Road Runners, Cacti Flowers, and Mountain Views! Early April is the perfect time to escape southwest, just as Minnesota enters its unpredictable season of mud, rain, and occasional snow. This year, we designed our road trip around two main goals: visiting close family and friends, and hitting some epic mountain biking trails. Our circle...

Several years ago, I was on a mountain bike ride with my husband, Craig. His chain started acting up, and he was almost certain there was something wrong with his drivetrain. I suggested that he lube it and clean his chain, since it sounded really dry. Sure enough, when we returned to our van...

2026 Tour of Anchorage Trip Highlights Day 1 Highlights Hillside Park Ski Adventures The first day, we skied at Hillside Nordic Trails, just a short drive from our lodging in Anchorage. We skied the pristinely groomed trails, then had participants ski a mostly downhill point-to-point trail called the “Tour of Anchorage Ski Trail” to Alaska...

Four Gold Medals in the Bank for USA Paralympians Jake Adicoff, Reid Goble, and Peter Wolter Last spring, I had the pleasure of interviewing both Jake Adicoff and Reid Goble as they prepared for the 2026 Paralympics in Italy. You can read more about this interview at the following blog post: Chasing Gold in...

A Closer Look at Three Midwest 2026 Olympic Baithletes! Over the past 30 years of ski coaching and racing, I have enjoyed meeting so many unique athletes from all over the Nation. I feel fortunate to know many of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympians from the Midwest. Three of the Olympic Biathlon Team members...

Prologue, by Kim Rudd – The incidence of compartment syndrome among cross-country skiers has increased over the years, and for many has been misdiagnosed. Both of my daughters experienced lower shin pain while performing the skate-ski technique during their high school racing years. My oldest daughter, Hannah, was diagnosed with lower Popliteal Artery Entrapment...

I am currently typing this article up on the North Shore, with frigid temperatures around -15 and 10mph winds! I am leading the women’s Endurance Adventures North Shore ski trip, and many of the women are pretty intimidated by the upcoming forecast! Over the last forty years, I have trained and raced in very...

Menopause and Training: Understanding the Shift in Your Active Body For the active woman, the journey through perimenopause and menopause can feel like navigating an unfamiliar map. The body you’ve known—tuned, strong, and predictable—begins to change. You may be experiencing baffling shifts in energy, elusive sleep, more frequent aches, and frustrating genitourinary symptoms.  If...

Bike Storage Tips November and December are perfect times to get your bike ready for the upcoming riding season. If you do not have time to do this yourself, drop your bike off at a local bike shop for a maintenance check before storing it for the winter. Most bike shops have special deals...