As we bring this winter to a close, Bailey + Eric reflect on an unexpected cross-country skiing season with a few disappointments, the importance of focusing on the positives and the surprising impact being an AMBASSADÖRK had on their goal-setting and mindsets.
As for us - meeting Bailey + Eric was an absolute highlight of our winter. Their words, reels and smiling faces helped bring together a collection of nordie from across the US who shared a love of the glide - and that makes our hearts sing with a sense of belonging and community. We're sorry to see our new friends ski off into the sunset, but are happy knowing they learned things about themselves - and their skiing - by sharing with other nordies. And now we can't wait for next season.
With that, let's get to it.
bailey + eric
BAILEY: My Best Is Good Enough
I could easily be disappointed about the winter we just had. I could have easily given up on skiing altogether this year. I could have decided to not complete my "first" Birkie during one of the worst snow years on record.
I'm glad I didn't though.
Somehow, my love for Nordic skiing and the community surrounding it grew larger than ever this winter. For the first time, Eric and I followed the FIS World Cup. We would get up early on weekend days to watch the USA skiers race and I would be lying if I said I didn't tear up a little bit when Jessie Diggins crossed the finish line in first place during the last race of the year, winning the overall. Watching our fellow Minnesotans race in Minneapolis was inspiring and the energy in the crowd was filled with pure joy. To be honest, I think the USA ski team is one of the reasons I enjoyed skiing so much this year.
Following the athletes on social media, seeing Jessie Diggins dancing to her music before a race, and watching the giant smiles and hugs they share at the end of races has truly reminded me why I love skiing so much. Of course, these athletes all want to win, and often do, but they are very open about how winning isn't always possible, and how winning is not the most important goal that they have for the season. Hearing these professional skiers talk about how sometimes just showing up is enough to celebrate, just starting the race is, on its own, a win - it allowed me to celebrate my own accomplishment of skiing during a year when the snow was mostly ice and the BIRKIE was 30k instead of 50k.
In a recent Instagram post, Jessie Diggins said a few things that really stuck with me.
"There are so many variables that are outside my control when it comes to ski racing, and all year my focus has simply been to do the best that I can in each moment....The biggest victory for me from this whole season has been getting to the start line."
Giving myself grace to be okay with an end result, even if it wasn't what I expected, when I truly did my best, is something I have been working on as long as I can remember. I tell this to my patients and to my fellow residents frequently - "all you can do is your best." But it feels different to tell yourself that. It has taken a lot of growing pains and tears and soul searching to truly feel like I can be proud of my best, even if my best is last place. Even if sometimes my best means biking a mile behind the rest of the group. Even if my best means crying at work or skipping a workout or eating mac-n-cheese for dinner. Sometimes my best isn't what I want it to be for that day, but that doesn't mean I didn't try or that I can't be proud of what I did accomplish. Sometimes days are hard enough that just getting through them is representative of me doing my best, and I have to remind myself that my best is always good enough. Hearing the overall World Cup winner share so publicly that her goal was to do her best - not to win - resonated with me in a way I didn't know I needed. If Jessie Diggins' goal is to do her best, then that means it's okay if my goal is to do my best. My goal doesn't have to be to get first place or to be faster than I was last year, or anything performance-related at all. The external performance record is not more important than my own effort.
We thought about not showing up for the BIRKIE this year. We knew that our time on the snow was not going to represent our physical abilities. We knew the snow conditions would be treacherous, the course would be crowded, and our training was sub-par. But we also knew that we believed in showing up and trying our best, so that's what we did. We wore glitter on our faces and thought about Jessie Diggins and felt proud that we had persevered through a challenging winter.
I will take many lessons away from this winter. I learned about positioning my body over my skis during V2. I learned about the proper timing of V1. I learned how to meal prep like a champ so that I could still fuel my body with squash and chickpeas and walnuts and pears and eggs even during my busiest weeks. I learned how to prepare to go skiing in the dark after a 13-hour workday. I learned that I am capable of more than I thought. I learned that having a positive attitude makes the biggest difference. I learned that smiling when I don't want to go uphill anymore can give me that little extra oomph that I need to reach the top. But most importantly, throughout this entire Birkebeiner journey, I learned that my best is good enough and just showing up is the most important thing I can do.
bailey + eric
ERIC: Unexpected Bright Spots
I's Ironically, as I write this, it’s snowing outside.
So far this morning there’s only been a light dusting of snow, but there’s somewhere between 3-5 inches in the forecast. I went outside to take the trash out and caught myself whistling a Christmas carol. Weird.
At this point, it’s no secret that our winter was barely a winter. Last weekend marked the end of the ski season at Spirit Mountain, the only place that was making snow and keeping the winter dream alive in Duluth. Our skis have a nice layer of storage wax on them, put away for the season, and our living room is once again filling up with bikes. I started gravel riding last week and even snuck out on some sandy MTB trails east of here that had dried out in the 60-degree weather. Until today's dusting of snow and the frustratingly cold forecast, I’d say it’s felt more like May than March.
Two weeks removed from the Birkie and what felt like the end of the ski season, I can safely say that I had a good time. I am full of gratitude for the BIRKIE organization and all that they did to make the event possible during a winter that wasn’t winter and for Spirit Mountain for providing our community with a place to ski. Spectating the Minneapolis Loppet was a highlight that I won’t soon forget, and Jessie Diggins’ winning the Tour de Ski and the overall WC title was so frickin’ cool. What a boss.
That being said, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being a little disappointed at having to call this year’s race my first Birkie. It was fun to ski with so many other people and to tap into the energy of the Midwest Nordic community, but three 10km loops weren’t quite the same as doing the 50km ski to Hayward.
The race itself was… an adventure. I was in wave 3, the first wave to go in the afternoon race after the elites, which was great for the first 10km loop. I started fast, pushing myself harder than I might have otherwise, knowing that after the first loop, I would be with the later waves and things would become way more crowded. I’ve come a long way in my technique this year, especially my V1 given all of the climbing I did at Spirit, and I felt that progress in the pace of my skiing relative to the people in my wave. My fitness felt fine and I was smiling the whole way around. That first loop felt good.
But then I fell and broke my poles. The course was already pretty skied-out and icy when we started, and coming down the last hill before the start/finish area, my skis hit a patch of ice, slid out from under me, and down I went. I heard the crunch underneath me as I fell, and for a split second thought that I had broken a bone. It was just a pole though, and thankfully there was a set of spare poles at the next aid station that I was able to use to finish out the race. I finished my first lap, then ran into wave 8 as it was starting. From there, I spent most of the race moving between packs of skiers and doing my best to stay upright on the icy climbs and descents.
By the third lap, I was done pushing and weaving through the mass of skiers and started joining in on the fun on the sidelines. I stopped to chug a beer with a group of friends and took advantage of some of the “free samples” from spectators along the way. It was a fun ski and- despite the pole- I’m glad that I did it.
Winter was weird, and a little existentially horrifying from a climate change perspective, but I had a good time. The unconventional weather inspired me to start running again for the first time in years, and the few days that I was able to get out and ski real snow I deeply appreciated the experience.
An unexpected bright spot this winter was being an AMBASSADÖRK. Intentionally sitting down to reflect on my goals, training, and general state of being throughout the season was huge in getting me through the toughest parts of winter.
When Bailey signed us up for this experience, I was a little bit skeptical, but I appreciate what NORDJÖRK is doing for the Nordic community and the passion that they are doing it with. Writing for Nordjork and meeting with Kevin and Jenn mid-season kept me focused
and motivated, and I attribute a lot of the progress that I made as a skate-skier this season to the AMBASSADÖRK experience, and I plan on intentionally setting aside time to check in on myself and my goals throughout the upcoming bike season and beyond. Reflection is good.
Here’s to snowier days next winter!
the closer What We're Thinking About.
That Bailey + Eric are incredibly cool nordies. They set aside time to share in their BIRKIE journey, and we couldn't be more appreciative of their attention throughout the ski season. While this winter put a lot of us through the wringer in some fashion, knowing Bailey + Eric were out there resetting their own goals was inspiring and helped us re-frame challenging scenarios. We're deeply grateful that our little brand celebrating a small corner of the skiing world brought us together.
If you've enjoyed the Bailey + Eric AMBASSADÖRK journey and would like to share with the nordie world your own skiing goals for next year, reach out: skadi@nordjork.com