RAIN-SNOW-WINTERBERG!

In Winterberg you learn to accept what is thrown at you in terms of the weather..it can be sunny one minute, then 10 minutes later it starts to rain, and then the snow arrives shortly after.

So when the snow started on the morning of the race it was no surprise. It stayed snowing for the first few of us that went off in the race, then, when realising the slow times we were all producing, the whole track got swept and the snow cleared, and all other athletes got down a second quicker... Unlucky us who went first off!! It was too much to make up on the second run as I had been struggling to find speed in the middle section of the track all week, and so I had to settle for 10th place in this race. Still in top ten and still ranked 5th in the World, so onto the next race!

I thought I would include a photo of my last preparations the evening before a race...sewing my bib up! Did you know us girls have to all sew up our number bibs..? "One size fits all"...means getting out the needle and cotton and making it alot smaller!!

CHARLIE BOOKER PHOTOS

This is to say a BIG thank you to Charlie Booker who is the great photographer who takes and gives me so many photos of me doing skeleton. Go to his website if you want to see more of his work. www.bobsleigh.de

CESANA PUSH PB

Since Lake Placid Arthur, my sled and I have both been home for a few days, an attempt to get some much needed rest, Arthur got the rest and I didn't. Jet lag hit me hard and I felt like a zombie for the whole five days I was back, still being awake at 3am most nights.
Arthur stayed with his maker, Rachel Blackburn and had a MOT and bit of sled physiotherapy, while I stayed in Bath and did a bit of training and tried to catch up with my parents at home.

The next trip was to Cesana, in Italy. Our team stay in a big biathlon lodge which is right near the track which is very handy, and means not quite so early starts in the morning as those teams that stay further up in the next town of Sestriere. Cesana is about 1800m high so altitude can effect you a little, but i wasn't sure if for me it was still a bit of cheeky jet lag that was making me feel quite drained!
Cesana race wasn't the best result for me 10th place, I didn't seem to be able to pick up any speed or time down the track, but I was super pleased with my pb (personal best) push on both race runs.. 5.03 and a 5.02sec. Physically I'm in good shape which is one good reason to smile!

TWO RACES DOWN....6 MORE TILL THE BIG ONE..?

Lake Placid race was great. It made me realise why I love this sport. Training went so well in the week and each day I found myself feeling more and more comfortable on my sled which I hadn't felt since the start of the season.

The race was the closest I have ever been in. After run one there was something like 0.5 sec between first place and fifteenth! I had great first run that put me into 2nd place, but then I made a small mistake in a critical part of the track of my second run which dropped down to 4th, a respectable finish I feel!

Now I'm back home for a few days to recharge the batteries and get over jet lag before the next part of the season. All three races are in Europe, Italy, and two in Germany before the Christmas break.

LAKE PLACID OFFICIAL TRAINING WC 2

Today was the second day of official training back on Lake Placid track where I was a few weeks ago. The track feels quite a bit different from when I was last here. You may be thinking...how or why!? Well..... The track workers can add or take away ice at the entrances and exits of corners which then changes how I need to steer in the corner, how hard or how long I have to put pressure through my sled to change the angle of it whilst It is in the corner.
Training went well today, but still a few corners to work out before the race and the decision of which runners to use....one more day to sort it out then I race on Friday 20th Nov at 9.30am USA time, I believe it is in British Eurosport at 2pm. Wish me luck!!

FIRST WORLD CUP 6TH PLACE PARK CITY

As I write this I'm on the plane flying from Salt Lake City to Detroit to Montreal, to then drive from Montreal over boarder to Lake Placid! I have just competed in the first World Cup of the season. I came 6th, it was a one run race as a snow storm came in so the second run was cancelled. I was really please with this result as its been a tough month of testing and changing alot so I hadn't been sliding as fast as id have liked to! Its great to have the first race out of the way and I'm really looking forward to the second one in Lake Placid in a weeks time.
We get a few days off to recovery from travelling, so the local cinema is waiting for me, I hear it calling me.......

I DID SEE A BEAR!

Just to say that we had a bear on the driveway of our house we were staying in! We were all about to leave in the morning to pack up the cars to go to the track and there was one with its paws up on the boot of the car! Its looked rather like a large baby one, it looked at us then slowly walked away. I was only about 6metres away from it!