Lahti 2017
Phew! I've now completed two races here at my first World Championships, in Lahti, Finland and last week I was in Estonia for the first time. Last Saturday's race was a skate sprint and I ended up a tantalizing and bittersweet 1.76 seconds out of qualifying (a huge personal best for me). This season has been really all I could have hoped for, reaching almost all of my yearly goals including Olympic qualification, strength, speed and tactics. The move to Lillehammer has been a catalyst for personal growth, fitness and competitive mentality for me. I made the move originally to be closer to British Nordic's home base and to have world class training opportunities and women of my age and ability to train with, but I also desperately needed a new stimulus. I'm one who paradoxically needs both a sense of security and constant change. So with moving to Norway without speaking Norwegian and having zero friends, I was certainly challenged with plenty of humbling miscommunications, but I was met with amazing patience (from the majority) as I struggled (and struggle) along and have been able to find little niches as I go, finding new motivation and drive. Back to the present, Lahti!
We arrived in Lahti just under a week ago after driving the length of Estonia, and ferrying across to Helsinki, and then driving up North past Lahti and to the athlete's accommodation in Vierumaki. This is my third time to Finland, with my first as a toddler along with my family, and lead by my strong Finnish grandmother, Nelly. Along with an incredibly strong will, and love of skiing, Nelly has left me craving piirakkas smothered in egg butter (and maybe some cabbage stew), along with a spirited "chicken dance". So it has been extra special for me to race in her honor, as well as in honor of Mark Nadell, who recently passed away.
I raced to another personal best in placing in the skate sprint on Thursday, 38th, and fought back after an early pile up in the 15k skiathalon with the help of 35,000 blue and white clad voices and clouds of (thin) pancake steam. It has been a wonderful energy and such good fun to be apart of the intense emotion and passion of sport at the highest level! Tuesday afternoon is a 10k classic time trial, and Saturday is the 30k freestyle :)