I arrived back to Antholz, Italy last night after spending the previous two weeks racing in Norway and Finland.  It feels great to get back down South, see some sunshine and eat something besides fish and potatoes! 

The past two weeks of racing were a huge success for our team as we posted many team and personal bests.  After struggling a bit in the middle of the season, it felt great for me to get back on track with some solid results.   I finished under the top-15 in the last 5 races and was part of the 6^th place mixed relay in Finland.  This had to be one of by best blocks of racing and I am excited to carry this momentum into World Champs in a few weeks. 

As can be expected for February in Scandinavia, the past two weeks of racing were very cold.   When we arrived in Finland the temperature during training days was around -13F.  Fortunately, the temps warmed slightly for the race days but it was still quite challenging.  My body handled the cold temps pretty well, besides some minor frostbite on one finger.  Unfortunately, I had a lot of problems with my rifle in Finland due to the cold.  During the sprint race in Finland I was forced to call for help on the range and clear my rifle using a screwdriver before I could start shooting.  This was very frustrating considering I only finished 38 seconds back.

 We now have a two-week break before the start of World Championships in Ruhpolding Germany.  During this time I will prepare in Italy before traveling to Ruhpolding a few days prior to the first race.  So far everything is going well and I am looking forward to what the team can accomplish in a few weeks!

Sunset over Oslo