Kris Freeman

I have too much on my plate to ressurect this site. Please see my blog on www.fasterskier.com for updates. I will continue to hold onto this domain for future use.

As I search for answers to what happened to me at the Olympics I have to recognize three glaring amateur mistakes.

1) I lost control of my emotions and allowed myself to wallow in depression after the 15k. I wasted a lot of energy with negative thoughts.

2) I spoke unguarded with a fasterskier reporter about how my skis were selected for the 15k race. I stated repeatedly that I did not fault my techs for the ski selection but the article placed blame directly on my staff. I will never treat any reporter, no matter how well I know them, as anything but the media. I apologize to the waxers at the Olympics who did great professional work for the duration of the games.

3) I finished the 30k after nearly passing out from hypoglycemia. This may seem admirable but it drained my glycogen stores to an irreparable state. My back seized so badly after the race that I could barely walk. I had no stores for the 50k.

I have decided to utilize this site again. Unfortunately for my readership I know very little about website construction and management. Please be patient as I will have to find someone smarter than me to make this site look prettier. For now it will just be a blog that Zach and I will be updating frequently.

My Olympics was an unqualified disaster. I am searching for answers to what happened to me. I went from tantalizingly close to a podium in December to unable to finish a race in Vancouver. That track record makes me the most inconsistent and volatile racer on the world cup. My diabetes management strategy was clearly insufficient to manage the stress of the Olympics. I got so focused on making sense of the tools I already had for glucose management that I stopped looking for the latest innovations and ideas. I am consulting new endocrinologists to try to get a clearer picture of the last month. On Monday I will be fitted with a new Dexcom continuous glucose monitor. I have a lot of questions and no answers at the moment so I am diverting my attention from the world cup to my health. If all goes well over the next few weeks I plan to race in Maine at the end of the month. Stay tuned for my assessment of the new glucose monitor.

Recovery from surgery has gone well for Kris - really without a hitch. However, it’s a long road back from a very invasive fasciectomy, and Kris is just starting to introduce some load-bearing exercise to his legs. He’s been on several double-pole sessions on rollerskis without any setbacks, and is slowly introducing other more ski-specific work. In the meantime he’s been training good volume swimming, paddling, cycling, using a double-pole ergometer, and doing his rehab work in the gym. In terms of general fitness there will be no set-backs.

We all learned a great deal this past season and there are some really substantial changes to Kris’s preparation for the coming season. A major overhaul of skate technique is on the way, focusing on better muscular economy and energy management during race efforts. The structure of his training has changed to focus more on shorter load and recovery cycles, and building the tools to develop and support optimal race efforts. There has never been an issue with fitness, and the focus this year moves beyond fitness to race preparation and execution.

These changes are evolutionary - based on a growing understanding of what it takes for Kris to be a podium contender on the right day. We’ve got a lot of confidence in the equation that has emerged. Over time this website has been a way to support Kris’s efforts. By sharing his commitment with the public we’ve reinforced a mutual belief in the chosen path. We’ve built confidence through the telling of a story. This weblog has served multiple purposes, with it’s first purpose being to reinforce the strength of belief behind Kris’s efforts. It’s no longer necessary. Kris knows what he is doing - he doesn’t need to be convinced. And there is a subtlety to the approach now that, frankly, is likely to be lost on most readers. So we’re not going to be talking much about specifics on here anymore. There is a plan. The goal is clear and the path is clear. Kris is building a sense of inevitability. And that’s about all there is to say about that!

Kris is bored. As far as I can tell he’s been spending a fair amount of time on the phone. It surfaced, in one of several conversations we’ve had (so far) today, that my number is on speed-dial. Not surprising, considering how frequently we talk. I’m number 9 on Kris’s speed dial.

Number 9 ???!?

OK - the phone probably has number 1 pre-set to voicemail. Julie must be number 2, and his mom must be number 3. Who the hell are 4,5,6,7&8? Kris claims that number 9 is actually a really good number - you know - corner position and all. I think he’s backpedalling like crazy.

Kris had surgery this morning. I’ve talked with him a couple of times on the phone, and it’s been comical. Between the dwindling effects of anaesthesia, the first dose of heavy duty pain medication, and his third cup of post-surgical coffee he’s been fairly hyperactive and nonsensical. All things told it sound (as far as I can tell) as though things went well. They found extensive scarring in his anterior compartments, apparently providing an immediate explanation for at least part of his condition. They released everything available to release, but I don’t know exactly what that means, and neither does Kris. The cross-fade from anaesthesia to caffeine and oxycontin has put Kris in the mood to climb on an airplane and get back over to Europe for the Trondheim 50K. Or maybe, on second thought - the Vasaloppet - that’s pretty much a double-pole race, right? His HR was 28 during surgery, and responded to the first two cups of coffee and consciousness by climbing all the way up to 35. He’s fit, and he’s about to be really bored. 8 days until Julie arrives to keep him company (or whatever).

The website was down there for a bit, but we’re back now. It would be nice to pretend that all the web traffic after the 15K crashed the server, but that’s not the case. The host got changed and I screwed up the nameserver something or other. Managed to lose some content along the way as well (if anybody has any saved copies of the missing reports please send them to me!). Anyway, it’s a multi-purpose title as it works for Kris as well. He’s back in a pretty big way, and at just the right time to hit his major race goal of the season. Full Post »

Well, it wasn’t a good day at the races for Kris. His fitness appeared to be right where we expected, but the combination of an average (not better) fitness day a raging blizzard, and a crash in the first 200 meters made for some frustration. Full Post »

Kris is in La Clusaz with Justin Wadsworth and Oleg Ragila as his support staff. The crew made it onto their Zurich flight from Helsinki without too many problems after I last saw them on Monday. They got ushered through security and onto the plane, and even got their bags on the other end. A short run that afternoon was all the training that Kris took, but Tuesday and Wednesday were solid training days with perfect endless extra blue skiing right out the hotel door. Wednesday evening Kris took the cargo van to Zurich to trade some coaches - drop off Pete and Randy and pick-up Justin and Oleg. A night at the hotel there, and a drive from Zurich to La Clusaz this morning. Tomorrow he’ll test skis and do a little light speed, and Saturday is a mass-start 30K.

As of now it’s dumping down heavy moist snow. The forecast is for more continuous snowfall at temps of about +1C right through the period, cooling to 0 or even just below after a period of very heavy snow early friday night, but then continuing with snow all day Saturday. Could be a real slugfest!

Expectations for Kris are somewhat muted this weekend. He’s in France to race, and every start is an opportunity. But the focus is on energy management and being ready for Davos.