Ben started to pop into our office this past summer, after a group run or bike ride that he’d start with friends and then, when they were done and off to their full-time jobs, he kept on going for a few extra hours in the woods getting ready for the ski season. He brings a smile to our faces every time he walks into the door, and when he won his first podium medal this year, I had tears in my eyes. He deserves it, and it’s only the beginning. Our two year old son, Nolan, loves to ask to “watch a movie and yell, ‘Go Ben, Go!” Ben has so many fans across the country and across the world, from young to old and we all see his potential, positivity, and spirit.

We brought Ben’s bottle to the World Cup in Minneapolis and they sold WAY faster than we could have expected. We’re pumped to announce a pre-order for a new round of his bottles, this time in all Black. Check it out, but first, read what Ben has to say about his season, illness and silver linings below.

Cheers, Carina 

Hey all, it’s Ben Ogden checking in with a quick blog post about some recent challenges and some advice. As an athlete, searching for the silver linings is an important exercise. Looking for the good in what seems otherwise bad can help you overcome unplanned changes and hurdles.

Recently, I found out that I have Mononucleosis, which, unfortunately, prevented me from racing at our home World Cup in Minneapolis and likely means I won’t race for the remainder of the season. This news was devastating, but, over the past few weeks, as my symptoms have improved, I have been able to gain some perspective. 

The point of today's post is finding those “silver linings” when times get tough. Can anyone guess how it pertains to everyone’s favorite water bottle company before the end?

In my experience, the nature of professional racing is that you have to be very single minded in your goals when you are in that world. If you aren’t completely focused and determined in the races, then you will have a very hard time succeeding. I believe this is universally true. 

That being said, I also think it's very important to be able to turn that mindset on and off. When I am home and training in the summers, I am almost never in this competitive, racing headspace, and switching it off is very productive for me. It allows me to navigate bumps in the road and problems that arise with a level head, not always worrying about the implications. 

Making this switch between the racing life and the training life, in the past, has been easy for me because it is so location specific. At home in Vermont, the World Cup feels like a million miles away because, often, it literally is. I am home and living in the moment, which allows me to take a deep breath and remember what it's all about. 

For me, the biggest challenges have been those that come up when I am in the competitive racing mindset. When I experienced Covid earlier in the season, and during my latest bout with Mono, I have had to force myself out of the racing mindset and allow my body and mind the time to get better. 

This year especially, I have tried to lean on the concept of silver linings as a way to cope. I sincerely believe that every change, whether it’s planned or not, brings along some positives, they just need to be found and capitalized on. 

In January, I found out that I had Covid in the middle of the Tour de Ski and only a few days after my first ever World Cup podium. Up until I got sick, I was feeling more motivated than I had in a long time, and I felt like I had the momentum to make something great happen in the Tour. Then this sickness hit and I went from 100 to 0 in the span of just a few hours. I was stuck in a hotel room forced to watch the races and unable to do anything. 

My friend Gus, who also got Covid, changed things for me when he said “Hey, let's take this thing by the horns and make it work for us.” He suggested that once we become symptom free, we should leave Switzerland for a few days while we were still supposed to be taking a break from training. Spain was only 2 hours away by flight, and a sunny vacation seemed like the perfect getaway. We decided to just go for it and it was exactly the break both of us needed. 

We went surfing, relaxed on the beach, ate Paella, and toured every corner of Valencia. It was an experience so different from what we were used to in January that we immediately stopped feeling sorry for ourselves and were just thankful for this crazy life we get to lead. In due time, our bodies recovered properly and each of us had great races shortly after returning. Gus even won his first World Cup race since then!

Now, I find myself faced with a similar situation, but it already feels so much easier. Yes, this time, I had the leisure of coming home, but the “fear of missing out” was much more present as the Minneapolis World Cup was happening without me. 

Finding the silver linings is an ongoing process and will continue to be a challenge. Nonetheless, I am happy to report that, when I have the energy to do so, I have been working in my father’s wood shop. I have brainstormed and finished some projects that I have been hoping to accomplish for years. This has been exactly the break my mind craved, and it will continue to help me feel alright or, even good, about my circumstances going forward. 

This is a cutting board that I recently finished in my dad’s shop. It is designed with slats so that, when cutting bread, crumbs fall through without making a mess on your countertop. I have always used these at the hotels in Europe and I’ve always loved their design. I am happy with how this turned out and excited to put it to use!

In the hours when I have little energy to stand up or move around, I have started to read more and more. It has always been a challenge for me to get into books, so I'm extremely proud to say that I have almost finished “All the Light we Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. I know this is a rather underwhelming achievement but it is seriously the first book I’ve read that is neither an engineering textbook nor one with more pictures than words since High School. I am really excited to keep it going.

That’s it for now, just keep searching for those silver linings when things get hard, people. And if you can’t find one, just unscrew your Bivo and take a look inside!

Pre-order my bottle in Black right here, thanks for the support!