My Own Approach to Training and Racing.

This past week I was able to race in 5 Super Tour races while sleeping in my own bed! It was awesome. Not only had it been a few months since I had spent a whole week at home, but 3 of the races were less then 5 minutes away from my bed! Glorious!!! Although this was a wonderful experience I will say that I struggled to stay focused on the races as my first priority.

When first get home after a couple months of racing and traveling on the road, I usually hit a wall of relaxation when suddenly everything comes to a halt, and I can take a deep breath. This time was no different except for the fact that I decided to assist in finding housing for 10 athletes from out of town, host three dinners at my new house, attend 3 others, coach the City of Lakes Loppet Skate group, host two athletes at my own house, and hang out with the kids in the neighborhood. Phew I was busy and I loved every minute of it.

After a brief 24 hours after my last race and another dinner to say farewell to one of my friends (she is heading to Antarctica for 8 months!) I will be heading off on the road again! This time for Sun Valley where I will participate in the Boulder Mountain Tour before heading back to Minneapolis that night so that I can race the City of Lakes Loppet in the morning! Should be crazy and fun!

With all the craziness going on I had little time to think about my racing, and I liked it. This summer and fall I put way more into "focusing" on my training and preparation and I am not sure that I flourish in that kind of environment. Instead I have realized that the more I have going on the more excited and relaxed I am about racing. Last night I spent an hour with Lahti looking for a buried hockey puck in a Treasure Hunt, not ideal preparation for my race the next day and certainly not necessary. I had fun and today I was able to win by 2 minutes!!! I felt like myself again and I loved it.

The podium after today's 15K Skate Race

Lahti and the kids inspecting the frozen coyote after the race. He was respectful and almost showed sympathy for  the little guy.

I try really hard to conform to way others live...but I now realize that I live my life a little different and I need to embrace that. What makes me "tick" can be quite silly but I shouldn't worry about that and I should just carry on.

Seeley Hills Classic 42K

This weekend was the Seeley Hills Classic race was this weekend and I was thrilled to have the chance to race this year. In the past I have been at the World Cup or preparing for the Olympics and this is certainly an event I was hoping to do someday. With my schedule this year I was in town and prepared to take on the Classic Championship of the Midwest!

Brian and I traveled up to Seeley, WI after only 3 days back at home, which looked just like we had left it two months before. We stayed with at a friend's cabin above their garage and enjoyed the weekend together with our dog.

When we arrived on Friday afternoon we took Lahti over to the dog friendly ski trails and went for one of the best skis of the season. Fresh tracks and my husband and dog along with me :) Lahti had a blast and ran himself silly beside us as we cruised up and down the narrow trails. I am so glad we have such a great dog for skiing and  running!

The race was a ton of fun and a great way to catch up with the ski community since we were gone for so long. Brian and I both won the 42K events and had a great time socializing at the soup feed afterwards.

 From now on I will be racing almost every weekend here in the US. I was unable to secure World Cup start rights this season (I was 2nd overall on the list!) but I am still hoping to grab enough points to earn them for next fall in Canada. These particular start rights I am trying to secure are completely covered financially by FIS, which is huge! Our US women are skiing fantastic over in Europe right now and I am psyched that last week at US Nationals I was right there with them finishing 2nd, 3rd and 6th!

Last Day out West - Cow Beach

 We departed the Methow on Thursday with a final easy morning ski out in Mazama.  It was a beautiful sunny morning and we had first tracks on the freshly groomed trails out to Cow Beach.  Yeah, that's right, the name of our destination was actually 'Cow Beach'!

What most people think of when they hear "Cow Beach".

The glorious "Cow Beach" warming hut!

The first race of the US National Championships is this Monday January 2nd and after 3 weeks of training in the Methow I am feeling great and ready to race. 

Christmas time in the Methow

For the past couple of years I have been having Christmas in the Methow with the Gregg family. This year, I am now having Christmas in the Methow as family!

I finished up my first series of races last weekend in Silver Star, British Columbia. I am happy with how the first 9 races of the season went but I still have almost 30 more to go! I am happy to say that I learned a lot about technique, tactics and especially my fleet of skis. After the ski season is over I am always so grateful that running requires so little in terms of equipment. I am now in the final preparation of the year before US Nationals and the biggest races on the calendar. Once I finished my race in Silver Star on Sunday I drove with the entire Gregg family back to the Methow Valley of Washington. The drive was about 5 hours and I was thrilled to be packed in the mini-van so we could all share stories and catch up again.

This past week in the Methow has been priceless. Last year Brian and I stayed in Canada for another weekend of racing in Rossland, B.C. and came down to the Methow a week later. The extra week in the Valley has allowed me to recover from the past 9 races, spend time with family and friends and start my taper program before Nationals.

My taper plan involves recovery, volume, intensity, drop in volume and intensity and then racing. I have used this plan with a lot of success over the past 4 years for various events like US Nationals, the Olympics and the Birkie. I know it well, and even more importantly, respond well to it. Once I had taken a few days off I started building up my volume. Thankfully as much of the country, including Minneapolis and Maine, have been without the snow, the Methow has plenty and the skiing is fantastic! I have been able to ski over 4 hours a day on beautifully groomed trails, perfect conditions and most importantly with my family! Skiing is a family and community affair here in the Methow and if you are going to socialize you may as well be skiing at the same time. I spend a lot of my ski greeting familiar faces and catching everyone up on our (Brian and I) house and time together since the wedding.

High up on the Rendezvous

Alieta (my sister-in-law and me skiing together!

Alieta and me at the top of the pass (high point)

Skiing around the country and the world would not be possible without the great memories and opportunities I have shared here in the Methow Valley with the Greggs.

Racing Again!

Santi and me before our first ski of the year!

Awaiting the awards ceremony

The St. Bernard at the Christmas Stroll in downtown Bozeman, MT

After 7 races I have been able top stay among the top 6

Brian and I ready to head to the next adventure!

 

 

 

The season has started and I am feeling great. My fitness is right where I want it and I am looking forward to the next month before US Nationals. So far we have raced 7 races here in Montana and tomorrow we depart for Silver Star, B.C. After another weekend of racing Brian and I will head to the Methow Valley (where we were married!) for the Holidays and to prepare for Nationals. I am already excited to spend some time at the Gregg home. The racing has been going great so far and I am excited about the improvements I have made this summer and fall. It feels good to be racing and traveling again. Brian and I are very blessed to have the opportunity to share this adventurous life together! Onward...

Washburn Highschool Captains Pracitce

This past week has been one of the busiest weeks I can remember before the ski season starts! With my biggest week behind me (almost 26 hours!) and one recovery week till I left, I thought I would be cruising till the long van ride out west. Boy was I wrong. The week started with my 31st Birthday on Monday, I spent the morning alone skiing and running for 4 hours and fifteen minutes!!! It was a beautiful day and I loved every minute of it. As soon as I got home I rushed off to my first clinic of the week!

As Tuesday rolled around I had an off day from training but the whole day was filled with errands for the rest of the fall and early winter travel. Brian and I attend a Minneapolis Park Board meeting that discussed the future of Theodore Wirth Park (the park we live by) and what would become of silent sports within the park boarders. We brought Jerry, Quinn, Adanis, Javarii, Neshaa, and Antarea to speak on behalf of the local youth. The kids are excited about the possibility of a mountain biking facility that would allow them to meet up and use bikes whenever they want.

Wednesday was another training day, speeds with Audrey! Followed by a clinic with the Washburn High School Ski Team. Brian and I both went and lead the group on a 2 mile run followed by agility and plyos in the gym. We made the kids work and they were all sore the next day.

Thursday was a great day of training with the boys.


Friday was training and working at the super fit event.

Saturday was a 5K race followed by more work

Sunday...Well today I am exhausted. I could only train a little bit this morning and my legs are beat. Hopefully I bounce back before next week!

Two Weeks

We only have two weeks left until we depart for the start of the 2011/2012 race season. This year's season has me starting out in the usual spot West Yellowstone, MT. Every year there is an influx of Nordic enthusiasts who flock to the small tourist  town outside of Yellowstone National Park. This year, like past years, I will be heading out early with the CXC Team Van to acclimate to the 7,000 ft elevation. There currently isn't any snow on the ground but hopefully this week will bring a few storms.

 

Getting Ready for the first ski of the year (Last Year)

The pilgrimage to West Yellowstone always starts with an epic drive from the Mid-West across the plains and mountain ranges to the center of the North American ski world just outside of Bozeman, MT. This year there will only be one coach and six athletes heading out to the first races. The size of the group has to do with the coat f the trip. We will be spending over a month out west and the expenses can get pretty high.

I am excited to be skiing through powder again soon.

I am excited to see snow, to ski tons of kilometers and of course start racing. Brian and I have two time trials to gauge our fitness coming up. I will update one more time before we leave with some photos and results from these races.