I keep looking at my website post list and wondering why no new posts are popping up. I know they don't grow organically but for some reason I have been expecting it to happen without any input from me.

The good news is that I'm going to be in Lake Placid starting Oct 1st at a training camp so I will have internet and no distractions. Maybe those blog posts will start creating themselves that week?

I have developed an odd desire to race handcarts. I don't even know if that's what they're actually called but I mean those little platforms that travel on railroads by the handle being pushed up and down. I've never been on one and I've never actually even seen one in person but I really want to travel on one. I think it would be fabulous fun to race someone on a parallel track. Failing a parallel track and two carts I would simply like to use it as a traveling machine. Does anyone know where I can find a handcart with which to quench this strange obsession?

K: "Hey Laura, there's some building going up here. Apparently they're doing some ski thing."

L: "Um, duh, the 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS are in Oslo next winter. I don't know if you know this, but it's kind of a big deal."

K: "meh."

L: "Well if I get to race there you can come back to Norway to watch and visit your friends."

K: "Sweet! You should definitely do this race."

My little sister is spending the year in Oslo and we had this conversation the other day. Then I signed onto facebook and saw that she had tagged me in the above photo. Which I thought was cute.

It reminded me that work is busily being accomplished on the 2011 World Champs venue and, in fact, they've been working on it ever since they won the bid. I am, hopefully, going to show up to the 2011 World Championships and stay there for one week training nearby and then two weeks at the championships, then they're over and all the athletes go their merry ways. The organizing committee, on the other hand, is working on this as a full-time job starting last year and ending well after I'm snuggled back into my own home in America.

The amount of work that goes into organizing and running an event is staggering. I am so grateful that people are willing to do this and to do it well. I can't even imagine having to sit down and think out all of the needs of an event of that magnitude-- the needs of all the athletes, coaches, waxers, staff, physicians, attaches, then all of the race organizers and volunteers, the sound system requirements of the announcers, the wiring needs of the timing crew and of the film crew, the comfort of the spectators. And before all of the people show up needing things the actual, physical venue needs to be built-- ski trails, stadium, ski jumps, waxing areas, housing, parking lots, WADA testing area. It is unbelievable.

I feel so lucky to get to enjoy the hard work of so many people every time I show up to a starting line.

This year's race is Sunday, September 20th - race start at 1pm. The race is classic technique, wave start. The course goes out the Kincaid road and back on the bike path. Women, J2 boys and masters do one lap. Men will circle through and do two. We are doing day-of registration only. Race entry fee is $10.

I really haven't been original with my post titles lately, have I.

I did fall today on my rollerskis. I was skiing along nice and easily, kick double poling, and I skied my back rollerski into the front one. Then I fell over. You can rollerski hundreds of hours a year and still manage to fall over skiing across smooth flat pavement going in a straight line.

I never fail to impress myself.

Don't worry. Because it's Alaska and it is chilly I was wearing long sleeves and full spandex so while there's about 2 sq. in. of epidermis missing I didn't have to remove any sand or dirt. score.

I saw the first BOSS snowplow of the year out on a truck on my way to practice this morning. It seems a little premature since there's not even termination dust in the mountains yet.

And then I passed people setting up for the Tuesday Night Running Race during my afternoon rollerski and I got an urge to race. I didn't care so much who I raced or what event I raced, I simply wanted to race.

The ski season can't get here soon enough.

In fact, September is so boringly perfect this is the top news story: 127 pound cabbage breaks world record.

It's been such a beautiful September so far. That's all.