Sochi Olympic Winter Games

The Road to Sochi has never been easy or simple.  So many people have been a part of the journey.  Twists and turns, uphills and downhills it is AWESOME!

I first wrote it down on paper when I was 15 years old that I wanted to go to the Olympics.  I had plenty of time to think during an Outward Bound "solo". My "solo": was a 72 hour fast where everyone in the group sat in a secluded spot near water and just thought.  The nice thing about writing down big life goals when you are 15 is that I was not influenced by money or what makes sense.  I chose something that I thought was really fun.  I have a big smile on my face because I have a lot of fun.  Some of my best friends and greatest coaches have taught me that hard work can be a lot of fun.

"My husband is headed to Sochi"- Caitlin "My wife is the best teammate ever!"-Me

The 2014 Olympic Team was named at 11am CST on Jan 22.  The anticipation of the naming of the team was intense.  I knew that I had done everything that I could to make the team but I didn't know if that would be good enough.  I am so happy to have the honor of representing the USA in the Olympic Winter Games.  My focus events will be the 30km Pursuit and the 50km Freestyle.

The year has been my best year Skiing ever.  Caitlin and I are  having so much fun through it all

Today I had one of the best skis of my life.  I had a 3-3.5 hour distance classic ski on my schedule and a trail out in front of the house.  I have skied left several times but today ventured right for the first time.  The tracks were freshly groomed, the vistas incredible and right when I started to bonk a bit we found a restaurant that served apple strudel.  Sometimes opportunities can be a little scary and offer plenty of unknowns.  I encourage everyone to go for it, because the worst thing is to look back and wonder what if.    

Caitlin certainly has taught me that this year. The US Women's team is the strongest ever, we knew that going in to this year but Caitlin still went for it.  She is not afraid to put it all out there and she has done that.  Watching her win nationals by 3:36 seconds was incredible.  She did not get named to the 2014 Olympic team but I am incredibly proud of her. She did everything she could and we have no regrets.  We are so thankful for the opportunity to pursue our passion.  Thank you to everyone who makes this possible.

Originally my plan was to fly back the the USA after the Period 2 World Cups but with the stress of the travel we took the gamble on heading to Sochi and decided to do a training camp in Northern Italy. This is my 5th time ever to Europe but both Caitlin and I are pretty good travelers (We have been on the road from our home in Minneapolis since October 1st.).  We found an apartment on kayak that looked like it was close to the ski trail in an area that should have snow.  20 miles away things were looking grim but everything worked out great.  We have a little kitchen, bathroom, and studio about 100m from the ski trails.  There is a well equipped gym here in town and the owners graciously have given us a key card for 24 hour access.  We also just discovered that if we position our computer just right down in the lobby we can pick up an internet signal.  Life is pretty good.

US Nationals to the World Cup

Skating to my first US National Championship Podium.  2nd place to my In The Arena teammate Sylvan Ellefson

One of my focus races this Summer and Fall has been the 30km Freestyle National Championship.  My goal is to race the 50km Freestyle at the Olympics and the 30km is really the only long distance skate race this year that will be used to qualify for the Olympics.  My plan was to ski a defensive race and attack in the final 5km.  Many other skiers must have had a similar game plan as the pace over the first 20km of the race was real relaxed.  The main pack contained over 20 skiers With just under 10km to go Sylvan picked up the pace and built up a ten second lead.  I thought for sure that he was going to get sucked back in, but he kept building his lead.  As we entered our last lap and 5km to go I was able to bridge up to the chase group of Kris Freeman and Matt Liebsch.  It took more out of me to catch those guys that I thought and as soon as I caught up to Kris he started to pull away on his own.  I was able to respond but couldn't get in his draft and followed about 10 meters behind.  Over the top I was able to catch up with Kris when he slowed to take a final feed.  At this point Sylvan had over 20 seconds on us.  I decided to catch my breath briefly and go on Hermods Hill one of the largest climbs on the course.  I skied the hill well and closed to within 8 seconds of Sylvan.  I put it all out there but my final sprint was spent going up the hill.   I am happy for Sylvan to take his first National Championship.  He made a bold move going off the front and certainly earned the win.  I am also pleased with my own race.  This is my first ever US National podium and more importantly was my second best FIS point race ever.  World ranking by FIS points are an important criteria in the Olympic Team selection.

My sister turned our Team Gregg jackets into Monster Jackets.  Having fun and smiling goes a long way towards racing fast.

My sister, mom, and dad made the trip down to Midway, UT to support us in the race.  I am not sure what we would have done without them.  The final two days leading up to the race were packed with various logistics and preparation.  Both Caitlin and I flew from Salt Lake City to Prague, Czech Republic directly after the race. It took all 5 of Team Gregg to get us to the airport for the 5pm flight.  

We raced the 1.3 and 1.6km Freestyle sprint on Saturday.  I felt pretty good in the race but when I crossed the line the racer behind me had almost caught me.  We went from feeling like winners to feeling like losers quite quickly.  The World Cup is the best skiers from around the world.  We are remaining positive as we now have burned the travel out of us.  We are looking forward to next weekends 10/15km Classic mass start race in Poland.  Ideally we would prefer to race distance skate races, but we need to capitalize on the World Cup start opportunities we are presented with.

15 hours after the race we did our 'cool-down' jog in Nove Mesto no Morajve, Czech Republic

After cooling down we were able to cheer Andy, Simi, Sophie and Kikkan on in the rounds.  Before the heats I told Kikkan I had never seen an American win a World Cup live and asked if she could help with that.  She didn't disappoint and it was fun to cheer her on to her 12th World Cup win.  The USA is now ranked 4th in the Nations Cup which is real exciting.

The Olympic Team will be named on or before January 22nd.  We have done everything we can.  We have no regrets and are excited to hear the official word.

NorAm Win, Midnight Flights, Super Tour points and Waxing

After West Yellowstone, Matt Liebsch and I loaded up my brother's car and we drove to British Columbia.  We had decided early in the year that our fall schedule would differ from many of the Americans as we wanted to race the Canadians in a 15km Freestyle at Soverign Lake Nordic Center.  Both Matt and I circled this race as an important one in the fall race series.  Unfortunatly the NorAm fell on the same weekend at the US Super Tour in Bozeman.  Unable to do both we decided to stick with our goal of the freestyle race in Canada.  

Matt, Myself, and our wax tech Sven on the Podium.  Matt and I went 1-2 in the race.

We made a pact that if we pulled off the 1-2 that we would bite the bullet and spend the $$ to go big and fly to Bozeman that evening to compete in the Super Tour on Sunday.

Fasterskier.com had a nice write up about our adventure: http://fasterskier.com/article/the-adventures-of-gregg-and-liebsch-part-i/

Our midnight flight to Bozeman was smooth and we both had good races.  Matt had one of his top 5 FIS results and finished 4th.  I finished right on Matt's heels in 5th which earned me enough points to take the Super Tour lead which means that I get start rights and FIS funding for the period 2 World Cup.  Even cooler, Caitlin is leading the women's Super Tour so we get to make the trip together.

Caitlin and I have a lot of fun on the road.  We both recognize the powerful benefits of being happy while on the road.

Caitlin cheering on the start of the B-Final in preparation for the A-Final.

After the races in Bozeman we traveled to Rossland, BC for another norAm weekend.  It was kind of tough to make the long 9 hour drive when juxtaposed to the 3 hour flight.  All of the travel, racing, and training caught up with me and I felt my body feeling pretty weary after intervals and specific strength here in Rossland.  I took two days off though and am feeling pretty good again.  This also allowed me to serve as Caitlin's wax tech here in Rossland.  Being a wax tech is hard work and I spent a lot of time on my feet.  Thankfully some of our Canadians gave me a lot of advice and did most all of the testing.

Caitlin and the Ninjas

Caitlin finished 4th in both races, although was relegated to the back of the A-final after a lane change in the finish where she accidentally obstructed another racer.  This was a solid weekend for her.  I raced on Sunday but wasn't able to put it together and finished 17th, my worst result of the year.  Thankfully I am feeling healthy again and we are excited to have a few weeks to train as we prepare for US National Championships in January in Utah.

Thanksgiving

It has been a few days since we feasted on Turkey and celebrated the many things we are thankful for.  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays as it signifies the start to the cross country ski racing season. Cross country skiing may be seen as an individual sport but it really isn't possible without a strong team.  This year Caitlin and I are training and racing under the name Team Gregg.

The new Team Gregg logo designed by my sister, Tara Gregg

At first glance one might think that Team Gregg is simply myself and Caitlin but it is way bigger.   I am continually amazed at the awesome Team that we have behind the Team.  This weekend's opening Super Tour races were a testament to that.  For starters The University of New Mexico graciously offered to wax our skis.  Ski waxing has become a big factor in ski races and a necessity to compete at the top level in the US.  Without a team logo just two weeks before the first race my sister designed our logo and we sent it to the printers with our Helly Hansen gear.  Our sponsor patches arrived from China just in time and my Mom brought her sewing machine out to West Yellowstone and stayed up late into the night with my sister-in-law Alieta to sew all the patches on.  My brother loaded up the split timer for the races and we had Gregg's all over the course to provide splits, spare poles, photos and cheers.  It isn't just the Gregg family out there, it feels like everyone is supporting us and it makes me want it even that much more.

Enjoying sharing information on the new Madshus REDline skis and Super Nano boots.

The racing started off great with Caitlin winning the sprint qualifier, and every heat through the A final in the freestyle sprint.  It is hard to tell how you will stack up while you train all summer.  This year we decided to go big in our summer preparation and to see all the hard work lead to success is very fun.  

Caitlin after winning the A final.  Her first Super Tour Sprint Victory

Some of the Gregg's of Team Gregg: Jim, Jan, Brian, Caitlin, Chad and Alieta

On my way to 2nd Place in the 15km Freestyle

One of the things that my summer coach Scott Johnston and I have worked a lot on is pacing.  I did countless 1 km loops this summer focusing on negative splitting.  In Saturday's race I started conservatively and sped up to move from 6th to 2nd.  This was a strong result for me.  I am particularly proud because this is one of my best individual start results and I skied the entire race by myself.  In the past many of my best races have been when the winner has caught me and I have simply hung on.  I am thankful for all the supporters, fans and friends that make this dream possible and fun.  Thank you.

Race Season Begins

Caitlin and I with our new skis.  I am really happy with my new classic skis.

My ski racing season started early this year with two races in Canmore on the frozen thunder loop, a Classic Sprint and a Classic 10 km.  I love racing and it is fun to kick of the season with early season races on snow, plus this marked the first opportunity to try my Madshus skis. It was also fun to do a classic race since my first six races of the regular season will be skate. 

After 10 days of skiing around a 1.8km loop I decided to go on a rollerski adventure with Matt and Josh.
We had fun skiing to Banff and exploring.  Our timing was great, because the next day it snowed several inches and the weather dropped about 30 degrees.

The month of October has been fantastic.  It has pretty much been an entire month of camp.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to simply train, rest, eat and sleep.   On October 30th I traveled to Washington for a little relaxation and recovery time before starting up a block of intensity as sea level.

Toko Wax clinic with Mark Wachter at Nordic Ultratune.

It is great to be back in the Methow Valley.  My good friend and long time supporter hosted a Toko wax clinic the evening I returned home.  It certainly had everyone excited because the next morning snow arrived to the Valley.

Closing in on the finish of the Driveway Butte Hill Climb Race.

Another reason to return to the Methow were two big events on Saturday.  The Driveway Butte Hill Climb is a race put on by my teammate Sam Naney and his wife.  I ran the race last year and it is nice to have markers to compare yourself with.  My goal is always to run faster, but sadly I was 18 seconds slower on the course.  Conditions were a bit different though with fresh snow on at the top of the course.

My Brother Chad, his wife Alieta and I at the finish.

The other big event is the Methow Valley Nordic Team Ski Ball.  This is the local junior teams big fundraising event which does a fantastic job keeping the program affordable.  The MV Nordic Team played a big role in developing me as a person (not just a skier).  Each year Caitlin and I donate a 'Ski Dream Lesson Package' and it was fun to be able to support the event in person this year too.

Frozen Thunder

After two great weeks of training in Park City most of the training group from Utah made the trip north to Canmore, AB, Canada for a bit more time at altitude and some on snow time.  For the last three years the Canadians have undertaken a project they call Frozen Thunder.  In the spring the plow up the snow from the trails in to a natural hole and cover it with about a foot of sawdust.  In mid-October they uncover the white stuff and truck it around the ski trails for guaranteed skiing.  Uncovering the snow and laying out the track involves 1 excavator, 2 piston bullys, 3 dump trucks and approximately $13,000.  It is really cool and I am not sure how it all pans out because a trail pass is just $10/day or $75/month.

The ribbon of snow is quite the contrast on a 65 degree day.  At least it cools off at night.

Caitlin and I enjoying the first day of skiing

I raced my first World Cup in Canmore and this place has always been special.  I personally haven't had my best races here but my good friend and training partner Garrott Kuzzy finished 9th in both of our first Sprint races.  Additionally during the pre-Olympic World Cups, Caitlin finished 14th.  It is great to share in the success of your friends and training partners especially because you can appreciate how hard they have worked.

Sam, Me, and Caitlin.  Today was the first day all of us MOD Teammates have been together since June.

Intervals today with Sam Tarling (Maine Winter Sports Center)

The entire month of October Caitlin and I have been ski racing full time.  We have had limited additional obligations to training and that has been wonderful and unique.  We have been training very hard and making sure we are eating well and recovering well at this important time of the year. I am very grateful to our sponsors and supporters for this opportunity.

October 4th Snow Skiing

Caitlin and I have hit the road for the season.  Packing our bags at home in Minneapolis was kind of wild as the thermometer registered over 80F.  We have become pretty efficient in packing our bags and to be honest I end up packing pretty much the same things for a two week camp as a three month trip.  I find it easiest to keep things simple and pack as light as possible.

Enjoying the view on top of Lapham Peak outside of Milwaukee with Birketoberfest Participants.

We traveled to Milwaukee to give a clinic and a presentation at Birketoberfest a fundraiser for the American Birkebeiner.  The Birkie is raising funds to purchase land to secure the start of the "Greatest show on Snow."  The race has had a major impact on our lives and it was fun to share how the race has brought us together, made our skiing dreams possible, led to our first home purchase and encouraged our families and friends to lead a year round healthy lifestyle.

We then flew to Park City, UT to kick off our second altitude camp of the year and to join with the US Ski Team and other Clubs.

Surprise, Surprise.  4 inches of snow greeted us our second morning in Park City, UT.  

The golf course looked too good to pass up.  We set our own tracks and it wasn't great but it was still fun to kick and glide on the real thing.  On October 17th we will go to Canmore, AB, Canada to ski at Frozen Thunder.  Frozen Thunder is the name of a Canadian project where they store snow at the end of last winter under sawdust and bring it out in mid October for guaranteed skiing.  Depending on the summer it will be about 2.5-5 km long. This is the third or fourth year that the Canadians have done this and the first time we will experience it.

Enjoying a nice 3.5 hour run/hike with our friend Casey Fagerquist.  We are taking the first few days at altitude pretty easy but with plenty of volume as we adjust to the lack of oxygen.

Excited to see the hard work of the summer show itself on the snow.

A little sample of a day at Run Club.  Today was an easier day which meant that the first 15 kids to run three laps get an apple.  The kids receive a Popsicle stick on each lap to help keep track of how many laps everyone has done.