Rest Week Over and Ready to GO!

After an enormous week of 30 hours and lots of intensity I was still feeling good but after so many years in this sport I have learned that you get stronger and faster during the rest and recovery time. It was hard to chill out and sit back, but Brian and I always manage to fill our time with tons of "to do" items.

An "easy" week can still mean doing a local triathlon! Happy  and Dirty  together!

I took two days completely off and then jumped into training with Loppet Nordic Racing on Tuesday Morning. We had a great group of guys (the girls were lactate testing) and coach Sara to bike along side us. I am super lucky that I always have tons of great training partners when I need them. The workout was solid and my technique felt good! 4 years ago I was blessed to have an amazing group pf girls training here in the Twin Cities with me. They all worked and did tons of other things but we got together multiple times a week to get in some quality sessions. I am sad to say that although everyone is still active we have all moved onto new adventures...well everyone but me ;) I had a great time catching up with the ladies for breakfast one morning this week and missed all of their company even more during my ski afterwards.

First day of summer practice! I have been working with Coach Piotr for the past 9 years! He is an incredible guy and  LNR is super lucky to have them lead the group!

The Competition Team Ladies and I during our run! They helped motivate me to  finish my 3 hour morning workout!  I still had another 2.5 hour workout in the afternoon!

The "teammates" I would have never made the Olympics without these wonderful ladies. They are a huge inspiration to me! So fun to share a 3 hour breakfast with them :)

Later that afternoon I went to Horsepower strength to work with my new strength coach! Matt Miller is a genius when it comes to strength! I am so happy I found him and I know that working with him is going to raise my level of fitness immensely. Matt coaches all kinds of athletes, many at a very high level, but he has a huge following of Ultimate Fighters! I have been in awe watching them workout and extremely impressed with how friendly and humble they all are! Surrounding myself with motivated hard working athletes has always been a major ingredient to my own success!

Work is the word here! You can't accomplish your goals without good old fashioned work. There are no shortcuts!

Serious amounts of weight to be lifted.

Box jumping at 54"

Brian and I went into the Boys and Girls Club and started rallying the kids about the Tri-Loppet Festival. The Tri-Loppet festival was a huge success this year and included the famous off-road triathlon, paddle races, orienteering, kubb tournaments, slack-lining, mountain biking and running, Brian and I both participated in the Triathlon and finished 4th and 3rd respectively. Brian and I don't paddle ever so the 8 mile

Huge group of kids at the Club for summer.

Getting excited about the Loppet Festival and hoping they can make it!

canoe was the biggest challenge for us. Knowing our weakness, we decided to ask some "pros" to help us out. I paddles with Andy from Hoigaards and Brian paddled with Erik who used to work at Hoigaards. We held our own in the canoe and made up some major time in the run and biking sections. Well I did...Brian ended up loosing his bike chain and running in almost 2 miles with his bike to the finish line! I was very impressed!

Andy Turnball and I looking focused in the Tei-Loppet.

Brian and I are also getting ready to announce our new Sponsors and Supporters for this upcoming Olympic Year! We are so grateful and excited about the products, companies and most importantly the people behind us! Stay tuned for some new uniforms and logos :)

Finished up the rest week with an OD run by Karl Nygren's house. It's been fun to watch Brian train with the solid group of guys training here in the Twin Cities! It's cute when they all show up in the same shirt!

After a visit to the Boys and Girls Club tomorrow we are back to putting in the BIG hours of summer on Tuesday! I am very excited to get after it again!

Life is Crazy sometimes...

Pittsburgh, PA

                                     
The past couple of weeks have been filled with lots and lots of action. Sometimes action can be good and sometimes action can be bad. After my last post I skied for one more day in Bend, OR under the bright sun and cloudless skies.Meanwhile My mom was at the hospital in Pittsburgh, PA undergoing surgery for a very rare type of appendix cancer she has had for the past 10 years. It was her initial surgery and chemo that brought me to Minneapolis over 9 years ago and I  am grateful that everything worked out and that I was able to continue my athletic career, start my married life, work closely with the community and spend time with my mom as she only lived about 15 minutes away in St.Paul!

Her surgery was long but the doctors felt they had extended her life another 10 years or so, which I am very happy about! It was during her recovery in the ICU that she suddenly suffered a stroke and my attention was immeadiately diverted from ski brands, racing teams and snow conditions, to my mom in and family in Pittsburgh. Within 6 hours Brian helped me book a flight for first thing the next morning and I was off to Pittsburgh to be with them.

The Steel City with lots of Culture and Places to explore

Travel went smooth and I was able to see my mom that evening. She was sleeping, upwards of 23 and 3/4 hours a day, but opened her eyes a bit to see me. I went to the hotel too exhausted for dinner and fell asleep instantly. I awoke the next morning at 5 AM (2 AM Oregon time) and got on the treadmill for an hour and a half workout before heading over to the hospital for a full day with my mom. The doctors filled me in with details and I sat with her and my grandmother for a long time.

My mom and grandmother in the ICU...this was a good moment!

The next week was filled with ups and downs in her health. I was able to connect with the local Cross Country Ski Community in the Pittsburgh area and the time I spent training was a good release from the stress of the situation. I am forever thankful to the wonderful people who made my trip so comforting.

Pittsburgh XC Skiers are great! A huge thanks to Richard for helping me with intervals on the hilly Pittsburgh terrain!

My new friend and musician Erin.

Some of Erin's friends we found Nordic Walking in the park.

Naomi and James were a huge support network for me teaching me where to ski and watching  me do intervals!!!

My mother's status continues to improve and I saw an opportunity to return home to Minneapolis to take care of some needed items, mowed the lawn, ran in a sponsor event, train with the local ski clubs and get back to the youth here in North Minneapolis! I miss the kids a ton and while walking Lahti yesterday a kid in the neighborhood said they recognized me from Run Club! Awesome!

Training has been going well and I am getting even more excited about the upcoming Olympic Season! Brian and I have had a busy spring of Team Selection and Sponsor talks. We are excited to release the names and organizations that we will represent in this important year! We have had the opportunity to work with some incredible people and companies over the past couple of months while making this decision and the final call will not be easy. It feels amazing to have so many people behind Team Gregg now and we can certainly feel the excitement and encouragement!

Staying motivated and getting after it! Training is going well and I am very excited for the season!

Brian and I look forward to sharing some more great adventures through our training and mentoring and of course keep people updated on the status of my mom.

Training Camp in The Pacific Northwest

The past couple of weeks have been a lot of fun...but incredibly busy too. Brian and I headed out to Washington to compete in the Ski to Ski race and get a chance to ski on snow in Bend, OR.  We stopped by in the Methow Valley so we could work with Scott Johnston and move our second home, the fawn hut.

The very first day we arrived we started training hard. We met up early with Scott for technique and while Brian went to the gym...I got a run in before my race the next day.

The next morning I ran the Sun Mountain 25K trail race. I hadn't run very far yet this year so the 15 miles felt like eternity but on a brighter note, my injured hamstring is almost completely healed. It has taken two years of incredibly patience and diligence to get back to running full speed. The course was challenging but I loved it and felt great while earning my first victory in a trail race this season :)

After the running race I still had more racing to do. This time it was skiing though. Brian and I headed to Bellingham, WA to compete in the Ski to Sea race for our respective relay teams. I had a great race there too and came in 3rd overall with men. I got to meet up with another NMU alumni Kelly Ahern and we tested skis together and got ready for the event the day before!

After the race Brian and I raced back to the Methow Valley so we could attend a friend's wedding later that day. It was fun to be back in the sunshine and all dressed up after racing in the pouring rain and feeling like a drowned rat earlier in the day.

Once back in the Methow it was back to work the next day power washing the Fawn Hut we are soon to call home :) The hut was free because MVSTA no longer felt it was being used on the Rendezvous trail system, all we had to do was move it! After the move we have been busy cleaning and sorting all of the walls getting it ready for the re-build in a few weeks.

Brian and I are once again on the road. This time we are in Bend, OR looking forward to our biggest week of training coming up. I can't wait to start getting into a rhythm before we head back to Minneapolis and visiting with the kids at Run Club again.

The Best Yet!

 Every year at the end of the season instead of going on a roadtrip or vacation Brian and I rush home and start our projects with the kids at The Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club and Harrison Park. As much as I would love to head somewhere warm or hangout for a while with no responsibilities, I couldn't imagine a spring now without seeing the kids and telling them about our ski season and hearing about their winter.

Training and Smoothie Making!

That's not to say that Brian and I don't have fun...we just find ways to have fun in our own neighborhood. Last weekend we attended the Harrison Community Hang Out! I worked on the Harrison Neighborhood Board for a year and I learned so much about the City Planning Process and how many factors are involved in having a single business open up in the area. Harrison has had a rough time in the current economy and it is very obvious by the abandoned store fronts and boarded up homes along the main road, Glenwood Ave. In an attempt to bring the community together Harrison has been putting on events that promote friendship and joy for all the residents of North Minneapolis. There is a big push for bike commuting in the area, because it is a lot cheaper and cleaner than driving, and there were a number of stands promoting biking and bike share programs.

My proudest moment! The Run Club bulletin board and tally board filled with goals and  achievements

At the Boys and Girls Club I have been visiting Brian's kids because they are short-staffed and he has more regular attendees for our latest program Run Club. After a month we have had over 65 kids sign up and together they have run over 200 miles.

The kids are drawn to our energy and excitement for their accomplishments!

Everyday we are thrilled with the number of excited kids ready to run! Run Club is the "cool" program to be involved with!

The final day of Run Club...for now!

Julius has run 15 miles so far!

Happy to have Brian finish his workout during my race  so he could cheer me on!

Brian and I are now in the Methow Valley and I miss the kids a ton already. Today Brian skied an OD and met me at a trail race (the Sun Mountain 25K) I competed in. I won the race in a time of 1:59 and was 5th overall. I am so happy my hamstring has healed and I can run pain free again! Today's race was one of the first times I have been able to run with both legs :)

Working on the guns!!!

It's training season so after my 25K race I was back at it in the gym this afternoon for power strength and classic rollerskiing. I am feeling really good right now and I am ready to focus on "just training" for the next couple of weeks.

Run Club

It's been great to be home this spring. Brian and I have been busy organizing the house and getting the yard ready for the summer months. Although the weather has been a bit crazy, like 6 inches of snow on May 2nd!, we have been staying busy at the Boys and Girls Club with our newly formed group called "Run Club."

A few of the Run Club crew! Ready to run!

The idea for Run Club came from our host family who we stayed with in Marquette for my Hall of Fame induction. Their daughter, who is in 3rd grade, showed off her necklace that had many little plastic foot charms on it. She told us that each foot represented a mile and that she had run over 26 miles already that year! She was very proud and you could tell the accomplishment gave her confidence and encouraged her to keep setting new goals.

I immediately looked up the program called Fitness Finders and ordered a booklet that described how it worked. Within two days I had the information packet and  brought it into the Boys and Girls Club to see if there was any interest from the kids. Destinee loved the idea and helped me organize an official sign up. The first meeting was mostly to explain how the program worked and have everyone start setting goals. We decided to set the mark at completing a marathon (26.2 miles) throughout the spring and summer. We looked up how many laps in the gym equaled a mile (20 laps!) and how many laps around the nearby park equaled a mile (3 laps).

The next Run Club meeting was spent creating a bulletin board for inspiration, motivation and a tally board to track laps and miles. We cut out pictures of healthy activities and exercises as well as healthy food choices that would help us achieve our goals quicker!

Our awesome Bulletin Board of Motivation and Inspiration! The club became so popular we had to add another tally chart to keep track of all the members! We are up to 35 kids!!!

With the tally board ready to go we started running laps. To keep track of our laps we used Popsicle sticks. For each lap the kids would collect their Popsicle sticks. Everyone holds onto their sticks until the end when we count them and put the totals on the board. There can be quite a bit of math involved between converting outside and inside laps into miles for the board!

Daveart (as he likes to be called) showing off his Popsicle sticks!

Helping to keep the laps motivating! The Run Club Popsicle stick queen :)

Their first day had 5 kids complete a mile. I was thrilled and we didn't even have the necklaces or charms, just Popsicle sticks! Their only motivation was to collect Popsicle sticks and hand them in to get a number and a sticker on the board next to their name. I was so excited!

Stretching before our run!

Everyday the kids showed up and wanted to run laps. Some ran 2 laps and some ran 16 laps. When the kids got tired we would do fitness exercises like sit-ups or push-ups until they were ready to do another lap. Not everyone could run the whole time so walking counts too. The only requirement is that you finish the lap entirely and collect your Popsicle Stick!

Everyone heading out on the course.

Day after day the laps added up! We now have two kids over 10 miles!!! and 25 with at least 1 mile completed. I had no idea what a success Run Club would be!

Handing out Popsicle sticks in the lap zone.

We had our first awards ceremony last week when the necklaces and charms arrived. The requirement is to complete a mile before you can earn your necklace and get your first charm. The interest in Run Club is so high right now that everyone wants to join!

Counting laps for the awards ceremony!

Various running stores and shoe companies have been generous and donated lightly used shoes to Run Club. We have set the bar high at completing 10 miles before you can earn your new shoes. Unfortunately the shoes have been a bit too big so we need to find some smaller sizes to award.

High Fives all-around!

 I have been very pleased with the both girls and boys being interested in Run Club and ages ranging from 6 to 13 years old. Our goal is to see how many kids can complete the 26.2 miles but we have also been talking about running in a local race! We gad one day when it was raining a getting late and I thought we should wait until the next day to run...so many kids wanted to run we decided to hold run club in the gym and not let the streak end. Another 7 kids completed a mile that day!

Erriana showing off her necklace during a science day.

Terrell has been the top performer so far. He has run over 13 miles!!!

NMU Hall of Fame Induction

I think this is the funniest thing ever! Look how nice my hair is!

Last weekend I had the honor of being inducted into my collegiate hall of fame. I was nominated and honored for both Cross Country Running and Cross Country Skiing. This was a special weekend for me and I am very glad that Brian was able to make the trip to Marquette and NMU with me.

Brian and I after his awesome finish in the Hill Climb!!! I was so proud.

After two busy weeks of racing at Canadian Nationals and Super Tour Finals Brian and I quickly sped off to the Reno Airport for a 4PM flight back to Minneapolis. We left the same day as Brian's 50K and the day after my 30K. These were warm weather slush fests at 7,000 ft and needless to say we were a bit exhausted.

Once we boarded the plane I thought we would sleep but we were both too excited. We landed in Minneapolis at midnight to fresh snow and frigid temps. We managed to get to our house at about 1 AM only to find a puddle of water in our basement. After an hour of mopping we climbed into bed and tried to fall asleep.

We woke up around 9 AM which felt like 7 AM and started the drive to Marquette in yet more snow! & hours later we arrived just in time for the open house event at the NMU Athletic Director's home. His name is Forrest Karr and it was wonderful to hear about how he has been running the athletic department and his excitement for the NMU ski team!

NMU Athletic Director Forrest Karr and NMU President David  Haynes.

Sten and Pam Fjeldheim!

 At the Meet and Greet we met up with my former College Coach Sten Fjeldheim and his wife Pam and made arrangements to meet up with the NMU ski team for their last ski of the season. Early (well it still seemed early because we were still on California time) we met the team at the ski room and headed out to Forrestville to ski on the Noquemon Ski Trails. It was mid-winter conditions and both Brian and I were blown away by the amazing skiing and grooming still available in the Upper Peninsula! What a great place to go to school ;)

After a bite to eat at the NMU Market Place (Thanks ski team!) and a quick 3 hour nap, we headed over to the ceremony on campus! The dinner was fantastic and the event was amazing. I spoke briefly about how much my time at NMU has shaped me as an athlete and person. I also made note of the influence Sten had on me to share my unyielding passion with others. I noted that the greatest accomplishment in my life has not been my Olympic success or even collegiate All-Americans but my opportunity to share my passion with the youth I work with and see the impact it has on the trajectory of their lives.

Ingrid and Kirsten Fjeldheim. 

Steve and Lisa Bigeck!

Don and his wife. Don Hurst was the first NMU ski team coach

Assistant Coach Jenny Ryan and Vicki and Tom Asmus who hosted us for the weekend.

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After another two full days of visits and traveling Brian and I finally made it home from a long season. We only had two days before it snowed 8 inches in the Twin Cities and we were back out skiing and smiling :) We are so lucky to do what we love and so grateful for all those who help support our pursuits of excellence!