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West - Day 1
Woke up this morning and headed straight for the trails. We are staying 6 miles west of the town of West Yellowstone, which is, for those who have never been here, full of a lot of nothing, except hotels, motels and a Holiday Inn. I had never been to West Yellowstone to race or ski for that matter until today. Great venue to ski around on. Saw many familiar faces and was great to see some old friends. Skied and tested skate skis this morning and then tested our classic skis this afternoon. Temps are great here and there is a plethora of snow. The sprint, or the Wild West Showdown, on Wednesday is a 1.6 kilometer point-to-point race through the woods. Should be exciting. I'll get back to everyone tomorrow. Hope all is well!!!
As One...
Everyday for the past 2 weeks Team HomeGrown has been skiing on a kilometer loop outside of Ski Club Vail that the 'cats have been plowing/moving snow/grooming. We typically ski a couple loops, then when we get bored we'll do some no-pole skiing, then some (this is new to me) one-pole skiing, then put the poles on again.One thing I realized today, besides the fact that I need to cut my hair soon and that the sun was bright enough to burn through my spandex, was how awesome it was to be where I was today with the people that were around me. I know,sounds a bit confusing if you weren't on the same brain frequency as me, but I was surrounded by amazing athletes.For instance, while testing skis today, I skied right by Ted Ligety and Bode Miller and they were not testing out their nordic skis. Our course goes right in front and parallels the alpiners course so we see them train everyday as they see us train. As I cruise up the other side of the course there is Lindsay Vonn doing an interview with the local TV station. Some girls from the chair lift go, "HEY LINDSAY!!!" And she kindly yells back, "Hi GIRLS!!!" I, in my right mind, if I tried to talk to her would probably swallow a lump of coal trying to introduce myself. The 'cat also forgot to groom part of the course but left a sweet little kicker (a jump for skis for all the older folk reading this) so naturally like the jibber I am, I crushed it and threw a sweet little twister. I got huge appraise from the freestyle ski team from the chair above.I just don't get the chance to write about stuff sometimes that pumps me up but it is so awesome to see so many athletes form Ski and Snowboard Club Vail training to do what they do best: ski and snowboard, and not only train but doing it knowing that the athlete right next to them or down the hill from them on the nordic course is trying to be THE BEST at what they do.I saw the US Ski Team (Development Team) doing skate drills up our nordic course today before the sun even hit the hill. FREEKIN'AWESOME...I love it.Off to West Yellowstone in 5 days.
As I Sit...
I have a lot of time to think now that I ski 3-4 hours a day, sleep for about 8, eat for about 5, and work about 4. I guess that leaves me with about 3 solid hours a day of mind wanderings (I guess you can also count the the 4 hours at valet parking because everything becomes so habitual after awhile you almost forget you are driving a car...just kidding...but yeah kind of). As I sit on the couch this morning in my new Nike sweatpants, t-shirt, and Colorado trucker hat (I'm proud of where I'm from), I begin to realize a lot of things. For instance, Team HomeGrown (my nordic squad) is leaving to West Yellowstone for our first races of the year and we have a ton of stuff to get ready, so all of this get-ready-to-go stuff is one the top of my mind. There is really a ton of stuff we have to do from waxing/preping skis, getting training in, getting gear ready, and making sure the younger skiers are set to getting a ski rack for the car, bringing the right skis, and making sure Josh has enough funny movies downloaded on his computer that we wont have to worry about doing core that week. However, food preperation is what has been on my mind. I love to cook but I ended up writing some email to the team telling them that I would bring a lasagna for the first night. After writing and sending the email I realized I have never in my entire 22 (almost 23) years on this earth, have I ever made a lasagna, or at the least even looked at what goes in a lasagna (I could make a good guess though). After that then I have to decide whether I want a vegetable lasagna or a meat lasagna, or should I do both. What I know I am going to end up doing is using my go-tos, the bearers of all knowledge, the Iron Chefs of the Buffer Creek Apartments: Wrighty and Duncan. If I can't find them well I guess its Peanut Butter and Jelly for the first night. Go HomeGrown!!!I'll be throwing up a schedule for the season soon. My next post will be from West.Thanks for reading my mindless wanderings.
Figuring "Me" Out
So I have had the honor of hosting two sicknesses in my body in the past 3 weeks. Anticipating an amazing trip to Nashville with my lady friend for a her cousin's wedding reception and to see the Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ol' Opry, Johnny Cash's memorial, and numerous other things, I ended up with The Ol' H1N1 instead. Spent 3 days in the hotel sweating, freezing, holding my pounding head, and drinking tons of fluids. Hit me hard but got right back to it.Then this past Wednesday felt a little sore throat accompanied with some sniffles and a nice cough. Another 3 days takin' 'er easy with no training. Its these times I wish my mom could fit and survive in a small suitcase to bring with me everywhere.My point here is not to complain about annoying sicknesses, but rather explain my learning process. You can ask anyone on my college ski team if they could count how many times I got sick a year on two hands. They can't. While I still have a problem staying away from sickness, I do believe I have mastered the art of "Getting Better." I blame mostly my mom and Becky Woods for this sweet skill I have. (Thanks you two). I think too often skiers and endurance athletes in general think it is a good idea to "train through it." It may actually work for some. I know for me though. If I take 3 to how-ever-many-days-it-takes for me to get better, that is the best for me. I have training logs and results to prove it. I'm no doctor but if I were to prescibe anything to anyone it would be to lay in bed, watch episodes of Family Guy, drink fluids, take your Z-Pak, take the stuff to boost your immune system back up, and get back to GITENERDUN.Toodles
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Colorado, United States
Athletes/Active Lifestyle
Love food, friends, sun, lots of snow, and a good time. A Professional Nordic Skier based…MORE
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