Only in Alaska...

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.

4th of July Tradition

The 4th of July just wouldn't be complete without racing in Seward's Mt. Marathon Race...at least that's what I decided two weeks before the race. As a result, I flew up to Alaska the beginning of the week, enjoyed some time with friends and family and drove down to Seward to race the infamous Mt. Marathon on Friday. Now, for those of you who have no idea what Mt. Marathon is, let me summarize it by saying "its the super bowl of mountain racing." Hundreds of people race up and down this 3,022 foot mountain with an average grade of 45 degrees. The race starts on main street and takes you a half mile to the base of the mountain. From there you climb up a rock face, hang on to tree roots and branches for dear life and continue to scramble up scree. Once you make it to the top, only half the battle is complete...the other half is racing down the mountain and making it to the bottom in one piece. This year there was a 400 foot snow field at the top of the mountain, which made for some restful glissading. Here is a video of the race and some pictures to give you an idea of what the excitement is all about!

RESULTS:

Women:
1. Cedar Bourgeios 52:11
2. Holly Brooks 55:29
3. Nicole De Yong 58:40
4. Aubrey Smith 58:57
5. Denali Foldager 1:01

Men:
1. Trond Flagstad 44:03
2. Sam Hill 45:49
3. Matias Saari 46:42
4. Brad Precosky 46:49
5. Jens Beck 47:04

A racer beginning his trek up the mountain

Headed up the rock face

Watch your step!

Me, rounding the flagpole at the top of the mountain

Trond, making his way down the final stretch to take 1st!!!

Big congratulations to Trond Flagstad, my former UAA ski coach, for winning his first Mt. Marathon title after placing 2nd for the past three years! He recorded the third fasted time in the 81 years of Mt. Marathon history. Way to go!!!! Here is a link to a video:
http://community.adn.com/mini_apps/vmix/player.php?ID=1981081&GENRES=00000182&GID=118

Bend Recap

The Sun Valley ski team enjoyed a great on-snow ski camp the beginning of June in Bend, Oregon. This video and blog is long past due, but I wanted to post in anyway. I hope you enjoy!

Doing What I Love Most!

After 2 months of minimal running due to an achilles injury, I am back to doing what I love most...running in the mountains! This past week, I accomplished four runs without any pain, one of which was 3 1/2 hours! I'm excited to be back on my feet, especially during this summer season of training. I am surrounded by several great trails in the Sun Valley area and after living here for two years, I still don't know half of them.

Here is a clip of my Over-distance run yesterday, up Champion Creek in the Sawtooth Valley with Colin Rodgers. The video doesn't do the scenery I witnessed justice, but I thought I'd post it anyway. You will notice that most of the run, is through burnt trees. There was a forest fire 3 summers ago in the area. Forest fires are fairly common in the late summer and as we experienced last summer, they make training really difficult when they are in your area.

Enjoy!

Field Trip to the Ice Caves!

Last week was the first week of summer camp at the YMCA! Just to give you an idea of the amount of fun we had on our field trip, check out the video. We traveled an hour and a half, by bus, with 20 ten-year-old kids, to visit the Planetarium. On our way back to Sun Valley, we stopped at the infamous ice caves. Check it out! We had a great time!

VIDEOS!

I promised a video update a month ago when I first received the flip camera and haven't gotten it to work until tonight! I am psyched! I have to warn you that this is my first movie-making attempt so there is quite a bit of improvement to be had. I hope you enjoy the videos as much as I enjoyed making them.

WHISTLER CAMP 2008:
We stopped at the Pike's Place Market in route to Vancouver. I enjoyed checking out all the fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh cut flowers! The skiing was great in Whistler...check it out for yourself.



ALASKA SPRING SKIING!
Here is a glimpse of the wonderful spring skiing in Alaska. I am skiing with my sister, Kristy and my friend, Laura. We tend to get a little goofy when we're skiing in the sun, so here is a peak at how goofy we get:)

My Travels Continue...

As I write this, I am sitting in the Salt Lake City Airport…in transit from Alaska to Sun Valley. Since my last post, my travels brought me to Whistler, B.C., the site for the 2010 Olympics, for an on-snow ski camp and then up to Alaska for a friends wedding.

The training in Whistler was great! As we expected, there was still about 3 feet of snow at the race venue in Callaghan Valley. We were blessed with great weather and enjoyed many hours of skiing, even in the sun! The first day I skied, I got goose-bumps all over my body just thinking how the trails I was skiing on at that moment are the trails I will hopefully be racing on in the 2010 Olympics. I arrived at the race venue with a different perspective. I was not there to race, I had no need to get the race jitters, I was solely there to get in quality ski training and familiarize myself with the trails. After a week of training, I was already becoming more comfortable with the lay-out of the trails and I was able to visualize the courses and know where each uphill, down-hill, cut-off and turn was.

Mali (left) and Kate (right, In the Arena athlete) ski on the perfectly groomed trail

Not only was the skiing great, but we had some great team bonding time. Without the added stress of worrying about racing, everyone on the team was able to relax and enjoy each others company. We were also able to get to know our new coach for the Sun Valley Olympic Development Team, Travis Jones. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed playing silly games such as elefun!

Unfortunately my fun with the team ended early and I flew up to Alaska a few days before the Whistler camp was over. I was bummed to miss the opportunity to see a Mariners game in Seattle with the team, but I was fortunate enough to be able to fly up to Alaska for my friend, Kikkan Randall’s wedding! When I arrived, the mountains were still covered with ample snow. I decided that skiing didn’t have to be over for the season yet! The next morning I drove up the mountains with my sister and a friend and we enjoyed the best crust skiing ever! It was a beautiful sunny day and the snow was hard enough to ski anywhere! It is days like that, that I am reminded how amazing and beautiful Alaska is!

The bridesmaids and groomsmen at Kikkan and Jeff's wedding. Yep those are hot pink dresses!

Despite great snow in the mountains, I was not able to make it back up there to ski later in the week. Temperatures were not getting below freezing; therefore a crust was not forming to ski on. Instead, I got the roller skis out and began my summer season of roller ski training. I have been doing quite a bit of roller skiing instead of running, due to a foot injury. Hopefully it will heal fast and I will be back to my full capabilities.

Out on a crust ski in Alaska with my friend Laura (left)

The week was filled with lots of wedding festivities and ended with a beautiful ceremony in Talkeetna, Alaska. Once again, we were blessed with beautiful weather and enjoyed a crystal clear view of Mt. McKinley, (not a common thing).

An amazing view of Mt. McKinley!!!!

I am currently headed to Sun Valley and excited to continue my training. At the same time, I will be helping with the after-school program at the YMCA and before long, school will be out! I am even more excited to help with the Summer Day Camps at the YMCA, which will start the beginning of June.

The next destination is Bend, Oregon for an on-snow ski camp in June. They still have a ton of snow so the skiing should be great!