Relay, Rings, Results

First up, the men’s relay.  This was my third race of the Olympics and I was racing the third leg of a three-lap course.  That was enough threes for the day though.  We didn’t get third.  We got 14^th which, for those of you examining results, is equivalent to last.  Also, we barely managed to not get lapped.  This was our big achievement for the day as we had a few substitutions due to sickness and other focuses.  It was still a fun race and I think we were all proud to represent our country.  However, racing to not get lapped is also very different.  For my leg, it felt like I was racing scared.  The first info I got from the coaches on course was how far back to the leading team. This led to some funny racing, and I did not execute nearly as well as the previous two races.  I skied one lap frantically fast and then suffered.  It was only the combination of all four relay team members suffering that allowed us to finish the race.  Go team!

The day after the relay, I was a lot more excited though.  For most of the Olympics, Caitlin and I have been lacking in friends and family.  We have lots of supporters cheering from the states, but most thought it would be too difficult to make the trip over here.  The rumors of nightmare lodging, expense, and logistics have mostly turned out to be false.  However, now we have friends.  A few of our friends from Idaho way back when (think 2005 when I was less than 5 feet tall according to Caitlin) decided last minute that a trip to Korea for the Olympics would be awesome.

It felt a bit surreal to walk up to a coffee and flowers shop in the middle of Daegwalnyeong, Korea and meet with friends I hadn’t seen in over a decade. But, I can’t think of a better way to bring people back together. Over the last few days, we have checked out the Olympic scene more than the first weeks with going to a few events, exploring USA, Sweden, and the Proctor and Gamble houses, as well as making a trip down to the coastal village in Gangneung.

 

Coastal Village. Photo: Caitlin

 

Requisite entry into the free village McDonalds.  No, we didn’t get anything other than a photo.

 

Coastal art. Photo: Caitlin

 

Friends in the rings.

 

 

 

 

I can’t go without mentioning the most exciting event of the week: Kikkan and Jessie won a gold medal! It is still setting in even for us.  First women’s cross country, first cross-country gold, second cross country medal ever, and the list just keeps going.  Now, I really want my own (as if I didn’t know that already)!