Breaking the Silence......!

Many of you have probably noticed, I've taken a sabbatical from my blog. Apparently that sabbatical and resulting silence was more needed than I previously thought. I've laid in bed countless nights composing posts in my head but unfortunately, they never exist on the screen in the morning. What have I been up too? Here are some quick Q&A's just to get something out into virtual life. I have to start somewhere, right?

Sanding in style - with full protection!

What have you been up too the past 2 months: 

Training - (in AK!) public outreach projects in AK & helping build a multi-generation cabin in Hope, AK. I've been on a handful of fun, small adventures with my Husband and it's nice to feel pseudo-normal again. I've enjoyed drinking coffee and reading the paper edition of the morning newspaper at my own kitchen table!

Most people are downright confused about your move to not do full time World Cup anymore..... 

Contrary to confusion I am NOT retiring. I'm pumped on a new goal - FIS World Loppet Marathons. This will have me racing 40, 50 & 70 kilometer ski marathons all over the World. No North American (to my knowledge) has really ever taken this on as a goal and I'm really excited!

What's the best thing I ate today? 

I LOVE blueberry season. And I'm totally smitten over CLIF Mojo Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Bars....

Everyone wants to know - am I doing Mt. Marathon?

Why, yes actually.... it's a little race on July 4th in Seward, AK. People tend to think of it as the "Olympics of Alaska."  The hype is in full swing with only 10 days to go until race time. Check out this crazy YouTube from the race a couple of years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2r4fMHdD60

You 

mentioned Adventures? What kind of adventures have you been on? 

Long distance adventures in Alaska are one of the ways I gained the fitness I did.... It's my favorite part of living here and I had two really sweet trips this spring. Rob was on BOTH of them too so that was fab. The first was a beach bike ride on our FATBACKS from Captain Cook State Park to the end of the Homer Spit with our good friends Katie and Justin. We were on our snow bikes which also work great for the beach. We ran our tires at approximately 12 PSI....... The second was a traverse of Chugach State Park with Rob. We started up Bird Ridge and just kept going until we descended on the Pioneer Peak trail out near Palmer. That trip connected some of our favorite trails in the park with a ton of back country and a whole heck of a lot of vert!  We hiked 50 hours in four days to bag that one. You do the math!

Biking in x-tra tuff boats on the beach! 

And Outreach? 

Last week I hosted 26 APU Juniors for a day of training camp in Hope during their annual "Death Camp."  The athletes (U16) roller skied up to 23 miles and then did a 4k foot hike. They also learned they aren't allowed to walk pass the pull up bar without hitting it up.

I also did a presentation for the United Way Emerging Leaders Group on behalf of Healthy Futures - an awesome program that I'm involved with. I talked about my role of giving back to my community as an athlete and educated them about HF and other projects I'm involved in in AK. Last week I also had a preliminary meeting with folks from the Chugach National Forrest and the Teen Media Institute about doing a multi-media project about recreational opportunities in the Chugach. Anything to get people excited about spending time outdoors - and then protecting them b/c they love them! Every week has been just that busy with fun projects.... I'm a lucky person :)

Post-ski, boot strip.... 

The Juniors hitting up part of the HOPE gym :) 

Friends at the Chugach also hooked me up with this awesome poster that I've been wanting a copy of for a while now! Thanks Sara!

Will you participate in the annual, upcoming Alaskan Women's Training Camp? 

Heck yes!  It starts right after Mt. Marathon so I should be good and rested :) We will spend the first week in town and the second week up on Eagle Glacier. I can't wait to see my friends, teammates, and special surprise International Guests!

 My Solstice Tweet? 

Beach Bike ride yesterday with Rob Robert Whitney was awesome until..... we went to bed and the bugs came out. Of course we took a tarp instead of a tent to go lighter (?!) .... woke up every 15 minutes in a pile of sweat & deet. I "slept" with my head net on until at 4am I decided that enough was enough. We started our AK Solstice off by riding away from the bugs, on the beach, in the rain at 4:30am. Lucky for us it was plenty light out!

 Best article I've read lately? 

A friend shared this article about Beyonce with me a while ago and I passed it along to my USST teammates. USST Women's Coach Matt Whitcomb recently asked me for the link and I re-read it tonight. It's one of the best pieces I think I've ever read. Truly, it's worth the 6 minutes that it takes to read.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/05/shine-theory-how-to-stop-female-competition.html

Other than that, life is good.  I'll leave you with this thought: Make this your mission today and everyday. It's certainly mine! (Bummer sticker compliments of Annie and Dennis Ronsse's Van) 

Cheers, 

Holly :) 

PS. Did you know that Devil's Club are actually edible? Check it out on my friend Heidi's awesome cooking blog here: 

http://www.chenagirlcooks.blogspot.com

A new exciting phase in life!

Big news coming out of my world. That is, if you haven't heard earlier this spring I decided to withdraw my name from the "renomination pool" for the US Ski Team. To put it in plain and simple words, next season I will not be an official member. I emphasize the distinction because I hope that I will always be an "unofficial member" as the team is kind of like extended family to me. I've spent close to 200 days outside of Alaska the past few years, 95% percent of those days being ski team affiliated. It's more time than I've spent with my husband, friends and family combined. 

Perhaps the largest challenge throughout this whole process is trying to tell people that although I'm not on the USST, I'm NOT RETIRING. Understandably people think that I must be done or maybe I'm even pregnant if I'm choosing to NOT pursue the World Cup full time. However, that's simply not the case. I can assure you that I'm very motivated to train and that I'm not done skiing.  I simply want more time with my husband & family, more time at home in Alaska, and an opportunity to do some non World Cup races where I can realistically chase the podium.  

Alex Mathews of Fasterskier wrote an article the other day about my decision. Read it below if you're interested: 

Not on the U.S. Ski Team List, Brooks Still in the Hunt for International Podiums

http://fasterskier.com/article/not-on-the-u-s-ski-team-list-brooks-still-in-the-hunt-for-international-podiums/

In my mind I will always be a part of this awesome team!

 Team from 2012-2013... Now of course with the addition of Soph! (Photo by the infamous Reese Hanneman)

Girl's Team in Toblach, Italy this year... missing Jess. (Team RUDY!)

For the first time since the season ended I'm finally getting settled at home, in Alaska. This spring I opted to spend two weeks in the Pacific Northwest catching up with family and friends.  In the past couple of years family visits have been outside of security at the airport or crazy 24-hour, everyone gets an hour type visits. I really wanted something a bit longer.  Here are some pictures from my trip down South:

 Tulips at Seattle's Pike Place Market.

The crown we got for my Grandma's 90th! (acquired at a Drag Store on Broadway in Seattle of course!) 

My Grandma, "Oma" complete with her crown, Ferry wings and bright pink boa! 

 Walking Cannon Beach with my sister, dad & mom... Thanks so much to my wonderful friend Merritt for hanging out and then letting my family crash her beautiful beach pad!

 Hot tub time with sibs Scott and Robin

 All four of us together in front of Nick and Ellen (Scott's friends and adjoining farm) old chicken barn - ready to Tour Shaw Island (where my brother now lives) via two wheels!

 Triplet Siblings on Shaw Island's South Beach

I have had SO MUCH FUN these past four years and I don't regret a single day, decision or action. Also, like I said earlier, it's not over yet - I'm just starting a new phase :)

In all reality this front page picture with the Anchorage Daily News wasn't that long ago. My sports psychologist likes to use the analogy that I'm like a cat with many lives - college Holly, professional consultant Holly, Ski Coach Holly, USST Member Holly, and now ______ Holly! I'm really excited about the future... 

I still need to put together the details for the next phase of my career but first I'm anxious to spend some quality time with this guy..... and to be clear I'm talking about the one on the left, not the right - sorry Al!  

(NBC Commentating booth in Sochi) 

Thanks so much to all of you for your continued support and encouragement. Stay tuned to see what happens next!  Until then, make each day count! 

Sincerely, 

Holly 

The family Suburban should pull up any minute now!

I'm sitting at my friend Merritt's place in Cannon Beach waiting for my family's Suburban to pull up any minute. We've having a bit of a "family reunion" after a long season on the road. Also, I'm embarrassed to say that I can't even remember the last time I saw my brother, Brian. There are many wonderful things about World Travel, the Olympics, etc, etc but missing your family is not one of them. I'm super pumped to see them and this upcoming weekend, help my grandma celebrate an early 90th birthday party.  Don't tell her but a pink boa and sparkly crown is coming her way! 

I absolutely love Alaska but whenever I travel "outside" I'm reminded of all the fabulous things elsewhere too.  Here in Oregon spring is in full force. It's lush, everything's covered in moss, the cherries are in full bloom as are the tulips and daffodils. It's magical. It's colorful. I love it. 

Catching up with Merritt :) 

I'm looking forward to life slowing down a bit and enjoying that extra cup of coffee. I feel like I've been running and scrambling ever since the races in Anchorage ended a bit ago.  One big component of this was the traditional USOC trip to Washington DC to meet the President. Yep, that's right, the President!  I actually wrote an article about the experience for my hometown paper, the Anchorage Daily News. You can read it here if you're interested: 

http://www.adn.com/2014/04/12/3422943/holly-brooks-goes-to-washingtongrizzly.html

 The women's team in WA. (Kikkan and Ida had other spring plans before the trip was announced, hence only five of us) 

 Obligatory jumping picture with the National Mall behind us. 

One really fun thing was celebrating Rob's birthday. For the past X number of years I've completely and physically missed Rob's birthday. I decided that this year things had to change. So, the day after the 30k we had a mountain side birthday for Rob half way up Manitoba Mountain. We hauled a grill and all sorts of fun supplies half way up a mountain. FIFTY people showed up to help celebrate and I think it will go down as a pretty epic party :) 

Here is our friend Greer with the most decadent cake I've EVER had. I'm pretty sure the thing weighted at least 20 pounds and it should go without saying that it was delicious! 

Nearly last but not least the APU team is preparing for our annual spring fundraiser to help cover the costs of the past competition year. If you live in Anchorage and haven't been it's actually a pretty fun time. Put it on your calendar or better yet, if you're so inclined to donate something to the cause, shoot me an email! 

Oh - and of course by the time I actually got this blog published my family has shown up :) Here we are on a beach walk last night. It's great to see them! 

Cheers & thanks for reading, 

Holly 

Home Sweet HOME!

A lot has happened since the "battle of the Engadin!" And, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, I survived!  Perhaps it's easier to recollect the past two weeks in reverse chronological order, most recent being first.

Such an awesome group of APU athletes competing here in Anchorage! 

The most exciting thing is actually happening right now - that is, Super Tour Finals right here in my own backyard of Anchorage! Last year the spring domestic races were exceptionally late, the last one ending on April 11th. I was so tired and blown out from the season and five months on the road that I opted to skip the race series in lieu of being at home. This year not only are the races earlier on the calendar but they're at KINCAID! It's been awesome having all the skiers here in Alaska. The weather has cooperated and our community has held some really fun, high level races. In fact the field of athletes is by far the strongest of the entire year because the entire National Team is in attendance & 12 of the 14 Olympians that went to Sochi!

Racing the 10k skate at Kincaid - photo by Rob

Women's Classic Sprint Final

We had this SUPER FUN event today out at Kincaid.... 

Thanks to Joey Cat and Susan Duck for helping organize and pull it off! 

It's super fun having friends come out and cheer at races. Here they are having a grand time. I believe the hatch tag was #winning!

Eva got to give the awards for the classic sprint! Thanks to all the sponsors for the event including Advanced Physical Therapy who was the sponsor for this day. It's awesome to have such fabulous community support! 

 

In total 230 volunteers from Anchorage are helping to put this race on!  Here are Cathe and Alice giving out timing chips. (Both women used to ski in my group)  :) 

And..... here are some shots from the Oosik 50k Classic in Talkeetna the other week. 50k Double pole 30 hours after getting home wasn't the best for my elbows. They've been sore ever since... 

Chris Hodel flew around taking pictures of us and landing on different lakes in his plane! Always fun to get an aerial shot :) 

A fun first weekend back in AK with Rob. I also chose to rock the Finnish Olympic suit for the race which I traded with Aino Kaisa Saarinen. So... this suit won two Olympic Silver Medals and the Oosik Classic :) 

Some of my favorite boys picked me up at the airport to welcome me back to AK for the first time since November 15th!

We ordered Mexican - delivery! It tasted SO GOOD!

I was exhausted & literally sleeping in the car when I opened my front door to a huge surprise party! Certainly a shock to the system but so fun to see so many good friends at one time! Wow. Also, it should be known that Rob is HORRIBLE at keeping surprises but I had NO IDEA about this one. Well done Rob! 

Crossing the Ocean Again: 

And the Engadin Valley! (Switzerland) This was my last stop before returning back to the states. The Engadin is the largest skate race in the World - in one of the most beautiful places in the World. Second to AK of course :) This was the view from the condo I was staying in! 

Yes! Prize $ from my third place in the night sprint. Fun ripping some fast corners in downtown St. Moritz! Congrats to Bettina for an incredibly successful race weekend! 

Engadin Marathon Podium. I was 4th after taking myself out of contention with a fall at a crucial spot in the race. I need to get back there and win that Steinbock someday! 

Tony, of Team Tony!  To fully understand how awesome this guy is read this article: 

http://www.king5.com/sports/seahawks/Hawks-Fan-Goes-Beast-Modein-Cross-Country-Race-250712261.html

A unique aspect of this point to point race is that all 13k people ride the Swiss train back into town! 

That's it for now! Check back later for a full recap of racing at home - and of the season. We've raced four races here in Anchorage and the only "hurdle" that stands between us and being done with the season is the 30/50k at Hillside on Friday. For those that know Anchorage trails the ladies are skiing the entire Spencer Loop 3x and the mens are skiing it 5x! Skip work to watch the carnage!  Women start at 10am and men start at noon. For some info check out the event website HERE. 

Thanks for checking in! Time for me to get some rest, 

Holly :) 

Preparing for Battle, AKA the Engadin Ski Marathon

Two years ago I came and raced the Engadin ski marathon and swore I would never come back without protection. Protection you might ask? Yes. Actually what I mean by that is that many of the top girls in World Loppet and Swix Ski Classic Marathons are skiing with male blockers. Domestiques if you will.  The last time I raced this race it was one of the more aggressive experiences of my life. The first five k was spent stepping over broken poles, Caitlin Gregg went down with a concussion (we later found her at the Sameden Hospital) and Morgan Arritola allegedly punched someone; a man at that. The problem is that the start is coed and there are simply too many people to make it a decent ski race.  The first ten k's are across a lake, directly into a headwind so the leaders can't escape and thousands of people are stuck behind them like a bottle of soda ready and wanting to explode. 

So why did I come back? 

This:

Switzerland is known for beautiful snow, mountains and sunshine. And compared to Oslo which has apparently had 15 hours of sunshine since Christmas it's a bit of a different world.  This is actually the view out the window of the apartment I'm staying in in Samedan. Good thing Sochi got me into walking shape! (the 1,000 owl figurines in this small studio apartment deserve special attention) 

One thing that's cool about big marathons in that they often have spectator friendly sprints beforehand. Last night we had a night sprint in St. Moritz. You can't tell from this picture but there were actually lots of people there and the finish line was around the corner in the center of town. There was music and people were drinking beer and eating brats! 

I even won some $! First dollar of the season, literally (unfortunately). It might even be enough to cover the expenses of my trip :) 

 Congrats to Swiss local and friend Bettina for the win! 

 This season I haven't done a SINGLE race that isn't a World Cup and last night was a huge breath of fresh air.  The World Cup is really, really hard and if you're not 110% on top of your game. It felt nice to actually step on a podium for once! 

 Another reason I absolutely love this time of year.... flowers! 

Thanks to Malone from Salomon and Matt Gelso for a fun morning of ski testing.  This is tomorrow's finish line, 42k's away from the start!

Matt and I waiting in the sun.... we didn't want to get baked so we improvised. 

It should also be mentioned that Tony Wiederkehr helps host a sweet situation for a handful of athletes from the US. There is a crew here and Tony is our fearless leader. Tony's also got some big plans up his sleeve for his own race tomorrow.  Seattle folks, you're going to love this one! Stay tuned.... I can't spill the beans. In the meantime, if you're curious to learn more about this battle of a race, check it: 

http://www.engadin-skimarathon.ch/sites_e/index_home.php?IDt=home_home

I'll let you know if I survive this in one piece! 

Cheers, 

Holly