Bend Camp Conclusion

Our last day on snow in Bend with the MOD team included an intense crust ski up to the top of a nearby mountain, Broken Top. Arriving at the hill very early, a group of around 30 US ski team members, Sun Valley skiers, CXC skiers, and MOD skiers took off up the mountain. After a steep climb up through the trees we made it out of tree line and headed up as far as we could get before our legs began to give out from the long weeks training. Surprisingly enough the group of skiers made it to the top bowl in the picture below.

By the time we reached the top the sun had been shining for a while so the snow began to soften. 30 skiers headed down the slopes, some tumbling more than others, enjoying every minute of the painful climbing they had to conquer to get high enough. It was a great day to conclude the camp. We left the mountain that day with no energy left! We had gotten everything out of the time we spent on skis, gaining and learning lots. I came away with a new motivation, determine to start working hard on my summer training. I saw a lot of things I needed to work on and some things that have already improved! Even Scott was able to learn from the week, brainstorming and observing things from other teams and skiers. Below are some pictures from the crust skiing. 

The little things that look like ants climbing up the mountain are the skiers.

MOD Team (Scott, Jaime Bronga( UAA skier), Sadie and Sam

The last day before returning back to the Methow we spent at Smith Rocks, about an hour drive from Bend. Jaime Bronga (A UAA skier training with the MOD team for the summer), Sam, Scott and I stayed at Steve House's home overnight and got up early and climbed all morning. Some friends from Bend came down and joined us as well. We got some good climbs in before we had to hit the road to go home.

Sam busting out some tough moves

Jaime Bronga on her first climb ever

Sadie getting all secured to go

Golf? Yoga? And Training Too...Bend Camp Pt. 2

Training has been going exceptionally well here in Bend, with sunny skies and warm temperatures greeting us every morning at the mountain. We've gotten some great technique work done, as well as a couple strength workouts where we experimented with new single leg and balancing methods.

On Wednesday we had a chance to take a morning of rest, and capitalized on that time by doing an hour of yoga followed by some very vigorous driving practice on the golf course. Our host Dick Hunt's condo is at Widgi Creek, a rather swanky golf community on the outskirts of Bend. Hungering for alternative activities, Scott, Sadie, Brian and I (Sam) all trudged over to the Pro Shop and got some whackers and some DimpleBalls (that's what they're called, right?) to slam into the road, a mere 300 yards away. Brian had never used a golf club before, nor had Sadie. Scott and I were the only ones with collared shirts. Hilarity ensued...

The crew taking a stab at yoga. Don't let anyone tell you that skiers have loose hips...

Track

It’s May 19th, my high school track season is almost over, and it feels like It just started. My history teacher, Mr. Kulsrud has always tried to talk me into running track, so I decided to give it a shot. Last fall Scott challenged me to break 4:40 in the mile during one of our track workouts. Running a 4:44 that day in the midst of a workout made me think that I might do well at track. After taking a short break after the Junior National Championships, I slowly began to get my legs into running shape over a several week period. My hope in concentrating on the mile are to gain some power and speed in my legs. So far I have been having a great time. All we have left is League Districts, and then the state meet the last weekend in May. I’m finally just starting to feel like I’m in running shape. It took 4 or 5 weeks and I struggled a bit with shin splits when I started. I have to say that I have really enjoyed getting the chance to compete in the sport. Track definitely has its similarities because it is an individual race, but I also feel like it is quite a bit different. It’s a different type of hard. It’s a race just over 4 minutes, and in that 4 minutes you have to be very aggressive, there are no down hills to recover like in skiing. I think it should be very beneficial to my skiing. I feel lucky to have gotten the chance to compete with a lot of talented runners. I can tell there are a lot of very dedicated kids and coaches putting a lot into the sport, always trying to raise the bar, a lot like what we are trying to do in skiing.

Here are the meets and what my times where for the day.
Royal WA:
1600m, 4:47, 2nd place
Tonasket WA:
1600m, 4:43, 1st place
Quincy WA:
1600m 4:39, 1st place, School Record
3200m 10:15, 3rd place, School Record
Oroville WA:
1600m, 4:55, 1st place
Winthrop:
1600m, 4:31, 1st place
800m, 2:06, 1st place
Bridgeport:
1600m, 4:54, 1st place
3200m, 10:49. 1st place

This is a picture of me about to make my move 2 laps into the race at Tonasket.

Back On Snow - Bend Camp Pt. 1

Yesterday morning Scott, myself, Brian Gregg and Sadie Bjornsen piled into Scott's Eurovan and made the seven and a half hour drive to Bend, Oregon for our first official MOD Team training camp. For the next seven days we'll eat, sleep and train in the glorious tradition of cross-country ski training camps. We're lucky enough to be hosted by Scott's good friend and U.S. skiing legend Dick Hunt, who has a spacious condo only twenty minutes from the mountain venue.

Today's morning on-snow workout couldn't have been more ideal. We arrived at the Nordic center and greeted the other U.S. athletes who have showed up to get this last bit of winter. The US Ski Team, along with various Regional Elite teams like ours are all in attendance and the trails are buzzing with the familiar excitement of the race circuit. The difference, however, lies in everyone's relaxed attitude: only a few weeks into the 2009 dryland season we are all focused on low-level intensity, building volume and strength for the upcoming months. Racing is the farthest thing from anyone's mind right now and it shows in the periodic greetings and trailside chats that occured during the morning's ski. We were able to spend two hours working on our classic technique on the softening corn snow, with most of us using the newer "Zero" model classic skis, which boast a synthetic kick zone ideal for warmer and wetter snow conditions.

This afternoon's workout involved some lactate testing to establish our base training zones for the season. Another bout of dinner and relaxation, and it's go-time again tomorrow morning. Stay tuned...

...Kick It!

I've always been a fan of the Beastie Boys, and the above title to this post is from one of my favorites, "Fight For Your Right (To Party)". It's an apt title for this post, as we have just "kicked in" our 2009 dryland season. For the last few weeks and a few more to follow this means an abundance of low-intensity volume training, general strength work, and getting ourselves and our bodies to the level of fitness and aptitude which we'll need for later in the year when we begin our more specific regimen of training.


This past weekend I was able to take a few days and travel with the Methow Valley Junior Team up to the Callaghan Valley in B.C., home of the 2010 Olympic courses. I hadn't been to the Callaghan since last March when I raced there at Canadian National Championships, so it was a great chance for me to log some hours on trails which I hope to be competing on this coming season. The conditions were great, with hard granular snow in the morning making for ideal klister skiing, and a gradual warming to mid-morning for a switch to skating. It was also great to spend some time with the junior team and be able to ski with and do a bit of coaching for the juniors. Many of them have come a long way with their technique and it's great to see them taking advantage of such opportunities as training on Olympic courses in mid-May!

This week's an easy one, in preparation for a week-long volume camp (also on-snow) in Bend, Oregon next week. The full team is together now as Sadie has returned from school. Brian Gregg is also here training and will accompany our team to Bend as an honorary member of MOD; he has been training and racing for the CXC Elite Team in Wisconsin for the past three years, so it's great to get some of our native talent back in town for a bit. More soon!