eat salami and Swedish meatballs on those evenings but she has cooked a couple delicious and nutritious dinners of roasted potatoes, sauteed veggies, chicken, salad, and more!  I even witnessed her snacking on carrot sticks yesterday afternoon!  But don't worry, our freezer is still full of ice cream, our chocolate supply is no short supply, and she unsuccessfully searches for chicken wings every time we visit the grocery.

Pepa in the kitchen!

 

A Bulgarian salad that is topped with lots of delicious feta.  We might not be quite up to Craftsbury Outdoor Center dining hall standards but we are eating well.

The town of Falun is only a few minutes away from the ski area so we've had a couple shopping trips to ward off cabin fever.  While I can easily stay ahead of Pepa on the ski trails I have trouble keeping up when we start shopping!

A new jacket for World Champs?

A view from the square in the center of Falun

And the banners in the city center provide inspiration for tomorrow's training!  It's easy to be motivated for the upcoming World Champs when you're surrounded by these images which decorate just about every corner of town!  I will be doing solo intervals on the sprint course but "staying ahead" of this pack of Swedes!

Can't wait for World Champs to begin!