"Sure there's always bumps in the road, there's always sacrifices and setbacks, but through it all I think I've become a better athlete," she said in an interview taped last month in Anchorage.
For Randall's opponents that's a scary thought, and as she prepares for her third Olympics competing isn't the only thing on Randall's mind.
"Well, I mean I've been looking forward to 2010 for a long time as my first chance to really be a medal contender," she said. "Being this my third Olympics, having the experience from my previous two games will help me going into it.
"I kind of know what to expect, I know what extra demands there will be on me. At the same time I know exactly what a wonderful experience it can be and so I take that experience too, just soak it all in and focus on performing well and enjoying what we've worked so hard for."
Randall has worked hard, and as the Vancouver Games draw near she is hoping to see the fruit of her labor.
"Well my goal all along has been to be an all-arounder, and this season in particular I've almost had better distance results than sprint," she said. "It's a good sign that my fitness has really come up, and after the training hard for about 10 years now, finally getting towards that goal of being an all-arounder."
That well-rounded approach to her sport is the same approach she brings to life.
"You know I really just embrace the opportunity to represent Alaska, represent my country and be a role model for all things cross country skiing embodies -- the health aspect of it. the fact that I'm challenging my dreams and goals -- so it's really been wonderful to be a role model for Alaska and to be recognized here in town," Randall said. "You know it definitely gives me a little bit of confidence for all the hard work that I've done and I'm excited just to represent everybody."
Randall's best event, the freestyle sprint, is not an event at these Olympics. Instead it's the classic sprint on the schedule. But Kikkan's not worried about it -- she says she's simply here to do her best in the races that are on the Olympic schedule.
Contact John Carpenter at jcarpenter@ktuu.com. Read Channel 2's blog from British Columbia and follow @KTUUSports on Twitter.
