The last few days have been a whirlwind of emotion, reflection, and adventure. After much contemplation, I joined Team USA in Washington, DC, for the Olympic and Paralympic celebration.

What’s been most prominent in my mind is my gratitude for sport, and every way it’s shaped my life. Of course, sport opened doors for me that would have never opened, including the entrance of the Rose Garden in the White House. Which, as an American citizen, is one of the greatest honors! While I don’t align with any aspect of the current administration, not attending because of that alignment felt like letting him win by taking away an experience I earned. And that was only one aspect of the trip; there was also an athlete summit that was really great to experience, and I met a ton of incredible athletes who compete in different sports. Apolo Anton Ohno gave me a hug, which might have made the entire trip!

The key event of the trip was, of course, attending the White House to celebrate the Olympians and Paralympians for representing the United States on the Olympic and Paralympic stage. This allowed us to walk through the historic halls of the White House. It was incredible, thinking about all the history and who’s walked these halls.

My major takeaway from my in-person experience is that Trump was clearly not an athlete. As I mature, I’ve come to realize just how important sport has been in shaping my life and who I’ve become along the way. For me, it’s been sport, but of course, any pursuit that challenges you and pushes you to pursue excellence.

To me, it’s quite obvious that Trump might need to join a recreational soccer league, as he has never engaged in a meaningful activity that teaches these lessons:

Learning to lose and lose gracefully

Respect for your competitors

There is no " I " in team, even in individual sports

Genuine confidence lifts and inspires those around you

When celebrating other people, don’t make it about you

The top is very lonely if you step on everyone to get there

A diverse set of perspectives helps solve complex problems

The only goal isn’t to get rich (easy as a Nordic skier)

You cannot cheat your way to the top… normally (I’m not referencing Biden’s election)

Maybe he’s a lost-cause narcassist. Since a picture is worth a 1000 words, here are some pictures of what made me think of some of these lessons:

This is a brief reflection on this experience, and I hope putting it into words is therapeutic and, perhaps, an important reminder to myself and others to live by our values, even when high-performance environments can sometimes push for performance at all costs. I’ve struggled a lot in high-performance environments to show up the way I want to, but the team around you and supporting you is the biggest factor in accountability and genuine success. I hope more people engage in sport or some meaningful pursuit to learn to lose and learn to be caring, kind, and empathetic humans.

Here are some more joyful pictures!

The last few years, I’ve struggled immensely with classic sprinting. In fact, I’ve been sidelined most of the World Cup season from any classic sprint starts. To be one of the four American women starting tomorrow is a testament to the hours my team and I have dedicated to my classic skiing. It’s unbelievable to see all the hours of hard work come to fruition. And now, tomorrow, I get to showcase all of my classic work. I can’t be prouder and more excited! Let’s do this thing!!

Expect more writing soon… :)

Yes, having definitions for words is essential (trust me, I’m in the midst of learning French, and it turns out knowing what words mean is necessary - don’t get me started on how to pronounce them). But maybe we don’t need to define everything, especially people. We, humans, fall prey to our own nature by creating boxes and definitions for one another, including ourselves. We define our identities in a few things: parent, sibling, runner, athlete, influencer, student, artist, ect.

To my extended family, I’m the skier. To many people in the ski world, I’m a skate sprinter. While both those statements are factual, they can be harmful when you, yourself, fall prey to the boxes others assigned you. In the last few years, the skate-sprinter box has been inescapable. How others and you think about yourself profoundly impacts how you perform. And if you write yourself off as not a contender, likely, you won’t surprise yourself or those around you. Here’s to asking yourself, “what can I do?”

I’m really excited to start this season on the U.S. SuperTour circuit instead of the World Cup circuit to start both distance and sprint races - expanding my predetermined “box” and asking myself what I can do? A curious mind is one of the most powerful things in the world. But to let life surprise you, you have to be open and curious!

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While growing up in Boulder, Colorado, one of the healthiest towns in the US, I didn’t begin cooking with more non-meat proteins until recently. I hate to admit it, but of course, this is a place of complete transparency. The main reason for my lack of consumption of plant-based proteins was a lack of experience and knowledge of how to prepare them. I should preface this that I’m not a vegan, but I do try to eat heavily plant-based. I try to eat a variety of foods, and for me, that includes meat and fish.

I’m only sharing my personal preferences; I’m not a professional offering professional advice (although my Mom has her PhD in nutrition). So here you will find true variety in nourishing meals that I cook to fuel my life!

Back to soup season. And circling back to my somewhat recent introduction to plant-based protein, specifically lentils. I’m still very much learning how to cook lentils. I have to say this soup will make anyone a lentil fan, I think. I made Vanilla and Bean’s Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew, with a few additions of my own. It's a one-pot, super easy, delicious, and very nourishing meal! What else can you ask for?

I added two sweet potatoes and did a little less carrots, and I added torn kale at the end. I served with some bread! Delicious! And then for lunch the next day, I added a fried egg for a shakshuka-type vibe. Delicious!

Food is fuel for the brain, body, and soul <3

dinner :)

lunch :)

A bit about me, first! While I don’t define myself by skiing, ski racing, and everything related to skiing, it is currently my job. My job is to cross-country (Nordic) ski race as fast as I possibly can! It’s a really cool job, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not full of gratitude for pursuing my passion for cross-country ski racing. That being said, many of these future thoughts will center on skiing, but more importantly, on pursuing internal excellence. I tend to apply it to skiing (and life), of course. So while the skiing thing might be directly connected to your pursuit, I think there may be some thoughts that can apply to anything in life. Or at least get you to pause, slow down, and think about something you are grateful for in this moment.

I spend around two to six hours a day exercising with a full recovery day every week. That’s a lot of hours training my physical and mental. It gives my mind a lot of time to wander, and this is why it’s ever so important that while I train my physical, my mental training is aiding my physical rather than holding it back. And I’m excited to share some of my thoughts, what I’m working on, what I’m struggling with, what I’m fueling with (I love to cook!), and fun things that make me smile!

Stay tuned <3

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