div style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HgimDWsI/AAAAAAAAAu0/nmfpfoH5u0M/s1600-h/IMG_0110.JPG”br //a/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfzTX7wI/AAAAAAAAAuk/cMyhP34xGoA/s1600-h/IMG_0105.JPG”/adiv style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfTXxIsI/AAAAAAAAAuc/8hHm4DGFBq0/s1600-h/IMG_0103.JPG”/adiv style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9He-CD8GI/AAAAAAAAAuU/xQfZ0whAFwg/s1600-h/IMG_0098.JPG”/adivDoes this not look like Lake Placid at night on Mirror Lake?/divdivbr //divspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVZMkOvxI/AAAAAAAAAtk/4A5VcjTkpJ8/s320/IMG_0068.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883549503831826″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //spanI really enjoyed getting to see a new country. Slovenia has a very neat and different feel to it, even though I was only mere hours from Austria and Germany. We arrived in the evening, which is always fun, because the morning brings such suprise about the surrounding area, town and nature.br /divspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVZvDIhMI/AAAAAAAAAts/gi5sN8tsG7k/s320/IMG_0073.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883558760252610″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //spana onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykmTOhQwXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/5e9HKv43wwU/s1600-h/IMG_0078.JPG”/adivLooking down towards the shooting range and stadium in Pokljuka, were the races were held./divdiva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykmTOhQwXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/5e9HKv43wwU/s1600-h/IMG_0078.JPG” style=”text-decoration: none;”img style=”text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykmTOhQwXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/5e9HKv43wwU/s320/IMG_0078.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415902138646708594″ //abr /A “small town” of wax cabins for all of the countries is the place where our skis are made to be fast!br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVbN5SgwI/AAAAAAAAAuE/sEBdmsTTB7c/s1600-h/IMG_0077.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVbN5SgwI/AAAAAAAAAuE/sEBdmsTTB7c/s320/IMG_0077.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883584220332802″ //aOur poles are all lines up and ready to go:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVa3nRDMI/AAAAAAAAAt8/orjcjlH5dco/s1600-h/IMG_0075.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVa3nRDMI/AAAAAAAAAt8/orjcjlH5dco/s320/IMG_0075.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883578239159490″ //aAnd here are all of our training skis:br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVaBDWKQI/AAAAAAAAAt0/V2-XAejVZTQ/s1600-h/IMG_0074.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVaBDWKQI/AAAAAAAAAt0/V2-XAejVZTQ/s320/IMG_0074.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415883563592984834″ //aAll week, every week, we spend a lot of time in the above places, so each week I make sure I get out to enjoy the town I am staying in. The town of Bled is on a lake similar in size to Mirror Lake, but with an island and castle in the middle!br /div style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9He-CD8GI/AAAAAAAAAuU/xQfZ0whAFwg/s320/IMG_0098.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131073750659170″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”Local legend has it that this castle has been a popular wedding spot for a long time and before the wedding the groom must carry the bride of these 99 steps. I think my fiance could hack that:)/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”br //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfTXxIsI/AAAAAAAAAuc/8hHm4DGFBq0/s320/IMG_0103.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131079478846146″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //span/span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”I ran around the lake on my last day before heading back home. It is a quite place, but bustling with visitors taking pictures as the stroll around the lake as I did. I was also quite taken by the “villas” and old estates that peppered the shoreline. I remember visiting old “camps” and even the Lake Placid Club when I was young – there is a similar “old” feel to this place./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”br //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HgEQIiMI/AAAAAAAAAus/SsMcIFCfPCA/s320/IMG_0108.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131092600162498″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //span/span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”When I arrived – I new this place had a good feel to it. Training went well, racing went okay, better and better than even I expected after a challenging start to my season. In the Individual race I hit 19 for 20 targets and placed 21st – a personal best for the World Cup and a result which also pre-qualified me for the 2010 Olympic Team. It happened so much faster than I expected, but now in retrospect I believe it all came at the right time. I have worked hard, and am prepared to work even harder. After this next block of World Cups (Germany and Italy) its the home stretch towards the games – both periods will offer me time to train and race with new goals and achievements so that in February I can be at or closer to my peak performance./divdiv style=”text-align: left;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: left;”In 2007, when still with the Maine Winter Sports Center, I was on the Potato Picker’s Special at 4am up in the County during potato harvest with John Farra (who is now head of the Nordic Sports for the US) and I told them the revelation I had when buying a can of beans that was marked with “Best by 2010.” At that point, I new I was on the road to also be “Best by 2010.”/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: left;”Thank you to all have helped me get this far!/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HfzTX7wI/AAAAAAAAAuk/cMyhP34xGoA/s320/IMG_0105.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131088050351874″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //span/span/divdiv style=”text-align: left;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”br //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#0000EE;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/Sz9HgimDWsI/AAAAAAAAAu0/nmfpfoH5u0M/s320/IMG_0110.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422131100745161410″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; ” //span/span/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/SykVZMkOvxI/AAAAAAAAAtk/4A5VcjTkpJ8/s1600-h/IMG_0068.JPG”/a/div/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-6330194747564682619?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
