March the 4th.

Hello everyone, here we go again for 3 new weeks of races... For now, we are in Slovenia, housed in Bled, at the edge of a lake. Snow is much higher, in Pokljuka and it shapes walls of 2 meters at the edge of the road. Thus, I feel like if I was in holiday, at watching at the ducks paddling and shaking at their tail, at strolling at the edge of the water, my mind somewhere else !! For the moment, I have difficulties to get back from the Games, it's a bit paradoxical since I have done nothing at the beginning of the season... I should be fresh but no, I sleep all the time all the time and I feel like I've grown old of 10 years more !!
Anyway, I'm motivated for the next races, I don't know what it will come to at all but we'll see.
Hope everyone is ok, Kiss to all

February the 21th.

Gee... what a wonderful Olympics !!
I think I'll remember as long as the precedent, but for different reasons !!

That's really an awful season, black, ugly, spoilt, which smells hard the mould... I think I must pay for my excess of luck in Vancouver. And the bill is a bit steep... !
Now, I must take a global view of the situation on the last events and above all, learn my lessons well, start up and put things into perspective : it's only sport. Crisis periods sometimes help us to grow up and to make a fresh start. That's what I hope today.

To summarize my races, of course, I've come a long way but I couldn't help thinking that there was a little chance for me to slip through the net of the "big ones" of the discipline... but no, there was a high level in each race from the beginning to the end and there were very few failed balls in the 10 firsts. And my own level was finally never up to the event.

Well, I realized that one does not catch up 2 months without skiing and without shooting during training, in only 2 weeks. Yet, after a shot without foul on the sprint and a 19 on the pursuit... I find it hard to reproach myself something on these 2 first races, except my ski level and my slowness at shooting (which, I admit, is important in our discipline !).
My biggest regret remains in the individual in which I was totally out of the race, I got lost in the rythm of the 15km, starting like on a marathon, and I was not in on the shooting carpet (which goes hand in hand).
Then a bad cold preventing me from doing the mass start... (as if I have made soooo many races this year !!!...).
Regarding relays...

Tonight we all support Marie-Laure who is living difficult times and that we love hard.

Finally, I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of the end of Olympics to thank all the players of the French team, the customs administration, sponsors, medical staff who supported me a lot since the beginning of the season, my family, my friends and supporters and above all, I apologize for not having been up to some expectations (mine first).
The season is not finished and I hope to raise my level for the World Cups on March, to forget all about this catastrophic winter's beginning...
Thanks to all for your support.
See you.
Marie, full stop.

February the 19th.

Today, we played and we lost !!
It's the exact principle of the game : "winning or losing".
At least, it's not "living or dying", so, in our misery, we have the good luck to have bywords which under no circumstances commit our vital process.
Of course, there is disappointment, because losing is always maddening, but it happens !
But don't we say : "before winning, one must learn to lose" ?!! (I may also have dreamt up this little sentence... that would be well my kind to make excuses to avoid the slaughter !).
Anyway, everybody accepts the rules and defeat goes with the job.

Tonight, we keep a low profile and we all stick together to get ready for the afterpart, because we are lucky to have one more race to share, still a good opportunity to suffer to be beautiful... !
For my part, it's the first race in which I recover some senses on skis. Of course, my relay is not really beautiful and 2 balls slip (particularly one whose I'm not proud of), but I finally recover the craving for excelling, I want my body to be hurt all over, this touch of sadomasochism which left me since November...

See you on Friday for the end of the adventures of Riri the Butchery (a name intentionally chosen to scare but which ends up doing my adversaries laugh... next time I'll clould the issue with the nickname "Riri the Dandelion" or "Riri Friendly" to earn some sympathy and anesthetize the suspicion).

February the 14th.

Enough ! Enough ! Enough !
Yes, here we are, that's what I call a failed race. And from beginning to end. Yet, today, it was Valentine's day, and besides, I was wearing a bib with the number of my birthday, and above all, I was longing for and I put my heart and soul into it. Well, I shouldn't have ! I had everything to be in good conditions. But no, I failed ! Bang ! like the sound of the bad balls, the ones that go in the white part.
Tired...
Not only did I start to run as fast as a bloodless octopus, but I also shot the pigeons. Except that there is no pigeon here. Probably because they were afraid that they could be terrorist pigeons, so they knocked out everything before. So I wouldn't have shot even one pigeon.
Enough... Nothing to retain. I'm short of races, I can't reach the good pace, I can't follow the strong ones and I'm frustrated. Here I am, a frustrated Agent who struggled during 2 months to finally miss 4 balls and walk backwards in moonwalk. Yet, I should be fit as a fiddle but I feel like I have faded. It's because it's too hot. Besides, I caught a cold after the pursuit, as if I have not had enough rubbish things in this season... When I besides think about our cars which withdrawn, I say to myself that there are some winters where we would better hibernate. Like bears. But we agree, cars have nothing to do with it here.
In short, here I am, with my cough, my stuffy nose and my failed race and my broken cars, to brood without chocolate to revenge.
Enough! enough! enough!
Well, the only thing on which I try to focus my bad mood attention on tonight, is the fact that I'm qualified for the mass start. Whew ! Over the edge, but I'm in. I just hope that next monday, I'll have a better level than tonight, if not, I'll be pushing up daisies.
Anyway, that's cool.
Come on, we must be motivated, get together, smile again, be positive...

February the 11th.

The Butchery, 2nd mission. Ahhhh, how hard it is ! Ahhhh, how it stings our legs ! The bad uphills smack us. The bad downhills scare us. The enemies do not miss their targets. Aaahhhh, poor us, Agents, yet full of goodwill !!
Besides, during the last battle on the shot field, Agent Butchery dropped a stick in the pit... Unless it is the stick itself which did not want to push anymore, it took a jump (I think it's rather this). The fact remains that the Agent, lost, long weighed the pros and cons of going down in the pit to bring back her stick or going on with only one... She finally opted for the second option, for fear of being disqualified, but skiing only with the legs is too hard for her, her legs are too tired after that...
She let precious seconds in this last and terrible uphill. She probably missed the chance of finish among the 10 firsts. Drat ! shit ! blow ! mess ! the Agent said.
And through spite, she insulted this lazy stick. That is not good.

The level is high, the races are beautiful to run and probably to watch. That was a close one for the Agent Cleaver, it will be difficult for the Agent Butchery. But far from being dispirited and the rage in their hearts, our righters of wrongs on a mission, go to bed thinking about all the races which expect them... They format their legs at suffering more because the individual race will be hard, long, it will be awful but the pain is our best friend in this moment !!! We tame and corrupt it by promising lies. For, whatever the cost, it needs to pass in the enemy's field. Patience, all things come to those who wait... (and I did wait for long!!!)

Thanks to all of you for your messages, see you soon. Tomorrow is rest, the day after tomorrow is rest, and after the day after tomorrow... the awful individual race will show up. Ain't scared !

February the 10th.

The Butchery report stop.
This is it stop. First race done stop. Mission accomplished for Agent Riri stop. All the balls found their target stop. Which was not an easy one stop. Luckily by the way stop. For if not she would have been dead last stop. Agent is happy stop. She could not have done better stop. Her legs are still weak stop. Maybe she makes do with very little question mark stop. But maybe it is a good start even so. Enemies are legion here stop. Agent The Cleaver (Nanass) made a good job stop. This Agent will finish it with honour stop. And Agent Butchery will try to help him stop.
Why is it necessary to put stop at the end of the sentences question mark stop. That is dumb in the end stop.
Anyway it is good to go back to work stop. And the emotions of the races are heady stop. The Agent came to like the fight stop.
She looks forward to go back stop.
See you soon boss stop. You can count on us we will crush them stop. I say it without any agressivity of course stop.
This telegram must remain confidential stop.
You can swallow it to make it disappear stop. Or burn it it is more digestible stop.

February the 7th.

Hello everyone,

Today is the first day of a sudden tiredness... Hence, life is less pink in the Caucasian mountains. However, it's not the fault of the weather, since the bright sunshine dazzles every morning.
No, whose fault is it, then ? well, me, do not know.
Even so, Agent Butchery is still very happy to be in Russia, but she doesn't know, there is a little something that she misses... Step by step, the radiance of the village fades for giving way to all the little defects of a structure made in a hurry... taps that do not work, doors that do not open, elevators out of order... It doesn't minimize the beauty of the site, but it helps to think about the legitimacy of this astonomical expense, which maybe here shortly, will have to be redone, because of a premature wear. After all, I'm just saying...
So, whose fault is it for this sudden sad feeling ?
I think it's the physical condition and the shot grade of the Butchery that makes her feel sad. She realizes that one can't regain 2 months of races in 3 weeks. Except... a time machine, here is the answer !
So, that's it, I will have to make do with what my legs and my mind can bring, to play my cards right a little bit.
And then... That's the way it goes, honey !!!
Tonight is the opening ceremony... I'm sure it will be very beautiful. We'll have to watch it on tv, like you !!

See you soon.

February the 3rd.

Agents arrived at destination.
Mission #1 : remaining impassive in front of the landscape which welcomes us... "ooohhh how beautiful it is!!!"
1st mission already failed. I walk gazing vacantly around me and the mouth opened. Fortunately, there is no flies. Since the beginning, Sotchi offers us a breathtaking landscape : the mountains with their snow-capped summits stand out in pink on a dark blue sky...
It's 19 o'clock here. The "endurance" village, where cross-country skiers and biathletes will be housed, is finished and actually, it's just beautiful.
I continue my exploration, with my tired eyes but still opened like saucers, eager of photographing the least detail of this luxury ski resort. The very cozy chalets, in which we are accommodated, are organized around a central building which serves as a restaurant, an outside green swimming pool (yes, it's green, but not dirty, it's just green to be good-looking. And it's a success...), bar, etc...
I did not explore everything.

"gggrrrr, Agent Riri, keep cool, keep watchful eyes and a keen foot. All this could probably be deception, trickery, lies, cheating..." "oh no, I can't, I can't, I can't, it's soooo great, soooo beautiful and my stomach is too empty to be unbiased."
My stomach is rumbling. Indeed, my gastric juice is personally attacking me.

So I take care of calming it by stuffing myself of sushi, fishes, rice and other meat. It's strange, I usually don't like it... hum, hum, it's queer. While eating everything that passes next to my fork, I inspect the huge ceiling lights made of glass (could it be diamonds??).
I don't talk. Nobody talks. Everyone is speechless.
After, Agent Riri walked on the balconies decorated of ice sculptures. She precisely inspects these latters, still the mouth opened, but still no flies to swallow, luckily.
Agent Riri the butchery comments aloud : "I decree that all things considered, after this first inspection, there is no trap. It's just beautiful and our duty is to enjoy."

Then, problably from tiredness, the Agent, weary, grovels in her bed with a very meaningful beastly growl, on a colored patchwork which serves as a quilt, that, by the way, she intends to steal at the end of these Olympics to have a memory (is it worthy of an agent ? probably not), next to the other agent, sadly famous for its exploits : Nanass the cleaver.

It's only 19 o'clock but it's good to be arrived... at the Olympic Games...

January the 27th.

Now I write by telegram. With an old-style font, like in the american crime novels which guide me during my lonely evenings.
When I go under the quilt and that I switch on the little light. The one that doesn't enlighten. And then, I open my crime novel and I already thrill of pleasure at the beginning and of fear at the end. Because when I switch off this light that doesn't enlighten anything, it suddenly gets dark and the characters of my novel invite themselves in my bed. The villains mostly, the ones that kill shamelessly. Well actually, I talk nonsense and it has nothing to do with it.
Stop.
Bag packed stop.
Chrono done and to redo, intervals done and to redo, rifle cleaned ready to use, passport should be valid, spirit almost ready to roll check, physical condition check (at last, I just take what there is), socks that doesn't make pleats in the shoes and that still smells good check, ski boots still wet from this morning check, panties with flowers apparent under the white snowsuit check, books in a large number check, drawing book to caricature the coachs check, multicolored glitters' soap for princesses offered at Christmas check, mustache of Marie Laure for identity changing (we never know) check, dried fruits in case of major constipation check, clothes replacement cold hot black white colored check, Lacoste suiting robe of ceremony check and finally very soft teddy bear for when I feel lonely check. Oh damn, I'd better not tell this. So I replace : gun wih double hydraulic valves check.
Stop.
Agent ready to go stop.
Destination : Italy.
Main course : maccheroni al formaggio and pizza
Crime scene : Bionaz
Killed person : unknown identity
Agent on the case : Riri the butchery

January the 22nd.

Hello everyone,

I am the black cat of the French team. Or no, I am Riri-the butchery, undercover agent, in a bad state almost recovered, but a black cat follows me closely. I hear its purr laughing at me when I stumble and break my ankle. I feel its wet fur brushes me past in the fog of Anterselva. It's everywhere !!!
It keeps a watch on me with its big yellow eyes, looking for a spell to cast on me on the next day. The guy has resource. It spawns one bad joke per minute.
This cat stinks.
It's nasty, it's got a guileful smile and it takes it out on me since the beginning of the season.
It's a crazy cat. Like the one in Alice in Wonderland, but worse.
But... agent Riri the butchery is gonna make short work of it. By the way, despite all its efforts, it lost : I'll be at the start of the Olympics.
Ok ok, I say it quietly because it might strike back.
Anyway, in spite of all those cats, I'm happy.
My fingers tingle and I see blur, I see rings everywhere (interlaced rings) and I'll compete in the Olympic Games.
And then maybe, the cat won't go to Russia ?! It's cold there and it's far, isn't it, big tomcat ?!
Come on, leave me alone and find yourself another mouse...

I apologize but once again, I can't reply to everyone... in short, I've got an intensely busy schedule, chronos here, intervals there... departure on Tuesday for the preparation training in Italy and then DAAAA VAAAAïïïï !!!!! and hello to Russia !

See you soon,

January the 11th.

Hello everybody,
Well, this is it ! I'm on the right path : the one which reaches back !
Now I can ski... properly. I can't say that I recovered my "before" feet, nor my "before" legs but I look more and more like a biathlete. And then of course, there are still pains. More or less hard, according to the push and the ankle angle but yet, still there. But when I look where I come from, I think to myself : "wow ! don't turn around, behind, the clouds are very black!"... I think to myself that it's not that bad.
So, Italy does me good. I don't know if it's the breadsticks, the pasta, the running in the swimming pool or the care of Bruno, our physiotherapist, but, finally, something worked (I tend towards the breadsticks).
I'll be on the starting block at the relay on Sunday. I only hope that I'll be equal to my compatriots... that I won't stop in the middle, that I won't miss all my balls, that I won't start in pyjamas...
Now I have to get fit, strength in my big thighs and the eye of the hungry tiger behind my shooter... a beautiful challenge again !
See you soon.
Kiss to all of you,
Marie

January the 2nd.

Well, how can I say it ?... finally... I don't ski anymore. Or at least, I have a break (one more!), in this incredible training that could not be more efficient, in preparation for the Olympics, for which my doubtful participation varies from likely to unclear.
Today, I had some medical examination. Although the healing starts, it's not complete yet and an inflammation of the interosseous membrane (which links the shinbone to the fibula) lasts. It's the one that causes my pains when I press on the skis. And it's because of it, amongst other things, that I'm condemned to spend hours one-to-one with the Karacho, again.
The hardest, in the end, is to be uncertain. It means remaining mobilized, keeping training by other ways, staying positive, convincing myself that everything will be alright, for, finally, being absolutely not sure of anything and being at the mercy of all the possible futures, including the most pessimistics.
So, see you next week for a new weather report !

January the 1st.

Hello everyone !
I wish you a very happy new year 2014 !... wish you all the best !
As for me... I skiiiiiiiii !!!! It must be obviously said very quietly, so that it doesn't fly away, this word is so fragile... and I'm still not one of the most efficient on these unstable boards (Rossignol, I need some stable skis that blow by themselves !), but... but... nevertheless, I'm on the snow.
I still feel pains which prevent me from pressing properly and for the moment, I'm only skiing on flat paths.
But... but... nevertheless, I'm out...
I am riri the butchery, the ruthless agent who, without saying she resumes races, will never give up...!!!
Once again, happy new year to all of you.
See you soon,
Marie

December the 24th.

Hello everyone,
So, for the news... there's no !!
The healing is very slow and my ankle still hurts. At times, the pain changes side, sometimes on the right side, sometimes on the left side, on the front side, on the backside and on the right side again... It's not steady and it doesn't help me to define if I progress or not. At the moment, after 5 days wherein I absolutely did not move a toe, I pass through a period of denial in which I ignore this sprain.
Well, ok, I can't do it and I stamp, I put on my ski boots, I mime the skating movement. But I try my best to be wise and keep calm !
Meanwhile, I afford myself the luxury of doing one hour of karacho (an infernal machine for the arms workout), brighten up of abdominal with a touch of buttocks exercices, all on a bed of smooth exercice bike. And this is it, Wonder Woman is born !
By the way, since a few days, the karacho is afraid of me, I feel it by its smell of burnt... (I must say that I became a real tank). Luckily the night comes early, when my husband comes back home, I already wrapped my muscles in a pile of loose clothing. That's all I would need ! Make him run away, frightened at the sight of such a log, what am I saying ? of me ! built like a tank ! Happy holidays to all, enjoy with your family, your friends, the magic of Christmas !
I've been nice, so I really would like that Santa Claus brings me ligaments made of tungsten soda, bilateral, inside, ultra-tough and impermeable.

Kisses,

December the 11th.

Hello everyone,
After 2 weeks when everything went from bad to worse, I just come back from an appointment in Lyon for a scan which learns me that a healing is possible within one month. Then they gave me an injection of PRP (some stuff from my blood which "accelerates" the healing), that, by the way, is not enjoyable at all. Phew ! It's a relief for me and even if everything remains to be done, because the ligament is affected, now I try to focus my energy at healing.
The schedule of the next few days : some rest one week more... (where my body turns into a huge factory of ligaments), then resumption of biking, then... if pain is gone... resumption of skiing for Christmas.
So I hope that Santa Claus will be kind because I'm a good child and that he will bring me a brand new ankle, ready to confront the snow !!
If everything goes smoothly, I'll be back in the system during January.
Thanks again for all your sweet messages which made me happy.
See you soon and have a great race in Le Grand Bornand for those who will enjoy the party (I won't be there because the doctor advises to stay really quiet one week more).

December the 5th.

Well, how to say it ?...
If you wanted to take a ticket for Le Grand Bornand to come to see me... well, you'll see the others, who will be sure to make you dream, but it will be without me.
For the Games, it's difficult to pronounce in advance, but it's possible that I watch them on TV too, and then I'll burn this same TV by frustration.
Anyway, I never watch TV.

The sprain is finally serious, with an complete rupture of the ligament which holds the shinbone and the fibula together (the scientific name is : a complete rupture of the anterointerior tibiofibular ligament - no, I did not learn it by heart, I just read the report in front of me - and incomplete ruptures of other ligaments, here and there, because one stricken ligament was not enough).
Anyway, for the non-doctors like me : I BROKE EVERYTHING, BAM ! and so, it's difficult to ski when my bones move apart from one to the other (a story of couple again !), preventing so, my foot from leaning on, without pain. In the most serious cases, it needs 3 months rest. But... it's also possible that within one month, I am back on skis.
Meanwhile, it's a bad news which hurts my fragile little heart at the same time, and let me curled up in my bed. That's the solution I found for this evening, at least.
That's it.
Agent Habert goes out of business. Prohibited from abroad missions, she examines her bed.
She will softly let her go, get fat, take lots of pills, maybe start smoking, and by going raging mad, she will burn everything, to exile somewhere else, in dreamland, where wounds are repaired in 2 days and where everything is allowed...

Kisses to all and see you... I don't know when !

November the 17th.

Let's get back to the adventures of Agent Dorin.
Concentrated in the practice of her art, she starts the mass start.
But the beginning is not good and the agent ends up by going round in circles; because of her sloppy lying shots and so, too many missed shots.
Hurry to finish with these rounds, she recovers at the end of the course.
And it's sprawled on a couch, that the Agent tells her epic. Ah ! how good we feel when suffering is over !
That's the way she runs out and keeps on telling foolishness.
Still 2 days of rest before the wednesday departure.
Ostersund will be the direction, with the beginning of the competitions... To be continued.

November the 16th.

Norwegian selections
First wicked pains in the legs of Agent Habert-Dorin, who ends up climbing the last hump afoot. Getting out of the standing shot, our french Agent who turned around the ring, searching for clues, sees the norwegian Agent Berger getting out of the shooting site like a rocket, upturning the snow with her skis tip, a crazy gaze, tightened jaws, to run at a wonderful speed, straight to the arrival.
That was enough to put a bug in Agent Habert's ear. Convinced that the norwegian holds a crucial information there, she gets into her heels.
But the enemy is too strong and the Agend Habert suddenly pays for this overconfidence, at the top of an endless bump.
And that's the way that, letting fly away the hope of an interesting progress for the french intelligence agency, our exhausted Agent will end her race all stiff...
Despite everything, quite happy of her general performance, our spy though allows herself an afternoon of almost total inactivity. Lost in a sleepiness close to bliss, she gives time to her body to regenerate, spending the afternoon at counting the laths of the ceiling. There are 40. But her strong mindset is not impressed, and tomorrow, she will have her heart set on find out the secrets of her compatriots.

November the 12th.

Active Agent Habert Dorin in Norway.
A quite delicate training mission, which requires much discretion. Agent Habert is not ready yet to face the wide Norse cold, and her mission seems compromised.
She shivers once the barometer drops under zero... this trembling doesn't help her in her search of preciseness behind the rifle.
And, driven by a fierce will, she tries to learn about this new white material, cold and sliding, which seems to fill out the air with iced spangles : snow.
Agent collects, sniffs, tastes, analyzes and spies this disturbing substance.
On her feet, she puts wooden boards in order to shift faster to take her samples.
The latest news : she's not the only agent on the spot. It seems that many nations are interested in the secrets of snow.
But thanks to her cleverness, she found out, before the others, that snow was made of... water !!! Incredible discovery ! Agent Habert already fancies Nobel Prize.
What a pretension !

October the 18th.

Oberhof doesn't make me lie, and it's in the rain that we arrived in the town. It's still in the rain that our first shot session took place, and still in the rain that we are doing (suffering) the training the afternoon for 2 days.
That's it. This morning weather is almost good (a square of blue sky - should I have dreamt ? - is emerging on the horizon). I would gladly stay in a good mood if I didn't know that all this is only a subterfuge to bring us out... to better drown us then.
Fortunately, there is the tunnel : a huge white structure full of snow, from which I know every recess by heart and where I don't even succeed in counting the number of rounds we are tirelessly repeating.
The advantage of this place essentially resides in the fact that the absence of sky saves us for 2 hours from the daily rinsed...
Well, it's also true that it's good to put on the skis again, that glide sensations are still so pleasant to recover, and that the touch of the snow makes my hair raise on my arms and my heart beat a little faster, because its smelling recalls the well known ones, of the winter and its contests... !!!
See you soon,

September the 30th.

Back home after a trip in the Tyrol, at capering in the green and all clean meadows of Obertilliach, staring at the manure well tidy in perfect squares, observing more intrigued, the people transforming piles of wood into immaculate artworks, forgetting all those visions of instructions to climb the mountains which stand all around the site, going crazy on the roller skiing trail for hours and hours thinking about the huge Milka purple bars, all new, which wait for us at the village grocery... well, after 2 weeks of training without clash, it's good to be back in her little cozy home.

To approve the whole summer work, the first roller skiing races took place at Arçon at the end of the training. Everything went well for me, I keep on quietly as if nothing had happened, as if I had never had a back pain, as if I was serene and after all, it looks like it works well...!
Cooool ! I can rest, I can stop pretending being wounded since this is clearly no longer the case. It will still be necessary to find another way of pressure so that I can keep on being pampered. I am working so, on the development of a plan, looking at creating a small new mild wound, which would make me win races this winter... (if it exists, of course).

October missions for agent Dorin-Habert :
- 2 weeks at home, training, lesson resumption, papers etc...
- departure for Paris : introduction of the French skiing teams
- trip to Oberhof from Paris
- arrival at Oberhof in the rain
- ignition of the anti fog lights to locate the base camp
- landing of the things in the mud
- training in the rain
- wednesday in the rain
- thursday in the rain
- week in the rain
- early transformation into frog man
- back to France before the gills advent

See you soon,
Kiss to all,

September the 17th.

Tomorrow is the leaving for Obertilliach in Austria.
And this, with a brand new back, which screams everywhere that it's happy to resume training like before (some do not suspect a thing !). Biking remains the main problem, as well as the sitting position mostly, which announces some very long journeys, starting with tomorrow's one.
That said, it's cool to not having to stand up straight all the time ! How good it is to slouch like a flabby stuff without skeleton !!!
Not happy having a brand new back, my rifle also benefited from a little styling : sanding, scratching, coating... it purrs of pleasure !
Anyway, me and all my new acquisitions are very glad to leave for Austria !!

August the 26th.

Training in Font Romeu : I slowly resume. It's not easy and I have to adjust my training to my discs. However, I can restart exercices and the first intensive work went well. Positive result so.
But it's too slow for me and I still have lots of difficulties to accept to do a little less, to take good positions for my back (a stick up your a**, straight as a poker, etc...) which are uncomfortable and engage the muscles a lot.
Except those little problems, everything goes well. I even enjoyed swimming at high altitude, something that turned out to be harder than usually.

August the 6th.

I just got medical examinations and everything's fine (or at least, everything is not so bad). There is no slipped discs, only some cracks in the lumbar discs. In short, it's minor but healing time remains long for an athletic person (a small month).
So, I'm idle for already one week, I'll resume doing home trainer, slowly, from Thursday and progressively, I'll restart the various activities which compose our sport, with, in last of course, the resumption of running and body-building.
Let me tell you that I feel useless and that my slack arms incommode me, that my legs itch and that my brain runs at full speed, trying to convince my discs to recover a little faster.
I guess that it's probably a blessing in disguise and I try to take advantage of this period of forced rest.
I try to be philosophical, kind of "nothing happens by chance", "your body probably needed some rest", "listen to your body, it will reward you", "eat some chocolate if you can't do it" (oh yeah, this last one is from me).
I hope this little mishap won't affect these winter races. I keep staring off in the near future. I try to be positive but not too much, finally, I have the right to complain, right ?

July the 27th.

Hello everybody,

Here we are in Norway, eternal resumption, the years pass by and the place still remains as calm, soothing, with, nevertheless, a variation this year, because it's less wet (for the moment).

So we are experiencing the Norway under the sun. It was already very beautiful under the rain and it's even more when the weather is good. Albeit, the colors are a bit less bright, especially the green color which changes from granny apple to olive!! (well, it's obliged that I find a failing !)
After 5 years of training here, we finally found a little path that goes around a lake, to go running the afternoon.
Gorgeous. Just a bit difficult to look at the scenery and to run at the same time (anyway, I'm not really able to do 2 things at the same time, I almost look like a boy !!), because the path is strait and Mother Nature traps us with different materials which can turn into genuine weapons when they slyly jump out on our ankles.

Apart from this, the preparation runs its course, not always in the facility but still with so much craving.
I even afford the luxury of napping for more than one hour and a half, drooling like a Saint Bernard on my pillow.
Something that rarely happens to me.
Well, everything's fine.

I got stuck my back this morning and my hypochondriac side has imagined all kind of incurable ills, such as a herniated disc, a sciatica, a cruralgia, a bones inflammation, in short, a serious stuff that must be operated. But don't worry, it's only a little muscle contracture of nothing at all. Ok. No worries. So I go on. But if you could pity me a bit, I'm sure it would get through faster !
See you soon everybody, hope everyone is ok,

June the 18th.

Hi everyone,

Hi everybody (I say "Hi" against all odds, because I got a good grade at English test, so I feel a bit bilingual - what am I saying ? I AM bilingual !).

Brutally, here is the summer, under 30 degrees well beaten, after a winter which, voracious, has slightly encroached on its little bro : spring.
I find so, that, after being too cold, now I'm too hot !!

I'm training between girls for 15 days (except the staff which is desperately too ballsy - forgive the phrase - to be part of the fair sex). We found out a new site : Bormio. Bormio is very beautiful, with beautiful mountains, pines, mountain passes, good pasta "al dente" and a big sun that shines very very strongly and which is very very hot !! Ma quanto è bella l'Italia !!

The roller skiing runs are great, twisting between the pines and the small inhabitants of forests: hinds (1st day, 2 hinds already seen). By contrast, the resumption of shooting is not that simple and I already feel angry with my rifle, which, since early, is well decided to act its own way. My high pulse, because of the heat and of yesterday's journey, did not help either to stabilize my gun and aerate my muscles... really hard !!

See you soon,

March the 26th.

Hi everyone,

I found back the French flag and the Vercors' mountains but also the gray of the month of March...
The last races in Kanthy Mansyisk in Siberia went well.
I would say even more : they went very well !
During the pursuit, I recover from the 18th position of my horrible sprint, to the 4th position... helped by a very good slide, by my legs happy to press on the skis (for once) and by a carbine in a good mood.
The next day, on the mass start, I draw the same winning trio (good skis, good legs, good shot) and I even afforded to get up on the podium for the 3rd time of the season, proud as a peacock and happy to end up those world cups on a good score.
Finally, I end up at the 4th position on the overall (a position which followed me a bit the whole season...). I am really satisfied about this rating and it's my best season in terms of results, with a very regular level on the whole world cups. The only pet peeve will remain the world cup in Nove Mesto where I did not know how to be myself and manage my own stress and the one of my entourage too...

The return from Kanthy Mansyisk went without incident, with an arrival in Bardonex under the rain, without battery in the cars and finally, to get on Pr&aecute;manon, big flakes, well wet, blocked us right in the middle of the rise of St Cergue, just specially to make us regret having left the Siberian cold... Fortunately, some pleasant Swiss custom officers saved us from a certain death by reaching us back to the CNSN.
The next day, with Marine and Alexis, we changed scenery... swapping our coat of athlete against the one of instructor. We spent one week of training in Prémanon in order to finish the State Certificate of cross-country skiing.

What a busy life !!!

Saturday, the bed had put on its most attractive costume : the one with comfortable pillows and a big quilt made of feathers (I think that it was dressed the same on Sunday... And I feel that it still did not change).
Well, now we are back home, training the rest of the week to prepare the Championships of France (which is not easy when it comes to ski under the rain), the show in Moscow and the tournament of customs in Austria. Still 5 races so, before the truce.

Ho no !!!!

I'm kidding, the remaining races are the cherry on the cake, the extra life of a video game, the bonus point, etc...
Thank you to all of you, for your encouragement throughout this season (hey yeah, even if it seems a jot narcissistic, it's very pleasing to feel supported !!).

See you soon to all

March the 14th.

Hi everybody,

You don't know how to miss a target ?

You are afraid of doing too well ?

You want to know how to play behind?

Marie Dorin answers all your questions and will find a solution to allow you to miss your goal. Don't look for Noon at 2 PM, the truth is much simpler !! Join me on marie.com.

Me being disappointed, me being cold, me wanting to go back home, me having frozen my brain, rectification : me having frozen my neuron (what's a pity, the only one I had), so, me want to go back home even more, me having missing my race, me having maybe buried my carbine in a hole, in the woods, abandoned and cut into pieces, burnt and smashed and defenestrated, but the good education regains me (family legacy), so me do not give in to my murderous impulses. Well, what me gonna say again to complain ?

Me being stupid, me being ugly, me not being happy, me having a beak, me being cross-eyed... me being and having still a millions of things.

Haaaaa, me feel better after this little moment of self-flagellation !!

See you soon, roll on Sunday or rather Monday when the plane will lay down its wheels in Geneva and when my head will lay down on the comfortable pillow (my husband's shoulder).

March the 10th.

Hello to everyone,

After the sprint which was so hard, so wet, so late, so hard, so hard, so hard, sohardsohardsohard, well, who is the one who did not sleep ? that's Riri !!
The season is almost finished and I think that now, I hold on to only my nerves. Therefore, I spend disturbed nights, full of nightmares, of labyrinthes and other zany dreams which leave me tired when I wake up at morning. But hey, it only remains 4 races. Go Riri, go Riri, go Riri !!

Yesterday's race went well. I end up at the fourth position (again!!) and I decided to think up for a concept of a 4 places podium for the next year. But this time, I am happy about this position because, anyway, I would not have done better, considering that I shoot at 10 and that I am almost dead on my skis. The others are stronger, that's it.

After a first part very sunny of the week where we could find out the wonderful landscape that surrounds this place, we have snow now, then mucky fog, then rain today.
It's good, we have had all weather !!!
The spectators were very nice yesterday evening and they really helped us to climb the vertical walls which serve us for climbs...!
Here more than somewhere else, I think that we all need encouragement !!
Today is the relay, later again and tomorrow is the trip, direction to "Kanthy the beautiful", for the last 3 world cups of the season, brrr, because I believe that it's very very cold there... (kind of -25 degree celsius).

See you soon.

March the 7th.

Hi everyone,

A little preview of the future Games site... a wonderful site when the weather is nice. And since 2 days, a bright sun makes sparkle the mountains that surround us. It adorns their white coats with diamonds which offer themselves to our eyes under their best days.
The trail is as beautiful as difficult. Bumps, bumps and bumps again, enough to make camels jealous !!
The word : "roller coaster" is totally appropriate for this location.

Today's race was simply a hell, from the start to the end. I think that, approximately 100 meters after the start, I began to have sore legs... might as well say that the 5 rounds have not gone well and that physically, I was rather in a day "off"...!! On the shot side, it's middle, not ugly, not wonderful, right in the middle !!!
At last, now I'm trying to force my body at recovering. There are only 3 hours of jet lag but I feel like a sleepwalker ! Although I sleep more than 10 hours a night - sleeping is big word but at least, I stay lying down in my bed - and though, my brain which is a bit dizzy sends me some absurd dreams.
Therefore, I don't recover extremely well. Therefore, me being tired. Therefore, me having sore legs. Therefore, me being stucked in climbs.

Go, before I drift into wacky ravings, see you soon and have a good night...

March the 5th.

Hello,

Thanks to all of you for your messages !

Oslo, effectively, went well for me and I hope that this "chance" will remain until the end of the season...

We are in Sotchi, it's weird.
It's a ghost town built in a nowhere place, luxurious buildings sprouting like mushrooms in the middle of the mud stirred by the machines, the ground is dug everywhere and the employees are exhausted (exploited ?). Everything is tall, everything is empty, all this makes me feel uncomfortable.
After a hard day trip, hours spent waiting in the airport, in halls where you had to show your passport thirty times, where you are photographed, first the face, then the carbine. Everything is classified, we don't really know why, nor how, nor where, nor to what it's used for...
Lady patience, help us !!
Now, we are in beautiful wooden chalets, at the top of a cable car, next to the stadium.
I don't know how it's gonna evolve for the next year, but I just find that this waste of money is not really consistent to the idea I had about the spirit of the Games.
Smoke and mirrors.

See you soon,

March the 1st.

Hi everyone,
Today is the resumption of the races and it's the final stretch before the rest of April...
Oslo is a very beautiful city and the hotel where we stay, looks like a castel, fit for a king and I feel like a princess when I look at its peaked roofs, its brick red color and above all, it's stunning view on the bay of Oslo.
The weather does us the honors, a beautiful sun shines since the beginning of the week and, thus, communicates its softness and a peaceful good mood that makes me feel in love.
The colours of the afternoon's end are the ones I prefer and with the red and mauve sunsets to which we sit in every evenings, my romantic side sighs of pleasure and relaxes on a Nina Simone's air...
Well, I feel calm. For now, at least...

Today's race went well, even if, even if... always those "if" like an eternal jingle, as if we could change something !! So I end at the 4th position, the position which has the particularity of being beautiful and ugly at the same time ! But I'm happy and I make the most of this return in the limelight after a bit disappointing World Cup. For the shoot side, it became a source of anxiety to me, to arrive on the standing shoot, but I work, I work and I rework. That's good, I like to work well !!
Tomorrow, a pursuit, great !!

Kisses to all and see you soon,

February the 16th.

Hi everyone,

I just want to thank all of you for all your e-mails and your sms which cheered me, pleased me, made me laugh and made me forget that the sky is grey in here !!!
Don't worry, I always respond in a little excessive way when it deals with relay, but it's because it's close to my heart, more than an individual race. A relay is always a sharing moment, yesterday was a bad moment... but there were also better ones and they are so good to live !
Well, it's true that yesterday I was very disappointed because, in spite of the fact that this kind of race is an addition of four individual performances, in spite of the bad startings of my fellow, despite all that, during the last standing shot (I'm talking about the French team), we were still able to play a beautiful position.
And at that moment, I'm alone on the carpet to get out the balls and miss this opportunity to share a good moment with a whole team. That's what made me sad.

That's all. In this World Cup, I feel that a rope has been broken, that I've set too high goals and that it's even more difficult to get up and turn over on each race, even if it's what I tried to do every day, with more or less success !! I felt that I had to assume a role that I'm not ready to assume, that I had to play instead of a person that I'm not (this goes to show that I would be a bad actress!!). Well, having to carry the backpack of a leader, while this position will never be mine because I'm not made for this. I am and I'll remain an outsider and the results will come (or not) with simplicity, play and the pleasure to race.

But I learn...!! It's part of the game. As Polo says : "If you're not ready to accept the defeat, you must not start" or "It's only persons who don't shoot bullets that don't miss any." So yes, its like that for this year.

Now, I must find back pleasure in simple things, in the effort, in the game, in the speed, in a good result, in a life that I chose and that I find very beautiful, in relationships which are often strong, in the words of encouragements from all of you, in my family, in my friends, in all these values that reckon to me and that I try to respect.
Come on, there is still one race !!!
Big kisses,

February the 13th.

Hi everyone,

Regarding this day and for the world individual race, I'm gonna make it simple.
It was a quite difficult race, with a little sliding conditions and for which the difficulties of the trail have filled out our tired legs with plumb... So on the physical side, it was less a pleasure part than on previous races. On the other side, regarding shot, it is a bit better. Even if a 18 of 20 is not enough of course, we can say that, with the first races that I missed, I'm a bit more positive.
A 9th position in sum, a big tiredness tonight and the spirit which stagnates.
There are still 2 races left, the World Cup goes by too fast !

See you soon,

February the 10th.

Hello everybody,

Why changing a team that looses ??!!! Everyday is a new day with still more penalty rings !!

In the dork family, I picked up the daughter...!!

Well, again, one race to put aside, still a too unsettled shot, trapped by a bad management of the wind strength...

But well, it's like this ! the fitness is still there (that's stupid, for once that I keep it during three races !!!) and the public is lovable, gesticulating and yelling each more than the next to push us at excelling on the trail.

Well, this is a beautiful World Cup and I find myself still well lucky to participate to such an event. It's just a pity that I don't benefit of the boon to combine the useful to the pleasant !!

After two little days of recuperation, mental restructuring, and remotivation (yes, I insist), we will be, Wednesday once again, the bib on the back...

See you soon,

February the 9th.

Hi everyone,

I think there's not much to say after that world sprint. I'm obviously disappointed and I would have wished to make a perfect copy, but here, two mistakes on the standing shot stain my sheet and the score which results is necessarily bad.

I think that I try too much to provoke the result I hope to reach. But for now, I'm not part of the persons who assume a possible podium. Thinking about the method, always about the way to execute a beautiful action, a beautiful shot, a released ski, etc... If it's easy to say, execute it, is sometimes more complicated and my brain acts like a teenager seeking for independence... (my carbine also, by the way). The World Cup is not over and the only thing reassuring is that I enjoyed skiing.

See you soon,

February the 8th.

Hi everyone,
First of all, thank you for your numerous e-mails to which I won't be able to reply... I'm sorry. The World Cup has begun. And quite well begun. But do you really know what happened ?
Since I have a few time, I'm gonna tell you how everything happened. Because I know. And for good reason ! I was there !!
I was on that plane, for Nove Mesto, about 600km/h going straight to the stadium, my heart beating to burst recycling in a rush my blood, vitiated by adrenaline. Why ?? you're asking me why ??! My answer stands in my sentence, come on !! And free fall by plane, without any parachute, believe me, it's quite stimulating !! but let's begin from the start :
- "Hey girls, fasten your seabelt, it's gonna shake!"
Martin's voice takes me out from the soft sleepiness in which my spirit was bogging since a few minutes. The mission was quite successful till then and we had succeeded in getting the information needed for the good progress of the next 10 days. The managers will be happy. I was beginning to contemplate with pleasure, the bath water that was waiting for me, warm, relaxing... but the alarm given by Martin made me jump.
- "What's happening ??" said Marie-Laure, anticipating my question and who was obviously in the same condition as me.
- "Watch behind ! I think we are not alone...!!!"
Alexis, black eye, shows us around twenty dark and profiled shapes, which surround us with as many funeral promises.
- "Oh gosh ! How did they made it ?! We were supposed to leave the base without catching the enemy forces attention !!"
- "Too late to ask Marie, we'll have to play it tight..."
I well recognize here my two companions... bright eyes, clenched jaw, bandaged muscles, they look like wolves hunting... it almost seems that they are happy to face a challenge. These guys are freaks !!
I take a look at Marie-Laure. She's also already into action, concentrated, pale, her blue eyes filled with a wild determination. Shit ! I'm the only one to stress or something ?!!! Come on, cheer up Marie, this is not the first time anyway... Keep calm, take a breath !
- "Hello, control tower ? Commander Martin's speaking. We are followed, I repeat, we are followed."
- "Martin? Control tower'speaking. Take the necessary arrangements. We will guide you. You have carte blanche, I repeat, you have carte blanche." Steph's voice echoes in the binnacle.
- "Control tower? Understood."
- "Martin" said Steph, "you must absolutely touch down in the first 3, I repeat, you must touch down in the first 3. The runway will be completely bungled for the fourth plane and you won't be able to touch down without breaking. I repeat, in the first 3."
- "Ok Steph, well understood."
Here we go.
- "Alex, take the controls! Marie, load the missiles! Marie-Laure, get ready to fire once you see a plane in your viewfinder!" Martin gives instructions, perfect in his role of leader.
And the dance begins. Our little plane waltz, slides silently through the air and delineates arabesques under the skillfull fingers of Alexis. The technicians have made a good job. The machine responds well and it slits the air to wind speed.
After a curve quite well handled, Marie-Laure decides to launch a first volley immediately imitated by others enemies units.
- "Well done Marie-Laure !!" launches Martin, "your 5 balls hited the nail on the head ! Next time, do it again and we're gonna make them bite the dust !!"
We are neck to neck with Russians and Norwegians, it's gonna be tight. Marie-Laure is concentrated, entirely absorbed by her aim. I reload. The plane is doing a serie of curves in order to recover a favourable shot angle. We moved from waltz to rock and roll...
- "Marie-Laure, ready ? FIRE !!"
The submachine gun spits its fire but it's not the only one. The Norwegian plane opted for the furtive onslaught... I recognize here the signature of Tora Berger, ready to unsheathe, still that aggressive, still that precise, still that speedy... Shit shit shit...
- "We are stricken !"
The words of Alexis are preceded by a violent shake. I'm grabbing the seat with all my might. The dance is accelerating. We moved from Tutti Frutti from Little Richard to Demon's Eye from Deep Purple. Heavy, you know.
- "Finally a bit of action !!" Alex, a cruel smile on the lips, is having fun, he chooses his trajectories carefully, hands joints, bleached, screwed on the joystick of directions.
Men and their passion for video games !! I roll my eyes then focus myself on the jerky movements of our machine, trying to anticipate the next curve, the next shake.
- "Alex, try to regain altitude, if you can hide in this cloud a bit higher, it will let us time to reload the munitions".
Martin, still that pragmatical, commands his team with a neutral voice. But suddenly, the Norwegian plane rises on our right side and makes fire on us without more explanations.
- "Straighten up Choup, straighten up !!"
Martin is losing his temper, if he's calling Alexis with his nickname, it means that there is urgency... BOOM ! New lurch, the plane is losing altitude, upside down. Marie-Laure, surprised by the shock violence, hits her head against the wall of our small machine, maltreated by the Vikings. It seems that these have grudge against us...!!
- "Marie-Laure is wounded !!" I scream, scared, trying to reanimate my mate who, inconscient, has got a big knock on the head.
- "Fuck Choup, straighten up !!"
- "It's ok, keep calm, we lost the right engine, I go on to furtive mode."
Keep calm ?? How funny he is !! That said, he retrieves a semblance of right trajectory. We are the sixth. Before us, the Norwegians fly away to the runway, followed by the Russians, the Polish, the Slovaks, the Italians and the Germans.
- "Marie, it's up to you."
Haaaa finally !! I recover my temper and, gloating inside, I get into action and pull out the big gun dual piston hydraulic medial. Yeah. Deep purple is over, we go on to Rage against the machine.
Anyway, I'm not fan of precise guns for snipers, I let them to Marie-Laure. But the big stuff for the rugged ones, I LOVE !! I softly push Marie-Laure, still inconscient (don't worry, she still breathes), I attach her to the seat and begin to spray a shining gunpowder juice on the nose of our enemies.
- "Fuck, Marie, apply yourself, holy shit !!"
Martin gets angry, seconds after seconds. The tension is rising. Rude person, he could say "please" !! I still succeeded to touch one or two enemy machines which drop like flies, freefalling to the ground. Then suddenly, everything stops.
- "Munitions are over !!" Oops! My toy is halted.
- "Take my place", said Martin to me, "I'm gonna try to fix it".
I move reluctantly and find myself at the front, next to Choup who, cool-headed, regain ground on our opponents.
- "But I can't pilot !!" I panic a little.
- "Don't worry, I'm the one who pilots, you just have to push the buttons. Here, push the big one on your right, we're gonna step on the gas and mystify them on the spot!", Choup wants to be reassuring.
The big button on my right ? where is my right yet ? there where you have your thumb on the left, a voice is taunting in my mind. A bit skeptical (I always had problems to find my right), I push a big red button and hear a "clic" behind me.
- "Noooooooo Marie, the other right !!! You've just ejected Marie-Laure !!!"
Choup screams, Martin too. To not being left, I start yelling at my turn. "Aaaaaahhhhhh!" It's useless, but it releases. But I recover. I do not have much choice and I decide to let the boys manage the crisis.
- "Ok, it's ok guys, I leave you, good luck for the future."
I know what I have to do. I put on a parachute and jump also in the shell hole, through which Marie-Laure disappeared. Adios amigos!!! Diving in the night, I locate ma colleague far under me. I stabilize my confused fall and I charge like a torpedo, my arms and legs straight against my body to make up for my mistake (and catch up Marie-Laure at the same time). Around me, I realize that I'm not the only one to leave the planes... it rains girls from any nationality, some, with their parachute already open, fall softly, others, in diving, go past them waiting for the suitable moment to open their sheet. Others yet, have mixed up the parachute with an umbrella... And then, some have nothing at all and settle for falling... Like Marie-Laure at the moment !!!
The ground is approaching high-speed and I even perceive this damned stadium where we were supposed to touch down. Wow, there is a lot of people !!
Ok, I almost caught up Marie-Laure. In a same gesture, I extend my hand, grab my friend by the straps and open my parachute. Whew !! That was close !! The big sheet holds our both body and we touch the ground softly, under the ola of the public. Steph and Thierry run towards us.
- "Is everything ok, girls ??"
- "Yes, it's ok." Marie-Laure stands up. Her jump in the open air made her feel good.
- "What about the guys ???"
- "We were the fifth when I left the plane, but I think that Choup has caught up the lead. Look !"
Indeed, we are at the third position, just behind the Norwegians (still them !) and the Russians. Aaah, how strong they are, our little guys !! I knew well that we had to spice up our pursuit race... Guys, if we don't let them think that everything depends on them, they fall asleep and fall by the wayside !! that's why we exist, girls !!! To make them believe that they are essential !!
But now, our job is done and we assist, helpless, to the fight that takes place in the sky. Our plane is whirling, avoiding easily the enemies shots, eliminating some of our pursuers with grace under a rain of missiles. A real firework. How beautiful it is !!
I stress for them.
Stupefaction and consternation !! Our left engine is on fire at its turn, exterminated by a Czech volley, too precise. I see a person who eject herself from the machine. It's Alexis who leaves the binnacle to make lose some weight to our plane. Actually, as a plane, it doesn't have wings anymore and no engine anymore, it's rather a sailplane now !!
Martin is alone against all. Our future depends on him now. Prompt, he goes straight over the Norwegian plane. Precise, he destroys carefully the Czech machine, then the Reds. But this one is already empty, Svensen ejected himself from his plane and goes straight to the arrival. Our last runner jumps at his turn, dives, spins... and gets the second position, just behind his arch enemy.
Whew ! Everyone is safe !! With Marie-Laure and Alexis, we run congratulate Martin who crosses the line with its legendary calm.
- "Bravo to the young !!"
The whole team is here, contagious smiles on the faces, everywhere, people congratulate us, compliment us. That's the moment of glory, I benefit to decompress. I think about my bath again... When Steph, Polo, Thierry and Sig, our coaches, ask with a same voice :
- "Did you get the information ?? Did you get the departure lists for the individual races ??"
Oh, oh !... Problem... I'm looking at Alexis, then Martin... They seem as distraught as me !!
- "Hum, I think that they remained in the plane..." I said with a little voice.
Everyone is dismayed. All this for nothing ???!!!
- "Surprise !!!" Marie-Laure, with a smile at her lips, says, sparklingly : "Fortunately, I'm there, right ???!!!" Then she takes out from under her jacket, the said sheets for which we fought one hour earlier.
Good, all's well that ends well so !! Relief is all-around. Those both weeks come well finally ! Then, while the technicians fix the plane which crashed a bit far away (poor guys, they have a lot on their plate !!), Thierry announces us :
- "That's good girls, go to bed now !" Then Polo adds "Well yeah, go to rest, we make it again on Saturday". I look at Marie-Laure, speechless... What ??!! Saturday, already??!! Within 2 days, already !!! I'm tired in advance.
Mission to be continued.

February the 3rd.

Hi everyone,
After a short break at home, enjoying the optimal temperature of the bed and of its cortege of quilts, pillows and other cozy accessories of that kind, we left to Prémanon, for a 5 days training which ends up today.
A short period during which I took the opportunity to remake a mini block of physical preparation, shots sessions in the wind, classical outings where Nanass has tried to lose myself as best one can, in the maze of the Jura trails. I can assure you, she failed. But it's not for lack of trying... she even went to become a Minotaur in order to block the access at the labyrinth exit, or even a sphinx to which I had to answer a thousand riddles. Well, I'm still here. Indestructible.
Even the rain did not make me melt down. It would seem that I'm not only consist of sugar !!
Let's stop joking now, we take off tomorrow morning for Nove Mesto and the 2013 Mondial.
See you soon to all

January the 23rd.

Back to zonzon...! The last week in Anterselva was rich in diverse experiences : a good sprint for which, except one shot out, I end up at the 7th position by signing my prettiest ski time of the year, which is at the same time, good and frustrating, since it's one of the rare time where my ski allows me to go playing on the podium on this 2 shots race... except that it's that day that I chose to go round once on Frodon's ring.

Then, a catastrophic pursuit where, obsessed by the result, I couldn't right the ship at any moment, pull myself together and re-use correctly my brain in order to stop this fulgurant way-down to the 26th position... a little blow to my morale the evening, a big disappointment because 7 rounds of penalty... anyhow... it's not that easy to digest.

Finally, to conclude this month of January, the relay that had crowned us winners last year, still gives us the satisfaction to get up on the podium all 4. A beautiful team race that leaves me in anyway, a bit upset to have missed once again this week, 2 balls on standing shot. But that's what it is to have shock teammates !!

Well, now I forget everything and I try to sleep, by storing the most energy possible for the next month.

See you soon !

January the 13th.

Hello everybody,

Today, the mass start of Ruhpolding : finally a real race where nothing is ever played until the last shot. Although its often the same ones who win, we often have the brief illusion of trying our chance !!
Sometimes, you make it, other times you break it !!
Me, today, I have not had too many illusions of that kind, but I'm going to tell you why, for it all adds up quite logically : this morning, I got out to breath a bit of fresh air and to stretch my legs before the race, as usual.
Except that, at the turn of a path, under the snowpack, I saw five weird stones.
No doubt, it was fairy stones.
Forthwith, I have been plagued by a terrible dilemma : lift them, hoping to find good fairies, lift them and go on with a curse on my head or go back without lifting nothing at all, consumed with remorse by the idea of missing an opportunity of easily granting me a free gift.
Curious by nature, I have long observed the stones, one by one and by using the famous rule of the "Eenie meenie miney mo", I return one of them, illico.
No luck.

Poof !
A miniature wicked fairy spurted out from the stone sneering - "niark niark niark, I put a spell on you : you will loose a stick in the battle".
Haaaaa!! Thus, in order to not letting her talk any longer, I hastily put back the stone in its original hole. So, a stick, it's not very serious, I take the chance to return another stone and I opt for a beautiful grey and green pebble, well rounded, which looked particularly harmless.
Poof !
The wicked fairy's sister comes out with a grating laugh, just as the first one, and without more imagination, repeats, more or less, the terrible sentence said by her sis - "niark niark niark, I put a spell on you : you will loose a basket of stick in the battle".
Haaaaa again!! I carelessly this time, put back the stone and never mind if I slashed this old cod's nose. Whatever, there are 3 stones left, I'm well going to draw one with a good fairy below !!
This time, I choose the ugliest, a big mossy and full of blackish soil.
Poof !
The wicked fairy's grandmother appears with difficulty and spitted to my face - "niark niark niark, you won't skate, you won't skate, you won't skate, you won't skate, you won't..."
Haaaaa again and again !! This time, I throw the old stone with its owner in the adjacent beck to the road, as if it had burned my fingers.

Thus, I no longer had really confidence in these weird stones. I no longer had really confidence in my chance of the day neither. I went back saying that fairies do not exist in reality and that I probably don't risk that much.
The hour of the battle has come, in the first round, they stole me a stick, in the second one, I loose my basket and throughout the rounds, I had to push my skis. This was probably not my day !!!

Come on, I'm kidding, don't sulk with this face of eight feet long !! It doesn't matter, it's only biathlon ! And then, you know well that, anyway, I love complaining, oh yeah, I'm part of human kind, what do you want ! And moreover I'm French... tell you if it's for bitching, I beat all records !!!
Tomorrow is the departure to Antolz, the land of the sun and of the mountains which hang some clouds at their neck, for parading like queens, for the week festival that prepares : the World Cup of Biathlon !!

Kisses to all, see you soon,

January the 12th.

Hi everyone,

Today, I have time to tell you a little story, so, sit comfortably by the fireside, under a thick wool coverlet and a bowl of hot chocolate warming your hands.
Close your eyes and listen then... Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, in a nest of emerald foam, under the blue and green fronds of the old trees of a distant forest, a little girl opened her astonished big eyes.
Patient, she was waiting for the upcoming return of her mother, quietly, rocked by the smooth rustling of the surrounding vegetation.
She waited.
An angel passes.
2 angels pass.
An armada of angels passes.
But nobody came to look after the little girl and her astonished big eyes. So, to draw attention and show her seethe, she began to utter some strident screams and long intolerable wailings. By screaming louder than a stuck pig, she indeed, ended up to catch attention of a few inhabitants of these woods : the fairies.

Fairies are good or bad beings, it depends on what side of the road you are, or which stones of the path you return (you must so pay attention, to well choose the stones).
They love the sweet music of the bells which jingle in the wind, the tuneful plink plonk of the raindrops on the leafs, the soft whistle of the zephyr in the branches, and from time to time, when they forget that they are fairies, they dance until they lose their breath on R'N'B, Hard Rock and Techno but it's rare.
And when the strident howling of the little girl has filled the sensible ears of the fairies, the fairies hastened to find the origin of this so unpleasant noise.
Once arrived at the child's bedside and touched by her red face, congested of having screamed and cried so much, they made a circle around the little girl and began to all talk at the same time.
"But where does she come from?" - "But what is she doing here?" - "But where is her Mum?" - "But why is she crying like this?" - "Poor child, she must be cold!" - etc etc etc...
I'll spare you the thousands of unanswered questions that may arise when fairies are in an uproar. But after this long one-way exchange, they decided all with one voice :
"The place of this child is not in this forest !! Let's take her back in her real world !!"
And before returning her in the human's world, they all gave her a gift. For, fairies are very protocol and it's well known that any fairy that leans over the cradle of a newborn must give him a present.
The little girl received thus, any kinds of gifts, some useful, others less.
"I offer you a rifle" launches a fairy. - "And me, I offer you a pair of skis" told another. - "Me, I offer you eyes that see even through the fog" - "And me, I offer you the capacity to not melt when it rains" - "For my part, I offer you the ability to love competition" - "I offer you a lucky charm panty" - "Me, I offer you an unlimited motivation"...
But all at once, the fairies turned round silently and receded, fearfully, of the foam cradle, letting up to the newcomer, wincing with pleasure under her mattery warts.
"Niark niark niark" squeaked the wicked fairy. "You did not informed me, my dear colleagues, about the presence of this child in our beautiful forest..." - "You see, my friends, I was sleeping peacefully when I was awakened by strident and unpleasant screams to my so delicate ears. I got up so, in a very bad mood (lots of fairies were thinking silently : "as usual awful shrew") - "I will also give a present to this lovely child" she continued with a grimacing smile. "I offer you to suffer in climbs and to wail in slopes. I offer you to drool like a toad when you will be skiing, and to become red like a lampion when it will be cold. And finally, I offer you the impossibility to get up on the podium, to always hope to succeed to ascend the steps that lead to victory without ever achieving". And, with a dramatic gesture, she made an about face by laughing in a Machiavellian way "ha hahahahahahaha".
And poof, she vanished.
And poof again, the child was projected out of the enchanted forest and found herself in Laval, by chirping under the tender eyes of her daddy and her mummy. The years went by and she, indeed, had a rifle and skis. Animated by an unlimited motivation, she began the competition and put on her lucky charm panty. Nothing could stop her progress to the top, not even the rain, which did not make her melt. But, because there is always a but, she arrived in world cup and she experienced the horrible suffering of the climbs and by gritting her teeth to enduring them; she used the slopes to express her pain by groaning. Her face becoming red under a thick layer of slobber, she shot on target, did not waste her efforts on skis but passed the finish line in fourth position. In fifth position, in sixth position, in ninth position and once again, in fourth position. In fifth position, in sixth position, in tenth position and once again, in fourth position. And thus, the years went by and the competitions looked alike.

The end.

Here is my little story. Any resemblance to familiar persons is purely the most fortuity coincidence. The story is obviously, not finished (I did not related the arrival of the charming prince yet, nor the death to the horrible wicked fairy) and I let you imagine the following, if, nevertheless, you succeeded in reading until the end of this very long e-mail a bit boring (but hey, I had time so...).
Thanks for all your messages !! See you very soon for new magical and enchanted adventures !!

January the 5th.

Hello everybody,
Last year, on this same race, I made in all, 6 rounds and a nasty 70th position.
This year, the tide has turned and hop, like a magician with his white rabbit, I pull out a 10 of 10 from under my hat, under the ola of the crowd, which maybe was not dedicated to me, but I took as such.
Satisfied with my joke, I prance, I parade and the crowd is amazed, but not Andrea Henckel who shows me that she will always be better than me and pastes me 4 long seconds that expel me from the podium like an old banana peel !!
Aaaahhh, unfortunately tomorrow, I'll have to bear an effort to try to pass a new magic trick... poor me !
So see you tomorrow or Abracadabra ?

January the 3rd.

Friends of the evening, good evening !
It's in the middle of the fog, at the premises of a very dark night, that the French ladies in the parlor, have negotiated this first race almost without setbacks.
And the race is beginning, oh despair, Marie-Laure is tumbling, pushed by the enemy who defends his stooge ! Fortunately, our classmate has got the energy in her tank, and this is at shooting that she shows us the scope of her knowledge.
The race is going on, it doesn't stop raining and the French ladies are ascending to the counter pushed by Anaïs, released from her nest, she's smashing everything in her path. Beware, Nanass wants to touch us ! Following this momentum full of hope, our younger Sophie gets off from her roost and makes a point of sending the enemy to the slaughterhouse.
Seen, seen, but it's my turn to leave the sidewalk. No time to admire myself in the mirror, just enough time to take off my robe, I am too afraid to disappoint my friends of this evening. The trail is hard and I find it hard to conceive the arrival, which seems to move back in this mess, for willing is not being able to! But finally, the podium begins to glimpse and me, I just want to sit down to the hall.
Oh what a race !! Pull out the tissues ! Tears of joy fill the watering can!
Tonight's party in the house !! But no, it's too late and now, I must join my dormitory... and put my clothes on the dryer...
See you soon

December the 18th.

Hi everyone, last e-mail of this 2012 year...!!

The end of the world is coming and I hurry to send one last e-mail, last trace, last appraisal...!!
This December leaves me physically and mentally well tired but also satisfied of the last 2 week-ends.
I think that for punishment, I'm gonna get sick ! a little general one letting go which will allow me to annoy an umpteenth time, the doctor of the French teams with a cold that lasts 2 months. Aaaahhhh it's good !

After one and a half month of absence, it's always a pleasure to recover a real good mattress, a huge and massive quilt, fresh vegetables in my plate, a brand new husband in my bed, the absence of alarm clocks... (though, running at the evening, I'd rather not say what time I usually get up... but just know that it's worst here !)
Finally, the well-being of simply being back home.

I grasp several things from those first 3 World Cups : the first one is that on the 1st series of Ostersund, I've had incredible physical sensations. The evidence : I didn't even crash myself on the finishing line, evidence of fitness. And what changes a bit comparing to last year, is that those sensations remained very good during 4 races in a row, thing that rarely happened to me.
On the other hand, I absolutely didn't know how to leverage this physical fitness and I preferred go crazy on the penalty ring like a big dork.
The both following weeks : Hochfilzen in Austria and Polkjluka in Slovenia are totally different since the both components of our sport reverse. In gross, instead of showing off by making complicated sentences, I very well shot and very poorly skied !

I had difficulties to finish all my races on the skis, with heavy and flabby legs which tempted me to shred one or two steaks of them for being lighter on my bases, arms of the same kind and narrowed lungs. But on the other side, one shot that reconciles me with my carbine. 2 sprints at 10 of 10, which allow me to be placed on pursuits, thing that I missed the whole last year. And except for the relay which remains a failed race (and I blame on me), I'm glad of all those races. To choose, I prefer bad skiing and shooting well than well skiing and shooting bad, not that I prefer the pain to the effort but just because it pays more on the results sheet.

In short, this last week-end makes me want to go ahead January.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays

December the 15th.

Tonight, I almost want to scream Oooooooohhhhoooohhhoooo, but for fear of making Tarzan jealous, I'm gonna just stick to a little "whew", full of modesty !
Whew !
I'm glad, much relieved.. this podium has taunted me since one year all the last season, and now it affords itself to me as a Christmas gift in advance !! Delicious
Whew whew whew !! Finally !
I do not like much the rain, but if each time it falls, I achieve this position on the podium... I am willing to be drenched the whole season. Though at this rate, it wouldn't remain much snow ultimately ! Wet
Double whew ! Triple, finally !
The afternoon is then beautiful, a beautiful shoot, good sliding skis although the conditions were slow, the physical sensations were bad, but they are forgotten once the arrival line is achieved. Crimson
Crazy !
I certainly don't have the legs of a Miriam, Tora or Kaïsa and I will probably never have them, but even with the rotten legs of a Marie, I succeed in getting up on a step! Incredible ! I still have two more to ascend... Impossible
Whew again ! Finally again !
It's done. It's done, it's done, it's done and whatever what happens, I'll at least have one podium to my active !Smile
Last whew, last breath
Whatever what happens this year, I would have been ridiculous at least once, by speaking English during the press conference after the race (I'm sure that they miss my gibberish). Just fun
Certainly there is one race left tomorrow... but tonight I have a good spirit in Slovenia !! (it comes from far)
I have a little secret... my four-leaf clover is in the house !! ("but who is it ?? I do know !")

December the 14th.

After four days of a beautiful sun and a concrete snow,
Of incredible sliding and of good sensations,
Little back to reality,
The truce is over,
With a race under a hairy snow,
With lost legs (not hairy these ones),
But a good shot with no fault either,
Which allows me to make a beautiful race in here,
On Polkjluka site in Slovenia.

Tomorrow, let's make some place for the unexpected,
Under a weather that cannot be more strenuous,
Seize my chance and go straight to the point,
Ignoring pain and the steep climbs,
Grit the teeth, the belly and the a** hole..
Kisses to all

December the 9th.

Hi everybody,
Just before the relay start, I want to make a small return on yesterday.
Good pursuit, no regrets, I'm happy and even if the podium is not far, even if I hadn't missed the ball on the last shot, I wouldn't have made a better position than 6th.
So, it's quite encouraging and I'm proud of having finished the work behind the carbine, proud of having sore legs from the start to the arrival of the competition and proud of doing it again today!!

The evening, turning back to the hotel, one of the stalwart of our team : Vincent, the man who has almost succeeded in being part of the girls band and that we renamed "Vicky", the one who participated to our big game of the cake box (for each departure of world championship run, 2 girls must fill a box of little cakes, the others taste and vote for the best box) and who unfortunately lost the last round with Martian muffins (for their color was green) which, although they were good, did not make weight against the gazelle horns of Laure.
Jay-Z, his nickname since then... already 9 years ?? with whom I shared all my foreign travels... since the Olympic Games of young people in Slovenia, to the world championship of young people and junior in Finlande, in United States...
Jay-Z, who is one year older than me, relay starter, defending Olympic champion...
Jay-Z, adversary to our coinche parties... (unfortunately, he's not very good at this game)

And finally, Jay-Z, the undisputed king of the lousy jokes who announces us his last one as a riddle :
"Hey girls, tonight is a great night, tonight, a super contest to win a mega chocolate bar... Game rules : guess what I'm going to announce you and the girl who will be the nearest to the truth will win the gift."
The replies rang out, all of them more or less close to the truth : today, last bib for our little Vicky, last start for a great champion...
"Hear messires, look at him while he's passing, how he's skiing well, how he shots well, how beautiful he is, how strong he is, how much we will miss him..."
Have a good start Jay-Z, Fair winds, Thank you, Hasta la vista baby!!!

December the 7th.

Today, no elephants missed in the hallway. They have probably been blocked in all this snow that doesn't stop from falling and they don't move very fast given their corpulence moderatly suited to a thick layer of a fresh powder. In short, all these words to say that they are late.
But hey, luckily because it allowed me to succeed my shot. And doubling luckily because it allowed me to make a good run in spite of a not smashing weather for skiing and cotton legs. Tripling luckily because it allowed me to put aside suicidal thoughts from my mind. Fourfold luckily because it allowed me to go playing with the big ones at tomorrow's run. And in the end, fifth luckily because it allowed me to finally deserve a piece of chocolate and to savor it greedily without guilt behind.
Tomorrow, there will be 5 rounds to make and 4 times 5 balls to shoot, so I hope that these 5 good reasons of having not seen any elephants here, in Hochfilzen, will allow me to still scrounge the most possible positions in direction of the top of the sheet results.
See you tomorrow.
Kisses to all of you,

December the 1st.

Would like to leave...
Race failed with standing shooting completely null where I am even not sure to have been successfull in killing a pigeon. I would have missed an elephant in a corridor, and not because I really love those animals, just because I am unable to shoot correctly in standing position at the moment.
For me the carpet are sliding and I've lost many of my landmarks, which are soon very tiny at the start of the winter.
Nothing to say, just trying to sleep without thinking about tomorrow...