The difference between Jay Hakkinen and the rest of us couch potatoes is he'll get off his.

And someday soon. Feeling a little burnt out and plenty frustrated with what he calls "the worst season I've ever had," Hakkinen cut his 2000-01 biathlon season short and returned home to Kasilof, Alaska, in early March for some much needed rest, relaxation and refueling.

This isn't exactly how the ultra-focused and detailed scheduler saw his pre-Olympic year panning out, but when he weighed the alternative - a possible complete meltdown - Hakkinen chose to take his biathlon rifle and go home.

"Things just weren't clicking for me - I was flat all season," he said. "I couldn't ever really get going. After the first couple World Cup events this season, my body was just exhausted. I didn't know what my body needed."

So after finishing 72nd overall at the Salt Lake City World Cup stop at the Olympic venue at Soldier Hollow, Hakkinen -- against the urging of his coach -- chose to skip the final World Cup tour stops in Lake Placid, N.Y., and Oslo, Norway, as well as the U.S. National Championships. It was a significant sacrifice.

"It's very discouraging because the national team staff has done an incredible job this season," Hakkinen said. "The team and staff have spent years developing a system and we finally got it. My skis were so good, probably the best in the world. Everyone has done their job and finally we should have been absolutely competitive and it was pretty apparent I just wasn't right. When people would say, 'You look tired' or 'You still look sluggish,' I knew something wasn't right."

Physiological tests throughout the season showed Hakkinen's body was burning fuel at training-level rates during competitions while he felt like he was doing twice the work.

Ironically, Hakkinen, who has 21 top-25 World Cup finishes, turned in one of his best international results ever in January when he placed seventh in the sprint in Oberhof, Germany. But that turned out to be an aberration in a season he otherwise wants to forget. Inefficient skiing led to erratic shooting and Hakkinen, the 1997 World Junior Champion, saw his shooting percentage drop from the 80-90 percent range to closer to 60. It all added up to a 39th-place overall finish at the 2001 World Championships, an event which saw teammate Jeremy Teela finish an encouraging ninth in the 10k sprint.

Hakkinen annually begins his off-season training program on April 1 so his early end to this season allowed him just about a full month of uninterrupted recuperation time. "Since I stopped, I think I've gone on one five-minute run and I got on my bike once - to ride down to the vehicle repair shop to pick up my car," he said. "I'll start back up gradually."

He knows the day is coming soon when he'll have to put down the remote control and strap on his skis again. With Salt Lake City looming, Hakkinen, 23, also knows he is beginning the most important off-season of his eight-year competitive career.

"From the time I began in this sport (1994 on the U.S. Junior Team), all of us at the U.S. Biathlon Association have been focused on these next Olympics," he said. "Basically, I've spent eight years working for one Olympic Games. Nagano was simply for experience, the one we need for results is Salt Lake City.

"Taking extra time off allowed me to step back and look at next year calmly, but now it's panic time. This is the year."

In other words, time to get off the couch.

An Olympic Moment with Jay Hakkinen

Hometown: Kasilof, Alaska

Age: 23

Olympic Experience: Hakkinen finished 53rd in the sprint at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

Favorite Olympic moment? On the bus going to the Opening Ceremonies at the '98 Olympics, a snowboarder was telling us how a reporter asked him if he knew the words to the National Anthem. We were all trying to figure out how it went and by the time we arrived, the entire bus was singing the National Anthem.

Favorite Olympic sport? Hockey and cross-country skiing.

My greatest achievement: It's been nice to see biathlon as a sport gain respect in America and I feel I've been a small part of that.

My biggest regret: I don't have much to regret.

My best quality: Focus. I'm very driven. Some might call it obsessive compulsive, but it's made me what I am.

My worst quality: Probably the same thing. That and I'm terrible answering fan mail.

Most famous person I've met: I've sat on planes next to Kevin Bacon and Niles from "Frasier" (David Hyde Pierce). I also met Jonny Moseley on a plane.

I can't live without … sleep.

Most likely future "real job": For a while, I'll be a professional student. I'll probably be one of those people who changes their major 10 times.

Most likely future place to live: I'll probably travel around a bit, but I like it here (Alaska).

When are you most happy? When I'm on a long, relaxed training run. It seems like a lot of times I'll be thinking, "Man, I should be training." But when I'm actually out there, there's no other place I'd rather be.

Any day you would like to do over? I like to look forward, but I suppose, if I could, I would like to turn any of my past races into a win.

Favorite …

Movies: The Horseman on the Roof - it's a foreign film.

TV show: The Simpsons.

Music: Waylan Jennings.

Book: I like Russian authors like Chekov.

Food: Thai food.

Holiday: April Fool's Day - because that's when I start my off-season training program.