Soldier Hollow Training Camp

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!

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!!!

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...

...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

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!

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

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