End of the Season

I'm currently back home after my final races in Truckee, California and a quick trip to Haiti to visit my boyfriend. It was an exciting week of racing and I think it's safe to say most people are ready for a break! By the end of the season, some people are still feeling great while others are totally burnt out so there can be some interesting results. It's really the only time of the year where the domestic field is able to race the US team people who spend the winter in Europe, so it's usually an eye-opening experience and exciting to be able to race against some of the best people in the world! Overall, my last week of races went well for me but there were definitely some highs and some slow lows. I didn't feel great about my prologue because I wanted to ski the whole thing smoothly but blew up on the big hill about halfway through the course, but my result wasn't bad. The 10k classic mass start wasn't bad but I skied a lot of it by myself so hopefully I can bridge the gap to the pack in front of me next year. I felt great in the sprint qualifier and had fast skis but the rest of the day was a bit of a struggle as I tired and we had trouble nailing the wax. The hill climb was pretty disastrous. This has always been my least favorite event and I don't understand why I'm so bad at it but I can't quite figure it out. Luckily, I only have to do one each year and most race courses start and finish in the same place meaning there is just as much downhill as uphill! The final race of the series was a 30k classic. 30 kilometers is the longest distance I've ever raced and I've only done a handful in my life so it was definitely an adventure. I finished 5th and was excited to end the season on a high note and have the best result of my week! A great video of the 30k, put together by Skyler Mullings, can be found HERE. Here are some photos from the week of racing at Spring Series.

Erika, Rosie, and I tried to make a "D" and "C" for Dartmouth College...

Mollie and Jessie before the men's 50k race

SMS Girls!

We were in charge of giving the boys feeds during the 50k

end of the season toast!

We made fun of our boys because they gave us such specific instructions for their feeds

made it!

Gus taking some golf swings on Lake Tahoe

Jessie

previewing the hill climb course on alpine skis! (Much more fun than the race itself)

the Utah girls had some great outfits

I took some beautiful walks by the lake with my mom

Sadie taking a nap under the prize table after the hill climb

After finishing up in Truckee, I flew back to Boston for one night before flying down to Haiti with Dan's parents to visit him for 4 days. He's been working for Partners in Health for the past 5 months in Haiti. I don't think we could have been doing more different things this winter so I'm really happy I got to go see what his life has been like while I've been in Europe skiing all winter. It was a huge culture shock and an eye-opening experience, but it was inspiring and impressive to see the work that's being done. Most of the people in Haiti haven't seen snow before and definitely haven't seen skis so when Dan explained to them what I do, they referred to me as the "girl who runs on snow" or "snow runner".  I like the name and think it's a pretty accurate depiction of what we do! We had a very busy schedule while we were there and I was able to see both the beauty and devastation in Haiti. There is still so much work to be done but people are genuinely hopeful.

Dan with St. Ker (2nd from right), one of the first patients in the developing world to receive AIDS treatment, and his family 

Wilkin (2nd from right) is Dan's good friend and one of the drivers for PIH. He invited us to his home for dinner one night with his family

at Club Indigo, the place where Bill and Hilary Clinton went for their honeymoon in 1975!

the beautiful new Mirebalais hospital that is in the process of opening

It was so hot I even went in the water!

our handsome tour guide and birthday boy

Zanmi Beni orphanage

Now I'm back home in VT and this is where I'll remain for the majority of my time until I head to Bend on May 19th. I'm going to visit my cousin, Alexa, who is working at The Asheville School in North Carolina next week and plan on making a few trips to visit my siblings and friends in Hanover, but otherwise I'll be enjoying some much needed time at home!

and that's a wrap!