I Still Have a Blog?

I have officially been called out on social media for not posting on my blog in a while so I think it’s about time I post. To be completely honest I have been experiencing a slight lack of motivation for things like my blog, dry firing, watching races, visualizing, and focus during training. I think it is due to this “wall” I keep hitting during races. For those of you who happened to see the Jericho Rollerski race results you probably noticed it didn’t go so well for me.

 I was unable finish the first race and placed 2nd to last in the second race all thanks to the same “wall” I’ve been hitting for the past year. I have changed my training plan and tried focusing on different things but I still find myself suffering the same fatigue I experienced this winter. The best way to describe it is as a “wall” because I can start off a race fine (actually, I feel my overall speed and fitness is in good shape) but 7-10 mins into the race my chest begins to get very tight and my limbs go numb, preventing me from being able to use any power or keep good technique.

This “wall” has been pretty frustrating because no matter what I do (clean shooting, good race prep, visualize, etc.) I still will experience this “wall” and it will keep me from performing at my best. I think this is where my lack of motivation and focus is coming from. And with the lack of focus comes lack of organization and structure.

All of these factors combined has made me pretty overwhelmed and disorganized. So the other day I decided to take back control. I have been meeting with cardiologists and pulmonologists to figure out what is going on with me and I think we are on our way to figuring out how to break through this “Wall.”

In the meantime, I know fixing this one aspect of my racing will mean nothing if I’m not 100% focused, so the other day I sat down and got myself back on track. I wrote out a list of goals for me to accomplish day to day, week to week, and month to month to get me back to being a complete biathlete. So far the plan is working very well. I have developed a new love for the sport. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved Biathlon and always will, but my recent set backs have made me realize how lucky I have been up to this point and how difficult this sport really is. 

But in general my summer has been a blast. The team is quite a bit smaller this year but it’s still a great group of athletes and a great training group. The weather has been perfect training weather in Fort Kent. A mid-summer high of 70 degrees is perfect for training.

All right enough talk, it’s time for some pictures! 

Lance, Brendan and I. Photo by Cody

The start line at Jericho. 

Helping the young kids get into biathlon

From left to right: Cody, Me, Lance's butt, Brendan.
at Maine Team Camp in Southern Maine

Maine Team Camp in Fort Kent 

Shooting at Jericho, VT

With the fall approaching, I am looking for people who are going to Canmore, Alberta for early season skiing and the first two NorAms. I will be on my own this year in Canmore and getting a group together to split costs sounds a lot better than going at it alone. If you think you're interested please email me and we can make a plan (bhnordic4@gmail.com). 

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be better about updating my blog from now on but feel free to follow me on instagram (@bhalligan4) twitter (@bhbiathlon) and friend me on facebook.