Feeling the burn in January

In an effort to stay fit and motivated this Winter for the ITU Cross World Championships in April I've purchased some heated gloves and becoming a winter racer. I'm sure you're thinking what kind of winter racer are you if you need heated gloves. My excuse is that my mother passed on her poor circulation to me. I've struggled with cold hands for years (even when it's a balmy 45F out) and tried so many pairs of gloves with no success until I shelled out a good amount for some heated gloves...they are by far the best purchase I've ever made.

With toasty hands I tried my first biathlon this past weekend. Ouch...lung busting and fun all at the same time! You can see in the video below where I'm shooting standing that my heart is about to pop out of my chest...it sure makes shooting challenging to say the least. I love the combination of an endurance sport with something the requires intense focus and concentration.

New Year, New Sponsors, New Job

I'm not one for New Years resolutions but I really do need to try and be better about this blogging business. I had a busy end of the year with lots of studying for my state social work licensing exam and an unexpected job change. I am now a licensed social worker in Colorado and will be starting a new job tomorrow with Boulder County working with the Juvenile Integrated Treatment Court. What's that you say? In lay man terms this is drug court for kids. I'm looking forward to a new challenge and getting back to working with tough adolescents. It's funny that one of my biggest fears is having my own teenagers but somehow I love working with them.

On the racing front I'm excited to announce all my sponsorships for the upcoming year. This year I will be partnering with Specialized, No Tubes, Avia, Native Eyewear, Xterra Wetsuits, Infinit Nutrition and Honey Stinger. I'm really excited to be working with two Colorado based companies, Honey Stinger and Native Eyewear. Thanks to all these companies for believing in me!

I'm excited for the upcoming season and hope to stay fit through the Winter with some snowshoe races, Mt. Taylor Quadathlon and maybe even a biathlon or two...yep, shooting and skiing.