Why we LOVE Minnesota (the whole Mid-West actually!)

Team Gregg loves living, training and giving back to the community that helped us reach our Olympic Goals. We realize that we were not born in Minnesota but we definitely "Made" here. It is no coincidence that we both made Olympic Teams with Minnesota driver's licenses in our wallets :) It is this reason that we owe so much to the ski community who helped foster our passion for Cross Country Skiing and has helped us realize that the Olympics were only the tip of the ice burg to follow! We certainly believe that we would not have reached our potential without the awesome support of the entire Mid-West community and the sponsors, both old and new, who have helped us through the good (fast) and bad (not so fast) times! Thank You for all your commitment to Team Gregg!

Team Gregg at Super Tour Finals last year with our current sponsors! One more to be added to the list and announced soon!

The Best part of the Twin Cities ski community has to be all of the programs and events that take place throughout the year and are connected in some way to Nordic Skiing. I have been coached by Piotr Bednarski since I first came to Minneapolis 10 years ago and I still love getting out and pushing my limits at his daily practices! This year has been awesome because the Loppet Nordic Racing Comp Team has let both Brian and I join them as much as we want :)

LNR Comp Team at the Afton Fall Fair after a tough 8K Time Trial

Some of the fasted ladies in the country!

Leading a Minnesota Youth Ski League (MYSL) practice with Brian.

Getting ready for some skate drills!

Working on our hops...

and our tucks!

Brian and I have always loved the mission of The City of Lakes Loppet Foundation and we are so glad to be a part of the family even more this year! The Loppet has so many fantastic events throughout the year and we love how they try to reach out to North Minneapolis (where we live) because it boarders Theodore Wirth Park! The impact of The Loppet Foundation is undeniable and we hope to spread it even further!

Awesome Loppet Member Event at Cedar Lake

We all paddled the chain of lakes on the most beautiful evening of the year!

Awesome to leave the hustle and bustle of the city while being in the middle of the city.

We are not very good at paddling together but we have fun :)

There are very few days when I cannot find someone who is excited to get out and train with me. This past Wednesday morning was no exception. Despite temps in the 40's and pouring rain these tough ladies joined me for a strength and stretch session! I am sure there were a few sore abs afterwards. 

Smiles all around.

 I am also grateful for the numerous events around the Twin Cities outside of the Ski Community, although I always seem to run into skiers there too ;) The Autumn Trail Series was an awesome chance to get out and make myself run hard with a large group of people through the woods. It was my 20th intensity session in the past 3 weeks and I was feeling a bit sluggish! Thankfully the group got me going and I was able to nail my workout!

Stair Climbing friends!

Chloe from LNR at the race too!

Of course there are days when I head out the door with my favorite training buddy Lahti! He has been pretty excited about the cooler weather and he can tell snow is on the way!

Not too interested in my socks! Just wants to run!

 On Thursday I joined the LNR Comp team while they ran intervals and cheered them along! It was an awesome obstacle course loop that was set up for the Fast Kids Race later that afternoon. It was fun to run laps on it and make sure it was extra muddy and slippery for the little guys!

Crushing it!

Keeping the Fast Kids moving and warm in the pouring rain before their start!

Awesome Hurdles!

Great group of kids for a rainy rainy day!

This past weekend LNR did an epic 4 hour workout in Afton. The rollerskiing and trail running is my favorite in the entire country! We classic skied for two hours and then switched to running shoes and ran for two more! No one even hinted at being tired or wanting to slow down! We totally aced the day!

Gearing up!

Finally cold enough for tights.

Half way through we posed with some sports drink.

Today Brian and I lead another MYSL clinic at the Hiawatha Park in South Minneapolis. The turnout was a little smaller with the colder temperatures but everyone had a great time and learned a lot!

Brian giving a goal setting talk to both parents and kids.

Brian teaching everyone how to use the speed ladder.

They all learned fast. 

Brian showing his moves...

Teaching his moves to others... 

and then having them rock them on their own!

Everyone worked on agility, technique and speed today.

Brian and I decided to wear our Olympic Outfits together. Here I am wearing my racing suit and podium jacket.

Brian is also wearing his race suit and training jacket. It was fun to share them with the kids!

Only a few more weeks until we leave for Canmore, AB and Frozen Thunder (snow rolled out from last year)! We both decided to stay home in the Mid-West instead of heading out for the USST Park City Camp that is starting this week. Here we get to sleep in our own bed, play with our dog and train more with the LNR crew and other groups! Let us know if you want to come out and join us!!!

Two weeks in the Life of Team Gregg!

It's been a busy two weeks filled with all kinds of travel and events but I wouldn't want it any other way! Here is a "short" recap of what life as Team Gregg is like!

Manhattan from Queens! It's amazing how big the "Big Apple" really is! Still think it's crazy I decided to become a winter athlete from here :) 

The first of many doctor's offices with my dad for his cancer treatments and appointments. 

Hanging with my dad in the waiting area.

The Freedom Tower built to remember the 911 disaster. I still remember walking through the area as a kid (one of my grandmother's lived in Battery Park) and seeing the Twin Towers. It's weird to not see them now.

Manhattan from Brooklyn. 

Testing new beans and roasting.

The next day Brian and I were at practice with the Loppet Nordic Racing Comp Team. It's been great to see how well these athletes are all doing this year! They are so dedicated and work super hard! I know they are going to have great results again this winter!

Back home to Minneapolis and straight to practice with LNR!

The girls I train with most!

They are FAST!!!

After a short few days at home, I packed up again and headed up to Duluth, MN for the North Shore Inline Marathon. At the last minute I decided to rollerski the event instead of inline skate it. Brian however, has been practicing and was excited for the challenge!

Never too old to share a tasty treat!

Working the Expo in Duluth!

Hanging out with Carmi our Madshus/ K2 marketing director from Seattle.

Hanging out with Herb from Toronto who is part of the Hoigaard's inline team.

Bus ride to the start!

My Birkie Buddy Henry Reich from Marine, MN

Brian, never afraid to try something new!

An awesome XC Skiing gang representing up in Duluth!

The course was awesome and the weather perfect! I can't believe more Rollerskiers do not participate in the event. I am definitely going back to do it next year if I am in town and I hope to bring even more skiers with me!

So much fun to run into so many familiar faces!

It was great to run into Racheal again at the North Shore Inline Marathon. She was a grad-student at St. Cloud State two years ago and helped Brian and I with our VO2Max and Sub-Max tests! She was fired up to see how well our season's went last winter too!

Awards ceremony

After the awards ceremony and a quick run Brian and I had Henry, Andre, Jana and Greta over for a delicious dinner on the grill. Andre Watt was part of the CXC Team with Brian and I the first couple of years and it is always fun to get together and reminisce about the memories we shared training and racing together.

Great dinner with friends!

On Sunday Brian, Henry and I joined up with the Saint Scholastica Ski Team for their annual 5K and 10K time trails. The course had a little construction on it (100 meter double pole through dirt) and a serious head wind, but Brian and I were able to set new course records for the college kids to chase down! Chad Salmela invited us over for a pancake breakfast after the Time Trial at Josh and Kate Tesch's house. We had a blast hanging out with the group and talking about Skijoring, training and snow predictions! Chad is the voice of Nordic Skiing for NBC at the Olympics so he knows quite a bit about all the World Cup competitors Brian and I will race again this season.

Lincoln Benedict from LLBean came to town on Monday to film and take photos of our community work at the Boys and Girls Club and our involvement with the Loppet Foundation. We had a blast showing him the neighborhood by bike and immersing him in Run Club. The kids were psyched to have another person to cheer them on.

Ready to train for Warrior Dash on the playground

Chilling in front of the Run Club board with photos from the previous week's race!

 This weekend we ran the City of Lakes Trail Loppet event. We usually both run the 1/2 Marathon but I am training for shorter races this year so Brian was the only Team Gregg member in the long race. I stuck to the short and fast 5K. Both of us ran well but felt like we were missing that last gear in our running legs. Needless to say the event is always a blast and to have a quick 5 minute run or 2 minute bike to the start is the Best!!!!

Tons of bike commuting to the Trail Loppet start! So awesome. 

The start of the 13.1K

 We also helped out at the Hoigaard's Annual Tent Sale this weekend. Hoigaard's has been a great sponsor of Team Gregg for the past two years and we love helping them get more people out the door ready to take on winter! It's always fun to set people up with equipment after such a good snow year the year before. Excitement for Nordic Skiing is high and I can't wait for the snow to fly.

Great friends from Washburn High School at the Hoigaard's Sale Tent!

Our favorite socks Fits Socks! (A very important part of our wardrobe!!!)

Sharing our love of skiing with happy customers.

Continuing the great tradition of skiers and representatives (Madshus) of the sport! 

 On Sunday Brian and I went out to Afton to join the Vakava Team for their weekly OD. I have been joining up with this group for the past 9 years!!! Although I have never been on the official team roster, they have also welcomed me with open arms and taken me in as one of their own! In 2009 the Vakava crew were behind my fundraiser that helped me get to the races I needed to qualify for the 2010 Olympics! They are all awesome and I regard them as family! I am so lucky to have such great friends in skiing!

Getting to spend a Sunday OD with one of my greatest friends and supporters Cheryl Dubois!!!

Heading to New York City and a training update!

I am currently on a train leaving Albany, NY heading to NYC. I just got a ride down from Lake Placid, NY and the amazing Olympic Training Center from my former coach Bryan Fish. I am happily exhausted and full after finishing off a great two weeks of high intensity training with some of the fastest ladies in the country and eating the rest of my "to-go" box from the all you can eat cafeteria!

The camp was a huge success and came right on the heals of a 2.5 week high altitude block in Crested Butte, CO and Truckee, CA. The end of my time in Truckee was fantastic and I finished the block off with a solid 10K run at 8,000ft. I felt strong and snappy the whole way and was very pleased with my adaptation throughout my time in the thinner air.

Just after the run I came down with either the silliest cold I have ever experienced or a terrible day and a half of severe allergies. Luckily my training had been spot on for the previous two weeks so I relaxed and let myself recover a bit before I headed out to Lake Placid. I have always felt great training and racing at altitude and I know spending time there has a positive effect on my performance but... I seem to struggle coming back down to sea level afterwards. This time was no different. I am not sure if it was the long day of travel, a lingering cold (or allergies) or the return to sea level but I was not quite myself for the first intensity session of the camp. We hit the ground running (rollerskiing) performing 6 x 4 minutes of HARD uphill skating intervals. Usually these are my favorite but on this particular day I struggled to find my rhythm. The intervals went well but just not as amazing as I had been looking forward to.

The strong group of women.

Fortunately the rest of camp kept getting better and better. Each workout was a huge learning opportunity and chance to ski with some incredible athletes with fantastic technique. I am leaving the camp with an entire sheet of technique cues to work on over the next 3 months before my first World Cups at the end of November. Another positive note was my energy throughout the camp, with the exception of the first day and the Friday before the big Climb to the Castle I felt strong as ever in all of my workouts no matter the technique or intensity! I have often felt this was one of my strong suits but it has been a while since I have been to a true two week dry-land camp like this.

Grouping up to start an adventure.

Heading out for a great long run in the mountains.

Bryan Fish and Colin Rogers.

Back in the van heading to training.

So great to catch up with friends from the past!

Recovery with the space legs was a huge benefit of staying at the OTC.

As mentioned before the final intensity workout was the Climb to the Castle. Although I skied the exact same time as last year I am happy to report that I am feeling better than ever and I know there are a lot of places I still have to make gains!

Myself, Liz and Sophie with our matching LLBean rain jackets! They were perfect for the top of Whiteface Mountain!

The amazing Barbara Beall who acts as my Mom away from home! She brought Liz and I muffins to share at the top of the Climb to the Castle.

So that brings me to my current seat on an Amtrak train heading to NYC to see my Dad who is struggling with cancer. I look forward to a few days to spend with him and getting back to where I was born. I also look forward to some interesting recovery runs and alternative training for a few days. For the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to train and visit with family while Brian has been home hanging out with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club, LNR and taking care of our home! Be sure to check in on his blog too!