IN THE ARENA WITH NICOLE

Food Matters

2011-05-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

As an elite athlete, I've always known it is important to fuel your body properly. When the body does not receive the nutrients it needs, the effects on the body are felt tremendously and therefore performance is compromised! I've more recently been informed that proper nutrition is not only important for elite athletes but it is also very important to the everyday ordinary person!

I recently watched a documentary called "Food Matters" (which I strongly recommend watching). The message of the movie comes from Hippocrates quote "let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food." The effects of food on health is an issue that keeps arising over and over in my daily life. We live in a society that feeds on nutritionally-depleted foods with chemical additives and we have a tendency to rely on pharmaceutical drugs to cure our illnesses. The focus of the film helps us rethink what we have been taught about modern medicine and health care. In this movie, several leading experts in nutrition and natural healing express their thoughts on the how we are harming our bodies with improper nutrition. They claim with the right kind of foods, supplements and detoxification, we can treat chronic illness as serious as terminally diagnosed cancer!

As my biology teacher always said "you are what you eat!" I encourage you to watch the film. It can be found on instant netflix or at any movie store. I guarantee you, it will make you rethink what you eat and the effects is has on your health.

The Season may be Over but the Skiing is NOT!

2011-04-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

When you think of the end April, you think of spring, sun, crocuses, bikes, running and the sort. Well, that is not the case here! There is still 2-3 feet of snow in my yard and tons of skiing to be had! The past couple weeks have been filled with several back-country adventures, cross-country skiing and lots of what we call "crust-skiing." Snow is still in the forecast for this week, so we will see how much we get...could be another foot! Here are some pictures from our adventures:

Colin crust skiing

We found the secret Iron Creek Hot Springs

Enjoying the last day of groomed skiing at Galena!

Carey hot springs

A beautiful day of crust cruising

Making some tele turns

Check out our turns

A view from the top

Morgan, Chris and Colin at the top of Gladiator

That's a Wrap!

2011-04-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe the 2010-2011 ski season has come to an end! The spring series super tour did not disappoint in Sun Valley, Idaho. After a huge snow storm, the week kicked off with the U.S. National 30/50k with pristine conditions and progressed to the super tour finals. It was a long week of racing, but thanks to all the volunteers and organizers, it turned out to be a great event!

The week did not go as well as I had hoped but I managed to pull off one of my best races of the season on the last day off competition on the hillclimb up Dollar Mountain. This is not a usual cross-country event...instead it was a 4 kilometer skate race up an alpine ski resort. Right from the start I charged up the mountain. I definitely came to a point where I wasn't sure I was physically capable of finishing, but thanks to all the spectators, the cheers kept me going. I crossed the finish line and collapsed to my knees, completely out of breath! Whoa! I had given it everything I had! Later that afternoon, I was unexpectedly called up to the podium to receive my 4th place award!! I had no idea that the race went that well! What a nice way to end the season!!

Making my way up Dollar Mountain

Woman's podium for the hill climb

The following day, the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation put on another very successful Fast and Female event! With over 70 girls attending, 7 Olympians and 23 ambassadors, we spent the day skiing, playing games, dancing, doing yoga, listening to Olympic advice, eating lunch and signing posters! What a great day!

My 9-10 age orange group!

All the girls!

Now it is time to get rested, do some relaxing and go on some adventures! Winter is still in full swing around here, so we are making the best of it and enjoying some fun back-country skiing.

Racing is Underway!

2011-03-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

A big week of racing in Sun Valley, Idaho is underway!!! The men's 50k classic National Championship race kicked off the series yesterday. Unfortunately, the guys awoke to freshly fallen snow with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees, making for difficult waxing conditions. They skied 7 laps on a relentless course with a total of 4491 vertical feet of climbing! Whoa! Talk about a tough race!!! Just to give you an idea of how hard it was, 10 guys dropped out!! Congrats to the guys who hung in there and finished the race! Way to go!

Today was the women's 30k classic National Championships. Luckly we woke up to quite different conditions that the previous day. Instead of clouds and snow, we had blue skies and sun!!! Instead of soft slow tracks, we had solid fast tracks. Instead of warm temps with slippery conditions, we had cold temps with bomber kick conditions. To say the least, the women lucked out with a perfect Sun Valley day of skiing! This however did not make the race easy. The pace was pushed right from the start...within the first couple kilometers of the race the field of skiers had already broken up. A lead pack of five girls took off, with girls strung out behind. I maintained 10th-11th place for the first couple laps and managed to move into 9th by the end. It was a tough day of race but fun none the less.

A beautiful sunny day at Lake Creek

Making my way up one of many hills

My number one fans, Noi and Rob

We have a day off tomorrow and then the Super Tour Final takes off on Tuesday! This will include:

Tues: 2.8/3.3k skate prologue
Wed: 10/15k classic race
Thurs: off
Fri: Classic sprint
Sat: 5k skate hill climb

Its going to be a tough week of racing but I am excited and ready for it. Lets hope for some sun and some good ski conditions!

A view out the kitchen window

A huge pile of snow from the storm last week...leaving 2+ feet!

Keep you posted!

Idaho Nordic

2011-03-13T20:21:00.001-07:00

Once again, I had the pleasure of putting on a ski clinic for the Idaho Nordic Master's group, in Boise this weekend. Instead of conducting a dryland camp, which most of the clinic's are, I was able to give these master's some help on-snow. After working with this group for the past four years, it is amazing to see the vast improvements they have made...and great to see the growth in beginning skiers as well. (Pictures soon to come)

Unfortunately, the Super Tour race in Truckee, California scheduled for this next weekend was canceled!!!! Big bummer!!!! Instead our team will stick around Sun Valley and continue to get good training and preparation in for the U.S. Distance Nationals and the Super Tour final the end of this month. The snow is good and the skiing is great around here!

I will keep you posted on the upcoming races!

Cheers!

A week in Hayward

2011-03-01T15:09:00.001-08:00

If there's one lesson I've learned over the past couple weeks it would be this: "Be flexible and adaptable to unexpected changes."

This lesson has popped up several times over the past two weeks. It all began when we were in Aspen, Colorado. After a week of beautiful sunshine, it began to dump snow the afternoon we were planning to leave for Madison, Wisconsin for our next competition. Later that evening, we were informed that the sprints that were scheduled around the Madison capitol were called off. For obvious reasons, law enforcers pulled the permit to allow cross-country ski racing to occur in the midst of 70,000 protesters! We immediately switched our plans and flew to Minneapolis instead, so we could head to Hayward, Wisconsin to begin our preparations for the Birkie the following weekend.

We enjoyed some great skiing on the pristine groomed trails of the Birkie from Cable to Hayward. Thanks to Dennis Kruse, we had nice and comfortable living conditions! The highlight of the week was visiting a bear den! And YES, there was a bear in it! I was a little hesitant to stick my head in the cave but it was exciting to see the bear in there.

George taking a peek at the bear

After a week of skiing on the birkie trail, eating a lot, and feeling good, I was ready to put the 50k course to the test. The forecast called for chilly weather, and sure enough it was!!! At the start of the race, thermometers read -10 F degrees! eeeekkk!!!! Everyone was bundled from head to toe. Unfortunately, that did not keep people from getting frostbite! The race was going well until my right contact froze and fell out at the 10k mark. While I was a little blind, at least I could see out of one eye:) As the race progressed, the temperatures did not warm up much. And then at the 40k mark, I lost my other contact! Oh great, now i really can't see! Despite the lack of eyesight, I managed to stay in the lead pack. Once the pace really picked up in the last 3k it was difficult for me to see the trail. Unfortunately, i lost a few seconds in those last few kilometers and just barely missed the podium. I was happy with my 4th place effort. Now, I am recovering from a frostbit eye!

Birkie sprints

After a long couple days of travel, I made it back home! And the lesson I learned of "being flexible and adaptable to unexpected changes" resurfaced again this morning as I was informed that my Grandma passed away. She died a peaceful death at the age of 97! She was an amazing woman and every time I think of her she puts a smile on my face:)

Grandma De Yong and I

On the Road Again...

2011-02-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

After a nice few weeks in Sun Valley, we are on the road again. Last week we had the excitement of hosting the Boulder Mountain Tour in town. With over 800 racers in town, the place was a zoo! The Festival kicked off with a sprint relay in downtown Ketchum. Spectators lined the course and cheered as the racing took place. I teamed up with Colin Rodgers and we managed to sneak away with a close 3rd place finish.

Number 3 must have been "my number" because I ended up 3rd in the 32k tour as well. Although a little disappointed with the result, each year my result gets a little better.

Podium picture: 1st place, Sylvan Ellefson, Evelyn Dong. 2nd place, Chelsea Holmes, Leif Zimmerman. 3rd place, Brian Fletcher, Nicole De Yong

I am currently in Aspen, Colorado. After a long 12 hour drive, we made it to the beautiful, sunny valley last week. The Super Tour circuit and the college circuit joined forces and raced a 5/10k classic race on Saturday and a 21k skate race, known as the Owl Creek Chase, on Sunday. Racing at 8,000-9,000 feet is always a bit challenging, but good none the less.

We are enjoying the next few days here before we head our next stop: Madison, Wisconsin.

Stay posted! More updates and pictures to come!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Recharging

2011-01-30T10:40:00.001-08:00

Well I have to say its been nice to be home, in one place, for the past couple weeks. Days have been filled with training, resting, a little work and of course some play.

After recharging in one place for a while, my schedule for the second half of the season is slowly coming together. I am looking forward to the Boulder Mountain Tour, which takes place right here in Sun Valley next weekend! The Tour is in its 36th year and this race is just as big of a deal as the American Birkebiner...well, at least for those that live here. It is a 32k skate race that begins at Galena Lodge and takes you down the Harriman Trail, through the Boulder Mountains and ends at the SNRA. While the total elevation is a net loss, it is a tough race with very little rest and recovery.

After the Boulder I will travel to Aspen, Colorado to take up a couple Super Tour races, a 5k classic and a 21k skate. The 21k Owl Creek Chase is on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to the Boulder. Instead of a net loss in elevation there is a huge net gain, bringing you all the way up to over 9,000 ft. whoa! Gotta get pumped for that one.

The following week will bring me to the Midwest where I will race another weekend of Super Tour races in Madison, Wisconsin. These races are fun and unique because they take place in the middle of downtown, around the capitol square. I will race a classic sprint and a 7.5k skate criterium, which will be a new racing format for me.

And then...its the BIRKE!!! Yep, already getting the Birke fever! This 52k race from Telemark to Hayward, Wisconsin is America's largest cross-country ski race with over 7,000 racers!!!! It is definitely quite the scene with so many people, but fun to race in such a huge race.

That is the plan through February and then it will be time to recharge again and get ready for U.S. Long-Distance Nationals and the Super Tour Finals which are being hosted right here in Sun Valley the end of March! Lots of excitement for this valley...looking forward to it!

Until next time!

U.S. Nationals Update

2011-01-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been way too long since my last post! My apologies! It has been a busy few weeks of traveling, racing and more traveling! As you probably recall from my last post, we had U.S. Nationals in Rumford, Maine the beginning of the month. It was a crazy and somewhat challenging week given the very little amount of snow! We arrived to 32 degrees with brown grass, dirt and twigs everywhere! "Hhmmm, maybe it is somehow just magically snowy up at the race venue" I thought to myself. That was not the case however.

The first training day was a bare...dirt, rocks, twigs everywhere! Disappointingly I ruined my skis. The forecast called for warmer temperatures and rain on race day. Ug! That turned out to be true, but the race was still a go! We raced the classic sprint in probably the worst conditions I have ever skied in. Despite the conditions, racers still had their game face on...it was time to put uncontrollable variables aside and just race as hard as you could. I skied a strong qualifier but missed advancing to the semis by less than a hair in a photo finish. My day ended short, but I immediately put that performance aside and focused on preparing for the races in the days to come.

As a result of the lack of snow, organizers decided to postpone the distance classic race by a day to give organizers more time to create a 2.5k loop with man-made snow. Luckly temperatures dropped into the 20's and they were able to make snow. The organizers and volunteers did a good job of preparing a 2.5k loop. Thanks for all your hard work!

The classic race resumed on Wednesday. I unfortunately woke up with a bit of a cold and very low energy. I completed my warm-up and decided to give the race a go...four times around the 2.5k loop. I managed to ski the first lap in control, but going into the second lap my entire body felt like lead...I had no energy whatsoever. What do I do? Fight the fatigue? drop out of the race? I expressed how i was feeling to my coach and he recommended that I save my energy for the 20k race the following day. And that is what I did...half way through the race, I decided to drop out. Definitely not an easy thing to do. I've only dropped out once in my entire ski career and it is not a good feeling! I quickly put that disappointing performance behind me and once again started preparing for the next race.

Dropping out of the Wednesday's classic race definitely fueled the fire for Thursday's 20k skate race. Still not feeling 100% I went into the race with a completely focused attitude. My plan was to ski the first couple laps controlled and work into it each additional lap (7 laps total). I kept a consistent pace throughout the race and skied almost the entire race with another skier, exchanging leads. I ended up 9th overall, just 4 seconds out of 7th! Overall I was pleased with the effort but bummed to miss 7th by such a small margin.

Giving it everything in the 20k skate

Three races down, one to go! The last race was the skate sprint. I skied a solid prelim, qualifying in 8th place. I went into the quarterfinal 100% determined to advance to the semis, which I hadn't done yet this season. I charged off the start in the lead. I managed to maintain my lead as I hammered up the hill and down into the final 200 meters. I won my quarterfinal, finally making it into the semis! I was feeling strong and once again went into the semis ready to charge. All was well until the final 100 meters...I was fighting for third place when it came down to a lunge to the finish! Yet again, it was a photo finish. I ended up getting the short end of the stick and missed qualifying for the A-final. Instead I was in the B-final. I had lost a bit of steam from the previous efforts but managed to finish 9th.

Leading the charge in the quarterfinals

The conditions in Maine were definitely challenging! We can only hope for better next year! Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers for making it possible!

Once again, I had the privilege of helping with Fast and Female in Bethel, Maine. It was a very successful event with over 130 girls attending! It was a day filled with skiing, lunch, dance and yoga! I had fun with a group of 30 girls, ages 9-10. Our group name was "The Green Goblins."

Great group of girls out to have some fun! Thanks to all the supporters and organizers

The Green Goblin Girls!

I am currently back in Ketchum, recovering, training and getting ready for the second half of the season.

Thanks for checking in!
More later!

Kicking off the Season in B.C.

2010-12-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

After a three hour van drive, three plane rides, two nights and a lot of lost sleep, Colin and I finally made it to Vermont yesterday. Traveling during the holidays is always a gamble, but I was hopeful we wouldn't run into any weather or mechanical delays...unfortunately, that did not happen. Needless to say, it is nice to finally be here and unlike the people in front of us who were trying to fly to London and couldn't get a flight until December 31st, we were only delayed one day and will be able to enjoy Christmas with family.

The racing season kicked off for me in the last two weeks. The first weekend we raced in Silver Star British Columbia. I have now been there a handful of times and it never gets old! There is always an abundant amount of snow, good ski conditions, and the beauty of being able to step out of the front door to ski. The first race began with a classic sprint. I felt a bit slow off the line but was able to post a decent time to qualify in the middle of the pack with a 13th place finish. Going into my quarterfinal, I felt good and strong. I put myself in a good position but was not able to sustain my pace up the final hill loosing a place. I ended up 13th overall.

The next day was a 10/15k skate. We woke up to a foot of soft, new snow. These conditions are some of the toughest to race in. The snow was so soft that the groomers were not able to pack it down before the race began. Instead it made for a very slow long race. While I felt a bit bogged down with all the snow I reminded myself that everyone was battling the same conditions and feelings. It was not my best result, but I hung int here and ended up 13th.

A couple days later we made our way to Rossland, B.C. about a 3 hour drive. We arrived to quite the opposite of what we found in Silver Star...icey and glazed ski trails. They did a good job of grooming and mixing up the snow to make it skiable. Friday marked the start of a three day mini tour with a skate sprint race. It was a very fast course! I qualified 13th. I was skiing a great quarterfinal round, positioning myself in second place to advance to the semis, when on the last hairpin turn, a girl crashed in front of me and I was unable to get around her without getting tangled up. Bummer! During the time of the tangle-up, the other skiers got around us and our day of racing was cut short.

With the unfortunate sequence of events the previous day, I was psyched and ready to ski fast the next day in the 5k skate. I went out fast and tried to maintain a high tempo and speed the entire race...5k is a short race! I received some good splits along the way but knew that there were some fast skiers behind me. I ended up 9th... a result I was satisfied with (at least I didn't end up 13th like several of the previous races!)

The final day of the tour ended with a 10k pursuit classic race. This means that our combined times from the previous two days were added up to determine our start time for the classic race. I began 1:30 minutes behind the first starter. I bolted out of the start and caught the racer in front of me within the first 1/2 kilometer. At about 2.5 kilometers, I was feeling a bit heavy and bogged down...maybe I was a bit too excited at the start and started too fast? A pack of skiers from behind caught up to me and I tired to hang. I hung for a couple kilometers until a couple of them took off and I as left skiing with one other girl. We skied the entire second lap together. I began to feel a bit better toward the end, so I tired to gap the skier in the last 1/2 kilometer, but was unable to drop her. It came down to a sprint in the last 100 meters. Unfortunately, I did not have the strength in my arms to beat her in the double pole sprint...guess what place I ended up? Yep, 13th! Maybe if I knew I was racing for 12th place I could have mustered up the strength to not get 13th.

Hopefully, I have put all the 13th place finishes of the year behind me! I am spending Christmas in Vermont before I head to Rumford, Maine for US Nationals late next week. Getting psyched and ready...all for now!

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Home Sweet Home

2010-12-06T00:16:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Anchorage two weeks ago and was very excited to be home! From what I had heard, there was plenty of snow on the ground and the skiing was great! Well little did I know, I arrived just in time for a record breaking and unprecedented ice storm! As I was driving home from the airport at 2 am I asked my sister, "how can it be 24 degrees and raining?" I was perplexed.

I woke up later that morning and the roads were a complete sheet of ice! School was canceled, cars were in the ditch, people were falling on the ice...it was a mess! I was quite tired from traveling so I didn't plan on training much that day. I kept hoping the rain would stop and turn to snow...but that did not happen. Unfortunately the next two days was much of the same! I didn't loose hope, but I was beginning to wonder what I was going to do if I had to put up with the ucky weather the entire time I was home. The conditions outside were much to treacherous to do any activity, even walk! I took advantage of the indoor running track and even did some speed intervals, and I began to take a liking to swimming once again.

The forecast called for "snow likely" on thanksgiving day. I went to bed the night before just praying there would be snow when I woke up...and sure enough, there was!!!! I woke up to a winter wonderland and it continued to snow all day long. It felt more like Christmas to me than thanksgiving. I was sure thankful for the 8-10 inches of snow!

The skiing since then has been wonderful! It has been nice to catch up with friends and family. I am headed to Silver Star on Wednesday to prepare for the races this coming weekend. They will mark my first races of the season! I am feeling excited and ready. I will keep you posted on how they go!

A Recognition for Change

2010-11-21T22:19:00.000-08:00

In order to be the best athlete you can be, it is important to listen to your body, your mind, and your heart. It is easy to get caught up in the daily or yearly training plan and do what you are “supposed” to do, but if your body isn’t responding, or if you mind isn’t in it, or if your heart isn’t there, you will not achieve what you are set out to do.

I came to this realization a couple months ago and recognized that I was going through the motions day in and day out but I wasn’t physically or mentally in the game. Instead of just grinding through it, I accepted the fact that something had to change. Since then, I’ve switched up a few things such as my training plan- listening more to my body and doing workouts suited to the way my body is feeling. I’ve also worked on finding balance in my life- between training, work, and rest. And lastly, I’ve opted out of some training camps to get a change of pace. Things are starting to come around with these few adjustments. I am enjoying skiing, especially now that we are on snow, and my body is responding.

So, instead of riding in a van to West Yellowstone for the first races of the season, and not to mention the 7^th year in a row, I am on a plane headed to Alaska. I plan to get a couple more weeks of training in before I kick off the race season in Silver Star, B.C. As I was packing today, I forgot what it felt like to pack for two months. No matter how hard I try, I never seem to be able to pack “light.” My bags always end up 50 pounds even! I guess it’s hard to pack light when you have 12 pairs of skis in your bag. Aawww, the joys of being a ski racer!

The Season is Just Around the Corner

2010-11-08T11:32:00.000-08:00

Since my last post two weeks ago, I was able to get in a good week of on-snow ski training! The skiing, only 15 miles north of town, was absolutely wonderful! Ten inches of fresh groomed trails. The good skiing lasted about a week until some warmer weather rolled in and melted south facing sections of the trail. As of Thursday, it was still skiable but several sections were a bit bare. However, it snowed again last night and there is more snow in the forecast. It is definitely nice to have some early snow and to be able to transition from dryland roller-skiing to real skiing with plenty of time before the first races of the season.

Nice freshly groomed trails!

A big smile on my face for the first ski of the season!

The Community School cross-country running season wrapped up last weekend with several successful performances in Soda Spring, Idaho. The girls ran their way to a team first place finish in the small school division, with Annie Pokorny leading the team with a 4th place finish. The boys team, led by Max Crissman finished 4th place. Congratulations to both teams!

The girls, 1A state champions!

That is all for now, but I will keep you posted as the season hastily approaches!

Cheers!

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like...

2010-10-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

WINTER!!!!!

I woke up to the first snowfall of the season this morning! 33 degrees and dumping snow...the wet, mushy kind. In this type of weather the number of activities you can do are fairly limited, meaning you can't roller ski because conditions are treacherous and you cant ski because there isn't enough snow. The options are 1) run 2) spin (indoors) or 3) swim . I was quite antsy this morning and felt the urge to be outside in the fresh air, so I chose option 1. The higher I ran, the more snow there was, surprise surprise:) It was such a peaceful and quite run in the snow. I would much rather run in snowfall rather than rainfall! Tomorrow, I quite possibly will get the boards out and head up north to check out the skiing. I'll let you know how it is.

A look outside the window this morning!

On the running side of things, I have some exciting news...both Cutthroat girls and boys teams qualified for state!!! whahoo! It was definitely a close call, but they did it! Congratulations to all twelve runners on the team. We head to state, which are in Soda Springs Idaho (yes, that's where Napoleon Dynamite takes place) on Friday. We compete on Saturday, so please send some positive thoughts our way.

The girls at the start-line with their "fighting faces"

Running is Underway!

2010-10-10T08:53:00.001-07:00

The cross-country running season is well underway! Once again, I have the privilege of helping with the Community School cross-country running team this fall. We have a very talented team whom has a very good chance of winning districts and qualifying for state! We've had three meets thus far, and have produced some great results!

The start of the girls varsity race

All smiles after placing 3rd, 1st & 6th

The boys team proves to be quite strong as well. We are short one guy to race as a team. Five runners are needed to rank the team as a team. We are in search of a fifth guy before the district meet in a 1 1/2 weeks! Luckily we have our eye on a soccer player whom we hope to recruit:)

Max finishing strong, ended up winning!

Eric getting psyched and ready for the race

This week our team is a bit disjointed...we have several runners who are skiers as well, so five of our runners are in Lake Placid, New York for a ski camp. Once they return, we are headed to districts. Wish us luck as we head into some big races these next couple weeks!

Smells like Fall

2010-10-04T11:50:00.001-07:00

Today officially feels like fall! The leaves have reached their prime for changing colors, the rain is drizzling, and warm, yummy, comfort foods are stewing on the stove. I found this great recipe, thanks to Fine Cooking, that is perfect for the changing seasons! It is an easy one-pot meal, filled with many wonderful spices!

South Indian-Style Vegetable Curry

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup light coconut milk
1 3-in cinnamon stick
4 cups cauliflower, broken into 1 1/2-inch florets
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz. baby spinach (about 4 lightly packed cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

In a 5-6 quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium (or medium-low if necessary) and cook until the onion is richly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger, cook, stirring, for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds to toast the spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until well blended with the aromatics, about 1 minute.

Add broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low or low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Raise the heat to medium-high and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Stir in the chickpeas, spinach, lime juice, and zest; cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Yum, yum! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Happy Fall!

U.S. Ski Team Camp in SV

2010-09-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

The first week of camp with the U.S. Ski Team just finished up today. The week was filled with intensity, distance, speed, strength and over-distance work-outs.

The week began with a speed workout where we focused on good technique at high speeds. This entailed 3 sets of 6x15 sec speeds focusing on our starts in the first set, skiing smooth transitions around corners in the second set, and over-speed drop-ins in the third set. It is a very focused workout that sees improvements each time it is done.

Much to almost everyone's dismay, it poured rain for our 2 hour run! Now, I know this is Sun Valley, but it does rain occasionally. Everyone was a good sport and we had a great muddy and wet run!

Friday we had a tough workout...a skate sprint time trial. It was set up to simulate a real skate sprint race. Because of the limited number of areas to roller-ski here, we were not able to ski the rounds in heats. Instead, each round was started individually with 15 second intervals. Ultimately, it was a race against yourself each time.

Without much rest, we had a hard double-pole interval workout the next day. 5x3min double-pole up a gradual hill. I was pretty tired from the previous days workout, but it was good to get another hard effort in. Later that afternoon, the SV ODT and the U.S. Ski Team were invited to play field games with the Sun Valley devo and prep team, ages 6-12. We played flag tag and had fun with relays.

Today we went on a great run in the Sawtooth Mountains, at Redfish Lake. The weather was beautiful and the workout was fun. To top off our three hour run, we stopped at Mikey's cabin at Petite Lake and enjoyed a barbecue of great food, thanks to Carol Sinnott, swam in the lake, played bochi and horse shoes, and enjoyed hanging in the sun! Thanks you Sinnotts!

We have a day off scheduled for tomorrow before we head into another week of full-on training. Definitely looking forward to it!

Adventure

2010-08-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

After a hard week of training on the glacier, a recovery week was much needed. I took advantage of an easier week and went on some fun adventures in Alaska with my sister, Kristy. We drove 7 hours East of Anchorage to the McCarthy Kennecott area, located at the foot of the Wrangell Mountains. The drive there is not an easy one, seeing as it takes over 2 hours to drive the last 50 miles. We loaded down the car with bikes, backpacks, rain gear, tent, food, water, and everything else we thought we might need for the next five days.

In order to get to McCarthy, you have to park at the end of the road, cross a foot bridge and walk or bike 1.5 miles. Even though the town is quite small with a population of about 40-50, it is a popular tourist destination in the summer. Five miles up the road is Kennecott mine. This area is full of artifacts and history from its mining days in the early 1900's. Copper was discovered in Kennecott in 1900 and the mines and the town of Kennecott were built quickly after the discovery. By 1938 the copper deposits in the mountain were gone and the town was completely abandoned. Over the 30 years that the mine was up and running, $200 million in ore was extracted, making it the richest concentration of copper in the world!

We had fun exploring the old mining town and reading about the history from that time. We ventured out on some cool hikes that took us to a couple of the mining sights. As you can see from the pictures, several artifacts were left by the miners long ago.

Despite some pretty wet, rainy weather and a few run-ins with bears, we had a great time!

During my time in AK, I went on several hikes in the Anchorage area. It does not take long to drive out of the city and be in the middle of nowhere. Kristy and I took advantage of a beautiful sunny day and ran back to a lake called symphony lake. The views are always beautiful there, rain or shine.

I am back in Ketchum and looking forward to a 10 day training camp with the U.S. Ski Team in a week. Fortunately, the team is coming to Sun Valley to take advantage of the great facilities and the endless trails we have in this area. Looking forward to some good training! I'll keep you updated!

A Big Week of Skiing!

2010-08-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

I just finished up a 26 hour week of skiing on Eagle Glacier! The glacier is located just outside of Girdwood, Alaska and sits at 5,500 feet. Thanks to Alaska Pacific University Ski Team, I and a few other guest athletes were invited to train at their August camp. We spent the week focusing on skiing and skiing only. Days were spent skiing twice a day, reviewing technique, resting, eating (a lot!), and sleeping. The accommodations were nothing fancy...25 people bunking in one moderately sized building with one kitchen, and two bathrooms. But I do have to say that we ate like kings and queens up there!

The skiing was great! In August the snow is usually a bit wet and slow and crevasses become visible. These conditions are not always the most fun to ski in, but it is good to practice in because you never know when you will have to race in them! (The conditions were similar to those found in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.) Our first couple days were filled with sunshine, but that quickly changed to clouds, fog, rain and wind. The weather changes very quickly up there...you might begin a workout in the sun but it might change to rain and fog by the end. While the sunny days were fewer than the rainy and foggy days, it was those sunny days that made up for the less pleasant ones. I have to say that it is one of my favorite places to be on a nice day!

A great advantage of going up to the glacier is getting the opportunity to train with new people and a different team. It is always interesting to see how other teams train and to try new things. APU has a great team of very talented athletes, so it was fun for me to get to train both easy and hard with the girls.

After being surrounded by white snow and lots of white clouds for a week, it is fun to hike down into the lush green forests. A two hour hike across the glacier, down scree, glassading on snow, and bush-wacking through thick brush brings you to Crow Creek road.

Overall the week up the glacier was very successful. Many hours of good hard training were put in the bank. I am sticking around Alaska for another 10 days to enjoy some fun adventures and to spend time with friends and family.

Up to the Glacier I Go!

2010-08-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

I flew into Anchorage Thursday evening and I am headed up to Eagle Glacier this afternoon to ski for the next week. It is always nice to spend a week or two on snow during the summer. In the midst of all the summer time roller skiing and training, getting on snow is a good reminder of what I do and why I do it.

It sounds like conditions are good up there and hopefully the weather will cooperate! On a sunny day it is the most beautiful place in the world....if the wind, rain and fog set in, it can get a little old.

Sorry for the briefness of this blog, but I will be sure to give a full update with lots of pictures when I return in a week!

Looking out over the glacier

Mixing it Up

2010-07-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

My oh my...the summer is slipping by way too fast! It is already the middle of July and it feels as if summer just began!

The past couple weeks I have been enjoying some new modes of training. Despite my cautious timidity on a mountain bike, I've been biking more to work on getting over my fear of falling. Luckily, mountain biking is one of those things that the more you do and the more you work on it, the better you get! I am getting better at riding more technical trails and I'm actually riding over all those roots, rocks and stream crossings. I have yet to improve on my downhill speed though.

Along with mountain biking, I've enjoyed a few road bike rides as well. Now, just to give you an idea...there is one highway through town, so you have two options: 1) ride north OR 2) ride south. While the terrain options are few, I've learned that it's a great alternative to running and roller skiing and helps to mix up the training. It probably helps when you are borrowing someone's road bike that's worth $10,000!!!

I've incorporated some swimming into my recovery workouts, although let me tell you....I got suckered into swimming with the masters swim team the other day, and they are FAST!!!! whew! It wasn't much of a "recovery" workout. After a 500 m warm-up, we proceeded to do 5 sets of 3x100m and then 10x50m every 45 seconds! After swimming about 2,500m in an hour, I was exhausted! I am still deciding if I want to go back this week.

We tried some new resistance speed training at practice. Our speed workout on roller skis consists of a 30 min warm-up, then 3 sets of 6x20 sec speeds with various techniques. We tried something new this time...we put a bungee around our waist and then pulled our coach behind us on a skate board. While it sounds and looks a bit bizarre, it was a good way to add resistance while trying to keep the tempo up. Hopefully it will make us strong! Here's a picture to give you an idea...

I am looking forward to a trip to Alaska in two weeks! A couple teammates and I am joining the APU team and skiing on Eagle Glacier for a week. Should be some good training!

Until next time!

Happy Forth of July!

2010-07-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Usually the 4th of July finds me celebrating and enjoying the company of friends and family in Seward Alaska, but not this year. I am currently in Sun Valley, Idaho in the midst of moving! I have to admit that moving is not much fun...lots of cleaning, throwing, lifting and not to mention really exhausting! I am trying to get it all done as fast as I can, so I can put my feet up tonight and enjoy some dinner with friends and go to the fireworks!

A lot has happened in the past two weeks! To begin, last week we celebrated Olympic Day at the YMCA. Olympic guest athletes, Morgan Arritola and Jon Engen joined in on the fun. The day opened with a video from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. The video got the kids really excited! Morgan gave a talk about her Olympic experience and the importance of respect. We've been trying to instill the YMCA core value of respect, so it was very appropriate. We preceded to go to the park and play games, do relays, and enjoy some cookies and lemonade. The kids had a great time and it was fun to see their excitement for the Olympics.

Now that summer has finally sprung, our team decided to hike a peak last week. Not much to our surprise, we tromped through a lot of snow! We hiked Hyndman Peak, approximately 12,000 ft. We knew we were going to run into a lot of snow, but we didn't anticipate post-holing for 2 hours! Despite the long trek through snow, we had a great time! It was a beautiful, sunny day, so there wasn't much to complain about.

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Have a happy 4th of July!
Cheers!

It's beginning to feel like SUMMER!

2010-06-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

I was beginning to wonder if summer was ever going to arrive here in Sun Valley. It has been a long, cold spring. This past week felt more like summer and it looks as if more sun is just around the corner...just in time for summer solstice, tomorrow!

With the longer days of summer come some busy and fun-packed days! While I am in the thick of training, I am also spending much of my time at the YMCA summer camp. Last week we enjoyed taking a tour of the world, exploring and learning about a different country each day. This week we had fun finding treasures in scavenger hunts all over town! We have 20-25 kids each day, and they arrive every morning with a bundle of energy. It's been really fun to work with the kids day in and day out.

Julian, sporting his Samurai hat

This coming week we are exploring the difference between magic and science with some fun experiments. On Wednesday, June 23rd, I am organizing a celebration for Olympic Day. I'll be sure to update on all the fun activities of the day.

The girls having fun at the park

Until then....keep enjoying the summer!

Update

2010-06-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks in Bend helped me jump-start my volume training for the season. We spent 2-3 hours skiing at Mt. Bachelor in the morning and did a dryland workout in the afternoon. My total volume was more than I had done since last fall. It was good to get back into the training schedule, despite the less than desirable weather. We experienced some snow the first few days, until it turned to rain. Unfortunately, our 3 hour over-distance ski fell on the day where it poured ALL day! Bend is usually known for its sunny days, but that was not the case this time.

We managed to have one sunny day!

I returned to Sun Valley just in time to help with the Sun Valley half marathon. While I was a little jealous not to race in it, I had fun helping with the Kid's Zone. There were several activities for kid's including the bouncy castle, face painting, relay races, karaoke, and a kid's running race. Here are several picture from the day's event:

Bend Bound

2010-05-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again...Bend Camp! Every year the season kicks off with an on-snow ski camp in Bend, Oregon. Fortunately, Mt. Bachelor gets a ton of snow during the winter and it holds through May and into June, making for some good spring skiing. Although, it's a bit difficult to tell its spring right now. Yesterday I woke up to a couple inches of snow on the ground and today on our drive from Sun Valley to Bend, we ran into some snow in Boise...CRAZY! Not too common for this time of year.

Its a good thing we came with our skis and we are ready to put in some hours on snow. I will keep you posted on the conditions and how the training goes the rest of the week!

More later!

Back in Full-Swing

2010-05-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

Not only am I back in full-swing training mode, but I am back in full-swing at the YMCA Kid's Club too! It was nice to be welcomed back by so many hugs and smiley faces. I received a lot of "Nicole, where have you been?" "yay, you're back," "you're the fun one," etc. It definitely made me feel pretty welcomed.

These past few weeks have been filled with playing games, reading, swimming, arts and crafts, and much more. The kids definitely keep me busy and I enjoy spending time with them. Once the weather starts to get nice, we will spend more time outside, playing games and hiking. I'm ready for that!

Here's a look at our schedule for the rest of the week:

A New Season

2010-04-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

The 2010-2011 season officially begins today! In preparation for a new season, there is a lot of evaluation and refection of last season. Today I filled out a goal sheet, defining what steps I need to make along the way to achieve my goals. These goals range from small tasks, such as improving technique, to testing goals and ultimately performance goals.

As part of my reflection on last year, I looked through my training log which details the training I have done every day this year. Through my analysis, I came up with some interesting statistics for the 2009-2010 training season. Here are a few:

Total training hours: 674 hrs
Number of races: 28
Number of hours skiing on snow: 167 hrs
Number of hours running: 245
Number of hours roller skiing: 143
Number of hours of strength: 67
Month with highest volume: September: 70 hrs
First ski of the season: October 13
Countries I raced in: U.S., Canada, France, Slovenia
Coldest race: -2F degrees, Bozeman, MT
Best results: 1st place: 20k Aspen Owl Creek Chase
6th place: 5k classic, Slovenia OPA cup race
6th place: 30k skate, U.S. Nationals in Maine

It goes to show, there is a lot of time and effort that goes into training. My training log is a very helpful tool that allows me to analyze what I did the previous season and helps me determine what I need to change as I begin a new season.

Let the new season begin!

A Little Break

2010-04-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Its been two weeks since the season ended and the gears have changed. After 4 1/2 months of none stop racing and traveling, it is nice to be settled in one place and enjoy a change of pace. A change of pace entails alpine skiing on the mountain, not worrying about what time I go to bed, treating myself to junk food, hanging out with friends, not training if I don't feel like it, etc.

April is considered our "off" month. While it is okay to do the things listed above, it is still important to maintain active training and recovery. I don't really like to call it training, instead I consider it having fun doing other activities, such as alpine skiing, back-country skiing, crust skiing, biking, swimming, running, hiking, and climbing.

I am back in Sun Valley and spring is approaching very slowly. Last week I arrived just in time for a snow storm, dumping 24 inches in the mountains. The sun finally peaked out two days ago, but temperatures are still a bit chilly. Normally I would be ready to put the skis away, but the fresh snow is very convincing. I've been alpine skiing, tele skiing, and cross-country skiing in mid-winter conditions! Unbelievable...winter isn't over yet!

All in all it is nice to have a break. I'ts going to fly by fast, so I am going to be sure I enjoy it!

My friend Noi and I, enjoying a spectacular day of skiing on Baldy

Super Tour Finals

2010-03-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Super Tour finals concluded yesterday with the 5/6k hill climb. The format for the finals this weekend included a 5/10k classic race on Friday, a classic sprint on Saturday and a 5/6k skate hill climb on Sunday. To add to the fun, preems, both in the form of cash and time, were given to racers who crossed preem lines first in the classic race and racers who finished in the top 30 of the classic sprint. Depending on your finish time and the possible preems that were acquired, each racer lined up pursuit style for the final hill climb. This meant that since Kikkan had won all the races and preems the previous two days, she had a starting time of 1 min 23 sec ahead of the next racer, Rebecca Dussault.

I started with bib 10, a few places further back than I anticipated. I had a unfortunate mishap in the classic sprint, resulting in a low placing and a 1 minute penalty. After skiing a strong qualifying round that put me in 6th place, I entered the quarterfinals feeling good and ready to ski fast. As I was approaching an icy corner, with a little bit of a lead, my ski slipped from underneath me and I fell on my pole. I quickly got back up, after everyone had passed and realized that my left pole was broken in half. I did my best to ski up the long climb with one pole but I quickly lost more and more ground. Once I finally got a pole, at the top of the hill, it was too late to make up lost time. I ended up 6th in my quarterfinal, which put me in 26th place overall. Bummer!!!!

I went into Sundays hill climb fired up and ready to ski fast! After the first kilometer, I had already passed three girls...I was on a mission. Once I reached the 1000 meter climb straight up the alpine area, I did my best to catch the next girls in front of me. Whoa, it was a tough climb but I managed to catch another racer. With only 1k to the finish I gave it everything. I ended up 6th!

For some reason, 6th place was MY number for the week! I finished 6th in the 30k skate, 5k classic, sprint qualifier, and in the overall supertour final...all I can say is, at least I was consistent.

The season is officially over and I am already excited for next season...after a little break of course. I am headed back to Sun Valley where I will enjoy some R&R and will resume my work at the YMCA.

Fast & Female in Madawaska!

2010-03-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Fast and Female expanded it wings yesterday with a successful event in Madawaska, Maine. With over 150 girls, the day was filled with skiing, games, lunch, Q & A time, and autograph signing.

Fast & Female was originally started by Canadian skier, Chandra Crawford. U.S. skier, Kikkan Randall was inspired by the mission and values of the organization and launched a U.S. version of Fast & Female in Anchorage, Alaska two years ago. This wonderful organization promotes young girls to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Fast and Female hosts events led by athletic champions who serve as healthy role models and inspire girls to gain the confidence and leadership they need to reach their full potential in life and sports.

Me and my new friends in Madawaska

Yesterdays event was a huge success! Not only did we have a large group of girls, but the girls were very enthusiastic and excited to ski and to have all the US National women competitors ski with them. We had fun skiing, playing games, eating and signing posters.

Playing a game of sharks and minnows

The Supertour Finals kick off today. Here is the schedule of events:

Friday, March 26: 3:30pm- men's 10k classic mass-start
5:00pm- women's 7k classic mass-start

Saturday, March 27: 10:00am- 1.3k Classic Sprint Qualifier
2:00pm- Rounds begin

Sunday, March 28: 10:00am- men's 6k skate hill climb
10:30am- women's 5k skate hill climb

You can stay up to date with Live results on www.summittiming.com

Crust Cruising Galore!

2010-03-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

Clear cold nights, warm sunny days, endless potato fields, Northern Maine...what do you get? Amazing crust skiing!!! This morning was one of those perfect crust skiing days. While the temperature was cool at the start of the ski, the radiating sun quickly warmed us up!

Caitlin Compton, Holly Brooks, Katie Ronsse, Becca Rorabaugh and I had the pleasure of crust skiing with some local girls. It was their first time crust skiing and they enjoyed skiing where ever they wanted and cruising the endless fields.

I enjoyed skiing with the girls and then continued my distance ski with another hour of crust cruising. If you're looking for some good, spring crust cruising, Northern Maine is the place to be!

Munich to Quebec

2010-03-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Whew! The past couple days have been a bit of whirlwind. The travel from Munich to Quebec went well, although I did not receive my bags! I am in the midst of trying to figure out 1) where they are 2) how I'm going to get them! Since I flew into Quebec and I am staying in Fort Kent, Maine, they cannot deliver my bags over the border! I am on day 4 of not having my bags and I am ready for some new clothes! Luckily, I have some nice friends who have been kind enough to loan me some stuff. Thanks so much!

Despite the lost bag, I've been enjoying the skiing in Fort Kent! The snow is not nearly as plentiful as it usually is this time of year. Temperatures are reaching high 40's and into the 50's, making for some really soft, mooshy snow! Rain is in the forecast, but hopefully the snow won't disappear.

The rest of my team arrives late Sunday night and the racing begins Wednesday March 24th with the 30/50k freestyle race. I will keep you posted on how it goes!

Cheers!

Good Things Come in Three's

2010-03-13T09:12:00.001-08:00

Today we raced the 5/10k classic mass start. The start was a little tamer than last weeks 5k skate mass start. Unlike last week, the course was a bit more challenging and started off with 3 climbs in the first kilometer. This broke up the pack almost immediately. I had a solid start, putting myself in 8th place after the first climb. I skied relaxed and smooth and noticed that I had good kick going up the hills, compared to the other girls. I used this to my advantage and made up some ground. I was in 4th place, a few seconds behind the lead pack of three coming into the last half a kilometer. Unfortunately my skis weren't quite as fast on the downhill and I lost some time in the finishing stretch. I ended up 6th overall...another solid race.

Another beautiful day of racing!

After the race, I cheered for the men and little did I know that Petra Majdic was standing next to me. I said hello and asked if she would take a picture with me. She was very nice! I was very careful not to bump her side...she is slowly recovering from her fall at the Olympics. She says that it is feeling better but it is a slow process.

Petra Majdic and I!

The fun did not stop this morning with a good race and meeting Petra! It got even better! The sledding track was open! It is a track that takes you 1.5k you down the mountain at 40 km/hr! It was pretty fun!

Getting ready for a crazy ride with Noah Hoffman

Tomorrow we have 10k skate race, pursuit style. I am hoping for a good starting position and a good result. After the race, we are headed to Munich. Half of the team is flying back to the states on Monday and the other half of us are spending a day, checking out the sights in Munich.

I will update again as soon as possible!

OPA Cup Finals

2010-03-12T04:32:00.001-08:00

This weekend marks the last OPA cup races of the season (OPA cup races are the European version of the local racing circuit). Upon our arrival here, we were "invited" by 40-50 mph winds, zero visibility and a huge dump of snow. Since then, each days has gotten a little bit nicer...and today, we actually saw the sun! Rogla is a popular ski resort that draws families, recreational skiers, and racers all alike. It is about 20k from any other town and is at the top of a mountain at 1517m (about 5000 ft).

Today kicked off the first of three races. It was an event that I have never done before...a 2.5k classic prologue. It is a tough race because its at sprint pace, yet it is long enough that if you go out too fast and hard you can loose time in the end. I tried to ski fast yet smooth. When I finished, my lungs were definitely burning...I felt like I put in a hard effort. I ended up in 19th place, 22 seconds out of the lead. Nothing too impressive. I am hoping that today's hard effort will get me warmed up and ready for tomorrows 5k classic mass-start race. It should be fun!
I will keep you posted!

The clearest day yet! Those are the bungalows we are staying in.

Sylvan, me and Mikey. Congrats to Mikey with a 6th place finish!

oh, by the way... Petra Majdic is standing right next too me:) For those of you who don't know who she is, she's an awesome Slovenian World Cup skier. She won bronze in the classic sprint at the Olymipcs, even with broken ribs and a punctured lung! Talk about TOUGH!!!

A Good Day for Team USA

2010-03-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

With 17 US skiers competing in the La Feclaz OPA race, we showed our colors well today in the 5/10k mass-start skate race...yes, it was a mass start! We woke up to some flurrying snowflakes, but it didn't accumulate to much. When we arrived at the venue 1 1/2 hours before the race, all the girls in the car looked at each other, wondering if we were even in the right place. There were very few signs of a race, very few people and the course wasn't even set up yet! As we sat in the car waiting to start our warm-up, we watched volunteers set up the course and began to see more and more people arrive. That relieved our worries.

Half of the crew

At race time, 33 women lined up at the start. Last night in our team meeting, we discussed the importance of standing your ground and defending your space. I knew that tip was going to be key to my success today. Within a couple of kilometers, girls were getting tangled up, loosing poles and falling. I tried my best not to get caught up in that mess and not to get pushed around. Whenever there was an opening to pass, I took advantage of it. I knew this race was going to be a good race for points...I kept that in my head as I was racing in a cluster of 10 girls and reminded myself that every second counts. I sprinted to the finish with a pack of girls and ended up 11th. How they figured out who got which place, I'm not sure, but I am happy with my result.

The men's race was fun to watch as well! There was a lot of the same racing tactics and tangling going on. Our men skied strong and represented well. Here is a list of the results for the US team:

Line of men as they climb a hill

5K Women
10. Caitlin Compton 15:01.7
11. Nicole De Yong 15:02.0
14. Sadie Bjornsen 15:03.0
19. Taz Mannix 15:17.3
22. Katie Ronsee 15:28.9
25. Becca Rorabaugh 15:35.1

10k Men
12. Brian Gregg 22:08.8
13. Mikey Sinnott 22:12.8
20. Mike Hinckley 22:18.4
22. Noah Hoffman 22:19.0
31. Sylvan Ellefson 22:57.1
34. Marshall Greene 23:03.7
36. Brayton Osgood 23:05.6
47. Sam Naney 23:48.8
53. Peter Kling 24:38.3

Clink HERE for full results

After the race, we enjoyed a yummy lunch that was prepared for us at the venue. We were amazed by the size of the soup pot they made it in. It was very tasty!

Taz and the BIG soup pot!

Bonjour!

2010-03-03T04:29:00.001-08:00

Wow, a lot has happened since my last update in Aspen! I returned to Sun Valley after Aspen and put in a good week of volume training. My travels brought me to Vancouver, where I met up with my family and I was able to experience and take in the sights of the Olympics. The day I arrived, I checked out the city of Vancouver, on a day when the Canadian hockey team was playing the US! The streets were filled with people and sports bars were roaring with loud cheers! I also checked out Granville Island and the Olympic cauldron. Just being there, got me really excited!

My family and I!

A view of the Olympic Cauldron

I stayed in Whistler and arrived just in time to enjoy one beautiful sunny day! I watched and cheered at the team sprint, where good friend, Kikkan Randall and ITA alum, Caitlin Compton, finished with an excellent 6th place finish! The excitement carried into the night and I attended the medal ceremony, where the US Nordic Combined team earned a silver medal in the team relay! It is so exciting to see those guys perform so well! Congratulations! I also attended the men's 4x10k and the women's 4x5k as well! They were very exciting races!

The best US cheering squad!

The start of the team relay sprint

My time in Whistler flew by and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Europe! I am currently in St. Francois, just outside of La Feclaz, where I am racing this weekend. I spent the first few nights in Chamonix and enjoyed a day checking out the town and taking the Aguille de Midi up Mont Blanc. The weather was incredible and the views were spectacular! Chamonix is a beautiful place! Thank you Charla and Rob for letting me stay in your wonderful and quaint French home:) I had a great time!

Mont Blanc in Chamonix

Walking the streets of Ancey

Ancey: 2018 Winter Olympic Bid

I am gearing up for a classic team sprint on Friday, March 5th with teammate Caitlin Compton. We will get a day off before we race the 5/10k skate on Sunday. I am looking forward to the races! The snow is good higher up in the valley where we are racing.

I will keep you posted on how it goes! Cheers!

Super Tour Win!

2010-02-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

I finally had my first Super Tour win today in the Aspen Owl Creek Chase! It was a tough race with a lot of climbing in the first 13k of the race. I felt good the entire way and was able to finish strong and out sprint Kristina Trygstad to the finish.

My first time on the top of the podium!

I am headed back to Sun Valley this evening and I am looking forward to getting in a good week of training before I head out again!
Cheers! Happy Valentine's Day!

Aspen

2010-02-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Aspen on Tuesday and I've been enjoying my stay here, thanks to my teammate Simi's mom, Ruthie, who is letting us stay at their house. My first day here, Evelyn Dong and I skied up to the Bells along an access road that is groomed for skiing in the winter. The views were absolutely amazing!

Evelyn and I enjoying some Colorado sun and the great views

Today I raced a 5k classic Super Tour and finished 2nd. It was a solid race despite the shallow racing field. I am hoping for even more tomorrow in the 21k Owl Creek Chase race. Racing at 9,000+ feet is definitely challenging. I will keep you posted on how it goes....

Me, Kristina, and Evelyn waiting for the award ceremony

Evelyn 3rd, Kristina 1st, Nicole 2nd

Men's podium...teammate Mikey Sinnott in 5th

Canmore!

2010-02-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

Another World Cup experience under my belt! Today wrapped up the second and final day of racing in Canmore. We had amazing weather; sunny with blue bird skies and temperatures ranging from -7 to -3 degrees Celsius...perfect for ski racing, and spectating too!

Yesterday the races kicked off with a 10/15k distance skate race. It was tough course with lots and lots of uphill. The US women represented well! Caitlin Compton led the way with a 14th place finish and we had 5 women in the top 44! I ended up 52nd, which doesn't sound that great, but it is always important to put things in perspective and remember who I'm racing against...THE BEST IN THE WORLD! It is always a very humbling and inspiring experience to compete at this level. It fuels my desire to train harder and race faster!

Today was the classic sprint. I qualified 46th...not nearly close enough to qualify for the quarterfinals. The US had 2 women and 5 men make it to the rounds. Our top finishers were Kikkan Randall in 10th and fellow ITA athlete, Torin Koos in 11th.

Headed back to SV tomorrow!
All for now!

What's Next?

2010-01-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

Early season racing is over, U.S. Nationals is complete and I am back in Ketchum figuring out the rest of the year's racing schedule. Some of you might be wondering, "what about the Olympics?" For those of you who might not know about the Olympic selection process, I will briefly try to bring you up to speed.

The U.S. Olympic Team is significantly smaller this year than in previous years. This is a result of the change in criteria and the selection process, which was put into effect this past summer. Country's such as Norway, Germany, Italy, etc., who have an overall better FIS ranking, are allotted up to 20 spots. However, if they choose to take fewer athletes, the "left over" spots get passed down to the next ranked country. Long story short, the U.S. Team was initially granted 8 spots, 4 men and 4 women. Since then, a few spots have opened up and now the U.S. has an additional 3 spots, totaling 11 athletes.

I have had a good season with some strong results, consistently placing in the top-10 nationally, but unfortunately I am on the edge and with so few spots available I probably won't make the team. (I say probably, because there is still a chance that more spots will open up). While this is disappointing, I am satisfied with the hard-work and improvements I have made throughout the season. I qualified to represent the U.S. at the World Cup races in Canmore, Alberta. I leave on Tuesday and will compete in the 10k skate on Friday, February 5th and hopefully the classic sprint on Saturday, February 6th. These races will be a great opportunity to race against the best in the world and yes, most of them, if not all, will be racing in the Olympics. So for me, I am going into these races, thinking they ARE the Olympics, at least they will be for me!

I have spent the last two weeks trying to figure out what my racing plan will be for the rest of the season. After a lot of thought and figuring what will be best for me and for improving as an athlete, my travel and racing plans look like this:

February 2nd-7th: Canmore World Cup - 10k skate, classic sprint
February 9th-14th: Aspen Super Tour- 5k classic, 21k skate
February 15-20th: Training block in Sun Valley
February 21-26th: Olympics in Whistler- spectate and train
February 27-March 16th: OPA cup trip in Europe- La Feclaz, France and Rogla, Slovenia
March 17th-28th: Fort Kent, Maine -U.S. Long Distance Nationals

Whoa! Quite the plan... I am very excited for the rest of the season! I am very fortunate to be able to race in Europe. It will be a great opportunity for me to race against some very fast and accomplished skiers and also to improve my points. It will be a great experience!

Me, leading the way in early season Canmore sprints

I will do my best to keep you posted as I travel and let you know how the racing goes!
Thanks to all of those who support me! I couldn't do it without your help!

Onwards and upwards!

Three in One

2010-01-19T17:59:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I discovered what it felt like to do three jobs as one person! I was my own coach, my own wax tech, and a racer. I'm glad it's not that way very often because let me tell you, it is stressful! Whoa!

I went to the Methow Valley where I raced a sprint race on Saturday and a 10k on Sunday. The weather was not the most cooperative as it was warm, rainy, and slushy. The volunteers did a great jog of shoveling snow onto the sprint course, trying to preserve the snow. We lucked out with a surprisingly sunny day on Saturday, making the sprint course icy in the morning and softening up in the afternoon.

Sunday however, was not so sunny. The race was moved to a venue 2000 feet higher, where the snow was more abundant. When I arrived at the venue, it was misting rain. My first reaction was "oh no, this is going to be really tricky waxing!" After talking to some people about waxes, I decided to race on my zeros. Zeros are skis that do not require wax, instead the kick zone is roughed up with sand paper to create kick and suction when the conditions are wet and warm. Surprisingly enough, they worked decently. There were a few slips here and there, but I did not want to risk going on skis with wax that could ice up or not kick. So off I went, on my zeros! I skied knowing that it was a tough day for everyone and the people who were going to ski well were going to be the ones who did not let negative thoughts get to their head. So that is the path I decided to take. I was happy to end up 3rd, especially with the tough conditions. In the Arena alumni athletes Caitlin Compton and Laura Valaas stood on the podium as well. On the men's side, In the Arena athlete's Torin Koos and Brian Gregg took 1st and 2nd. A good day for ITA athletes!

ITA athlete's Laura Valaas, Caitlin Compton, & Nicole De Yong dominate the podium

I am currently back in Kethcum, where I am laying low as I am trying to get rid of a cold I acquired along the way. Once I am feeling better, I will put in some good training before I head to Canmore for the World Cups the beginning of February.

Day Four!

2010-01-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

The forth day of U.S. Nationals concluded yesterday with the classic sprint. We couldn't have asked for better conditions than what we had...23 degrees and sunny! Prelims started at 10am and the rounds followed at 12:30pm.

I didn't feel very quick and snappy in my prelim, I qualified 15th. I was hoping to feel quicker in my quarterfinal but I unfortunately got out sprinted in the last 100 meters and failed to qualify for the semis. This very disappointingly put me out of the rounds for the rest of the day, not what I was hoping for.

All in all, my results at U.S. Nationals were satisfactory. I was hoping to put together an extraordinary performance, but it just didn't happen. It is a bit frustrating to feel like I have the capability to do better but at the same time I know I tried my best and skied my hardest.

I am excited to say that I was named to the U.S. Nations Group Team for the Canmore World Cups taking place February 5th & 6th. These World Cups will be highly competitive as nations participating in the Olympics will race there to get ready for the Olympics. The U.S. Olympic Team has not been officially named. As of now, the U.S. has a total of 4 men's spots and 4 women's spots. There is a possibility that additional spots will be given to the U.S., but that will not be announced until January 19th.

I am headed to the Super Tour races in the Methow Valley on Thursday and then headed back to Kethcum in a week.

Day Three!

2010-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the best way to describe today's 20k classic race is, TOUGH! The forecast for today called for temperatures anywhere between 26-32 degrees and a 50 percent chance of snow/rain, possibly starting in the morning or maybe holding off until the afternoon. For those of you who don't know as much about the technical side of skiing, well these conditions are probably the toughest for waxing! The options are endless...is it zero skis, harries, stiffer skis, softer skis, klister cover, hard wax, etc. As you can imagine, this makes for a little bit more stressful morning choosing skis.

When I woke up this morning I checked the temperature, 27 degrees. I looked outside, falling snow. "Hhmmm" I thought to myself. As I drove to the race venue, the snow was beginning to fall harder and it was starting to accumulate. I walked into the waxing trailer where the coaches were busily testing everything! I managed to get a good warm-up in, although I forgot that the first 2.5k of the course doesn't have lights. It was dark and I kept my eyes open for moose meandering the trails. Fifteen minutes before the start, I frantically went looking for my coach and my race skis. I tested them with only a few minutes to spare and they were slipping. My coach applied another layer of wax, but with only five minutes remaining until the start, I did not have time to test them again. I ran to the start, went through ski check and found my starting lane amid 9 lanes and over 70 starting positions. Everyone was silent and still with 30 seconds to go. "Bang!" the gun went off. I had a strong double pole start, positioning myself near the front. As soon as the pack of women hit the hills, I began to slip! I focused on setting my foot and wax pocket...but I just kept slipping. I immediately dropped back to somewhere around 20th place in the first 2k.

The pack of women 1k from the start
Photo by Bill Roth of ADN.com

I completed my first 7k lap and I was discouraged. I was expending a lot of energy trying to set my wax. I passed my coach and asked if dropping out might be a good option, in order to save some energy for Friday's classic sprint. I did not get a quick enough answer, so I kept racing. Back out onto the tough 5k loop with lots of big hills I went! I slowly caught and passed the girl in front of me. Half way through the second lap, my skis were beginning to kick better and i was able to push a little harder. I caught up to a pack of four girls in front of me. I hung on their tails for about 2k before making my move and passing them. With 6k to go, I skied as hard as I could! I managed to work my way up to 11th and was gaining on the girls in front of me. Had we skied another lap, I probably could have caught them.

Liz Stephen leading the train of women.
Photo by Bill Roth of ADN.com

Today was a tough race but there is always something to learn and today I learned not to give up! A lot can happen in a 20k race and fortunately my race got better and better as I went. Tomorrow is a rest day and U.S. Nationals will conclude on Friday with the classic sprint.
All for now!

Click HERE for results

9th place-10k Freestyle Race
Photo by James Brady

Day Two

2010-01-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

Day two of U.S. Nationals concluded today with a 10/15k freestyle race. Conditions were decent and temperatures remained in the 20's. The course was technically tough with long grinding uphills and some quick turns.

My effort today was good enough to put me in the top-10. I felt like I skied strong and consistent the entire way. I learned some good things from this race and I am ready to get after it in the 20k classic race on Wednesday.

Results:

Men:
1) Kris Freeman, U.S. Ski Team, 37:17.6;
2) Tad Elliott, CXC Team Vertical, 37:42.1;
3) James Southam, APU, 38:15.2;
4) Matt Liebsch, CXC Team Vertical, 38:21.1;
5) Noah Hoffman, U.S. Ski Team, 38:37.7;
6) Lars Flora, APU, 38:52.1;
7) Leif Zimmerman, Bridger Ski Foundation, 38:55.2;
8) Chris Cook, Steinbock Racing, 39:04.0;
9) Brian Gregg, CXC Team Vertical, 39:06.5;
10) Simi Hamilton, Sun Valley, 39:22.3

Women:
1) Kikkan Randall, U.S. Ski Team, 28:40.1;
2) Caitlin Compton, Go! Training, 28:50.5;
3) Liz Stephen, U.S. Ski Team, 29:03.7;
4) Morgan Arritola, U.S. Ski Team, 29:26.9;
5) Ekaterina Vinogradova, Auburn Ski Club, 29:31.7;
6) Rebecca Dussault, CXC Vertical Limit, 29:37.9;
7) Holly Brooks, APU, 29:57.9;
8) Beth Reid, Auburn Ski Club, 30:14.5;
9) Nicole DeYong, Sun Valley, 30:32.8;
10) Tazlina Mannix, U.S. Ski Team, 30:44.8;

Complete Results:

Click HERE!

Day One of U.S. Nationals

2010-01-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

On a cold morning out at Kincaid Park, in Anchorage Alaska, more than 300 racers blazed off the starting line to kick off the first day of the U.S. Nationals Cross-Country Ski Championships. For many, warming up in the dark and racing with the moon setting on one side and the sun rising on the other was a new experience...and for those of us from Alaska, well we thought nothing of it. With temperatures barely above zero degrees, everyone was excited to race and begin a tough week of racing!

Photo by Marc Lester

I had a decent qualifier, placing 9th, but failed to ski aggressive enough in the quarterfinal to make it into the semis. While I was disappointed with my result, I am ready to charge in to Monday's 10k freestyle race.

Photo by Marc Lester

A big congratulations to Simi Hamilton, my fellow Sun Valley ODT teammate, who won the men's sprint race! Simi won the qualifier and continued to ski strong all day!

Simi Hamilton, racing his way to a National Championship!
Photo by Rob Whitney

The rest of the week looks like this:

Sunday: Rest/training day
Monday: 10/15k freestyle race
Tuesday: Rest/training day
Wednesday: 20/30k classic race
Thursday: Rest/training day
Friday: Classic sprint race

You can find up to date results at: www.summittiming.com

I will also update my blog as the week progresses!

Silver Star to Canmore

2009-12-19T12:29:00.001-08:00

On Monday we made the 7 hour drive from Silver Star B.C. to Canmore Alberta. It was one of the most beautiful and most scenic drives I have ever experienced! We lucked out with a clear, sunny, cold day which made for some spectacular views of the Canadian Rockies!

The view from the car window!

All ten of us, trying to peak our heads out the front windshield (all the windows were foggy)

After hearing so many wonderful things about Canmore, I am finally here to check it out myself. The Canmore Nordic Center is an amazing venue with world class trails, racing and facilities. They hosted the nordic ski events for the 1988 Winter Olympics and have hosted several world cup events. It is truly a high-caliber racing venue...and the amazing scenery tops is off!

A glimpse of the beauty at the Canmore Nordic Center

We arrived to some colder temperatures, -14 Celsius. A weather front with warm winds, also known as Chinook Winds, moved in on Thursday bringing in some warmer temperatures, +3 Celsius.

Today we raced our first of two back to back classic sprints. Temperatures were warmer than expected, resulting in moredifficult and more technical waxing. The course is a long climb to the top (3 minutes of climbing) before a long sweeping down hill brings you into the stadium for a 150 meter stretch of hard double pole. Today I finished 13th (3rd American) in the prelims...not a great or satisfying result. In preparation for a strong race tomorrow, I decided to sit the rounds out in order to get rested and ready to go! I feel like todays effort was a good "practice-run" for tomorrow. Now I know how my skis run, where to push harder and how to ski the corners. I learned some valuable things from todays race and I am ready to learn from those things and use them to create an even better performance tomorrow!

Ski on!

In Canada...

2009-12-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

Week three of racing is quickly approaching! After spending a few additional days in West Yellowstone, the Sun Valley Team traveled to Bozeman. We were greeted with some chilly weather...well below zero! Despite the cold, we raced a skate sprint on Saturday and a 10k classic on Sunday.

I qualified 7th in sprint race, just 3.5 seconds out of 1st! So close! I went on to win my quarterfinal heat but ended up getting boxed out in my semi-final, putting me in the B-final. I did not have quite enough steam in the sprint to the finish and ended up 10th overall. I felt like i put in a a good effort but didn't not end with the result I was hoping for.

Saturday's sprint really did a job on my lungs and I am still recovering from the "after race cough." The following day we had a 10k classic race on a very challenging course with temperatures well below zero! Not the most pleasant racing conditions. I felt pretty tired from the sprint race the day before, but i tried not to think about how tired I was. I focused on skiing smooth and relaxed. I crossed the finish line feeling disappointed...at that time i had no idea where I ended up result wise, but based on the way I felt racing, I figured I had a mediocre result. I felt like I was missing that extra gear in the race. After my cool down, I was surprised to find out that I ended up 6th! I figured that if i felt that way and ended up 6th, then I know that on a day where I am feeling good, I can produce an even better result!

We are currently in Silver Star B.C. There is lots of snow here and it is cold:) I am hoping for even better results this weekend...every race seems to get better and better, so hopefully that will continue:)

Look for results at www.zone4.ca

Aawww...sigh of relief!

2009-11-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hello! The races in West Yellowstone have concluded! To me, this is a sigh of relief...the first races are always nerve racking and it is nice to have them DONE!!!

Since the qualifier on Wednesday, I competed in the 10k skate race on Friday and the 5k classic race on Saturday. The skate race went alright. I skied smooth and maintained a good pace the entire way, but I was lacking making that shift to the next level. Instead I felt like i was out for a cruise in second gear the entire way. I ended up 14th overall (11th American), a result I was not completely happy with.

I woke up Saturday morning feeling tired and sore. I did not sleep well the night before, due to the infamous "skier cough" and my entire body felt sore from the skate race the day before. I did my best to loosen up my body with a light morning run and stretching. I went into the race relaxed and had little expectations for myself, other than going out and skiing as hard as i could. My goal was to ski relaxed and smooth and not to start to fast! After the first 2k, I received a split that I was in 5th, eight seconds out of 2nd. In a 5k race, every second counts...I kept reminding myself of this as I hammered up the last big hill and skied the final kilometer to the finish. I kept my 5th place position, but a few girls who started behind me, finished with a faster time, thus bumping my position back to 8th (4th American).

Overall, I am happy with my results. There is some room for improvement, but I am confident it will come as the racing progresses! Our team is headed to Bozeman on Thursday for the next races of the season. Keep you posted!

A not-so-flattering picture of me racing

First Race of the Season

2009-11-25T14:06:00.001-08:00

Well, the first race of the season is now history! It wasn't a typical race, instead it was only the qualifying round of a classic sprint. Usually we complete a qualifying round to determine who makes it to the quarterfinals and so on, but today was a 5 minute all-out sprint, start to finish! Because of the length of the race, there was not much room for error!

I was one of the first girls out of the gate and intended to ski smooth and relaxed. I had a hard time finding that smoothness and felt like more of a spaz. The corners were tricky and I was lucky to make it around with out loosing my balance. Once I came to the final 100 meter incline, I felt like i was beginning to ski smooth and fast. I pushed it all the way to the finish line just to feel my lungs burn! Whew, the race was over!

I ended up 13th overall, a relatively mediocre result. Despite today's result, it was good to go through the motions of race preparation and racing itself! It always takes a few races at the beginning of the season for me to get moving. I am looking forward to Friday's 10k skate...if anything, it will be good to get another race "under my belt."

Click for Today's Results

On the Road Again

2009-11-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

Whoa, it is nice to finally be on the road! The past week has been a whirlwind in preparation for leaving Sun Valley for the next 2 months! Despite the business of getting all the odds and ends finished before leaving, I was able to put in some final, quality workouts. My third ski of the season was a 13k skate time trial. The lack of snow and the compact trail made it a little difficult to get stability, but I tried to focus on staying smooth and relaxed. Now that I have been on snow a hand-full of times, I am beginning to feel more comfortable with the longer skis and adjusting to the balance.

In addition to getting some quality workouts in last week, I enjoyed spending my last couple days with the kid's at the YMCA. It is hard to believe that I won't see them for 2 months! We had fun playing in the bouncy castle and the second grade girls surprised me by hiding the lockers!

I am currently in West Yellowstone with all the other cross-country skiers in the country! We are enjoying the new snow fall and the great skiing. The energy is high and people are anticipating the first races of the season! With the Olympics just 2.5 months away, you can tell people are more fit than ever.

Our race schedule looks like this:

Wednesday, November 25- Sprint Qualifier
Friday, November 27- 10k Skate
Saturday, November 28- 5k Classic

Stayed tuned for updates!

First Ski!

2009-11-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Yep! We are officially skiing in Ketchum, Idaho...well, technically we are skiing about 15 miles north of Ketchum. This morning I enjoyed a distance skate ski on well groomed trails with beautiful sunshine and a teamperature of 11 degrees, bbrrrr! There is about 8-10 inches of fresh snow with more to come in the forecast. I am hoping I can put the rollerskis in the closet for good!

We are headed to West Yellowstone in a week to kick off the first races of the season. From there we will travel to Bozeman, Silver Star, Canmore and then up to Anchorage for U.S. Nationals! Cheers!

Cranking the Intensity

2009-11-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been chalked full of intensity! Racing season is less than three weeks away and it is time to get fast! Last week consisted of a 3x(4x400m) + 4x200m track workout, 6x4min L4 classic rollerski intervals, and a 2x25min L3 mooshoofing interval session.

I gave myself a full day of rest before I jumped into a strength test the following week. I was happy to produce some improved results...indicating that my time in the gym is paying off. The test consisted of a minute of pull-ups, minute rest, minute of sit-ups, minute rest, minute of push-ups, minute rest, minute of box jumps, minute rest, minute of dips, DONE!!!! My arms were flooded with lactic acid when I finished but I set a new record!

The week progressed with another 3x(4x4oom) track workout and some L4 skate intervals. Whew! its been tough couple weeks but its the best way to get faster!

I topped off the week with a trip to the Sawtooths. I enjoyed a few nights at a friends cabin where I put in a couple hours of wood-cutting, took advantage of a "natural' contrast bath with a river and a hot-springs called the "boat box" and went for a great over-distance hike/run in the White Cloud Mountains! We ran into 1 1/2 feet of snow toward the top! We lucked out with a beautiful, sunny day...but definitely a little chilly.

The count down to the first race in West Yellowstone is 17 days! Lets hope for some snow and we'll be in business! This next week will contain some tough workouts but will be a fairly low-volume week. time to bring it on!

Sure Signs of Fall...

2009-10-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is hard to believe that October is already coming to a close... snow is in the forecast and day light savings ends next week! While these are sure sings of fall, the close of the cross-country season, the annual fall Idaho Nordic Clinic and hiking in snow-covered Sawtooth Mountains are as well.

The Community School Cross-Country running season came to an end this past week with Districts. Unfortunately, several of the runners were struck with sickness and were not able to run or run to their full potential. Despite our low attendance, we had some great performances from Torin Tucker and Morgan Atikinson, both of whom qualified for state! Congratulations to both of them!

Katie, running her heart out!

Last week, Colin and I had the opportunity to coach a dry-land clinic for the Idaho Nordic Ski Club, based out of Boise, Idaho. Two sessions focusing on technique were offered, one for double pole and the other for skate. Once technique was reviewed and improved, we put it into practice with some speeds and sprint relays. It is always fun to help the Idaho Nordic crew and witness the vast improvements they make. Good job team!

An attentive group of Idaho Nordic skiers

Tristen, demonstrating some good double-pole technique

A close finish for the Pitt brothers

Today, I went for a wonderful over-distance run/hike in the Sawtooth Mountains! My lack of playing in the mountains this summer made me appreciate what I missed out on. The mountain tops are covered in snow!

A snowy hike in the Sawtooth's

A view of Sawtooth Lake

Snow is in the forecast for this week! We will see how much accumulates and whether or not it will be enough to strap the skis on and tromp around. I'll be sure to let you know if such a thing happens.

Lake Placid Wrap-Up

2009-10-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Lake Placid Camp at the Olympic Training Center concluded Wednesday with the annual Climb to the Castle time trial. Anyone who has done it, knows how grueling and tough this race is! It is a five-mile climb up the Whiteface Mountain toll road and gains a total elevation of 3,500 feet. It is one thing to race up the road in the first place and it is another thing to race up the road in adverse weather conditions. Weather was not on our side on Wendesday and racers toughed out the rain, wind, fog and sleet!

The lead woman's pack, charging up the mountain through the fog!

Wednesday was definitely a mental race! I went into the race excited and ready to put the hurt on. The first two miles of the race started at a comfortable pace with a long train of girls. The pace gradually picked up as the race progressed, slowly breaking up the pack. I positioned myself in the middle of the pack and made an effort to close the gap when girls dropped off. By the third mile, the train broke up and I was with the front pack of five girls. The weather began to change and the fog, wind and rain began to settle in...the tough part of the race was on! I tried to stick with the pack but they slowly pulled away from me. Before I knew it, I was all by myself. Once you get dropped from the pack, it is very difficult to catch up by yourself. I kept my head down and worked as hard as I could against the wind. At one point, the wind was so strong that I was hardly moving! I anticipated the pack of girls behind me to catch me, but I was pleasantly surprised when I crossed the finish line by myself, one minute ahead of anyone else. I finished 6th over-all, two minutes behind the top female. This was a good and encouraging result for me, but I still have a two-minute gap to work on.

I am currently spending the week in Vermont with my boyfriend, and enjoying some rest and recovery after such an intese camp. The fall colors in the east are always amazing and beautiful!

Level 4 bounding intervals up Whiteface.

I am headed back to Kethcum on Thursday. Five inches of snow fell in Kethcum last week, enough to put the skis on and tromp around. I'm sure it has melted by now, but I am looking forward to some snow and maybe some early skiing this season. Until then, I will enjoy the beautiful scenery in the east!

Quick Update

2009-09-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I am currently in Lake Placid, New York for a 12-day training camp at the Olympic Training Center. Coming east for this camp every fall is a yearly tradition. The Sun Valley Team is currently here but will soon be joined by the CXC team, the National Team, and several other top skiers from around the country. It is always a good camp with a high caliber of athletes and a tough week of training. The roller skiing is amazing out here with access to several country roads providing varying terrain. We went for a run in the Adirondak State Park today and enjoyed the beauty of the fall colors around us.

We have some good training ahead of us. I will be sure to update more in the next few days!

The Woes of Roller Skiing

2009-09-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

We roller ski day in and day out...we put our skis, boots, poles and helmet
on an walk out the door to do what we do every day, TRAIN! We rarely think about the possible consequences of roller ski safety. For those of you who don't know much about roller skis, they do not have breaks and even the smallest about of debris, such as pebbles, rocks, pine cones and leaves can cause huge problems.

In Sun Valley, it is mandatory for athletes to wear a helmet roller skiing at all times, even on the bike trail. This past summer we've had our fair share of roller ski accidents. Today I topped it off with a hard crash on the pavement. I was 20 seconds into an interval, carrying good speed when a pine cone got lodged into the front wheel of my ski. My entire body catapulted forward, leaving my feet and skis behind. I came down and hit my head hard on the pavement! I immediately felt a sharp, cracking pain in my head. Tears came instantly as the pain seemed almost unbearable. I slowly made my way back to my feet and found a crack in my helmet! Whew! After eventually collecting myself and grasping the pounding headache, I managed to finish my workout with a cool-down.

All I can say is I am really glad I was wearing a helmet! A headache all day long hardly compares to a concussion or even head trauma! It definitely saved my head!

Cross-Country Season is Underway!

2009-09-13T16:19:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again! Students are in school, cross-country runners are racing, and the leaves are beginning to fall!

At the starting line!

This past week The Community School Cross-Country Running Team participated in the first race of the season! The Community School and the Wood River High school organized a fantastic meet, right here in Ketchum. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day.

Zana, pushing it up the last big hill!

The team this year consists of 10 athletes: 6 girls and 4 boys. Unfortunately we had a few sick kids the day of the meet and were only able to race 6 athletes. Despite the few numbers, we went into the race with open minds and decided that this race would help determine where we should set our goals for the rest of the season. The runners did great...but we certainly have some training to do:)

TCS Cross-Country Running Team

I am excited to help with another season of cross-country running! We ended on a great note last year, qualifying both the boys and girls team to state for the first time in school history! We have high standards to meet this year, but with some hard work we can achieve it!

Training with Purpose

2009-08-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I have traveled quite a bit! My last few days in Alaska brought me on yet another adventure. I traveled south of Anchorage, to Homer, and enjoyed some great camping, fun, food and play with my family. We took a water taxi across the bay to Halibut Cove and spent some time kayaking, hiking, and gallery walking; the small town is known for their amazing art talent. The weather was perfect and it reminded me why I love Alaska so much!

A view of Grewink Glacier

My mom and sisters, headed to Halibut Cove

A beautiful sunset, with Mt. Illiamna in the foreground

I returned to Ketchum for a short three days before I was on the road, headed to Whistler B.C. for a training camp. After 16 long hours of driving in the van, and pulling over for a 5 hour sleep, we arrived in Whistler! We are currently training with the U.S. ski team in this wonderful town, host of the 2010 Winter Olympics. As always, it is exciting to be here training at the venue, becoming more familiar with the town, and training with fellow competitors.

Part of the crew, lined up and ready to start intervals

The focus of the training camp is intensity...we have five interval sessions in a span of ten days! It is great to be training with some of the strongest athletes in the nation. We are focusing on improving our transitions, our speed and just becoming familiar and comfortable with the courses. Being here gives us the opportunity to visualize and imagine what it will be like to race the course and sprint the final 300 meters to the finish. Each workout is done with complete focus and purpose. The final countdown is on...every month, day, hour and minute counts!

Adele, working on her stand-starts

An Alaskan Adventure

2009-08-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

I am currently in Alaska, enjoying the "Great North" summer. Twelve hours after stepping off the plane, I found myself in one of the most beautiful landscapes ever!...on Kesugi Ridge. I surprised my sister for her 30th Birthday and flew up to Alaskaa couple days early to join her and her friends for a 2 day backpacking trip on Kesugi Ridge. This ridge is located North of Anchorage in Denali State Park and offers amazing views of Mt. McKinley! While the weather was nice, it wasn't quite clear enough to see the entire mountain.

The scenery from the top of the ridge

The backpacking crew!

To acsess the trail along Kesugi Ridge, it is a 1,500 foot hike up to the ridge. The ridge is fairly mellow with some gradual ascents and descents. The ridge trail follows a broad alpine tundra plane past ponds, across creeks and around granite boulders. If you find yourself in Alaska and are looking for a good backpacking trip with amazing veiws, I definitely recommend Kesugi Ridge! It is beutiful!

Hiking the trail along the ridge

Me, among the fireweed!

August is a great time of year to go hiking and backpakcing in Alaska because the berries are bountiful! Within the first hour of hiking we found blueberries, watermellon berries, cloudberries, crowberries and soapberries! Yum, yum, yum! We picked a bag full of blueberries to make ourself some "camp-made" blueberry crisp! It was great!

Busy, picking blueberries for the birthday crisp

Watermellon berries. They are very juicy!

As for training, it is going well. I have been doing a majority of my training by myself since I've been in Alaska, but it has been good to focus on doing the "right" workouts for me. I have been doing a lot of classic rollerskiing and double-poling. I am trying to give my legs a little break to relieve some soreness and fatigue that has built up over the past couple weeks. Hopefully with the right training and the right amount of rest, they will be back to normal soon!

My sisters and I

I am in Alaska for another week and I am looking forward to a recovery week filled with some fun adventures in Homer, Alaska with my family. I will keep you posted!

Recovery Week

2009-08-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

After a quality week of training in Utah, this past week was a recovery week...a chance to get rested and do different activities! Recovery weeks are not always easy for me; I am one who does not like to take a day off. Instead of filling my recovery week with "off days," I used "active recovery" to fill those days. In other words, I used low impact activities such as biking, swimming and double pole to let my body rest and recover. Every other day I either swam or biked to all my legs to recover from the fatigue I'd been feeling for the past couple weeks. This was a good way to give my legs a break and get them back under my feet.

Double pole intervals

In addition to doing new and different activities, recovery weeks are a good chance to get out and explore and travel new areas. This past week I drove through Yellowstone National Park, over Beartooth Pass, and into the Gallatin National Forsest in Montana. The drive was absolutely beautiful and I saw several buffalo, grizzly bears, coyotes, and moose. I went for a run at the Insideout Trailhead and explored the beauty of the Gallatin National Forest.

The beautiful scenery in Yellowstone National Park

We saw hundreds of buffalo

...and yes, they have the right of way

My recovery week also allowed my to spend some time at the YMCA Kids Summer Camp. We had fun making "kitchen creations" ranging from rice krispie treats to chocolate covered bananas. We also had fun painting eachothers faces...although Alonzo wouldn't let me paint his face after he painted mine!

Alonzo and I with our painted faces!

Sara, showing off her butterfly face

It was a good week and I feel rested and ready to hammer into my volume week!

Soldier Hollow Training Camp

2009-07-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a 5 day training camp in Soldier Hollow, Utah with the Sun Valley Olympic Development Team. We took advantage of the great roller ski trails and used the terrain to work on skate V1 and classic stride technique... two things we do not have much of in Sun Valley.

The first day, we worked on our hops with specific plyos: jumping over hurdles, jumping up multiple stairs, single leg hops, etc. We completed the workout with an hour run around the Soldier Hollow trails. I spent most of the afternoon resting and relaxing, trying to make-up for lost sleep the night before. Our afternoon workout was spent doing max strength at the Racquet Club in Park City...thank you Racquet Club! I think everyone is getting pretty strong!

The next morning we woke up to do some 5x4 minute, level 4 intervals up Hermod's Hill. If you are not familiar with the 2002 Olympic Cross-Country Venue, there is a long, tough hill called Hermod's Hill. Even though it was a hard workout, I was pleased with the way I held my technique together and completed the workout as it was meant to be done. After watching my technique video and reviewing it with my coach, I went out that afternoon and skied Hermod's a few more times to work on specific technique.

Wednesday morning we woke up bright and early to hike Mt. Timpanogos. With 4,580 feet of elevation gain, it took us just under three hours to reach the summit. The trail brought us behind waterfalls, across snow fields, along steep ridges, near lakes, eye to eye with mountain goats, and glissades down snow. All in all it was an awesome hike! To top off the day we spent the afternoon at the water park!

On Thursday morning we did a 13k pursuit time trial. A pursuit consists of racing the first half with the classic gear and then switching to skate gear for the second half. The classic portion of the race went well for me. I felt strong and was able to maintain a good pace. After switching to my skate gear for the second half, my legs cramped up and felt as heavy as bricks! Ug...a horrible feeling! The long over-distance hike the day before had done my legs in. I lost quite a bit of time on the skate portion and was disappointed to end the way I did after such a good start. I immediately iced my legs after the race in the 50 degree river! Brrr!

Friday morning we went for a distance classic roller ski, focusing once again, on technique. I received some good feedback on things I was improving on and things I needed to keep working on. That afternoon we made our trek back to Sun Valley. After a long drive and some time spent gatering equipment that fell out off the roof rack onto the freeway, we finally made it home!

All in all it was a great camp with some quality training!

Making our way up Mt. Timpanogos

Kate, surfing on an iceberg!

The summit of Mt. Timpanogos

Olympic Day in Ketchum!

2009-07-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had the privilege of celebrating Olympic Day with several kids from the Wood River Valley. It began with a talk on perseverance and included some thoughtful words from Olympians, Laura Todd and Jon Engen. We learned the meaning of perseverance and what it means to try your best and never give up! It was a big word for a lot of the kids, but they figured it out fast!

The YMCA crew

Olympic Day resumed outside at Atkinson's park with games, relays and a 1k fun run! A fun, yet challenging game was the wooden ski relay pictured below. I'm sure all the kids can attest that good coordination and patience is key in this activity.

The counselors even gave it a try!

We played relays with hurdles, speed ladders, push-ups and sprints. The kids were troopers!

Michael blazing through the speed ladder

Casen, pumping out some nice push-ups!

We ended the event with a 1k fun run around the park. Kids from other camps participated in this activity and we even got the mayor of Kethcum, Randy Hall to join us for this part of the event!

Group picture with Mayor Randy Hall

"Racers take your mark...ready, set, GO!"

Running FAST!

Almost to the finish!

Cambria and Melissa, two of our faithful YMCA campers

Olymipc Day was a fun day for everyone! I look forward to celebrating again next year!

Camp Is On!!!

2009-06-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Wood River YMCA summer camp has begun! We are two weeks into the camp and we've already enjoyed countless activities, crafts, snacks and games! Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what we have been up too...

The parachute is one of my favorites along with several of the kids favorites! We made the parachute into an igloo, played games by switching places underneath the parachute, and played a game called "cat and mouse." We had a lot of fun!

"Pin the tail on the pig" was a game that made everyone laugh! One person was blindfolded and spun 3 times before they walked up to the pig and pinned the tail on the pig. There were tails all over the wall! Very funny!
Sierra, Nicoletta, Antonia and Megan made one of the biggest towers with their balloons. Those were some tough balloons to blow up! They did a great job!

A group picture of the kids at camp last week! Despite some of the unexcited faces, I think we all had a good time!

We are celebrating Olympic Day on Tuesday and I'll be sure to post some great pictures from that event!

Sun Valley's not always sunny...

2009-06-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

...And it doesn't usually snow on June 14th either!

This is crazy!

It has been a slow start to the summer here in Kethcum, Idaho! June rainfall has already beaten the monthly norm with close to over 2 inches of rain in the last 15 days. While this is not normal for this area, I haven't let the wet weather conflict with my training schedule.

In previous summers, I have hiked 2-3 peaks by this time. Yesterday, I got the hiking itch and decided to go for a 4 hour over-distance run/hike in the mountains. I woke up to wet streets and cloudy skis but much to my surprise, it was not raining. I decided to take advantage of it as soon as I could, and made my way to the Pioneer Mountains. Within an hour and half of running, it started to rain or maybe I should say pour...I was definitely expecting it though! As I got higher in elevation, the rain turned to snow! I would have never known it was June 14th if I was to determine the season by my surroundings! With proper clothing and several layers of extra clothes, I enjoyed being out in the mountains despite the rain and snow.

Since when does the weather stop you from enjoying the outdoors?

The view, looking up into Big Basin.

Smith Rock

2009-06-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Amongst all the hours of training and skiing in Bend, we had the opportunity to explore and check out new places as well. In the past, several people told me how cool Smith Rock is, so I decided I better check it out! And sure enough, it was just as cool as people had described it. Now, let me make this clear, I am not an avid rock climber, but I do enjoy the 5.8, 5.9 routes just for fun:) Going to Smith Rock opened my eyes to a whole new level of climbing! Here are some pictures of our adventure...

Walking down the path to "Morning Glory" wall.

A view of just one of the many climbs.

Crystal clear day!

Getting ready for our first climb

Colin making his way up.

I kept telling myself "don't look down!"

Climbing until dusk.

A days climbing done!

BEND...the place to be!

2009-05-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Bend Oregon is a great place to be right now if you are a cross-country skier...and even if you aren't a skier! The weather has been amazing this past week, with temps in the mid 70's! Each day begins bright and early at 6am on the dot and brings us up to Mt. Bachelor to enjoy first tracks on pristinely groomed trails. Within the first hour of skiing the track softens up and wonderful skiing is to be had! Our workouts consist of longer distance days, interval days and over-distance days. It is great to have so many different clubs and skiers from all over the country skiing in Bend...U.S. Ski Team, APU, X-C Oregon, CXC, Sun Valley, Maine Winter Sports, UAA, Utah, etc.

Summit of Mt. Bachelor

Morgan Arritola skiing up the hill

Chris Grover checking Andy Newell's lactate levels

Coach Travis Jones, waiting for the results

Mikey Sinott

Me, enjoying another beautiful day of skiing!

We are in Bend for another four days before we begin our 8 hour drive back to Sun Valley. Until then, we will continue to enjoy the wonderful skiing and the sun! Till next time!

10 Day Cleanse

2009-05-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

What is a cleanse? What is the purpose? Can I really go 10 days eating only certain food items? Will I feel any better? Any different? These are all questions I asked myself the first time I did a cleanse. And the answer is, “YES!” I just finished my second 10 day cleanse and I was reminded one, how hard it is and two, how simple and easy it is. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but if this is something that sounds crazy to you, let me try to explain…

First off, let me clarify by saying that a cleanse is not a fast. In this particular cleanse called, Heart of Nourishment, by Hale Sofia Schatz, the purpose is to simplify digestion and rid your body of toxins. It is a food based cleanse where you feed yourself regularly throughout the process. It is broken down into three phases: Phase 1-Fruits and Vegetables; Phase 2- Grains, Seeds and Nuts; Phase 3- Protein. Each phase can be prolonged as long as you wish. For example, I ate fruits and vegetables for 3 days, then I added grains, seeds and nuts on the 4^th day and by day 5 I added limited protein. I have to admit that the first few days were the most difficult. I definitely did not feel rejuvenated and refreshed. I made the mistake of going for a 2 ½ hour run on day 4 and bonked big time. Once I moved into phase 2, rice and quinoa tasted so good! By day 5 I needed protein! Once I reached the third phase, I felt like my body was responding to the cleanse. I let go of my old patterns and I became very aware of what I was eating and what I did not need! It was tough to cut out sugar and sweets.

Overall, I believe the cleanse was very beneficial for me. It is a powerful way of bringing mindfulness and sensitivity to your relationship with food and makes you aware of how simple eating can be. It is a good way for me to start a new season…completely cleansed. And it gets you into a good habit of eating more fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.

If you are interested in learning more about the cleanse or trying it yourself, you can check out this website: www.heartofnourishment.com

Back at It!

2009-05-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how fast a month of rest and play goes by! April is over and it is the beginning of May...it is time to start training. Our first official day of training was Friday, May 1st. With the abundance of snow in the mountains, we were able to do our first L3 workout on snow! Thanks to Colin and Mikey who groomed a nice 4k loop, we did not have to drag our roller skis out... not yet.

Despite the lack of spring-like weather here in the valley, we are diving into training full-on. Today we completed our first L4 workout: 4x5min running. The rest of the week will consist of 5-6 distance workouts, 2 strength workouts, and 1 L3 interval session.

I am excited to begin a new season with new training buddies, new training plans, new training goals and new experiences. After a month of rest, I am recharged and ready to go! Game on!

HAWAII

2009-04-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent some time on the beaches of the north shore of Oahu. The quick trip was filled with adventures from hiking, snorkeling, surfing, golfing, to beaches, beaches and more beaches!

Jeff is ready to snorkel

Get your surf on!

Teeing up for the first time!

A little lost in the jungle

The best sand castle I've ever seen

Kikkan and I enjoying some beach time

One last surf

Sunset

Spring Fun!

2009-04-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Spring is always a great time for some fun back-country adventures! After enjoying some great weather and fun skiing in Alaska, I am back in Sun Valley enjoying some more fun adventures. Here are some pictures from a couple epic trips...

View of Turnagain Arm, AK

Scouting out the slope

Its a trek to the top!

Smiles even in a blizzard

Girls ski day at Alyeska!

Tournak Hut

Getting in a few turns

Its another great day!

For me, this is the best way to spend my "days off."

End of Season

2009-04-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Now that the end of the season is here, it is hard to believe it’s already over! This past week U.S. Long-Distance Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska wrapped up the 2008-2009 season. We had a series of four races within six days, two of which made-up for national races canceled earlier in the year in Anchorage.

After recovering from two weeks of being sick, I went into the first race trying to get my body in racing mode again. The 5k classic was a tight race and I finished 11th overall. Despite a mediocre result, I of course had hopes for better. The next day was a team sprint. I partnered with my Sun Valley teammate, Morgan Arritola. After placing second by a hair in the semi-finals, we advanced to the finals and placed 6th overall. It was a tough race but we hung in there.

After one rest day, we were back on the trails, this time for the 15k duathlon. The pace went out fast and I held back a little to conserve for the second portion of the race. I skied a consistent race but didn’t place as high as I had hoped. It came down to a sprint in the final 100 meters and I just didn’t have enough to push any harder.

The week concluded with the 30k classic race. While I wouldn’t consider a 30k classic to be a strong race for me, last year I did well in this event, so I went into the race with an optimistic attitude. Five kilometers into the race, my optimism disappeared and I was struggling just to hang on. I had lost the front pack and I was discouraged with the speed of my skis as girls literally zipped past me on the down hills. Thoughts of quitting ran through my head, but my willpower wouldn’t allow me to stop…after all, this was the last race of the season. What did I have to loose? For the next 25k I kept going, that’s about all I can say. I wasn’t going fast but I was skiing and I was determined to finish.

This week I am enjoying some good R&R at home and I plan to do some fun back-country ski trips before heading back to Sun Valley. I am excited to have a few weeks of downtime, but I’m already looking forward to starting the 2009-2010 season the beginning of May.

End of Season

2009-04-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Now that the end of the season is here, it is hard to believe it’s already over! This past week U.S. Long-Distance Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska wrapped up the 2008-2009 season. We had a series of four races within six days, two of which made-up for national races canceled earlier in the year in Anchorage.

After recovering from two weeks of being sick, I went into the first race trying to get my body in racing mode again. The 5k classic was a tight race and I finished 11th overall. Despite a mediocre result, I of course had hopes for better. The next day was a team sprint. I partnered with my Sun Valley teammate, Morgan Arittola. After placing second by a hair in the semi-finals, we advanced to the finals and placed 6th overall. It was a tough race but we hung in there.

After one rest day, we were back on the trails, this time for the 15k duathlon. The pace went out fast and I held back a little to conserve for the second portion of the race. I skied a consistent race but didn’t place as high as I had hoped. It came down to a sprint in the final 100 meters and I just didn’t have enough to push any harder.

The week concluded with the 30k classic race. While I wouldn’t consider a 30k classic to be a strong race for me, last year I did well in this event, so I went into the race with an optimistic attitude. Five kilometers into the race, my optimism disappeared and I was struggling just to hang on. I had lost
the front pack and I was discouraged with the speed of my skis as girls literally zipped past me on the down hills. Thoughts of quitting ran through my head, but my willpower wouldn’t allow me to stop…after all, this was the last race of the season. What did I have to loose? For the next 25k I kept going, that’s about all I can say. I wasn’t going fast but I was skiing and I was determined to finish.

This week I am enjoying some good R&R at home and I plan to do some fun back-country ski trips before heading back to Sun Valley. I am excited to have a few weeks of downtime, but I’m already looking forward to starting the 2009-2010 season the beginning of May.

Quick Update

2009-03-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have definitely been a bit challenging. I am currently in Collingwood, Ontario for Canadian Nationals. Along with little snow and marginal racing conditions, I acquired a cold the day I arrived in Collingwood. The combination of being on the brink of sickness, traveling all day, getting little sleep, and skiing in pouring, resulted in a disappointing week of simply waiting for my symptoms to go away.

Today is day 9 and I’ve completed one out of three races. I sat the first two races out hoping to feel better. After waking up without a sore throat yesterday, I decided I was on the mend and raced the classic sprint. While I definitely did not feel 100%, I used yesterday’s race as a good “wakeup” workout for my body. I was pleased with my 11th place finish, despite being sick the entire week.

I had hopes of racing the 30k race tomorrow, but my body is still fighting off sickness and I am hoping for complete health before I travel to Anchorage on Monday. U.S. Long-Distance Nationals is coming up on March 24th in Fairbanks, AK and I am now focusing on good results there. Those races will wrap-up the 2009 season.

I will keep you posted from Alaska!

Achieving Excellence

2009-02-28T21:09:00.000-08:00

The other day I got out of bed, looked out the window, and saw huge snowflakes falling to the ground. My initial reaction was excitement, but I was a bit disappointed because it was going to make the intervals I planned for the day that much harder.

I met my coach at the ski hut ready to go at 9:30am. The snow wasn't letting up and the wind wasn't either. I strapped my skis on and began my warm up, plowing through 5 inches of fresh fallen snow. I was the only lone soul out on the trails. It was hard to get psyched for this workout when I could hardly see where I was going! After making a few loops, I put my head down and went for it. "It's conditions like this that make you tough. You never know when you'll have to race in dumping snow." These were all thoughts that ran through my head and were latter reiterated by my coach. "That's right," I thought. "This is only going to make me tougher." With that thought in my head, I began my first interval. Three minutes into the interval I had to take my glasses off, they were fogging up and they were covered with snow! The wind was blowing and snow was covering my face...I couldn't see a thing! As I skied along, I ran off the trail a few times, getting way off track. I squinted my eyes and even shut them on the downhills...that's when I caught a tip in the snow and did a nice face plant. Aaawww! After the fall, I was getting more and more frustrated. I was trying to go fast but I couldn't see a thing! I finished my interval and stopped to get a lactate reading from my coach. This would be the moment of truth, did I go hard enough? Sure enough, my lactate was within the correct range!

Despite plowing through 5 inches of snow, skiing down the hills blind, and falling on my face, I was able to execute the intervals as planned. I was relieved to be done with the workout! I kept my mind in the game and completed it just as well as I would have if it was solid tracks. Sometimes achieving excellence isn't just about performing well at races and getting good results, but it is also about making several small achievements along the way. I could have easily waited until the next day to do the intervals when it was clear and sunny, but I put my mind to the test. Ultimately, I felt like I achieved excellence and benefited greatly from such a tough and brutal workout.

And of course as I finished my cool down, the sun began to peek through the clouds.

A Special Time in Sun Valley

2009-02-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

This past week I had the pleasure to be a part of the Special Olympics! The Nordic and Downhill events were held in Sun Valley, while the other events were held in Boise, Idaho.

A view of the awards podium with Baldy in the background.

A couple weeks ago, I helped with a nordic ski lesson. I enjoyed skiing with several of the Special Olympic athletes from Sun Valley.

My friends Abraham, Denny, and Grant!

We are all smiles after an afternoon of skiing.

As a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, Micheal Franti put on a concert in Sun Valley! We had a great time and even got a picture with him!

Micheal Franti onstage.

My sister Kristy, my friend Noi, and I posing for a picture with Micheal Franti

It was very fun having the Special Olympics in town and participating in the events. Thank you to all the organizers and volunteers for putting on such a great event!

A Week In Telemark

2009-02-05T11:26:00.001-08:00

Last week the Super Tour made its rounds to Telemark, Wisconsin. With temperatures as low as -15, it managed to warm up to zero degrees to kick off the skate sprint on Wednesday . The course wasn’t any ordinary sprint course. To put it plainly, it mainly consisted of two up-hills…one big hill and one really big hill. I skied to a solid second place in the qualifying round and ended up forth overall in the A-final. Colin Rodgers skied strong all day, qualifying in second place and holding his second place finish in the A-finals.

We had two days off before we found ourselves back on the trails racing. Saturday was a 5/10k classic on a very challenging course. My energy felt good and I knew I had to go out there and hammer every bit of the course. Despite a tumble on a down hill, I managed to get 5th place, 10 seconds out of a podium finish. Dave Chamberlain proved his dominance in classic skiing, finishing

Sunday was a 10/15k skate mass-start. After watching the men’s race at 9:30am, I learned that the course and its lack of hilly terrain was probably going to make for a tight finish in the woman’s race just as it had for the men’s race. A pack of 20 men came into the finishing stretch within a matter of about 10 seconds. Colin Rodgers finished 8th and Dave Chamberlain finished 12th. The top women stuck together in a tight pack until the last two kilometers. I decided to put the hammer down and begin my charge to the finish. Kristina Stranberg followed close behind and it came down to a sprint in the final 50 meters to the finish. Unfortunately, I did not have quite enough in the tank to maintain first place…she out-edged me by 1 second!

Overall, it was a successful week in Telemark. Many thanks to Dennis Kruse for housing several of the athletes this past week! We appreciate your hospitality!

I am back in Sun Valley, getting ready for the Boulder Mountain Tour this weekend! I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

My Ski History

2009-01-30T19:20:00.001-08:00

Similar to several other skiers I know, I grew up skiing at a very young age. I started in my dads backpack and by the time I was three I had my own skis strapped to my feet. My family and I went on day-long trips to Hatcher Pass and skied for hours, or maybe what seemed like hours to me at the time. By the time I was six, I was old enough to join the local Junior Ski Program known as the Jr. Nordic League. After a few practices I was hooked…so hooked I convinced my sisters to join me!

My family and I posing for a Christmas Ski picture in 1989

My enthusiasm for skiing did not carry me all the way through elementary school. I was more intrigued with playing soccer than skiing. By the time I was in my “cool” junior high years, I decided that I really did not like skiing and after doing my first ski race I was sure that I would never race again! While my parents did not force me to keep skiing, they encouraged me to stick with it.

My sister and I decked out in our "cool" spandex

By the time I got to high school I joined the cross-country running team and right after joined the cross-country ski team. At this point, I enjoyed these sports from more of a social aspect. The more I skied and raced, the more I learned to enjoy it. As I got better and better, I produced improving results, which fired my desire to keep skiing. My parents and coaches were very instrumental in supporting and encouraging me and they continue to do so to this day!

Racing for East High School my freshman year

After completing four years of racing on one of the best high school ski teams in the state, I decided to continue my ski ambitions as I pursued college. After skiing one year for Alaska Pacific University, I transferred to the University of Alaska Anchorage and skied for four successful years. Each year I produced improving results. As a result of my performances, I was asked to join an elite Olympic Development Team in Sun Valley, Idaho when I completed school.

That is where I am today! I currently live and train in Sun Valley and I am a member of the Sun Valley Olympic Development Team. I can honestly tell you that I am very passionate about skiing and I am so thankful my parents introduced me to the sport and encouraged me to stick with it!

My First World Cup!

2009-01-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I raced in my first World Cup in Whistler B.C.! Despite a smaller than usual field of racers, the competition was strong and fierce! I raced in the classic sprint on Friday with hopes of qualifying for the rounds with a top-30. Unfortunately, I did not ski anywhere fast enough and saw my name at the bottom of the prelim results.

Start of classic sprint quarterfinals.

In my mind, I used the classic sprint as a warm-up for the 15k duathlon race on Saturday. A duathlon race is where you ski the first half of the race with classic gear and then you switch to skate gear for the last half of the race. The night before the race I talked to my coach about the duathlon race and he simply told me to ski my own race. He told me not to let my adrenaline push me for the first couple kilometers of the race, but to ski where I felt comfortable. I have to admit I had a lot of adrenaline pumping when I was at the starting line and had to force myself to hold back! I went out with the pack and stuck with the top American skiers throughout the classic portion of the race. At the exchange zone I was the 2nd American, 3 seconds out! I went into the skate leg still feeling pretty good but realizing that I was only half way through the race. The course was lined with spectators and the cheering was loud! It was exciting to hear people cheer my name all over the course. Someone informed me that I was in 30th place...the last place to score world cup points! I knew I had to finish strong in order to hold my position. With less than one kilometer to go, I powered as hard as I could to the finish…just 2 seconds ahead of 31sts! Yay, I scored my first world cup points! I was happy with my result.

View of men's sprint relay through the stadium.

With the sun blazing and temperatures in the 40's, I watched the sprint relay on Sunday. The women's final was very exciting. Sprint partners Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephens, skied to an amazing 4th place finish! The best sprint relay finish by American women! It was very fun to watch!

Crystal clear veiw of Black Tusk.

I am back in Sun Valley for a few days before heading to the Midwest for a few SuperTour races next week. In the meantime, I will get in some good training in the sun!

All for now!

U.S. Nationals Recap

2009-01-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Quite a bit has happened since my last blog! To catch you up to date, I will continue where I left off…

Monday, January 5- Temperatures warmed up to -3 F and we were able to race the 5k skate. With built up excitement and energy from the previous two days of not racing, I bolted out that start gate. A 5k race is short and I pushed every part of the course. I ended up in 12^th place, just 4 seconds from 10^th!

Tuesday, January 6- Woke up to another day of subzero weather! The race got delayed two times. I began my warm-up and soon found out that they canceled the race. Another day gone! Due to the cold weather, I chose to run indoors on the treadmill. It was a good little L3 workout and it felt good to run.

Kate Arduer and Laura Valaas waiting to hear if the race is on.

Wednesday, January 7- Even colder today…-18 F at my house this morning! Races were canceled and this time I didn’t even have to go out to the race venue. I ran on an indoor track at the “Dome.” My workout included a 1x5min L3 with 6x15 sec speeds. Feeling ready to go!

The dome has 4 soccer fields and has the largest indoor track in North America.

Thursday, January 8- Woke up to a -12 F…knew there was a possibility of racing! Went out to Kincaid at 12:30pm and heard the word that the race was on! I immediately was in race mode and began my warm-up. Along with a temperature of -3 today, there was a wind chill which created a temperature of -25 F!!! Brrr, it was cold! I completed the qualifying found feeling like I had gone slow. Without knowing where I ended up, I began my cool-down. When I returned to the stadium, my name was posted in 7^th! I was very pleased and figured that if I felt slow and got 7^th, then I could got fast in the rounds. I ended up 9^th overall. I was pleased with my result…I wasn’t expecting that in a classic sprint of all races!

That evening the pre-olympic world cup team was announced. I was not sure if I made it, but was excited to hear my name announced!

Friday, January 9- Woke up and didn’t have to mentally and physically prepare of a race! I enjoyed an easy distance ski on some of my favorite trails at Kincaid. Friday evening I helped out with an event called Fast and Female. This event was for 9-19 year old girls and it included a ski session from elite female skiers, snacks, inspirational speeches, videos and autograph signing. It was a huge success! There were over 160 girl participants.

All 160 Fast and Female participants and the 25 elite female skiers who volunteered.

Posing for a picture with Jamie and Annie.

Saturday, January 10- I raced in the 10k classic UAA invitational at Kincaid. I felt pretty sore and tired going into the race but thought I might be able to ski it off…that did not happen. I finished 10^th despite feeling flat and tired.

Sunday, January 11- Took today pretty easy. I still felt a little tired and sore from the races. Resting up for next week!

Monday, January 12- It finally warmed up to above zero! It’s 13 F today! I went for an easy distance ski.

Tuesday, January 13- Left Anchorage and flew to Whistler.

Wednesday, January 14- I was informed that I get to race the pursuit race as well as the classic sprint this weekend at the World Cups in Whistler. Yay! I skied the pursuit course and included some speeds. I am feeling good and I’m very excited to be here! It is sunny and 32 degrees!

Thursday, January 15- Tested skis at the venue…it is full on klister conditions. Getting ready to race tomorrow!

Tomorrow I race in the classic sprint race. I am very excited to race in my first world cup and I am aiming for a top-30 tomorrow!

No Go!

2009-01-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

It’s another subzero day in Anchorage! After yesterday’s race being canceled due to cold weather, we are giving it another try today. It is currently -13 degrees at Kincaid and the 11:30 am start scheduled for today has been delayed to 1:30 pm this afternoon. We will see if it warms up 9 degrees!
Despite the frigid temperatures, it has been beautiful up here! I guess thats easy to say that when you are from Alaska. This past week has brought a brutal week of subzero temperatures, well below the average temperature for this time of year. I’m not sure why Anchorage seems to be cursed every time we have a big ski event up here…either there is not enough snow and it rains or it is really cold. If I had to pick between the two, I would definitely prefer the cold weather over the warm, rainy weather. Think of it this way, it makes for easy waxing.

Hopefully temperatures will warm up as the week goes on. I will keep you posted on how things unfold.

Counting Down!

2008-12-28T13:13:00.001-08:00

I was very lucky to arrive in Anchorage earlier this week without any flight cancellations or delays. The Seattle airport was complete mayhem as I frantically ran through it to catch my flight to Anchorage. I was greeted with a fresh dusting of snow and nice, cold Alaska temperatures.

Racers at Kincaid Park

The next morning I was up bright and early, ready to go for a ski at 9am…except, it was still dark! I waited another hour and half for the sun to rise and finally strapped my skis on at 11am. I was off! I enjoyed a wonderful ski at Kincaid Park, the venue for the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Championships starting next week! Due to some trail maintenance and remodeling in the past year, I felt like I was in a new place and had never skied there before! With the help of a map, I figured out the race course for the sprints and the distance races. Within the first ten minutes of my ski, I ran into a moose chomping on a tree. That was when I really knew I was skiing in Alaska!

One of many moose I've run into on the ski trails

It snowed 8 inches on Christmas. The ski trails are in pristine shape and Kincaid Park is bustling with people as they prepare to host U.S. Nationals next week. The countdown is on…seven days till the first race! I will keep you posted on how things go. In the meantime, I’ll be trying to keep warm with temperatures getting as cold as 10 below zero!

Check out www.anchoragenordicski.com for a link to U.S. National info and results

Canadian NorAm Recap

2008-12-18T21:24:00.001-08:00

It’s hard to believe we are half way through December and Christmas is fast approaching! After spending two solid weeks in Silver Star, I now have 7 races under my belt and the season is officially on.

View of Silver Star Ski Resort

The first weekend in Silver Star started with a skate sprint. I had a slow start but managed to squeak into the quarterfinals. My body felt flat and slow but I tried to push as hard as I could. The next day was a 10k skate. I didn’t feel great but kept a steady pace throughout the race. After getting passed by Milaine Theriault and Caitlin Compton within the first 2k, I felt a little discouraged but kept pushing. I finished the race disappointed with my effort but soon found out that I placed 14th. That was a lot better than I expected! Knowing that I didn’t feel my best but managed to get in the top 15 lifted my spirits.

After four days of rest, I found myself warming up again, this time for a 15k skate mass-start. This was the race I was most excited for! I went into the race mentally ready to push my body as hard as I could. The lead pack of girls stuck together well into 5k and then started to break up. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hang with the lead group but I managed to stay with the second pack. Going into the second 7.5k loop, I was leading the pack. I had fast skis and had no problems keeping up and passing on the down hills. I worked the uphill and put a gap on the group of girls I was skiing with in the last 1k. It was a steady climb to the finish and I skied to the point of having blurry vision and wheezing in my lungs. It came down to a sprint at the finish and I gave it everything I had…just enough to nip my competitor at the finish line. I finished 11th and was pleased with my effort.

The coaches hard at work!

Only seventeen hours later, I was back at the venue warming-up for the classic sprint.Whew! I felt tired. My legs felt heavy and slow from the race the day before. Trying not to think about the way my body felt, I started the prelims and skied as hard as I could. I finished 23rd…good enough to qualify for the quarterfinals. But once again, I did not have the quickness and pop to advance to the semi-finals. Disappointed with my race, I finished a good cool-down to get the lactic acid out of my legs and tried to begin my recovery to prepare for the race the next day.

View of stadium during the classic sprint race...kinda nasty!

Rumors of a cold front moving through the area and temperatures getting down to -20 C raised the question as to whether or not the race was going to happen. One hour before the race started, (we raced at 5pm, in the dark) it was decided that the race was officially on. Alright, one more time! I began my warm-up in -16 C degrees and in the pitch dark. There were areas of the course where there were NO lights and of course it had to be on the sweeping down hill. After some slight confusion as to how to get to the start line, I got there with only a few seconds to spare. I was off! On the first lap of the 3 lap course, I felt like I was hammering. I didn’t now if I really was skiing fast or if it was just the sensation of racing at night, in the dark. I received splits that I was 7th overall. I kept a steady pace the next 2 laps and finished 9th , 4th American. Whew, I could feel the lungs burn and I could taste the lactic acid after the race. Despite the frigid temperatures, I skied a good cool-down and cheered the guys on. After getting numb fingers and a super cold nose, I tired to pack up as quickly as possible and head back to the house to warm-up.

Sunset coming down from the race venue

The next morning we began our 17 hour drive back to Sun Valley. It took us two days, but we made it. I am currently in Ketchum, getting ready to head to Alaska early next week. U.S. Nationals are just around the corner and I am feeling more and more ready as the time approaches. Stay tuned for updates on the races. Have a Merry Christmas!

A very tired Mikey Sinnott on the van ride home.

Finding the Sweet Spot

2008-12-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

In athletics, whatever the sport may be, there is a certain point or position in which your body finds its “sweet spot”…the ability to perform a certain element of sport particularly well. In baseball or tennis, it might be hitting the ball with the bat or racquet in that optimal location that will send the ball flying the farthest. I have transferred this idea to skiing and have tried to come up with certain elements that put you in that “sweet spot.” In skiing however, there are combinations of several factors that contribute to finding that suitable condition…technique, feel of skis, mind, body, etc.

This is on my mind because I have yet to find that sweet spot in my racing this year. After two weekends of racing, it’s been a rough start and I am left asking myself why? Is it fatigue, is it the need to get back into racing mode, is it the fact that I’ve been skiing on snow for only two weeks, is it the inability to push my body, is it my technique, is it in my mind? All of these questions contribute to possible reasons for my disappointing performances, yet they leave me with guidance as to what I need to work on and how I might be able to find that sweet spot. I have felt that sweet spot before and I know that it exists. Knowing that I have found it in the past, encourages me to find it again.

It is difficult not to be too hard on yourself when you don’t get the results you want. I have to remember that it is a long season and these races are just the beginning. A lot can change in four months or even one month for that matter! U.S. Nationals are four weeks away and I am aiming for good results there…in my hometown of Anchorage, Alaska!

Our racing schedule until U.S. Nationals is up in the air. We are supposed to race in Whistler next weekend, but due to lack of snow, the races may be cancelled or moved. I will keep you updated as to where my travels take me!

SKIS, SKIS and MORE SKIS

2008-11-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

The beginning of the season not only means its time to race, but it also means its time to “get to know your skis.” Warm skis, cold skis, fine snow skis, klister skis, stiff skis, soft skis, ZR1 grind, Q1 grind, 0+ grind, LJ03 grind and it goes on and on. Those of you familiar with skiing may understand all this jargon, but those of you not as familiar with skiing might wonder what all this means.

Every season I receive two new pairs of classic skis and two new pairs of skate skis. I currently have 16 pairs of skis (I think I counted right). You ask “why so many skis?” Each ski has a different flex and grind, and is better in certain conditions. Generally speaking, colder skis have a finer grind and warmer skis have a courser grind. The fine grind is more suitable for dry, cold snow because the snow crystals are smaller. The course grind allows moisture and water to stream down the grooves of the ski, preventing the skis from having a “sucking” feeling.

With the addition of four pairs of skis, it is important to ski them in a few times during training to get the feel of them and determine what conditions they work best in and how they compare to skis you “know” from previous years. It is best to “test” them against other skis in your fleet to see how much faster or slower they run. The first race in West Yellowstone is usually a great place to do this. Unfortunately, the usual ski trails do not have snow on them and the plateau is not ideal for ski testing, so we are unable to ski on our new skis and test them. Hopefully we will get some good snow in the next few days, not only so we can race, but so we can also “get to know our skis.”

The Sun Valley Ski Team getting ready to hit the trails.

Are You Ready?

2008-11-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year again…several people around the country have witnessed their first snow fall of the season and others have strapped their skis on for the first time…that was me yesterday morning. Snow was in the forecast but I dismissed the possibility of there actually being snow on the ground until I stumbled out of bed and glanced out the window. Sure enough, there was 2 inches of snow blanketing the ground! I was immediately wide awake and excited with the possibility of going for my first ski of the season! Since yesterday, I have enjoyed two great 2 ½ hour skis up near Galena.

First glance out the window

Set tracks

A snowy ski!

Ski number 2

The first snow fall is always a sure sign, and a good reminder, that racing is just around the corner…West Yellowstone races are less than 4 weeks away! Every day I ask myself “what can I do today to better prepare myself for racing in 4 weeks?” I think back to previous years and contemplate what I have done before to prepare for some of my best performances…and this is what I come up with:

1) Train smart- what exactly does this mean? For me, it means to complete each workout as it is meant to be completed…train level 1 when I am supposed to and train level 3 or 4 when I am supposed to. It is also important to go into each workout mentally prepared. Be ready to give your best effort in a hard interval workout, be ready to challenge yourself in a spenst/plyo workout, try your hardest to lift that 50 pound dumbbell during your strength routine.

2) Stay healthy- As the season changes and the air temperature gets colder and colder, wear the appropriate clothing during training. Also remember to bring an extra change of clothes for after the workout. Along with staying warm, it is important to be cautious of how your body is feeling and doing what it takes to escape from getting any kind of bug going around. Remember to wash your hands after going to the gym, take that extra emergen-C, and get that extra hour of sleep.

3) Get appropriate nutrients- this is a big one for me. I don’t know about you, but I always feel much better when I watch what I eat and make a conscious effort to eat a well balanced diet. As an athlete with asthma and a past history of low iron, I limit my intake of dairy, eat more red meat and green leafy vegetables and watch my consumption of teas and coffee during the racing season.

You may or may not be able to relate to these few points, but I have learned from past experience, that these simple tasks make a big difference. Take the extra effort to hone in on one, two or all three aspects as you prepare for this next season. I guarantee you, you’ll notice a difference!

A Sweep for the Cutthroats

2008-10-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

This fall I've had the opportunity to help with the Community School Cross-Country Running Team. This past weekend proved to be very exciting as both the boys and girls teams ran their hearts out at the district meet, the qualifying race for the state meet next weekend. Both teams went into the meet not knowing exactly how they would match up against some of their competition. I encouraged each racer to run as hard as they had run in the previous races and assured them that they would not have a problem qualifying. The girls team smoked their competition. They finished with 38 points...the next team had 52! Way to go girls!

The girls team...all smiles before the race.

Bronwen and Morgan leading the pack.

The boys race proved to be a little tighter than the girls race...they were neck and neck with their competitors. We encouraged each racer to either make up ground on the runner in front of them or try to keep the position they were in. After some quick math half way through the race, they were 2 points ahead.

And the boys are off!

The Cutthroats number 1 runner, Sam, on the final stretch.

After some impressive sprint finishes, we were pretty confident that the boys team had secured their qualifying position for state. After waiting 30 minutes for the final results, rumors were circulating that there was a tie between the first and second place teams! The final result was dependent upon the sixth runner. We lucked out because for the first time all season, we actually had a sixth runner...not to mention that it was his first running race ever! Thanks Tanner for running so fast! The boys won by one point!

For the first time in school history, the Cutthroats swept the District meet and qualified a full boys and girls squad to the State Championships! Congratulations Cutthroats and best of luck to you next weekend! Way to go!

The #1 team in the District!

Roadblocks

2008-10-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

What makes you strong? Is it the hours of training you put in day after day, the number of squats and push-ups you can do, how hard you can push yourself in an interval, the roadblocks and tough times you encounter throughout your athletic career…?

All of them! If you ask any athlete what makes them strong, I’m sure they would agree that all of those things build you up as an athlete and as an individual. I have learned, through my own personal experience, the impact and importance of experiencing tough times during ones athletic career.

When asked to reflect upon my own roadblock, I was immediately reminded of my senior year at UAA in 2006. After coming off a stellar year of racing and ending my 2005 season with a 2^nd place finish at NCAA’s, I entered the 2006 racing season with results in the 90’s at U.S. Nationals, the worst I had ever finished by far! “What is wrong with me?” That was the first question that came to my mind. “Am I physically out of shape, mentally out of racing, did I do the wrong training?” All these questions swarmed my mind as I struggled to figure out why I was performing so badly. I decided that I had to put my mental thoughts to the test. I went into the next race 110 percent, ready to push my body to its limit. After racing as hard as I could, I finished the race with my worst placing ever in a colligate race; I ended up 23^rd, even after putting in my best effort. I was absolutely distraught and frustrated! Here I was in my senior year, captain of the ski team, feeling the high expectations from myself, coaches and peers to perform as well as I did the year before and I was dead last on the team. I had no excuse or answer as to why I was performing the way I was.

As soon as I got back home, blood tests were performed and soon after, I found out that my iron levels were very low. I was clinically diagnosed as anemic. I had a sense of relief after discovering that there actually was a physiological reason behind my sub-par performances, but I immediately wondered what it was going to take to get me back to where I was racing before. I was informed that there is no "quick-fix" for anemia. It takes three full months for iron stores to return to their full carrying capacity. I figured that if I could at least double the iron level I was currently at by the time NCAA’s rolled around, then I would feel twice as good. Right?

I spent the next couple months taking a substantial amount of iron supplements and was very conscientious of my food intake. The results from the races leading up to NCAA’s were nothing great, but I kept a good, positive head on my shoulders and kept striving for my goal…to get top 10 at NCAA’s.

When NCAA’s finally arrived in March in Steamboat Colorado, I was ready to go! This was it! My classic result wasn’t anything to brag about but I was happy with my performance. I finished just shy of top-10 in the skate race, but I was satisfied because I knew that I had pushed myself as hard as I could.

Whoa! I was filled with relief after the last race of the season. It was finally over! Despite my results, I finished the year knowing that I had tried my best and strangely enough, stronger. I learned the importance of patience, humility and keeping a positive attitude. I don’t ever wish to be in that situation again, but I must admit that I don’t regret what it taught me. I grew as an athlete and as an individual during that time and I did not let it stop be from pursuing my long-term goal of training for the 2010 Olympics…that is where I am today. Since then, each year has been a steady improvement. I remind myself of where I started from and how far I have come. Whenever I encounter a rough spot in my training or in my ski career, I am reminded of the importance of patience and the importance of keeping a positive attitude. With these two qualities, any athlete will only grow stronger and stronger.

Kid's of All Ages!

2008-09-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

It’s great! I get to work with kids of all ages…not just 6-10 year olds but 30-50 year olds as well! This past weekend, I had the opportunity to help with a roller-ski clinic for the Idaho Nordic Masters Ski Program. When I was informed that only a hand full of the athletes had been on roller skis this summer, I have to admit, I was a little frightened. Roller skiing is not the easiest task to pick up right away...the balance and coordination takes some getting used too.

I was pleasantly surprised by the effort and skill of these athletes on roller skis for the first time this summer! Wow, they looked better than me the first time I go out for the season. It was fun working with people who have such an eagerness to learn and improve upon their ski technique. At this particular clinic, we focused on poling, both for double-pole classic technique and V2 skate technique. More specifically we focused on getting our hands and hips up at the same time, “tucking our tails,” keeping our arms closer to our body and crunching with our stomachs. Once we practiced our upper body technique, we progressed to mastering our lower body skate technique. We worked on getting a forward lean, pushing off our feet to the side (rather than back), and pushing to each side evenly. So much to think about! While all these tid-bits seemed over-whelming to think about at once, we saw a lot of progress within the 2 hour ski session.

I really enjoy working with the Idaho Nordic Team! They are a fun group of skiers who share the same enthusiasm for skiing as I do. They are a very supportive group of people who are always interested to hear how our summer training is going and eager to hear what our ski results are.

Thank you Idaho Nordic for all your support! Keep up the good, hard work!

Joe Jensen laying it out there at the 2008 World Master Championships

Mixing it up...

2008-09-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the opportunity to go on a rafting trip with some of my fellow teammates down the Salmon River. Now, when you think of a rafting trip, you most likely think of sitting in a raft all day floating down a river, throwing in a few paddles here and there. While this was somewhat true, we managed to find several great running trails along the river to keep us on track with our training. A recovery week enabled us to enjoy a week with less volume but it in no way allowed us to sit in the raft all week...especially when our coach was on the trip with us!

After a 4 hour drive, which turned into 7 hours, we finally arrived at the put-in at the North Fork of the Salmon River. Much to my surprise, we managed to fit the gear of 13 paddlers into 3 gear boats!!! I was convinced that there was no way we were going to fit everything, but such was not the case. I learned that you can bring whatever luxuries you desire on a rafting trip...there is always a way to fit more. Who would go rafting without, bochi, horse shoes, a folding lawn chair, or 4 coolers full of gourmet food? These become necessities on a rafting trip!

Yep, all that gear fit in 3 boats!

The first couple days we enjoyed warm sunshine and the freedom to sleep outside without a tent. By day 3 the clouds had caught up to us and we got stuck in a thunderstorm, which lasted all night! The clouds, wind, and cold stuck around for 2 days and we were forced to sleep in our tents and bundle up in the all the clothes we brought with us.

A beautiful, sunny day on the river!

Danielle and I bundled up, the AK way, with our full-body rain suites!

Rain or shine, Mikey, Colin and I always found a way to accomplish our training for the day. There was a great trail along the river that we ran on most days. While it was a pretty well-traveled trail, we had to be very careful of poison ivy! I quickly learned what it looked like and made a cautious effort to dodge and jump over anything that resembled the plant! Luckily, we all came away from the trip unscathed! In addition to running 2-3 hours each day, we managed to do a couple strength workouts on the beach. We got creative and came up with some great exercises that I must admit, made me a little sore.

Running through the woods

We had a great trip, and I would definitely suggest doing rafting trip on your next recovery week. It is a great way to mix up the monotony of training while maintaining good fitness and experiencing a new activity.

Paddles up!

Back to School

2008-08-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but its that time of year again! With new school shoes, new notebooks, and new pencils, the Wood River students hit the books at the beginning of the week. They are no longer attending camps, such as the YMCA summer camp that I helped with, rather they are busy with their school work.

I have to admit that the summer flew by. I had a great time helping with the YMCA summer camp and was saddened that it came to an end so fast. I got to know the kids very well, and even got pampered by the end of camp. A few of the girls decided that, as a counselor, I deserved a back message. I had no problems with that!

Getting a back message from Cambria

I won't see the kids on a regular basis, but I hope they come visit me in the Kid's Gym at the YMCA throughout the year. I had a great summer and enjoyed going on field trips, climbing on the rock wall, playing games, and swimming with the kids. I'm already looking forward to next year!

The kids and I in our ITA shirts!

A Solid Week of Training

2008-08-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last week, the Sun Valley Olympic Development Ski Team enjoyed the training company of the Continental Cup U.S. Ski Team. With the addition of these 7 athletes, the intensity and caliber of the workouts were increased ten-fold. It was a great opportunity for my team and I to train with different people and have a solid week of training. I put in a 23-hour week, packed with two over-distance workouts, two intensity workouts, one time-trial and four easy distance workouts focusing on technique. Oh, and I can't forget the intense wiffle-ball tournament we had against the U.S. Ski Team...we crushed them:)

Here are some pictures of our 4-hour run in the Sawtooth Valley yesterday. We hit up 9 lakes on a 20-mile loop. Great run!

The girls making their way up the pass

A brief stop for a picture

A refreshing dip in the lake at the end of the run!

Woo Hoo

2008-07-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Last month, Kate Whitcomb and I had the privilege to spend an afternoon with my YMCA kids. We introduced them to cross-country skiing by showing them a video that demonstrated the different ski techniques and showed what we do for summer training. We were bombarded with tons of great questions. We proceeded to take them outside and play games and have them do a mini strength circuit routine. Here is a brief clip of the ski video I showed then and a clip of all the excitement we had together!

Only in Alaska...

2008-07-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

I was in Alaska earlier this month and I was reminded how unique, or some might say crazy, Alaska really is. Here are just a few situations I ran into while I was in there.

ONLY IN ALASKA...

-do you have to wait for a bull moose to get out of your path

-do you go for a run at 10:00pm because it feels like 6:00pm

-do you see “DANGER: BEAR SIGHTED” signs everywhere!

-does a mama moose and her calves run across the street in front of you while you are roller skiing

-do you see huge, white capped mountain in the middle of July

-do you hear the neighbor’s lawn mower roaring at 11:00pm

-are people crazy enough to race up rocky and cliffy croppings

- do people wear shorts and t-shirts when it’s a balmy 50 degrees

I am currently back in Sun Valley, Idaho training with my team and helping at the YMCA summer camp every day. I am having a lot of fun with the kids! Each week is packed with fun "themed" activities. This week's theme is "Campers to the Rescue." In light of that, a couple forest rangers took us on a hike today. Here is a picture of a few kids and I eager to start our hike.