Excited to Announce....

 My new glove sponsor!!!  I am so excited to represent this awesome company and do so with a wonderful group of fast, courageous and smiling women.  Look for Johaug Gloves to be keeping my hands warm and fast tomorrow!

Hazel Says...

This is my strength coach's baby named Hazel Luna.  I never posted this picture, and it has been recently switched to be my desktop pic for the month, so I wanted to share it with you all.   It has reminded me the importance of smiling.  Whenever I open my computer now, I smile, because, who sees this adorable little girl sitting in a pumpkin with her chubby arms and cute outfit and doesn't, without even noticing or trying, smile?  

I read this interesting article the other morning and was reminded of the benefits a simple smile can have on your mood, but also the effect it can have on others as well.  While spending these last 10 days at home before I head to Europe for the season on Wednesday, I have noticed what a difference making myself smile in the morning before I get out of bed makes on the way I go about my day.  So, its become something I do. Try it tomorrow.  Wake up, take a breath and smile for no reason at all, just smile, whether you want to or not.  Feel that instant change in your attitude, demeanor?  I do.  So, I think it's the ticket, and Hazel Luna here, is helping me do it.

So, as I soak up my last day in Vermont tomorrow for 4 months, I feel ready to hit the road and join my teammates.  I have had a chance to recover, get my feet back under me and my injury has had time to heal so I am feeling almost 100% again!  It's exciting stuff!  So, I'm smiling, but I am sure had I frowned more last week, I would not have healed up as quickly:)

If you feel like reading more, here is the article I found the other day:

https://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-smiling-a-guide-to-humans-most-powerful-gesture

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Long and Short of my Stick Season

Well, I finally go what I wished for and get to spend some extra time in Vermont!!  Unfortunately, it is not because the World Cup is coming to East Montpelier, but because of an injury I that needs some extra nursing before making the trip across the pond.  I got home with some tricep and peck tightness and was doing some stretching to try and relieve it, but continued to train through it, which may or may not have caused my first and second ribs to find their way out of place and create a fair amount of pain.  I have luckily had some amazing help here in Vermont from my PT Mom, my favorite massage therapist, Emily Gatewood, and an incredible Osteopath, John Peterson.  I have made massive recovery over the past week and skied for the first time yesterday, which went well, though today's first classic attempt did not provide the same result.  Baby steps.  

This has been an very educational opportunity for me, learning how to be smart, train creatively, and be tough through some times that are not as fun as the rest of my training year has been.  I have been very lucky in my career to not be put on the sidelines for injury or sickness too often.  I have watched some of my teammates and friends on other teams suffer with injury after injury and illness after illness and I have not had too many setbacks of those kind in my career.  So, it is good to be reminded, though I don't often find myself forgetting, how incredible it is to be healthy.  It is life's biggest happiness factor, I believe.  

I will head to Kuusamo, Finland on Wednesday and hope to race on Sunday, but we will see.  Patience, I hear, is a virtue:)

My Mom had a birthday on the 10th and she and Maisie blew out the candles together!

And Matt came over to make it a bit more of a party!  And, yes folks, those are overalls and they will be coming with me to Europe this winter!

Corinne Prevot, Skida Founder and Owner and the one who gets the props on this year's Friends Of Liz design! Super psyched on these! Get yours today on her website (along with her new cashmere line!!) at: www.skidasport.com

When I first got home it looked like this.

Then yesterday, I did some of this! Craftsbury is in amazing shape right now and it is only going to get better as they continue to blow snow and spread more of it out.  So if you are getting the itch, that' the place to scratch it.  Or the Notch road in Stowe is in great shape too!

First tracks on the 5k at Craftsbury yesterday.

HUGE thank you to ProBar, who sent me a box of their finest products the other day to get me to Europe and keep me fueled during the dark, cold winter months!

Photos from Canmore I never posted! Whoops!