I wanted to share my (ideal) travel and race plan this year, just to preview some cool places and events, and realized that I’d need to discuss my goals alongside that to really make everything make sense. I realized this would be the first time I was really publicly transparent with my goals, which seems a little scary but accountability is generally a positive thing with goals so I’m excited to share them!

I’m currently en route to Finland for the first World Cup weekend that falls over Thanksgiving. We’ll just be camped out in Ruka until the completion of those World Cups, coming early to give some time for settling in and shaking off jet lag.

Event #1: Ruka World Cup (10k C, 20k S Pursuit)

Getting ready for skiing in Ruka with Luke and JC

This is where we’ve started as long as I’ve been on the World Cup (this year is the 3rd! JC mentioned that to me as we walked into the airport together this morning. Pretty cool to have that shared experience with him). It’s a very traditional early season World Cup because it’s far north in Finland and tends to have reliable snow at the end of November. I really like it there. It’s dark and cozy, and we stay in nice little apartments that have a little kitchen so we can cook some meals (and rolls by Kevin) together.

A view of the apartment as we get ready to ski.

This year it’s not a mini tour, so I’ll just do the distance races. I didn’t get sprint starts for Period 1 (through Davos), but I’m kind of looking forward to focusing more on distance races. Super excited to try out the 10k/20k combo! he pursuit here is especially fun. This year my race focus is also more on the World Championship Events in February/March, so I’m coming into Ruka with a little less pressure from myself to race fast. I still want to do well, but I’m more confident in just being able to lay it down because I feel good and know how to do it!!

The apartments in Ruka are right next to the stadium and trails so we can just walk to skiing!

Event #2: Lillehammer World Cup (10k S, 20k Skiathlon)

The guys after a fun relay day last year in Lillehammer.

Such an iconic venue. Last year was my first time there in the winter, and it was great, but there wasn’t enough snow to race on the traditional courses, which are known for being big and hard! I really hope they get enough snow for it this year, but so far Norway has been really warm, so it’s not looking great. (Check out protectourwinters.org to make a difference!)

It’s also nice here because the hotel we stay at has a crazy big buffet with healthy food and tasty desserts. It also has a great gym that’s fun to work out in with other World Cup athletes, although it gets busy because many teams stay there.

Event #3: Beitostolen World Cup (10k C)

I’ve never been here, but it’s a super popular Norwegian venue, so I’ve seen it on tv a good amount. You always wonder if the hills are bigger or smaller than you see on tv, but usually the better bet is to go bigger. It’s also Norway so I’m looking forward to more waffles and hopefully some fans + cheering!

More Lillehammer, but Norway all looks the same probably

Event #4: Davos World Cup (20k S)

Davos is great because it comes right as Scandinavia is getting to its darkest, and it tends to be sunny here so I’m about ready for more light. I’m an Alaska kid, but as I’ve spent more winter time in Europe, I’ve gotten a little spoiled with December/January Sunshine, and I can’t say I mind it! I’m excited to race a 20k on this course; it’s a little special in that it’s not actually that hard besides the lack of rest. It’s definitely a good one to pace super consistently, especially at altitude. The fact that it’s a 5k lap further than I’ve done here in the past means I really need to make sure I’m skiing smooth and relaxed.

This is also where I’m planning to spend Christmas, living in an apartment with Ben and Jessie. Looking forward to that! Hopefully Santa will know I’m not at home and can get me all my presents. At least I know I’ll get plenty of Christmas cookies with Jessie in the house.

After that, I can’t be sure of my plans, because the Tour de Ski team is picked in the middle of Period One. This is where my goals come in. My main season goals are

Top 10 at World Championships in Planica
Win U23s in Whistler
Top 20 in Tour de Ski

made possible by…

Maintaining/touching on higher training volumes mid-winter to keep fitness
Taking some time to slow down at home, and making a conscious effort to really taper for those events

The thing with the rest of the season is that I can’t know what races I’ll do because I need to race fast to qualify for them, but my ideal plan after Christmas is…

Tour de ski

Hoping to enter this with good fitness and finish strong, then go home and have a few weeks there of resting, then training, and hanging out with the fam and dogs the whole time. :)

Finished it once, hoping to do it again.

U23s

I could qualify for these through World Cup racing, and it’s my last year as a U23, so I’m pumped t hit it hard and win in my last chance. It’s nice that it’s in Whistler, which is only 1 time zone different from Anchorage! I’ll be able to travel here pretty late to maximize time at home. And then fly back to Europe for the pre-World Championships camp.

World Champs

This year I’m really excited to place emphasis here and train with those races in mind. I’ll also focus more on distance racing here, which seems like an easier thing to manage than last time putting a lot of pressure on myself for the team sprint.

Spring World Cups

These ones are all in Scandinavia, and I’m hoping to have hit all my goals by here, and race out the rest of the season with a little less stress but still having a ton of fun. My mom and her friends are thinking of coming over to watch some, too, which would be so great.

NordiX in Anchorage

If Lauri Bassett and Reese Hanneman are reading this, they better be getting ready! Last year was the first annual NordiX event at Hilltop, a nordic ski-cross race that’s net downhill. I wasn’t able to do it last year, so I’m really hoping I can get on that start line this year.

I know there’s some ambitious stuff in there this year; it’s a product of a really good summer of training and a hunger to lay down some speed this winter. I also feel a lot of momentum just being around my American dude teammates, and I’m excited for us to make some jumps here!!

It’s also obviously an unsure plan, but I’m getting better at rolling with whatever happens and doing my best no matter what.

Stoked for the year ahead!!