Methow Olympic Development

Tour de Twin Cities SuperTour - A (not so brief) Synopsis

2012-01-29T14:31:00.001-08:00

For the past two weeks the MOD Squad has been living and racing in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Methow native Brian Gregg and his wife Caitlin, both pro skiers, graciously opened their home to me for the entire period and provided generous hospitality throughout. The race week was set Tour-style, with five races held over nine days with overall scoring based on cumulative points accrued at each start. There were four distance races, two on the first weekend and two on the second, with a sprint qualifier held last Wednesday evening to divide the week.

The first three races were held at Theodore Wirth Park in downtown Minneapolis. The park is a great venue - lots of rolling terrain and climbs which offer decent vertical but also allow for some really big, powerful skiing. Because of the mournfully dry winter the midwest has been experiencing the course at Wirth was confined to a roughly 2.5km loop, with the sprint course being a slightly smaller version thereof.

(photo by David J. Owen @ davidjowen.smugmug.com)
Brian Gregg (CXC), Adam Kates (Big Thunder), and me on the train in the 15km skate last Sunday

The first race of the series, a 10km individual start classic, was not my greatest. It happened to be the first classic distance race I had competed in since last year's National Championships in January of 2011, so I was unsure what to expect. Distance races have been steadily improving this year but each technique is different. Plus, my points for the seed lists were partially based on last year's paltry results so I was starting well away from the A seed, something which demands a lot of internal pacing strategy without the advantage of being around faster skiers. I managed decently and skied to a 17th place finish, about 50 sec out of 1st. One of my goals for this season has been to diminish the gap between me and the podium, so in that way the classic race was a success.

Brian in the waxroom, prepping boards for the week's events.

The next day was a 15km skate individual start. For this race I was more intent on a good result; my skating has continued to be strong in every race and I've grown more confident with where I can finish in the pack. Again, I was seeded ahead of the lead pack such that I skied the first lap alone before lapping through and picking up the A seed. The picture above shows where I latched onto Brian as he began the race, offering me a great chance to pace with him. As it happened, he went out like absolute gangbusters and after two laps with him I dropped off. I was nervous that I had done myself in at that point but I drew back in, calmed down and found some speed for the remainder of the race. This is one aspect of my fitness this year which I'm really pleased with: the ability to go over the red line in an effort and to recover. Before, I would do that and the race would be done. I would have one chip and if I spent it, it would be all I could do to just ski to the finish.

Anyway, the skate race was better and I finished 13th, about 12 sec out of the top-10 and a minute from Matt Liebsch in first. Time for some recovery.

Starting out in the 15km individual skate race (photo courtesy skinnyski.com)

We spent the next few days doing some easy distance training at Wirth before the night sprint qualifier on Wednesday. This race I wanted to win. I knew I could do so, and it was just a matter of executing well; the race was a winding downhill section into the main climbs of the course, which took you all the way back up to the finish. My plan was to ski really big through the downhills and gradually ramp up speed through the climbs until I was at maximum, then kill it to the finish. I executed that plan to a T, and crossed the line almost catching my 15sec guy. As it happened, FOUR guys (myself included) finished within eight tenths of a second from one another. I was fourth in that line, and finished fourth overall. It was a great effort and despite wanting to have won, I took comfort knowing that I went "basically" as fast as the winner. The speed is there.

Now we move to Green Acres. The original venue for the final two races of the week had zero snow so Green Acres agreed to host on their man-made loop. The course skied rather crazily, with three short, steep walls and one long steep uphill interspersed by dead-flat terrain. Despite initial impressions though, it was a damn tough effort. The classic mass start was four loops of a 2.7km lap, with the 3.3km skate loop adding a circuit in a rolling field.

The mass start was epic with crashes. See my Facebook page or johnnyklister.com for the video of the crash which took place 200m from the finish. By sheer luck I managed to extricate myself from that one unscathed and with all my equipment intact, and set out to hold the lead group. We stayed together well until some breaks happened and I unluckily got caught in a few crashes later on, including one where I was trying to pass a lapped skier who didn't quite know WHOSE left I was referring to when I yelled it at the top of my lungs on an uphill. The perils of multi-lap races.

I was really happy with my classic race effort and finished 9th on the day, only 21sec out of 1st.

Today's race, which finished out the week, was a 20km pursuit start based on yesterday's finishes. The pack would be fierce and my plan was again to let the leaders sort things out and arrange for some attrition of the group, and I would then start picking up my pace, and picking off stragglers.

Pat O'Brien and I getting going in the 20km pursuit (photo courtesy davidjowen.smugmug.com)

Out of the start the pack quickly started to rejoin, but I tried not to get caught in the excitement of regaining them. I knew with 20km to go I would need all my energy later on and that others in the front may well drift back. I allowed the pace to be as it was and slowly worked my way forward, until by the end of the second lap I was on the front pack itself.

Leading a group into the stadium on our third lap (photo courtesy davidjowen.smugmug.com)

Shortly into the fifth lap things started to happen. Liebsch went off the front (as expected) and the pack shattered. I strove to stay in place, skiing through the people who had been shelled off and holding off the guys who were gradually accumulating behind me. By the end of lap six I was leading a couple guys through the race and knew that eventually one of us would have to break in order to get to the finish line first. Positions 1-3 were settled; those guys were 20+ seconds ahead of us and not looking like they were slowing, so it was up to me to punch it at the right time and secure 4th in the pursuit. About 1/2 km from the final climb I made up my mind, knowing I would just make it hurt real bad and either I would break, or they would. I hammered into the climb and attempted a jump skate (failure), then just upped my tempo and cranked hard. The coaches at the top yelled to me that I had opened a gap, and I dropped into a low tuck on the downhill approach to the stadium, where I then threw down as much of a sprint as I could manage, finishing 4th in the pursuit and 3rd in the day's elapsed time. Best Super Tour distance finish!

A rather ugly finishing sprint, with Karl Nygren (CXC) in the background (photo courtesy davidjowen.smugmug.com)

This week has been really rewarding, both in terms of straight results but also for my overall confidence in my abilities right now. With my distance and sprint results aligning so closely I'm excited to see where I can get with further training both within the remainder of this season and in preparation for the next.

A very special shout-out goes to CXC coaches Jason Cork and Gus Kaeding, for the fantastic service they gave me waxing skis during the week. Every race I stepped to the line with total confidence in my boards - both of them are some of the best techs in the country and the results of their athletes reflect that expertise.

A brief, but significant note on equipment: this season I have had the pleasure and good fortune to be working with Peter Hale of Madshus and Mark Waechter at Nordic Ultratune to create a ground-stomping fleet of Madshus skis. Both of these guys have had a HUGE impact on my racing this year and my skis are, top-to-bottom, super fast. If you're thinking at all about purchasing new equipment, I strongly urge you to check out Mark's selection, either at his store in Winthrop or online at www.ultratune.net. The Madshus package is unbeatable and when paired with an Ultratune grind you've got a combination guaranteed to dramatically improve your skiing experience! 'Nuff said.

I get to head home tomorrow after nearly five weeks on the road, only to turn right back around and head to Sun Valley on Thursday to race the Boulder Mountain Tour with my Dad. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my efforts these past few weeks, whether it be with housing and food or simply encouragement and tele-cheering. Stay tuned!

Winter WONDERLAND

2012-01-25T07:35:00.000-08:00

For the past four weeks I've been traveling on the race circuit, first in New England and now in the Twin Cities. Everywhere I've been folks have been lamenting the poor winter they're experiencing in their home area. "There's no good skiing anywhere in the country!" they would moan. I would then quietly interject that the Methow Valley is in fact quite good right now.

"Met-what?"

Exactly. It's time everyone learned about the most phenomenal cross-country ski destination in North America. Over 200km of immaculately-groomed, interconnected ski trails traversing a 50-mile long river valley with over 300 days of sunshine per year. And this year, the snow just keeps coming:

http://www.mvsta.com/grooming2.html

Buy your tickets now and get a piece of winter in the place you can always find it.

Ski Lessons Available

2012-01-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

If you're in or near the Methow Valley this winter and looking for an opportunity to learn cross-country skiing, look no further! MOD Squad athlete and elite Nordic skier Sam Naney is now offering private and small group lessons, by appointment.

Sam utilizes his extensive experience as a professional ski racer and seasonal junior development coach to provide a one-of-a-kind lesson which exposes the skier to the most efficient techniques, making their skiing experience much more fun for less effort.

For more information, scheduling and rates contact Sam at samuel.naney@gmail.com.

The last few weeks...

2012-01-20T13:25:00.000-08:00

Wow - been a while since a blog post. Somewhat embarrassingly, I brought a camera with me on this racing tour but have neglected to take many photos. And without photos a blog can get boring pretty darn quick. So I haven't posted much. Here's a recap:

After Nationals (high points: 5th in skate qualifier, 13th in 15km skate), Dakota BVJ and I traveled to Green Mountain Valley School to enjoy the hospitality of GMVS coach Justin Beckwith. There wasn't really any snow to be had in the East with the exception of a few choice nooks, and Trapps's Family Lodge was one of those nooks. GMVS is about 45min away from Trapp's so we were situated well to get some training in during the off week.

The interior of the Crown Vic was jam-packed with our gear. Apparently they were not manufactured with ski racers in mind...

My transport for two weeks. I had a lot of folks hitting the brakes and pulling over for me as I masqueraded as the 5-0 all over Maine...

The skiing at Trapp's was really quite good, considering that everywhere else was abysmal. One day, Dakota and I joined in as guest coaches for a local Waitsfield, VT area junior program. We led them through some sprint drills and explosive double poling; they were pretty fired up to go head-to-head with us.

Following GMVS we journeyed seven hours through an Eastern blizzard BACK to Maine, this time farther north from Rumford to Readfield, ME, where we would lodge for three nights with Bruce and Sandy Hunter while racing the Eastern Cups in nearby Farmington. The Hunters' son Andy was an '04 at Dartmouth and ski team captain my sophomore year. They were amazingly hospitable and it definitely made a huge difference to have delicious home-cooked meals and warm beds in between cold races!

The Farmington races were put together in somewhat dire circumstances. A lack of snow forced the organizers to move Saturday's sprint to the distance race venue, an alpine area and its base trails. The sprint itself was almost dead-flat, a sure-bet double pole on skate skis. After qualifying 4th I stunk it up pretty bad in the heats, falling back to 9th in the finals. Not a good day. Dakota redeemed our crew by winning the day and a tidy $500 cash prize.

The next day's 12km skate was a mind-wrenching 8 laps of a 1.7km course heading straight up the bunny slope of the alpine area for a minute or two before zipping back down and around the sprint course. Each lap took about 3:40min and there was almost 200 men on course. Quite a cluster, to be sure. I fared much better on that day, finishing 5th overall, 8 seconds out of some cash money and 3rd place.

Dakota and I finished our Eastern tour in Boston, where we gorged on an all-you-can-eat $15 Chinese/Japanese (their description, not ours) buffet in a strip mall. Surprisingly, it was both a) delicious, and b) digestible. I can't say I've ever escaped an Asian all-you-can-eat buffet without at least a minor case of food poisoning; not only did I not get sick, it was all-you-can-eat SUSHI - prepared right there in front of us so I could actually see the uncontaminated fish being sliced. Very worthwhile.

I'm in the Twin Cities now. More updates to come.

US Nationals: Skate Sprint

2012-01-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

The first race of National Championships was postponed by a day due to heavy rain which threatened to wash away the tiny amount of man-made snow accumulated on the course. After a thankfully cold night and more snowmaking, the skate sprint was on for Tuesday (last Tuesday, that is). As the snow conditions had changed dramatically since I tested skis, I had to make an overnight decision to run on a pair of really stiff skis with a warmer grind. They were a pair Mark at Nordic Ultratune had offered to me but I'd not yet had the opportunity with conditions to make use of them. As it turned out last week, they were incredible.

I had a lot of confidence going into the skate sprint. My fitness is high, my speed is strong and I knew I could ski through to the podium. I qualified in 5th position, less than 2 sec off fellow PNSA skier Dakota Blackhorse Von-Jess, who won the qualifier. This set me up well for the heats but I had my work cut out for me.

There are a lot of things I have going for me this year with our training, but tactics and sprint experience, despite having been in many heats over the years, is something I'm still developing. In my quarterfinal heat I fought through and came into the finishing stretch immediately behind Koos and Reese Hanneman. At that point I should've moved into my own lane. I didn't, and it cost me when another skier moved alongside me at the last minute and outstretched me at the line, eliminating my chances of moving through the heats.

It was a big disappointment, but I had to take it as a strong lesson which I won't forget anytime soon. I ended 16th on the day.

US Nationals: Travel Day (December 29th)

2012-01-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

For the past two weeks I've been in New England, racing first in the National Championships in Rumford, ME; now training in Vermont before some more races in Maine. Then next week I'll be on to the Midwest for some SuperTours. But first...

Following my last races in Rossland, B.C. in late December I was able to spend a great Christmas holiday with Alison and my family at home. As it happened I developed a bit of a cold that week so it was just as well that I had some time to rest and recover. A few sizable dinners later I was feeling pretty good. Then I woke up in the middle of the night and vomited. That wasn't so good. I spent then next few days recovering from THAT before I was able to get in a solid intensity session a scant two days prior to taking off for Maine.

The travel day across our fair nation was pleasantly uneventful; Alison drove me to Wenatchee where I caught an evening flight to Seattle and spent the night after a fitful meal of chipped beef at the airport Denny's. Delightful. The next morning I stepped onto a 5:30am flight to Phoenix, then on to Boston. When I arrived at Logan I picked up my bags (both of them - huzzah!) and went to sit in wait for the Thrifty rental courtesy shuttle. They were running slow that night and when I finally got on board I got to sit and listen to a preponderance of other travelers who took it upon themselves to lambaste the driver for their unpleasant wait. City folk.

All was redeemed when the Thrifty lady at the counter liked the fact that I had the same birthday as her boyfriend, and gave me a free full-size upgrade. Crown Victoria, baby. It's amazing; you could store at least three grown bodies in that trunk. I settled for a huge duffel bag and $100 worth of Trader Joe's food. Three hours of driving and a few Bon Jovi sing-a-longs later, I was at Coos Canyon Cabins outside of Mexico, Maine. Home for the next week and a half.

US Nationals Photos

2012-01-10T15:52:00.001-08:00

Men's Quarterfinal heat in the skate sprint (I'm in the red suit and black hat, second from left)

Skiing in the 15km skate race

Qualifying 5th in the skate sprint

(All photos are courtesy of Ian Harvey at Toko US)

Sovereign Lakes NorAm

2011-12-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

I just got home from some sprint racing at the Sovereign Lakes Nordic Center, one of my favorite race venues. This weekend was a classic sprint and 15km classic distance race. Following last weekend's lackluster finishes in Bozeman I was anxious to improve my standings. I had gotten in a good amount of rest and a few solid intensity sessions while home, and was feeling ready to sprint.

We arrived at Silver Star on Thursday night - me, Scott, Alison and Nikki. It's always fun to have a group to travel with, even though it often just means more people twiddling quietly on their laptops at the same time in the condo...

Previewing the course on Friday I saw it had changed dramatically since the last time I raced at Sovereign. What had previously been a relatively flat, fast 1200m sprint course had become a 1600m course with two legitimate climbs interspersed. I was excited because it meant you wouldn't be able to sneak by just double-poling on skate skis in the classic sprint. While I feel pretty strong at double pole I've always thought if you're going to hold a classic sprint, there should be striding involved. As it turned out come race morning, the snow was fast enough that much of the course was a double pole anyway, but it definitely necessitated some striding over the tops of hills. I conducted a much better warm-up this week and qualified 9th. It was another step forward in the race progression this fall and I was excited to see what the heats held, as they were to be the first of the season.

I got slotted into the fifth quarterfinal alongside Mike Sinnott and four Canadians. Mike's a strong sprinter and qualified well so I decided to tag onto him through the heat. Out of the start I felt great and quickly moved into second alongside Mike; once or twice a Canadian would pull up alongside or even in front of me but I quickly regained position to secure my spot. The final climb of the course led into a 90 degree turn then into a short 20m straight shot over a bridge before dropping into a steep left-hand 270 degree downhill corner which led into the finish stretch. Coming across the bridge we were three-abreast and I pushed hard to take the corner in second, blocking out the third man. Mike and I came out of the corner in the lead and double-poled away for a small gap and moved on to the semis.

Rounding the final corner into the finish stretch during the quarterfinal. Photo courtesy Jesse Winter.

I knew I had spent most of my chips in the quarterfinal. We're still in the building process of my anaerobic endurance and while I would've liked to think I could repeat that effort for the semis and final, it didn't seem likely. My semi started much the same as the previous heat and I scrambled to keep position in the center of the pack. I held on well through most of the long climb in the middle of the course but then started to feel the tie-up in my legs. I dropped about 5m off the pack up the final climb to the bridge and slowed up, knowing I wouldn't catch the lead three and wanting to save my energy for the B final.

The B went much the same way as the semi; I had a little kick until the end of the long climb, then I was exhausted. I trailed the group across the finish line in 6th, 12th overall. I wasn't too proud of falling off the pack in the last two heats but my effort was better than my previous sprints this season and I could tell the fitness is still improving. Next weekend's skate sprint in Rossland should be another step forward, and I'll look forward to taking that speed all the way through the finals.

For now, there's good, fast skiing in the Methow and I'm going out to train. Happy Monday!

Massage Therapy For Racers at Silver Star!

2011-11-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get frustrated traveling on the race circuit, being so far away from your massage therapist and surefire recovery from hard efforts?

My fiance, Alison Hanks, LMP, is offering special rates on massage therapy to athletes for the upcoming races next weekend in Silver Star, B.C. Alison specializes in deep tissue and sports massage, and has the ability to give you the best and most effective massage you have ever had. Perfect for post-race recovery!

Rates:

15min: $20
30min: $35
60min: $60

Check out her website here: alisonhankslmp.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alison-Hanks-LMP/228921377161667?sk=wall

Massage will be available by appointment from Thursday, December 8th to Sunday, December 10th. You can either email Alison at alisonhanks@gmail.com, or call her at 509 341 9097

West Yellowstone: A Summary (part II)

2011-11-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've considered myself a distance skier. I've put my focus on the sprints and that has continued to be the emphasis of the training Scott has prescribed. But this dryland season we spent most of our training efforts on aerobic endurance, and on Saturday it showed its worth.

Traditionally, the distance course at West is a pretty mellow one with a gradual climb in the middle of the 5km lap. This year they spiced it up, adding a serpentine portion of the new trail Doug's Doodle, and sending us down and back up Telemark Hill, the one which ended and made painful the sprints on Wednesday.

(I got hooked up with a new race suit from Madshus, which apparently offered some confusion to my Mom during the second lap of the race, when she completely missed cheering for me as I climbed the hill)

Because my distance points aren't too hot I started in the seed after the A group. The good part of that situation was that I started just as those guys were lapping through. I managed to accelerate and catch a ride on Canadian Pate Neumann for his final two laps. I felt GREAT. Well, it helped that the skis were awesome. But I also felt great. Technique, energy, everything was there. I ended in 15th place, 45sec out of 7th. It's nice to know that with the right training I can start to hold my own in both distance and sprint racing. It's going to be a good year.

I'm in West for another few days before heading to Bozeman for more Super Tour action.

West Yellowstone: A Summary (part I)

2011-11-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

After a short break in the Methow and some skiing at Klipchuck (thanks, Scott!), Alison, Mom, Dad and I jumped into a few trucks and headed east for West Yellowstone, MT and the opening Super Tour races. It's been two years since I was last in West and that time, I wasn't feeling too hot. This year training has been right on point and I got a good bit of acclimation at Silver Star. We've intentionally kept high intensity training to a minimum as a means to continue building until US Nationals in January, so this week's sprints weren't likely to be my finest.

The sprint course was damn tough - 1.6km point-to-point with the finish at a HIGHER elevation than the start. The course started and rolled along nicely for about one kilometer before descending a 150m long hill, wrapping around the bottom then climbing back up. The finish line was the very crest of the now-famous (at least among those who have raced it) Telemark Hill. Hell of a climb, that one. The sprints were a unique format: two qualifiers, the classic beginning at 9am and the skate beginning one hour later.

Scott and Ben (Husaby) did their usual amazing job with waxing and both MOD and Bend Nordic had great glide and better kick for the first qualifier. My new Madshus boards completed the package, and an Ultratune XC02 grind served to out-glide a lot of others out there. I finished the classic race in 17th. It was by no means my best sprint but there's still a lot of work to do before we reach that point. The skate race was similar in performance with a 15th; much is there but much work is left to be done. And once again, my skis were rockets. Thanks, guys!

Silver Star: Day 4

2011-11-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day up here; I head back to the Methow early tomorrow morning to do several things. First, I need to drop off the now-tested Madshus skis to Mark at Nordic Ultratune to get some grinds on them in time for West Yellowstone. Second, Alison and I have a meeting with our wedding caterer. Third, I get to have a massage. Then I might do a workout. Or sleep.

Scott and I had mused last night on the prospect of intervals today. We have both been encouraged at how fresh I've felt every day here and how I'm seemingly acclimating quite quickly. However, he cautioned against doing too much too soon, given that the first races are in less than a week. Plus, there's always another shoe to drop. In the past I've gone through periods where I feel really good and try to take a bite out of the world, then a few days later I'm exhausted. So he left it to me, to see how I felt this morning before making a decision.

I woke up to sunshine and thought I felt pretty good. I put some new glide wax on the skate skis and started walking over to the trail when i knew it wouldn't be an interval day. Each step was just a *bit* more of an effort than usual and my HR was a bit higher than it should be. So that answered the question of the intervals, and I opted for a long easy ski.

They finally got the Piston Bully out on the trails, but given that there was so much air in the snow the tracks were really, really soft. Not the best day for hard intervals, anyway. So I took advantage of the sunshine and skied to the top of the mountain.

I also managed to capture the buck I keep seeing out on the trails. He's been lusting after a voluptuous doe also wandering about, and I think I inadvertently skied up on them during a tryst. I got a shot of him as he was running to the woods:

Returning from my ski I rallied a big ole' lunch and settled into some internet time. I'm going out for another ski in about a half hour, then it's time to pack up and get ready to leave tomorrow morning.

Silver Star: Day 3

2011-11-17T14:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a great day on the trails. It seems that after a summer of heavy aerobic training I can acclimate quite a bit quicker than in the past. I got out the door early because it looked a bit stormy, and headed up Paradise Trail to find a steep hill for some sprints. I was a bit curious to see how I'd feel after all the skiing so far, but once I found a good spot and started the sprints I felt GREAT. Here was the workout:

6x :20sec hill sprints: Steep hill, classic striding/running with 2min rest
6x :20sec flat sprints: Flat to rolling terrain, 3x striding, 3x double pole with 2min rest

I've come to find that the rest in between each effort is really key. These aren't about any kind of endurance or aerobic training, and the more explosive you can be in each one the more benefit you'll get. As a consequence, allowing your body to completely recover and those FT fibers to "reload" so to speak, is necessary.

I was more tired last evening; a blizzard moved in and made the evening ski a bit more of an adventure. I had wanted to get to the top of the mountain and ski some of the alpine runs but I actually lost the trail several times on the way up due to the mounting snow and massive wind which obliterated any form of tracks. I opted against the downhill idea and stuck to the lower trails. It was just as well, because I was exhausted last night and could barely keep my eyes open for some quality time with molecular orbitals and VSEPR theory.

Silver Star: Day 2

2011-11-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

Ugh. Altitude gets to me on the second day. After a solid 4 hours of training yesterday I woke up this morning with the groggy head, dry throat and sore muscles which always compliment a trip to higher elevations. I opted to classic ski this morning and took the straight route to the top of the mountain where I got some great views of the surrounding hills/mountains.

Being up there also reminded me of what I can't wait to do after my final long ski at the end of this week - slice some pristine powder on the yet-unopened alpine runs.

This morning I met with Guy Paulsen, Silver Star's new Nordic Director. He was great to talk with and generously granted me privileges to the N.A.T.C. (National Altitude Training Center) gym facilities, and a reduced-rate trail pass. He was immediately understanding of the financial strain of traveling athletes and was quick to put his influence to work.

In the same socializing vein, tonight I had David Bonn, MOD benefactor and Methow local, up for a dinner of burritos. David's been up here since Friday getting first tracks so we caught up on happenings over huge piles of beans, rice and chicken. He's a tech guy so I got to find out about all the new sweet perks of the IPhone 4 and such. I still think I'd break one within a day.

Speedwork is scheduled for tomorrow morning - hill sprints and flat sprints. Then a distance workout in the afternoon, and harder aerobic intervals on Thursday. More photos as I get 'em, but here's a parting shot:

Silver Star Pre-Season Camp: Day 1

2011-11-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Silver Star around 7pm last night and pulled into the Pinnacle Suites, my home for the week. Because the mountain isn't really open yet and there are very few travelers here, I got a SWEET deal on an 8-person condo here: $50/night. If anyone has any last minute desire to get up and ski, let me know - there's plenty of room.

Woke up this morning to a fresh layer of 2" of snow on my truck. I took the opportunity to test out some new skate skis this morning, a few of which are particularly suited to soft conditions.

The skis were GREAT - one pair, in particular. Mark at Nordic Ultratune had already ground that particular pair with an S1 grind, a good bet for new snow conditions such as these. With a solid two hours of testing already in the bag I've got strong confidence in my skate skis for the upcoming races in West.

Not many people on the tracks here right now and passes are discounted for the next few days: $11/day. As luck would have it I ran into MOD sponsor and intrepid adventurer David Bonn out on the trails - he's been here since last Friday snagging the early snow. It's nice to have more than one MOD jacket adorning these tracks!

Time to rest for a few hours and do some Chemistry homework. Workout number two out of three coming up in t-minus three hours. More later...

Opening Day in the Methow

2011-11-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

Finally got first tracks today on Washington Pass - the weather has been teetering right on the brink of winter, with temps in the teens at night and 30s during the days, but little precipitation until now. The mountains got about 10" yesterday, enough for Scott to take the snowmobile and chain-link fence up to the Overlook road yesterday to groom our traditional first-of-the-year 1km loop.

It's a tremendously welcome change from rollerskiing, and very apt timing. Tomorrow I am leaving for Silver Star to train at altitude for a week before heading to West Yellowstone, so these few workouts that I get on snow will allow me to get the snow legs under me a bit. Also, it affords me the opportunity to test out my new Madshus gear.

I'm working in close concert with Peter Hale and Mark Waechter at Nordic Ultratune to put together a great quiver of Madshus skis, and this week I'll be testing different flexes and cambers to decide which pair gets a coveted spot in the ski bag. Working with Mark in these circumstances is the best an athlete can hope for; he's got a great stock of race-quality skis so between him and Peter's selections I'm confident I'll have some great boards!

I'll put up some more updates from my solo training camp in Silver Star. 11 days until the opening Super Tour races in West Yellowstone!

Cafe Society

2011-10-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

As many have already heard, one of the most popular pastimes of the MOD Squad (me and Scott) is motorcycle mechanics. This past spring I sold my old 1984 Honda Ascot and purchased Koos' 1973 Honda CB750K3. The bike was largely in pieces after Torin left for school and the opportunity was ripe for me to jump feet-first into the fire and learn how to (re)build motorcycles. Last summer Scott had bought a later-vintage model of the same bike and converted it to a cafe racer, a style of motorcycle popularized in mid-'60s England as retro-fitted race bikes for riders with small wallets. You can Google "cafe racer" and there are countless websites and photo albums of some amazing work; people make boatloads of money as professional builders, taking old Japanese and British bikes and doing these conversions into stream-lined jockey rockets.

Anyway, with a HUGE amount of tutoring and oversight from Scott, I managed to get a handle on electrical work and wiring; aluminum cutting and parts fabrication; TIG welding; engine maintenance and diagnosis; bodywork and painting; and learning from many, many mistakes. Alongside my efforts Scott managed to reconstruct and make road worthy two additional bikes to go along with his own CB750: a '70s model Triumph Tiger 750 and a Norton Commando 750. Needless to say we've both huffed some gas fumes this summer...

Anyway, as promised; the finished bike photos.

Nature's Bounty

2011-10-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Training and preparing for a big ski season demands a tremendous amount of time and energy. I've found over the years that in order to be at my best during workouts, I need to be focused equally on recovery and leisure time. This past Sunday was a perfect example. Read on...

Back in 1994 my folks bought a small piece of land in the hills outside of Winthrop, on the Rendezvous road. The property has an aspen grove situated immediately behind the house they built in 1997, and a century-old orchard adjacent to the house. When we moved there, the orchard had not been tended to for decades; the last resident on the land had run a fox farm, and there were still remnants of chicken wire in a field where the cages were located. The orchard itself was a testament to the resilience of nature - a few dozen apples trees (the varieties of which we haven't ever identified) are aligned in even rows, interspersed here and there with a large apricot and a few small plum trees.

The orchard has served many purposes in my life. Growing up there I would spend hours climbing all the trees and building makeshift forts fifteen feet off the ground as my dog looked on from below. Many years later, I buried that same dog in the middle of the orchard after her life had run its course. I've shot a few deer that come through for apples, making for some tasty meat to fill the freezer. And finally, for the last decade or so we've harvested apples every year to press for cider, both fresh and hard (fermented). A cider-pressing is another great occasion to celebrate fall, and every year my mom has faithfully made a fresh batch of buttermilk donuts to go along with the newly-pressed cider we extract. This past Sunday was no exception, and Mom's donuts were arguably the best ever. We pressed over 25 gallons of cider, with 15 of those gallons going into fermenting carboys to create Dad's delectable (and stout) hard cider. Cheers!

Mom's donuts, fresh out of the hot grease and dredged in cinnamon-sugar.

Alison cutting bruises out of the harvested apples before we send them through the press. The press was custom built as a birthday gift for my Dad last year. Fifty gallons and counting...

Rainy Day Run and an Early Christmas

2011-10-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

I so often associate fall with beautiful colors, hearty stews and shooting deer. But when it arrives I remember that fall also means cold, rainy days. Not that I mind too much; if you bundle up and never stray more than a few hours from a hot shower and a trusty espresso machine, it's all good. This morning Scott had planned for a high-intensity anaerobic workout on the Chewuch with some motor-pacing involved. However, when I woke up a little before 7am and saw the sheets of water running off the roof, I knew we'd be changing plans. Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later Scott called and we re-scheduled the day to include a 2-hour distance run and some hill power sprints in the evening. Believe it or not, skiing at top speed next to a car in the middle of the road and swerving back and forth across those REALLY slippery painted stripes in the road is...a bit sketch.

Besides, getting out for a run this morning meant I got to train with my favorite (sorry, Mr. IPod) training partner:

We took a moderate route from our house in Mazama and jumped on to the Methow Community Trail, which in the winter runs as an unbroken 16ft-wide skating platform with two classic tracks from Mazama to Winthrop (30km). In the dry months, it offers a 10km out-and-back plus an alternate 10km loop from Mazama. We opted for the out-and-back to Brown's Farm and set off with Nikki prancing happily beside us. Upon turning around I got a good look at the mountains and was PSYCHED to see snowline barely 2000ft above us:

A bit hard to see in the photo, but that's snow on the hills amidst the fog on the left-hand side. Sure, it's going to melt tomorrow, but we're getting closer! However at this time of year I always have mixed feelings about the onset of winter. I'm excited for it to arrive and to get on snow, but I also balance that with thinking that I'm not ready yet, training-wise. I still want another full month of solid pre-comp training before I'm ready to sail in to West Yellowstone with an anaerobic Hemi under my hood.

Today was also great to go running because it was an impromptu Christmas for us here at 33 Graceland Road - big packages arrived in the hands of that ever-jovial FedEx guy, from Scott Shoes and Hammer Nutrition. Boom!

The new Scott men's eRide Grip trail shoe - SUPER lightweight and grippy, perfect for fall trail running.

Hammer Nutrition care package- those boys in Whitefish, MT can sure concoct a madly effective cocktail of high-performance goodness!

The plan I've been working off for training right now is following a 16-day microcycle; Scott thought this would be the best way to lump in all the key workouts while still maintaining enough rest between each. So far it's been successful; I'm halfway through this block and am really noticing the gains which are coming from an increase in anaerobic workouts, especially when I go out to do the aerobic workouts we've been hitting all season. And there's still more work to be done! Seven weeks until West...

Changing Weather

2011-09-26T21:57:00.001-07:00

All signs and forecasts are pointing to another spectacular snow year here in the Methow, so I've been anxious to get all the mountain time I can before they close up with the fluffy white stuff. Last week Alison and I packed up the camera and the Husky and headed to Kangaroo Pass on the last (or first, depending on your direction) section of the Birthday Tour, a classic route through the Washington Pass region of the Cascades. Since training has been getting increasingly specific and rollerski-centric it was great to just run up a scree-covered trail and catch the rising sun.

Today on my OD rollerski up Falls Creek I transitioned from a steady downpour of rain into snow! Yep, right around 4800ft the (albeit very wet) white magic starting dropping on me, given me new energy as I finished a set of L3 intervals to top of the workout. It's time to talk to Mark at Ultratune about some clutch stonegrinds, and to start planning race flights. Two months to go-time!

Cutthroat Classic

2011-09-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

The Cutthroat is an 11-something mile trail race which begins at Rainy Pass, ascends to Cutthroat Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail, and then descends down to the Cutthroat trailhead. It's a gorgeous run, with early-morning views of the high Cascades as you attain the pass at the halfway point. I've raced the Cutthroat off and on since its inception when I was in high school, and it has become a great mid-dryland season training marker for fitness progress. Last year when I raced it I had mono but didn't yet know it, so I don't hold that time in high regard. The year before however was a good effort to beat this time around, and two Saturdays ago I was ready to display my improvements.

Because the Cutthroat this year fell on the same day as the Cascades Crest 100-miler which Alison was racing we spent most of the day Friday getting her ready to go, and I completely spaced it on picking up my race packet and bib. I of course didn't realize this until I was riding up the pass with Scott at 7am. I then had to operate on the hopeful assumption that my local status would provide some small pull for me with MVSTA, such that I could get a replacement bib in time for the start. This turned out to be the case, as Mike Pruett (Events Director of MVSTA) brought with him to the start the unclaimed bibs, and after some chiding I was numbered-up and ready to run. I put in a small warmup but focused on staying pretty low-intensity, as the start shoots right into a climb and I wanted to be fresh for the effort. I wasn't sure who all would show up in the front ranks; Soloman Woras for sure: a local around the same age as the Greggs and myself who went on after high school to compete as a professional road, then cyclocross racer. Sol is a lean motor on two legs and I knew it'd be all I could do to hang on to him. We expected to also see Marcell Macarthur, a regional favorite who usually breaks the pack on this race with his shattering downhill efforts. And then there're always several team runners from Seattle who jam their way into the lead group. My goal was to be top-5 to the pass; I have very mediocre ability to run downhill fast so I must rely on a strong climbing time to keep myself in the running for the lead.

From the gun Sol and I got into the front. The pace was quite a bit slower out of the start than last year, when Koos and Marcell decided to sprint the first mile. This year, seeing as how no one was interested in taking the lead (one guy even asked where the trail began, so we knew we had some advantages), Sol and I moved quickly forward. Once we hit the trail at the end of the parking-lot start, we picked it up. Then Sol REALLY picked it up, and I hung on him as we shattered the pack open and built a ~30sec gap on the rest of the field. From there it was our race to lose. Sol kept up a solid pace the entire five miles of the climb and I fought to keep the gap small, which I was able to do until just before the pass when he opened his lead to about 40 sec.

Cresting over Cutthroat Pass on a gorgeous day in the Cascades

After getting to the pass I knew Sol would put time on me; I'm no great shakes as a downhill runner and he excels at it, so my goal was to mitigate his lead as much as possible. Try as I might Sol managed to put about four minutes into me from the top to the bottom, but I still held on to 2nd place by about three or four minutes. This was a great result for me, and not just the finish place. I PR'd by about two minutes and proved to myself and to Scott that we're definitely on the right track with the aerobic focus of training.

In other news, be on the lookout for some sick photos of my (finally) completed custom Honda CB750 cafe racer! Lots of screw-ups and learning curves on this one...

Methow PNSA Junior Camp

2011-08-28T17:45:00.001-07:00

This past week Laura, Leslie and I hosted a PNSA junior training camp for five days here in the Methow. This was the last of the three PNSA camps for the kids this season and I thought it'd be important to pay a lot of focus to base training and technique, adding in a bit of speed and strength for variety. After a long rollerski Wednesday evening, we hit the track on Thursday at 8am.

Gareth Hardwick getting up and forward like a real pro

The athletes have really taken to the variety-show track workout that I've been putting them through all summer. We keep it interesting with a mixture of sprint starts and longer speeds, agility course trials (both individual and head-to-head), and explosive foot exercises like double-footed hurdle jumps and uphill frog hops. By the end of the workout they should feel like they worked their muscles but not their aerobic capacity. This is a good thing, because after the track workout we loaded everyone into vans and headed up to Foggy Dew trailhead for the 8mile hike into Sunrise Lake, our camping base for the next two nights.

Entering Merchant's Basin at the edge of the Sawtooth Wilderness; Sunrise Lake is a hanging valley on the left side of the basin

We settled in for the evening with some tasty cutthroat trout from the lake and Nalgenes filled with hot Endurolytes Fizz, a new and fun use for my favorite Hammer product. It's like hot Tang, but better for you. The next morning we all readied ourselves for adventure. I took the older group and headed out for what would become a 4.5 hour run/scramble around Cooney Lake, the Navarre valley and a no-name peak we rallied to the top of on a side-trip.

Cole Christman at the top of an unnamed, 7800ft boulder pile. Our camp is on the other side of the background ridgeline.

Aside from a few dehydration/food bonk issues, we all made it back to camp in one piece with little blood spilled, in time to rest up and slam some two-day old bagel sandwiches before launching into a core strength workout on the grass. This entire backpacking portion of the camp was modeled after the Methow camps of old, when Laura and Flash would run all of us youngsters into the ground with long ODs and getting-lost epics. It was a treat for once to be on the other side of the equation...

After returning back to civilization on Saturday we tore through a vigorous game of soccer and some delicious grilled chicken and tabouli from Lotty Ekblad, then got a good night's sleep before waking up to a 6km uphill skate TT on Sunday. And then, 15-20 hours of training later everyone went home, tired and (hopefully) happy. It's a great thing, to be able to transfer personal knowledge and experience of training into coaching to help younger athletes reach their own peak of performance. That, I suppose, is how our little podunk sport still manages to churn out world-class competitors.

New Camera = Blogging again!

2011-08-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

After my six year-old camera finally called it quits a few months back it's been difficult to motivate for blogging. Especially when you look at the smattering of Nordic blogs out there, pictures dominate. I don't want the MOD blog relegated to the bottom of someone's RSS feed because boredom sets in from reading entry after entry of text and no shiny happy photos.

SO...we're back. I got myself a tasty little Sony digital camera with some video capabilities, and promptly threw it into Scott's hands to shoot some film on a workout last week.

Without divulging company secrets I will say that we've been utilizing some tremendous training philosophy from a certain Italian running coach and the results have been great. Most of the focus has been on aerobic capacity - strength, power, and speed has never been a huge problem to face, but no one's ever called me an endurance machine. With the help of our distant paisano, we're maybe gonna change that fact. After four weeks of following a speed endurance progression that our Mediterranean friend set forth as a method he used with his marathoners, I re-ran a 1600m skate TT and dropped about 16sec off my time from early July. Positive results like that are just what we need to affirm we're on the right track.

A few months ago Scott and Alison started working together to help prepare Alison for her 100-mile ultramarathon (this Saturday). On Monday Scott ran her through a second lactate step-test protocol, basically a Conconi test w/ lactates taken at every 2min stage and speed increase. The difference between this particular test and her last one, conducted in early June, was a complete dichotomy. I tried to copy the latest chart on to this blog but I'm rather inept in that department, so just take my word for it. Imagine the flattest line stretching out to the far right before shooting steeply upward as she passed threshold. She's more ready than she's ever been for this weekend's race; I'll be pacing her for about 20miles of it at different stages and hopefully won't have to be chewing her food...

More to come!

Star Power

2011-07-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Late last week Kristin Smith, the marketing/publicity guru for MVSTA, emailed Alison to see if she and her running buddies (and me) could meet her at Sun Mtn. on Friday to be subjects for a photo shoot of the splendiferous mountainscape on a sunny day.

I'm not really going to write anything about this, because there's little to write. But here are some products of the day:

Obligatory proud-chested magazine shot

Then Nikki yearned for me so I took her for the next few photos:

Ricochet Dogs

2011-07-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Recently, my good friend and former elite-level Ironman competitor Pete Tabor opened up a roadside brats 'n franks stand in downtown Winthrop. Seeing it in action, it's amazing to me that no one has pursued such a venture before. Sure, Winthrop has a handful of good, quick-food options: East 20 Pizza, Dos Gallos Taco Stand, the Rocking Horse Bakery... but what really beats a good handmade bratwurst? Pete gets his bratwurst and frankfurters specially-made from Twisp meatmonger Chris Thomson, who for years has been keeping the valley happy with his various protein offerings. In addition to the headline items, Pete is also slinging veggie dogs and some pretty tasty "Lil' Rickies" - Hebrew National hotdogs. That, plus a slew of ice cream bars, sodas, and chips oughta keep folks going for a good stroll on the boardwalk.

And, if you haven't already guessed it, Ricochet Dogs is a proud MOD sponsor, so I am now assured of getting my essential amino acids and protein sources after every workout. I also help Pete out one day a week on Tuesdays from 11-3pm, so come on down and sample the best! The cart is located out in front of Methow Cycle and Sport, at the northern entrance to Winthrop on Highway 20. Pete has the cart open Tuesday - Saturday from 11-3pm, and on Sundays at the Winthrop Farmer's Market.

Elevation OD

2011-07-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Being closely situated to Washington Pass offers a great opportunity to log some serious vertical during the course of an overdistance workout. While the early spring and summer months were filled with running and biking, I have slowly begun to work in rollerskiing as a training modality. The North Cascades highway offers the best pavement in the Valley for rollerskiing (though the specter of chip-sealing looms in the future) and the Pass itself offers a wealth of additional training opportunities. A few years ago we latched onto the idea of rollerskiing or biking the 13 mile, ~3000ft ascent to the Pass then taking a run or climb on the top to finish things off.

With the late winter we had there is still an abundance of snow in the higher elevations. For last Thursday Scott and I planned a rollerski up to the Pass, then a bootpack ascent up Spire Gully (~1500ft) to the base of South Early Winters Spire, where we would climb a popular multi-pitch route to the summit. The descent would be on skis to complete the day and fry the remainder of the leg muscles.

I started at the bottom of the highway around 7am and enjoyed almost no traffic for an hour and a half of the ski. At around 8:30am, when I had only a few miles left of the effort, the cars and RVs started rolling and I was soon on alert for oblivious, aging motorhome drivers who were sure to be more focused on breaking their fast with a nice can of Ensure rather than looking for brightly-colored "stick-wielding hippies" near the fog lines.

I met Scott, who had driven up to the hairpin with our skiing and climbing gear, and had a quick bite before donning warmer clothes (the clouds were gathering ominously) and ski boots for the trudge upward. A tremendous amount of avalanche debris in the form of haphazardly-strewn chunks of rotten snow made the first 500ft a bit tricky to navigate but we soon found a rhythm kicking in steps up the softening corn to the upper couloir. We stopped just shy of the top to dump our skis and put on more clothes; the wind and cold can be pretty nasty once you get through the upper cleft. We were starting to question our ability to make the climb; it had begun to snow on us by halfway up and we were concerned the route would be too wet to handle an ascent. But we decided to hike over and take a look.

Unfortunately our fears were confirmed and we decided not to do the climb. The ski down was decent; the corn had softened enough to hold some good turns, and we called it a morning with 4 hours and ~5000ft to the workout. Another one in the books; we've already made plans to get ourselves back up there in finer weather to jockey ourselves up the rock when it dries out some.

Rendezvous OD

2011-06-04T19:32:00.001-07:00

This morning I was graciously allowed to join local Methow ultrarunners Kaarin Kelly and Alison (soon-to-be-Naney) Hanks on an OD up some sweet secret trails to Rendezvous pass.

Proper fueling begins and ends with HAMMER. And coffee. And a melon.

Like a dolt, I packed the camera and watched the incredible views as we ran up West Fawn Rd, but neglected to stop and snap some shots because, well, you know those ultra folk. They don't stop for anything. I got dropped four times because I had to use the 'loo. But I did manage to get this quasi-artsy photo in aptly named "Bear Poop Meadow":

The ladies.

Tomorrow is a long cross bike ride with Alison and the folks, then a birthday dinner for Dad (a bit early, but big 6-4). More business next week.

Ski To Sea 2011

2011-06-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

It is slowly beginning to be a tradition that after Bend Camp, a bunch of skiers will make the 8-hour trek north to participate in the Ski to Sea, a multi-stage team adventure race from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay. The opening leg of the race is a 7km cross-country race with a LOT of climbing. You start at the base area of the Mt. Baker ski resort and head up the outrun for about 300m, then hang a hard right, swing back down through the start area and farther downhill through sweeping turns to a low point on the course. From there it's close to a 1km climb back up, topping out at the same high point as the beginning climb, where you then complete another ~2km of rolling terrain before descending back to the tag zone. The mass start is epic: 500 races (most of whom are recreational-level skiers) all massed together in soft snow. I heard about six different people mourn their start mishaps where poles were broken, baskets were torn out, puppies were killed, etc. Epic.

Anyways, it was a great race for me. Coming off a big volume week on-snow in Bend I was hoping to hold in with the lead group, comprised of some of the SuperTour's top distance skiers: Brian Gregg, Mikey Sinnott, Brent Knight and Matt Liebsch. I figured I would stay conservative and hold with the pack, and if I had any gumption left towards the end, to spend it. Last year I blew up gloriously about 2km into the race and spent the rest of the time trying to pick up my own pieces. This year went much better; at the top of the long climb Brian, Brent, Mikey, Erik Carleton (Canada) and I had gained a bit of a gap on the few others from the front pack. Brian then made his move and gapped us, and I surged forward to drop Erik and even up with Mikey and Brent. The three of us came roaring in to the finish together, 16sec behind Brian's Top Gun victory. For me, it was a solid effort. It confirmed that my training is on the right track and my fitness is once again higher than before.

This week was a nice recovery week and I was able to get a lot of work done in my classes as well as on the motorcycle and other various shop projects. Next week I begin coaching the youngsters and volume picks back up - let the summer begin!

Bend Camp

2011-05-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Every year at the end of May the MOD Squad travels from our spring paradise in the Methow to the still-winter lands of Bend, Oregon and Mt. Bachelor. The US Ski Team has been running spring training camps for their squads down here for a number of years and as such, there's usually great grooming happening which, for a nominal fee, other elite athletes from around the country can utilize. This year is even better; the snowpack is so dense up at the mountain that both the alpine and Nordic areas have remained open. This means that instead of just a few short loops being groomed for the USST camps, nearly all the trails are groomed on a daily basis, making the 2-3 hours of skiing every day SO much more enjoyable.

Every morning at around 8am I get picked up by my compatriots from the CXC Elite team: Brian and Caitlin Compton-Gregg, and Matt Liebsch. We drive up to the mountain and are usually out skiing by 8:45am or so. Each day the routine is different; sometimes one of us will throw speeds or L3 intensity into our workout and leave the group for a bit. Today I ventured out on my own to do 20min of 30/30 at a L3 pace - it felt great. Scott has had me focusing this week on lots of volume and at low intensity, with an aim to keep the lactate production <2mmol. Today was a chance to bump above that for a brief time and it was nice to feel some speed in my legs, especially with the Ski2Sea race coming up. That Nordic leg is shaping up to be a SuperTour-level event, with elite skiers coming from all over the country to race for teams. It will be a great opportunity to test our spring fitness!

Here's a short video (unedited, sorry) of a quick skating pass which Brian took of me. We've been working a lot on bringing the hips forward and emphasizing a strong drive of the rear leg swinging through to glide. Watching it I can tell that I need to do a better job of dorsiflexion, that is, getting more forward at the ankles. Also, my arm swing gets truncated occasionally.

The afternoon workouts have been a mix of sports: rollerskiing, running, mountain biking... I like keeping the diversity, especially in big, 20+ hour weeks.

A run tonight, a long ski tomorrow, then a rollerski, then a run... then it's back in the car and Alison and I will drive to Bellingham for the race on Sunday. It will be a great end to a big week of training.

Spring Training Begins!

2011-04-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

This past week I started into what Scott calls the "transition period" - a two to three week block of mixed training before the real "base period" begins in May. Most of the training is low intensity, high volume with an emphasis on vertical. Hmm...what could I possibly do in the Methow, in the springtime, to get such aspects into my training?

Oh yeah, we had a great winter. The pass isn't even halfway open yet and there's five feet of snow only six miles from my house. The gate on the highway is closed at Silver Star Creek but from there you can go into Silver Star basin, onto Delancey Ridge, into Leap Creek...endless possibilities. Yesterday Alison and I skinned into Silver Star to check out the high country. T-shirts the whole way, and fantastic corn skiing.

My favorite ladies...kissing each other.

View of Silver Star and the backside of the Wine Spires
(This is a 10min drive and a 45min skin-up from our front door)

Alison remembering how to alpine ski in two inches of tasty corn

In other news, my former teammates Sadie and Erik Bjornsen have BOTH been nominated to the 2011/12 US Ski Team! Sadie after a stellar season was nominated to the B Team, and Erik's performance at the US Nationals Classic Sprint this year (4th) earned him a spot on the newly-formed D Team. Those guys are going places; it's great to know that MOD helped them get there! Well done, Sadie and Erik!

Methow Valley Inn Supper Club and MOD Fundraiser

2011-04-19T09:28:00.001-07:00

Now Taking Reservations

For Our Final Two:

Methow Valley Inn Monday Night

Supper Club!

April 25: British Pub Night

With Chef Sam Naney, to benefit the Methow Olympic Development Project

Reservations at MVINN@mymethow.com or call 997-2253

She said yes...

2011-04-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

Alison and I hit our one-year dating anniversary on Friday, while spending the weekend in Walla Walla with my family celebrating my mom's birthday. Since being together (and being close friends the two years prior), we've settled into a great life together. I have realized these last few months, beyond a doubt, she is who I want to be next to for the rest of my life. So, gathering up my Grandmother's engagement ring from my sister who's been keeping it close, I took Alison for a run last night up Spokane Gulch. At the top, as the sun was setting over Silver Star Mountain, I asked.

First she asked if I was serious.

I said yes, I was serious. Look at the ring in front of you. Then she saw it, and all was well. No pictures, sorry. I thought I had left my camera in town but upon returning home found it on the bookcase, so we got a post-action shot:

Given the schedules we both have with racing (she races through September, I begin in November), the wedding will likely be next summer sometime. And it will be in the Methow. Beyond that, we have no idea. The only sure thing besides the fact that we're gettin' hitched is that in a few years (barring my ascension to World Cup Champion), there might be a few lil' Sams running around. Look out, world!

MOD - A New Year

2011-04-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

Launching into a new year for MOD, I'm really excited for some new ideas and projects to help spread the word and excitement of skiing! I've revamped the blog to now display all aspects of the team; we no longer are using the website so don't visit that anymore.

If you have any interest in supporting or being a part of the MOD family, email us at:

methowolympicdevelopment@gmail.com

This summer I will be coaching the Methow Junior Team, but I've also got a few other ideas up my sleeve so stay tuned here for updates. Thanks for supporting us - it's going to be a great year!

Spring Projects

2011-04-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Another season is in the books; Sun Valley was a great week of racing and there were some really good markers of success. I qualified 11th in the CL sprint, again demonstrating I can sprint among the top in the country. We had an unfortunate hiccup in our waxing for the heats and Dakota and I didn't move on to the semis, but that's ski racing. The hill climb was an interesting effort; because I had opted out of the 15km classic that week I had to start at the back of the pack in the hill climb (behind the pursuit starters); after fighting my way through juniors for 3km I finally got to the base of the alpine hill and starting throwing down. The result wasn't phenomenal, but for a big boy skiing up a wicked hill at altitude, I was psyched.

Scott and I did a recap of last year a few days ago and the consensus was that we did a great job. Given the various circumstances and obstacles in our path we still managed a great US Nationals result and several other key points which illustrate that I'm continuing to progress well and that all my best racing is still ahead of me. My training for this coming season will be much the same as last, and I'm excited to keep the MOD train rolling!

But on to spring. I really look forward to the few weeks of the year in April where I don't have to focus entirely on training, and can spend my time instead on projects and friends. After Sun Valley, Alison and I traveled to Bend where I cheered her on to a great 5th place finish in the Peterson Ridge Rumble 20mile trail race. She's been on a great progression this year and is in good form as she prepares for the Cascade Crest 100 miler in August.

Upon returning to the valley I excitedly looked to my new "projects". The first one was really the completion of a bookcase I had promised Alison this winter. Before leaving for Sun Valley I had cut all the necessary pieces and done a pre-stain on the wood. Last Wednesday I was finally able to finish sand and stain the pieces, and assemble it.

Finishing the bookcase in Jerry's woodshop, next door to our cabin

Might not be Bob Villa-quality, but it holds books and isn't cockeyed!

The other project I have launched into is speed-related. Because Torin has decided to head back to school in Utah, he was forced to abandon his cafe racer project on the 1973 CB750 he bought last summer. I have been yearning for a bike like that for a few years and when he proposed a deal I couldn't refuse I jumped. The only problem is that I still have my '84 Ascot to sell now. Anybody interested? $750 OBO - she's a quick one!

Because Torin had already purchased many of the aftermarket parts for the 750 that I was also looking to buy, I have plenty of work to do. The first order of business has been cleaning the damn thing. There are a few oil leaks on the engine; it looks like one is in the tach cable drive shaft, where a seal was misplaced. The other is at the oil pressure release. Not only am I trying to plug those buggers, but I've been scrubbing and degreasing the underside of the engine trying to chip away the accumulated grease and dirt. Not the most glamorous part of the job. Below is a photo of the bike right now; below that is an example of what the bike might become.

What it looks like now...

What it could be...

DO THE TON!

Sun Valley and the Winter that Never Ceases

2011-03-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

It has truly been one of those winters for the books. All last summer I remember people talking in town about how it was going to be bigger than the winter of '66 or some such year, with record snowfalls, cold, and invading Yetis. I always take such portents with equal portions of hope and reservations, because unnecessary excitement isn't good for my sleep patterns.

Well, it was one of those years. Granted, after a gangbusters start in December with snow over much of the Valley trails, we had a rather crap January with rain and warm temps which bludgeoned our snowpack down to about 50% of its original mass. But then late February and March came callin' and we're back in full-blown winter with literally feet of snow falling in the mountains every night and the trails being refreshed nearly daily. Of course, around the middle of March I started to hear Jay grumbling at the store that grooming costs were starting to become atrocious and the winter just needed to end. But for those of you diehards out there, eking out the last bits of ski season, I salute you.

As for me, the racing season has held its share of peculiarities. After a late start, then a great race at Nationals, I had about a three week dearth of races. Then a few local starts and a NorAm before encountering more doldrums. Granted, having two SuperTour weekend cancellations didn't help matters, and I know much of the American racer community is in the same boat with me.

Which is why this coming week is going to be awesome. Super Tour Finals here in Sun Valley is building up to be as big or bigger than US Nationals itself. Teams from all over the country and Canada, as well as some token true foreigners from Japan and beyond are all rallying to the glitz and glamour of Ketchum in preparation for first the 30/50km National Champs on Sunday, and later the four-race mini-tour all next week out at Lake Creek trails. I'm focusing on the mini-tour and have been down here acclimating the last few days with Methow junior phenom Evan Turner, who's also looking to plug some low points into his profile before the year is out. We're staying at a great condo in town belonging to some local friends who are also hosting another PNSA junior, Max Christman. Great folks to know - thanks for the support!

Conditions are swell; new snow is coming down and while the temperatures are hovering around freezing, Zeroes are kicking great and running fast. Scott and Alison are coming down later this weekend to round out the team and get us ready to rock.

Apologies for not having photos. Someone buy me a working camera and I'll remedy the situation.

Scenes from the Road: Engadin Valley, Swiss Edition

2011-03-18T06:38:00.001-07:00

In the Engadin the Bernina mountains rise to the sky from the valley floor. Beside the River Inn, a number of villages lie along its banks. The houses here are amazing, with thick stone and masonry walls, funnel-shaped windows and streets that wind whimsically around. The houses are large and often shared by more than one family, with many also have a floor underneath for livestock.

The view from above, looking down on the uber-lux mountain town of St. Moritz. Having hosted the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948, the towns of St. Moritz and Davos are bidding together for the rights to host the 2022 Winter Games. Since Lillehammer 1994, the Olympics have gone to big cities like Nagano, Salt Lake, Vancouver and Torino. Some people think it's time for a smaller, more intimate Games. What do you think?

As one of my friends says, "The mountains around here, they're just a reason for Swiss engineers to show off." Taking this cog train straight up a mountainside, first used in 1907, I certainly know what he means.

A mountain resort with no road access, framed by the darkness of night.

La Nina Calls

2011-03-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

It is a tough job but somebody's gotta do it and when the 6AM call came I manned up.

Only three days after arriving home from Oslo, where I had bailed on the critical job of paying spectator at the World Championships I was still on Norway time and up early anyway. Since I had been doing nothing more serious at Holmenkollen than peering through and over the fences to catch glimpses of the skiers, I felt that Torin could probably manage without me acting like a kid trying to sneak a peek at the baseball game through the outfield fence and I came back to God's country.

The aforementioned wake up call came from Dave Waag, publisher of Off Piste magazine who was in town to do some heli-touring and get some stock photos for the mag. There was suddenly a vacant seat on the helicopter and if I could rally in 30 minutes I could put my butt in that seat. The other skiers in the load were all good friends and fellow guides. La Nina has been very good to the North Cascades this winter and the mountains just west of Mazama had received over a meter of snow in the 2 days since I got home. A normal heli-tour consists of getting one big heli assist up some 5-6000 feet (in a 5 minute flight) on to the shoulder of one of our fine ski peaks and then a day of touring in that area. Today turned out to be a bit special since one of the owners of North Cascades Heliski would be touring with us. We all knew that this meant we'd be spending a lot more time flying back up the 3000 foot runs than skinning. But none of us were complaining. With a meter of cold dry powder awaiting and more falling all day were were ready to roll as soon as Seamus, the pilot, got the bird ready to fly.

Rather than bore you with details of face shots and giggles all day I will let pictures tell the story. Dave put together this slide show. About half way through the show you'll see my gloved hand and pole (that's all!). Eat your heart out Wasatch skiers!

Here is nice fun video made by my friend Jeff on another good day of touring in our local hills. If this doesn't make you want to ski, you have no soul!

Images from 30km Skate at World Championships

2011-03-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

The stretched 270 degree view of the scene at Holmenkollen

The sea of fans started in the stadium and worked its way well into the woods. Over 100,000 came out for the races today.

Shadow racing with Kikkan Randall.

Theresa and Marit of Norway take on some calories for the 25 kilometers of racing that still await.

Johaug rounding the last bend and taking the flag for the host country. All in all, a great day to watch the races.

Holmenkollen 2011 in Photos

2011-03-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

Bird's eye stadium view of Holmenkollen.

The crowd's along Gratishaugen.

The sign translates to "2012 Swedish Snowmobile Technology."

The trail Lars and I take back from a distance ski to Nordmarka is now overrun with crazy Norwegians winter camping for weeks along the course. For weeks! Seriously.

Two hours out, the crowds really start rolling in.

Blackjack Loppet and Ensuing Commendations

2011-02-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I took a trip back to Rossland, B.C. to participate in Blackjack Ski Club's annual 30km Loppet. The weekend included a 10km classic race on Saturday and the 30km on Sunday and it was to be a good way to get some hard training in leading up to the last few SuperTours of the year in mid- and late-March.

With Scott still in Norway with Torin and no one in the Methow willing to take the plunge with me I opted for a bare-bones trip. I checked the forecast in Rossland for the weekend and seeing that it was supposed to be wicked cold I waxed up two pair each classic and skate skis with cold wax, threw in a horsehair brush and a few choice cold kick waxes and called it good. I found a hostel in Rossland for $25 a night and headed up.

The races ended up being really fun. They were true local events - parents and kids both raced each day, and after each race, volunteers and racers alike joined together to take down the course and trailside fencing. Before Sunday's Loppet the starter announced that the overall man and woman would receive a brand new pair of Zeroes. I thought that'd make a nice gift for Mom for her birthday and decided to win. After I crossed the finish line the owner of Kootenay Nordic Sports, Dave Gibson, came up and asked me how much I weighed so he could pick the right pair of Zeroes for me. "Um...145?" I said cautiously. "Really? I'd figure you more than that," he said. "How dare you!" I shouted, then relented. "Actually, I was hoping to get a size that would fit my Mom," I explained. He admitted he only had one soft pair, selected for whichever woman won the race, and I would have to settle for a larger pair. No matter, I thought. Maybe they'd fit Dad.

I was anxious to get on the road home. The weather had been snowy all morning and didn't show any sign of letting up, and I figured with the fatigue from the race I would be better to get driving the 5 hours home sooner rather than later. I stayed around for a bit talking with the local racers and organizers, who were all super-friendly and excited that there was some cross-border traffic for the races. I finally pulled myself away and put the pedal to the floor, pointing south.

Somewhere just east of Republic, WA I was cruising along nicely to some Nine Inch Nails, munching on a few odd jelly beans I found under my seat. Then the lights flashed in my mirror, red and blue. Curious, I pulled to the side of the road.

"You know why I'm pulling you over?," the stoic-looking officer asked. "Well, no," I said. "You were going pretty fast back there," he said, still stone-faced.

"Geesh, thanks Officer. I mean, I don't ski many 30K races but I really tried to put the hammer down on that second lap and well, it paid off! Do you ski too?"

"License and registration, please."

"Sure thing. I mean, I could just write all that on a napkin if you want. If you're that interested, we've got a blog and a websi..." He walked off, apparently too excited to have some tangible proof of my existence in his hands. I waited for a few minutes but started to get slightly peeved; he was taking his sweet time back there and I was wanting to get going.

When he finally returned I swallowed my annoyance and smiled politely. "This here's a ticket for speeding. You can either mail it in or appear at the Courthouse on this date. Thanks for obeying traffic laws."

Well, you can imagine how excited I was - not only did I get an odd smattering of prize wax and and a new pair of skis from the races, but now I had received a glowing commendation of my speed from an officer of the law, and a chance to be recognized for such at a district courthouse!

I called my mother as soon as he left to tell her the good news. She wasn't as excited as I was; I suppose it just takes being a racer to really feel it.

Scenes from the Road: Oslo, Norway Edition

2011-02-26T05:22:00.001-08:00

My sister Kari dances with the statues in Oslo's Vigeland Park. The park takes its name from Gustav Vigeland, who put in a couple decades making the 180 statues that fill the place. Interestingly, all the creations are naked, save for Gustav's image of himself, which is fully-clothed. In the winter's white with the flowers are far from being in full bloom the park feels stark, but still quite beautiful in it's own right.

The first nights in Norway's capital were marked by incredible cold, high pressure weather, complete with clear nights and both the sun and the moon making appearances throughout the day.

Now the city is cloaked in an impressive cloak of fog. The trees and shrubs are all painted in a wind-blown white, and the snow's gotten both warmer and greasier. This photo comes from a hall of the triple-decker corrugated steel containers the Americans and Italians are waxing out of.

The BIG Show comes to Oslo

2011-02-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

With Torin's shoulder still needing a few more days before subjecting it to racing, he opted out of starting this past weekend's World Cup in Drammen, Norway where the rest of the US crew was racing. It was a pretty easy decision but not too pleasant as we were both looking forward to another chance work on some of the new ideas and keep the momentum rolling after last weeks race in Beitostolen.

Instead, we made the 30 minute trek into Olso and Holmenkollen for a chance to train on the sprint course for the first time. Hollmenkollen is a legendary ski race venue and has hosted the 1952 Olympics, the 1982 World Championships and now these upcoming Nordic World Champs. To be here in the lead up to the competitions is to see a country gripped by the sport of Nordic skiing. The newspapers are featuring daily front page stories on the event and the sporting heroes who will be competing. The TV is running daily shows of old black and white newsreels of notable competitions and competitors from the days of yore. It is clear that while they love celebrating the present event they are very mindful of keeping the history alive and showing appreciation and respect for all that have gone before these modern champions. This helps give perspective; allowing us to see that the current generation of erstwhile champions (to paraphrase Issac Newton) "Stands on the shoulders of giants" as they reach new heights.

Torin passing an ancient church adjacent to the course.

I would rank this sprint course as one of the best designed I have seen. Starting in the HUGE stadium (I heard Liz Stephan speculate that it had to take a least one hundred passes of the Pisten Bully groomer to pack it out)the first 200-300 meters are a gradual uphill to a hard left hander. Dropping into a tuck for a fast downhill into right turn leads to the base of, what by sprint course standards is a big climb. This climb will require the men to V1 for 30 seconds. The ladies course enters the climb about 1/3 of the way up but after the steepest section. The climb takes them over Gratiskollen (meaning "free hill", where traditionally spectators could watch the races without paying). I have paid $100 for the privilege of standing with a few thousand
drunk Norwegians in knee deep snow to watch the sprint. It was the only place that still had space available! These crafty Norwegians know a thing or two about capitalism. Anyway back to the races. After the top of Gratiskollen the course begins to drop into the stadium with a long gradual downhill that will require fast, no poles (speed skater style) skiing for 300 meters before a short steep climb and a big curve around the back end of the stadium. The final 200 meters is down hill and flat promising some very dramatic finishes. There is plenty of room to pass. The big climb will help spread out the field a bit. The flats and gradual downs will reward the skiers who are at home at high speed skating. It has the whole package of modern skiing skills.

Torin atop Gratiskollen looking into the stadium and the monster 130m! jump hill

Torin did some hard intervals while I danced around trying to keep warm and film the efforts for immediate analysis. The Norwegian World Champion sprint team was also skipping Drammen (except Northug) and were, interestingly, doing a very similar workout to ours.

The circus atmosphere is beginning to build early with many tourists already wandering around the stadium. Here is me trying to coax a reluctant Torin away from the ski simulator that promises all thrills of jumping the big hill at Hollmenkollen or racing the downhill course at Beaver Creek. The crowd of tourists waiting to get a ride attests that Norwegians have strong stomachs.

Because when you turn around from the simulator cue this is view down the out run of the jump!

Ah, Democracy

2011-02-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'm totally in favor of democracy. I think we live in the greatest country on Earth and our freedoms are unrivaled. I value free speech and peaceable demonstration.

But why'd all that have to come into play this weekend at a race venue?

Earlier this week the Wisconsin governor proposed massive budget cuts and changes to union fees in the state, prompting a huge outcry and protests. As I was slowly coming awake yesterday morning while sitting at 5am in the Wenatchee airport, waiting to board a flight towards Chicago, I caught this news on CNN. Apparently the Madison Capitol Square was overrun with teachers, students, and union employees bent on changing the governor's mind. I thought, "Huh, that will be an interesting crowd to race through..." This weekend's SuperTour was set to be held IN the Capitol Square of Madison - every year the Madison Winter Festival hosts these races as part of the festivities. This year a classic sprint and 10km criterium were on the docket.

I didn't think much more about the protests, figuring everything would be sorted out by the end of the day, folks would return home and we could get underway with the skiing. The dump trucks full of snow wouldn't arrive until Friday night, anyways, to lay down the course on the streets. Plenty of time for this little misunderstanding to be washed up.

I arrived in Chicago and picked up my bitchin' Dodge Avenger rental car and headed for Madison. At 7pm I pulled into CW and Mimi Acher's driveway and my lodgings for the weekend; CW and Mimi are the parents of Zoe and Sasha Acher, two friends of mine from Dartmouth days. Their parents have been overwhelmingly generous throughout the years with ski racers coming into town for the Festival, and this year is no exception. In addition to myself, four members of the Craftsbury Green Team are also staying here. As we all sat down to dinner last night I mused out loud about the protests. The rest of the group had only heard snippets, and we joked about how it might throw a wrench in the works of the races.

Merely an hour later the wrench had firmly wedged itself in. A CXC Team twitter feed announced the races were cancelled due to the protests. After confirming with several key sources in the know, we had our answer: the streets could not be cleared to hold the event and with no back-up plans (or snow) for the races, we were left with nothing.

So again, while I sympathize wholeheartedly with the protesters and take offense on their behalf at the audacity of this proposed legislation, gosh darn it, why couldn't they have waited till next week?

Owing to zero cheap flights home I'm stuck here till Monday. Running will be the order of business over the weekend, and upon returning home I'll look towards heading up to Rossland, BC next weekend to race some regional races there as a consolation prize. Sometimes you get peanuts, sometimes you get peanut butter.

insurmountable opportunities

2011-02-18T08:53:00.000-08:00

The last thing before walking out the cabin door for the race tracks in Beitostolen I found a parchment of paper and wrote the words "insurmountable opportunities." After the race ended with me fighting for the top spots at the Norwegian Cup and a dislocated shoulder, I've remembered these words. "Insurmountable Opportunities:" It's become a little mantra of mine.

After five days of lower-body centric skiing, today Scott and I headed to Sandvik, Norway for an appointment with the MRI machine some very nice people working for Norge's IdrettToppen- the country's high performance of sport center - helped set up for me. Ten minutes after I set foot in the hyper efficient clinic I was getting strapped down, and sent off on my way towards the blinking blue light of the several million dollar magnetic resonance imaging machine. For twenty minutes I lay there as motionless as possible while this giant white contraption whizzed and whirred, with sounds emanating around my head; the audio sounding a bit like a cross between a pinball machine and the old-school video game Astroid.

A couple minutes later I left with a CD for my doctor to look at. It seems the dislocation has caused a bit of fluid to enter the tendons surrounding my rotator cuff and there's bruising on the humurous head, but -and here's the beautiful part - there's been no tears in the ligament or tendons. I'm clear to race in a week's time at the World Championships in Holmenkollen.

"This is Great news!" writes my physical therapist Michael Hansen. "It is typical to see bone bruising like this after a dislocation on an MRI because they are so sensitive. And inflammation in the cuff is also normal being that those muscles hold the humeral head in the socket along with the ligaments. The key is no severe tearing or fracture of the bone. Yes, it is going to be sore, weak, and vunerable. But the good news is that it is a first time dislocation, it self reduced, you are young and healthy, and with proper taping/support, and avoidance of extreme positions, and rehab you can continue to compensate and compete. If you are too unstable, then stop. You will know. You are not going to loose much fitness in the next week for World’s. Train within your limits and go crazy when you compete. Let me know how you are doing. I want to help." Because of people like Michael Hansen, the MOD and people of this character and quality, I am doing better than alright. I am doing Great.

The Road to Oslo has a new bump in it

2011-02-13T06:46:00.000-08:00

We have had an internet blackout at our at Knut's Hyttegrend (I think Hyttegrend is Norwegian for funky cabins) so please excuse the time delay of this post.

Can one feel elation and disappointment at the same time? Yesterday's Norwegian Cup Sprint race here in Beitostolen, Norway elicited these feelings from me and I am sure for Torin too.

For this race Torin made some slight changes to his technique and strategy for the sprint qualifier and these paid off nicely, with a solid 4th place, oner second behind Anders Gloersen (second in the last 2 World Cup Sprints) and a bit less than one second behind Andy Newell. The new guy on the block, Simi Hamilton, smoothly slipped into 10th place. It was nice to see the long list of some of Norway's top sprinters behind these US guys. It shows that we have the talent to assemble our own US version of the Norwegian powerhouse sprint team whose symbiotic training has given them both great depth and supportive training opportunities to be the dominant force in World Cup sprinting in the last few years.

Torin (in orange) leaving the stadium in the 1/4 final

The US ladies also had a standout day with Sadie Bjornsen, Ida Sargent and Jessie Diggins qualifying 4th, 5th, 6th.

An aside:
We were very ably assisted in ski service by the legendary Per Knut Aaland whose aid we have enlisted in previous races in Norway. While I acted as the test monkey and wax room go-fer, P-K did the heavy lifting. I was in some races with Per Knut back in the day. You'll notice that I didn't say that I competed against him. While I was on the third page of the results, Per Knut was one of the Norgwegian powerhouse skiers of the 70s and 80s whose results still inspire a great respect from old and young skiers. As a 22 year old P-K finished 6th in the 50km in the '76 Olympics and in the 1980 games in the Lake Placid he skied the Norwegian relay team from a 28 second deficit back into the lead on the second leg to take the silver medal. He laughingly says that his record of 5 second places in the Holmenkol Ski Festival now causes him to drink a lot. His post racing career has been spent as a wax tech for the Norwegian National Team during Bjorn Dahlie's career. This is serious street cred. It has been a pleasure getting to know and work with such a great, yet humble, icon of skiing.

Back to the sprint heats:
Torin and Andy advanced well through to the final and toed the line together for the first time in to long a while. Two hundred meters into the final a Norwegian skier got tangled with Torin who got spun a little sideways but stayed up unlike the unlucky Norwegian who went down hard. This put Torin and Andy near the back of the field as they left the stadium into a hard right hander. With this fast crowd there is scant opportunity to pass until the final long hill back to the stadium, which is where Torin had successfully put the hurt on both his 1/4 and semi heat mates. Here, Torin made his planned move and went around Andy and was up to 3rd place when suddenly his right arm refused to obey any commands. The right shoulder had become partially dislocated and stayed that way for about 30 seconds. As they approached the final turn into the stadium Torin's shoulder went back into its proper location. By then the finish order was pretty well set and they all finished in a single file with ski tip to ski tail and Torin and Andy taking 4th and 5th respectively. A very solid US showing in the lead up to the World Champs. These two can make up a medal winning sprint relay team. As for the shoulder we're thinking that at some point in the race someone must have stepped on his pole basket to pull on his arm while it was extended back.

The final heat enters the stadium with Gloerson in the lead

Viewing this through the lens of hindsight we feel the elation of having maintained our steady march to being in best the form by World Champs in two weeks and a general validation of our approach this year to training Torin.

The shoulder issue is certainly a serious problem to work around. It will mean no poles skiing at least for this week as we assess the shoulder day to day. We have some great medical support here given by the Norwegian Ski Federation PT and she has arranged for Torin to get an MRI to asses the extent of the damage when we move down to Drammen in 5 days. But at this point we plan to stay the course with the focus on 12 days from now but will skip the World Cup in Drammen next Friday.

Learning Trials in Canada

2011-02-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday Scott and I drove up to Kelowna, B.C. to race in Western Canadian Championships, a NorAm mini-tour. The weekend holds a 1.3km skate sprint, a 3.5km classic prologue, and a 15km skate pursuit. I've been getting a few really solid weeks of training in at home following US Nationals, in addition to a few local races. Despite the fact that most of the US SuperTour field is racing this weekend in the Boulder Mtn. Tour, I knew the points up here in Canada should be pretty good given that most of the Canadian National Team guys would be here.

I dialed in a pretty decent condo on Ownerdirect.com for cheaper than the race accomodations and we settled in on Wednesday night. On Thursday, our team massage therapist Alison Hanks, and my dad drove up to meet us. It made me feel pretty pampered today, having three "support staffers" for one athlete. Scott was prepping and testing skis, Dad was getting bibs and running spare poles on the course, Alison was shuttling skis, food and keeping me company in between heats while I spun on the bike in the stadium.

The sprint went pretty well - I qualified 5th, about 6 seconds behind winner Drew Goldsack. The qualifier felt great; the course was pretty flat and a simple out-and-back loop, and our skis were rocket-fast. The heats were a bit different. I regained a lot of confidence after a strong finish in Maine last month, and have been riding on that ever since. I knew I had the speed to ski well through today's heats and into the finals, but through that process I made a few key errors in strategy, showing that I still have some lessons to learn. I ended up 2nd in the B Final, 8th overall.

Leading things out in the quarterfinal

Tomorrow's a quick race on a twisty-turny up and down course. Should be fast and hard. More to come.

Scenes From the Road: Steinkjer, Norway Edition

2011-01-30T08:32:00.000-08:00

Motoring on the trails of Seefeld, AUT

2011-01-22T00:25:00.000-08:00

Scenes from the Road: Davos, Suisse Edition

2011-01-16T05:28:00.000-08:00

In Davos the ski trails ramble off in three distinct directions. Up the Fluela Valley is home to the old-school World Cup trails, the steepest of the bunch. The Dischma Valley has been renamed Sunny Valley by many and holds the hearts of more than a few skiers. By my favorite valley in Davos on a classic distance day is hands down up the Sertig. The trails twisty and turns at a steady, unrelenting, if entirely skiable grade for a good hour straight up from my trailside home.

The tracks today were fast and bulletproof hard, making a layer of green klister covered by viola absolutely necessary. The sun was out, too. Ahh, yes, the days are good and only looking up, up, up.

Good Fortune and Prudence

2011-01-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

Last week was a great validation of what I've known about my abilities as a skier; as Torin so aptly put it after Saturday's race, to pop a top-10 result at Nationals after spending all fall fighting off mono and not training is no mean feat.

After the races last week I came down with a rather nasty cold bug and we retired to Torin's family estate in the Green Mountains of Vermont. I took three days completely resting and pounding some zinc and vitamin C, and Scott and I decided the best plan of attack would be to return home and resume solid training in preparation for February's schedule. The next few weeks of SuperTour races hold six distance efforts and only one sprint qualifier, so the schedule is not in my favor even in the best of seasons. Combine that fact with the possibility of a mono relapse should I over-extend myself, and it became easy to buy the ticket sending us homeward-bound. While I'm disappointed not to ride the wave of confidence I have following my skate sprint result, I do know that I will gain a lot being at home and training for a few weeks.

Buena Vista: My convalescence home for the past four days

The next races on my plan are on the first weekend of February, a NorAm mini-tour in Kelowna, BC. Off to catch a plane...

After U.S. Nationals off to ein Winterwonderweg

2011-01-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

After the competitions ended and all the competitors headed for whiter pastures the MOD bid farewell to Maine for a day along the Connecticut River. Before making our way to the state line towns of Lyme, New Hampshire and South Strattford, Vermont, we stopped off at the Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods to check out the scene by skis and get a little oxygen in the lungs.

Since my days studying a bit of economics at the University of Utah, I've been interested to one day check out the trails of Bretton Woods. Finally, the opportunity finally came. Way back in the summer of 1944 all forty-four of the Allied Nations came together for three weeks to hammer out how a system of monetary policies to help us from having more great wars. To schuss around on the 60 kilometers of immaculately buffed out trails, and at least get an idea of what its like to hop-nob with the elite - have you ever seen a hand-crafted mahogany clad ski locker room before? I used Alfred Hitchcock's old locker, if you were wondering - made for an interesting diversion.

From Bretton Woods it was off to Bull Moose Acres. The farm sits three miles outside the classic, quaint New England town of Lyme, New Hampshire. After climbing for two miles up a meandering unlined country road, one reaches the former horse racing stables that now is home to the In The Arena world headquarters. I've heard awed rumblings about this place and its mission, but I still didn't know what to expect. Whether it was the alpen glow of the early evening or the wild turkeys scurrying about, I knew I was headed someplace special as I made my way up the maple-lined drive.

To one side rests the Dartmouth SkiWay, along with 20,000 acres of protected wilderness. To the other, clear views run to the peaks of the White Mountains fifty miles away. For someone who might use the word claustrophobic as one way to describe the East, this came as a most welcome surprise.

Soon though it was time to say goodbye to Amory and David, to Thea and little Torin as well and head across the Connecticut for a family dinner in Vermont. Six years had past since the last time I was here. It makes one think how time and opportunity can both pass far too quickly if we're not attuned to the world around us. If another six years must pass before I hit the the eastern backcountry with my cousins Casey and West and Jay, that many springs transpire before I tap another sugar maple tree, or that many classes of young athletes make their way through the ITA summer training&life camp experience before I return, well, it will be far too long.

Until then, Sam and Scott will be doing their thing back in the States, while I'm in the Alps of Switzerland, prepping for all the real races left before I call an end to this season. Until then, enjoy the days. I'll do the same.

The Boys Git 'er Done

2011-01-08T13:39:00.001-08:00

Today marked the final day of the US National Championships in Rumford, Maine and the MODsters finish in fine form. Torin raced his way to the top of the podium once again and Sam finally put in the race we have been waiting for by being right in the mix all through the heats to take the 9th spot in a very strong field.

All week I have been seeing the guys' energy right where it needed to be and building coming into the last race today, the skate sprint. Conditions were very fast, so it was not a great course to break up the field. In the men's heats the racing was fast and tight right from the gun to the tape with most of the heats involving lunging finishes with the top two or three spots being decided by hundredths of seconds. No one was giving any quarter today.

Torin leading the A final with Simi Hamilton and Lars Flora in hot pursuit.

Torin skied relaxed and smoothly in each heat and felt like he could control the pace and stay in front as needed, always having another gear. Technically I feel Torin has come a long way this year and even in the last two months. He is a vision of economy in motion, maximizing glide in each stride!

After a fair qualifier Sam stood in 20th place but he really laid down his strongest races in each heat. He managed to out sprint to the line, the day's top qualifier, Colin Rogers in the quarter final: An ample demonstration of Sam's real speed. The most exciting thing for me was to see how well he could ski in subsequent heats. He was able to mix it up with the best sprinters in the country all the way through his B final. This is a level of endurance that Sam has not had in previous years. I have known he had this in him and still see room for improvement as he regains fitness after the mono bout.

My hat is off to Lars Flora who put in, perhaps, the overall strongest results of the week with his consistent and impressive finishes in each of the 4 races here. Great job Lars. Start packing your bags.

Former MOD skier, Sadie Bjornsen wrapped up a great week with a third place in her sprint race today after a win in the 10km classic 3 days ago. Had she not tried to lead every heat, like she used to do as a J1, I think she'd have had herself another first place today. By adopting this tactic she was not able to use her prodigious finishing kick. None the less a nice week for her too.

FYI: We raced on Toko HF Blue mixed with Toko Cold Powder as the wax layer with an over lay of Skigo C55/C99 liquid. Toko Jetstream blue and red block mix was our second choice.

Big Smiles Down East in Rumford

2011-01-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked a special day for MOD skiers. Certainly, the highlight was Torin's top spot on the podium in the classic sprint. Being a big, powerful skier the sloppy conditions did not play to his strengths but our technique emphasis this year has paid off in a renewal of his older, flowy style which is allowing him to ski more economically and apply his prodigious horsepower with more discretion.

This was amply demonstrated through the tough day as he skied very well paced and controlled in the qualifier and in each heat. Only really being caught napping by the young Erik Packer's impressive surge to break up the pack on the big climb during the quarter final. Sun Valley's Mike Sinnott afforded Torin with the next test in the A final when he made a similar move on the big climb. He and Torin broke open the pack but with a few strong, long strides Torin pulled into the lead over the top and continued to out pace Sinnott to the line.

Torin leads the A Final with former MODster Erik Bjornsen (in the ugly green suit);-)

MOD alumni Sadie and Erik Bjornsen whom I have coached for the past umpteen years, but are now moved on to collegiate programs, both turned in top results as well. Sadie finished 4th (3rd US skier) in the ladies sprint while Erik powered to a very strong but unsurprising 4th place in the men's race, just getting nipped for the podium in the final sprint to the line. So, despite some words in the press to the contrary, the little ski program from the little valley in Washington must have been doing somethings right. Only one other ski program in the US can boast of such strong results and they have more money than God and more skiers than you can count. So, yes, I am proud of my skiers'(both past and present)results.
Sadie is all smiles too.

With an unfortunate ski choice going into the qualifier MODster Sam Naney pretty much put himself into an untenable position. In these sloppy, red klister conditions the trade off between kick and glide is dramatic and slow skis take a huge toll. Sam drew the short straw in ski selection and, despite looking better than I've ever seen him in a classic sprint - strong and powerful - was doomed from the gun. But we are not counting him out for the skate sprint, as his superb speed and strength on this course should put him in a great position to turn some heads!

I owe huge thanks to my skilled and dedicated wax crew: the perenial and the man to have on yoru kick wax table, Ben Husaby. Newcomer to our crew but super savvy, Justin Beckwith of Green Vally Mountain School over the hill in Vermont, and the female "fixer" extrodiniare Janice Sabilia. Together we put our motley crew of MOD, Bend Endurance Academy, GVMS and NENSA skiers on as good a skis as anyone had. Hat's off to all of you. You were a big part of getting Torin to the podium. Once again the elves at Toko provided the juice to get the skis to top speed.
For the techies out there: We ran on Toko Yellow Jetstream block covered with Toko Helix spray. Mark Waechter at Nordic Ultratune provided one of his i5 grinds that we have been finding super in wet saturated snow.

Now let's just hope the snow holds out for the rest of the week.

National Championships 2011: Torin on Top

2011-01-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

The weather was soggy and the snow dirty but Torin was all smiles after taking the National Championship Sprint Title today in Rumford, Maine. It was cool to see the newest addition to the team ski smooth and smart all day, and pull away over the final climb to win going away.

Scenes From the Road: Rumford, Maine Edition

2010-12-31T17:12:00.001-08:00

In Washington, we have the towering Cascades to captivate the photographer's lens. In Utah, the deserts, the mesas, and the views that stretch for miles in every direction are certainly picture-worthy. With its four distinct seasons, the small towns of New England have their unique charm. From turn-of-the-century farmhouses to scenic schoolyards like the Lukin School House I pass everyday from the MOD's stay at the Inn at the Rustay to the race trails at Black Mountain.

My favorite sights stray a bit from the postcard-worthy, though. Like this little ditty taken a little before noon on a Thursday. Hey, at least its five o'clock somewhere. Maybe Stockholm, Sweden.. Living the dream, South Maine style.

Holiday Hammerfest

2010-12-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

With Christmas morning and joyful unwrapping less than 24 hours away, Brian Gregg and I spent last Friday morning pounding out a set of hard power endurance intervals on the Rendezvous ski trail under Scott's supervision. It's great to have an opportunity to mix it up with different athletes during training; everyone skis differently and has different strengths. Brian's endurance provided a formidable challenge to my speed during our 3x1min, 3x2min, 3x1min L4 intensity.
After spending a great holiday with the family, enjoying the Methow's superlative snow conditions and 180km of trails open right now thanks to MVSTA's awesome grooming, we headed east. Torin, Scott and I arrived in Bethel, Maine last night around 10pm and checked into my favorite local hotel, The Rostay. The Dartmouth team would stay here every year during the collegiate race season and I remembered it for great hospitality and delicious breakfasts.

Today we had a chance to check out the courses at Black Mtn. Well, maybe not all the courses. But we did spend an hour and a half previewing the women's sprint loop about twenty-eight times, as the men's add-on is not currently in any shape to be skied upon. And with the weather forecast looking warmer and warmer (up to 45 degrees on Saturday!), it is certainly going to be an interesting championships!

MOD Boys Back at It

2010-12-28T05:50:00.000-08:00

With Sam's mono-i-mono battle, followed by a NorAm throwdown in British Columbia, combined with Torin's transatlantic adventures, the boys of MOD finally came together again for a good old fashioned throwdown on the trails of Sun Mountain.

From the Valley, its now off to US Nationals in sunny Rumford, Maine. Racing kicks off on January 2nd with the sprint, classic style.

Old School Skiing with Billy Koch

2010-12-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

With Christmas just around a corner, I thought this might be just the time to share a little old school skiing of Billy Koch. I vividly remember watching this for the first time at my grade school friend's Scotty house. He'd commandeered a copy and fired up the 16mm reel player, and seconds later I watched transfixed as the king of momentum did his thing on his skinny Silver 44s.

Rossland NorAm - A Recap

2010-12-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

After much waiting and base training, it was time last weekend to pack the race boards and put things to the first test of the year. Rossland, British Columbia was the site last weekend of a North American Cup race, and a notable one at that. The skate sprint was to serve as World Championship Team trials for the Canadians, so the field would be top-heavy and points superb. MOD made a wise purchase this year of the Pacific Northwest Division's old Madshus test skis, which along with two new pairs of matched Rossignols compiled a tidy fleet for wax and structure testing. On today's circuit with its ever-increasing professionalism, wax and ski speed is a necessity few skiers can do without; having a good test fleet and diverse wax box is a boon to the competitive racer.

SO, I checked the (correct?) forecast for Rossland snow and set to waxing 10 separate skis with 10 different glide waxes for testing when I arrived. I had arranged to stay with my friends on the XC Oregon racing team. These guys are true racers: they travel as a group and support each other at races, waxing and prepping skis, cooking and sharing lodgings, and driving between venues. It was great to mix in with them and have the ability to offer our test fleet and some elbow grease to get all our skis faster for the weekend's races.

The drive up was relatively uneventful; the border patrol lady was polite to point out I had taken a wrong turn and was facing a much slower route to my destination, and was also of suitable Christmas cheer that she didn't chastise (or detain) me for the banana peels on my passenger seat. Bless you, Canadian customs officer. Now facing a longer finish to my drive, I upped the boomboom on my subwoofer and cranked the Tool blasting out my speakers. Then I nearly went off the road on the way-too-sweetly-named Strawberry Pass, where the roads were slicker than Torin Koos at a fancy dress ball. But I arrived unscathed, and after a half hour of fruitless searching through condominiums, found my compatriots just settling into a delicious soup and rice dinner.

The weather. Apparently I was reading the forecast for the TOP of Red Mountain Resort, NOT the bottom, where the race venue lay. This of course meant a difference of almost 10 degrees in air temp, so Brayton and I set to re-applying glide waxes to our test fleet. On Thursday morning we spend an hour or so running the different skis underfoot through the sprint course, a twisty-turny fast little mother, one I was sure to enjoy the next morning. We picked our wax of choice and headed for home and lunch. I was feeling some nerves for the upcoming sprint; I hadn't put myself through a true race trial in months (with the exception of my solo-run on the C2 a few weeks back), and with all the big guns at this race I wanted to make a decent showing. Waking up on Friday morning I felt a bit mixed; I knew I had the root speed to compete well but I was unsure as to how honed (if at all) my top-end speed was. Bah, I said; bring on the bacon.

The tracks had hardened up nicely the night before, turning 2" deep sugar into fast firm corduroy. A power-sprinter's course. My confidence went up a notch. I warmed up well and arrived at the start. Rob Whitney, a good friend from way back at Nat Brown's summer training camps, former champion skier and now photographer of the circuit, snapped some great shots of me during the race (see below).

The business: in the sprint I felt pretty good, though by halfway through the prelim I knew I wouldn't be able to shift into my 5th gear. I felt strong, fit and capable, but the maximal speed and power wasn't there yet. I fought hard to the finish and turned in a respectable (for the quality of the field) 20th. My quarterfinal which lay ahead of me turned out to be a strong one, and I took the opportunity to again test my gears. When Stefan (Kuhn; eventual race winner) made his break, I couldn't match, and fell into 5th, then 6th place. I stayed on the pack through the finish but wouldn't advance. Encouragingly though, I didn't have terrible fatigue, and was able to ski a good cool-down and later get a half-hour run in that evening. More waxing, then on to Saturday's 10K skate.

Scott's advice and my plan for Saturday's distance race was to take it more as a workout than anything else. Especially after the revelations from the sprint, where I recognized my race speed was not yet present, we felt the most prudent course to take was to pace the distance race well but not to cook myself; this coming week would be too important for training to risk days off due to fatigue. It was a really good workout/race for me; I was able to push my HRs higher than the day before while still recovering well in transitions, and worked mostly on technique and relaxation/glide. The result sheet was rather dismal but I take more from the qualitative than the quantitative in this instance.

Also great to report, Methow native and former MOD'er Sadie Bjornsen has been TEARING it up on the circuit. She was on the podium last weekend in Silver Star and this weekend she WON the sprint, got 5th in the skate race and 2nd in the classic! Here's hoping Sadie finds a berth on the World Champs squad.

Returning to the Methow last night my folks, Alison and I all met up to attend the local theater production of "A Christmas Carol" and share a dinner. Then today I got to visit my friends and former campers at the Methow Nordic Clinic at Sun Mtn. With 180km of trails open and Christmas approaching, it's a great time to visit the Valley.

Merry Christmas!

Base Training and Prep

2010-12-19T18:23:00.001-08:00

(Ed. note: Ignore the date of this blog. Pretend it was posted one week ago...)

Training here in the Methow has been going splendidly. We've been hit with the biggest snowstorm since 1996, the "Year Of The Shovel", and the trails are in fine condition. In an exciting turn of events I moved up to Mazama to Alison's little house at the base of Goat Wall, so now the trails are a mere twenty yards from my door. Which means that should I be in the middle of a workout and need that last little push, a nice doppio of espresso is but a thought away.

Last Saturday night we got the big dump: nearly 19" of heavy snow fell across the valley. My training plan had Sunday as a long O.D., and since the backcountry was avalanche-central with all the new stuff, it was time for a tour. We strapped on our tele gear (though I quickly reverted to my classic skis and boots for comfort) and headed out into the piles of snow.

Nikki in her element!

Despite facing a few feet of snow in 30-something degree temperatures with a steadily increasing drizzle, it was time to train. So, I loaded up my backpack with 100# of rocks and set out on a muscular endurance session. Alison was lucky enough to be quick with the shutter button, to catch this glimpse of me mid-interval:

Strength is coming on strong and the fitness feels great. Rossland, B.C. is next on the travel docket, and my first races of the year! I'm looking forward to donning a bib and seeing how my recovery has been. The plan is to race a skate sprint, and probably treat the next day's 10K skate as a "progressive distance workout": not hammer much above threshold and work on technique and pacing. Rock on!

Adjø Norge, Hello Home

2010-12-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

After five weeks of practicing my rough Norwegian, eating brown cheese daily, along with a journey north of the Arctic Circle to Rovaniemi Finland, along with a trip for a little city sprint action in Dusseldorf, it's been nice to get back to the Northwest. Along with getting in a couple kilometers on the old familiar trails of Leavenworth, I dropped into Mr. Peck's class and caught up with Mr. Peck's class before heading a little farther North back up to the Methow Valley. Up here I'm getting back in touch with the seventh and eighth graders in Mrs. Beavon's AVID class that looks to close the achievement gap of these talented and inspired, though sometimes sidetracked, students. It's pretty cool to see how much progress the kids have made in class here. Also out the door here the snow is piled high, almost reaching the windowsills of my little cabin in the woods.

C2 Erg TT - Testing Race Readiness

2010-12-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

In early November, when I was able to start training again after taking a month plus off due to mono, Scott and I had a long discussion (over email, as he was already in Norway with Torin) about how best to proceed with getting me back to race shape. I had already started enthusiastically planning on racing by early December, and wanted to plan whatever rebuilding schedule we devised around those hopes. Scott knew me too well, though. He proposed a more appropriate, progressive approach to the training, focusing first on re-establishing a good base before methodically adding in strength, then threshold intensity, and so forth. Finally, he suggested that as a litmus test for my race readiness, I perform a sprint simulation time trial on the C2 double pole ergometer. We liked this idea for two reasons: one, it's objective and quantifiable. In contrast to a skiing time trial, we can monitor time, power output and recovery in a controlled environment. And second, we already had a data point. Last November just before we left for West Yellowstone I did a 1km time trial on the C2. At that point I was already falling prey to the overtraining which would hinder further racing in the season, but I managed a 3:09.05min 1km. Granted, I was positively WRECKED for the rest of the day. But either way, we figured we could use that as a marker for this year's effort. If I could hit a time close to that and maintain it through four "heats", we could safely assume I was race ready. However, if we saw a large drop off (10%+) in time and/or power output, we could figure I still need more work.

This morning was the time trial which, in honor of Ruff and the Dartmouth team's Oak Hill TT, I dubbed the C2 World Championships of the World. Being the sole competitor, I was feeling confident in my abilities to qualify for the rounds and emerge from the "A" final victorious.

It hurt quite a bit, but I think it went well. Here are the stats from the day:

(*I set the C2 to its maximum resistance; after the first heat it was questionable whether this was smartest but I opted to stay with it for continuity.)

11am "Qualifier": 3:13.06min, average watts 382
12:05pm "Quarterfinal": 3:16.06, average watts 368
12:50pm "Semi-final": 3:16.02, average watts 370
1:15pm "A Final": 3:20.01, average watts 349

I definitely felt the hurt on the last one, but was pleased with the small margins between the first and last effort: 3.3% increase in time, and 8% decrease in power output in the last versus first effort.

Race-ready? Perhaps!

Some pics:

Nikki checking to make sure I'll survive, following the "A" Final

Ski Lessons in Paradise. Could this be the newest MOD recruit?

2010-12-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

While trolling the seeder neighborhoods in Lillihammer during their many idle hours Scott and Torin chanced upon a wayward Swiss miss hitch hiker. When our daring duo told her what they were up to in Norway she allowed as how she had never skied before. Being the gentlemen that they are, our intrepid travelers offered to give her a few skiing pointers if she was game to try it.

Amazingly, we managed to round up a nice set of Rossignol skis and boots for her to use. After a few words of encouragement, when she balked, after stepped into the -20C temps near our secret mountain lair, Scott started her with some basics about how to keep the pointy ends going forward and she set off. Scott spent as an hour explaining the finer points of weight shift and follow through and the subtle leg drive needed to ensure a solid kicking platform. She seemed game; especially for a first timer and the lesson proceeded well enough until Scott ran out of ideas.

She really does seem to be getting the hang of doesn't she? We think she might have some potential if we give her another lesson or two. What do you think?

Even the Losers get Lucky Sometimes. Second Place in Norway CUp Sprint.

2010-11-27T09:10:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack of photos this time but I had my hands full.

Could Tom Petty have been any more prescient when he penned these words long before Cross Country skiing even had a sprint race? I think not. I have long waited to hear his catchy tune playing over the stadium loud speakers as the heats are run at a sprint race.

However, in this case I am not referring to the advancement of Torin as lucky loser during today's sprint in another Norway Cup. But more on that later. I am actually referring to my, only moderate, skill as a waxer. But today I pretty much nailed it and for a change Torin had as good a skis as anyone on the course. While I'd like to take some credit it may have been more luck than skill. The chemists at Toko had as much to do with our success today as I did.

Temps were very cold and the start was postponed 3 times before finally getting off at 11, after the TD held the thermometer in his armpit and was able to read -17.5C. I was psyched when they decided not cancel because I knew we finally had good skis.

Torin's qualifier was still not up to snuff again today and he finished 11th. The good news is that the speed and endurance are both there in good measure as demonstrated in all three sprints so far on this Scando tour. His ability to ski with, or out ski, the fastest qualifier of the day has been in evidence during each race. In Beito he managed to make a big move from 5th to come even with the fastest qualifier and eventual winner, Dahl, before getting pinched into 3rd in the last corners to the finish. Last weekend in Finland he out skied the fastest qualifier in two heats and only in the final with a change in strategy did he get boxed into 4th. Today, the fastest qualifier (a disappointing 7.7 seconds ahead of Torin) and race winner was in each of Torin's three heats. Torin won the 1/4 and was 2 meters back in second place in the semi and only 6" back in final. We're working on it, Honest!

Today's 1/4 and semi final heats contained all the lucky losers of the day and time wise they were faster than the qualifier. So, nobody as dogging it in these heats. The speed is there in head to head competition but we acknowledge we are still trying to find some more relaxed speed for the all important (points wise) qualifier.

To give some idea of the speed being skied in these races, today's very intelligent course was 1848 meters and the typical time per km of the qualifier and heats was 1 minute and 36 seconds per kilometer. That's right: 1:36/km!

Gotta get your speed on!

Feeling Like A Racer Again...

2010-11-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

Alison and I pluggin' some clay pigeons after the pheasant hunt - her first blast with a shotgun!

I am finally feeling back to normal. This past weekend I opted to take a few days off and travel with Alison and my folks to Montana to meet up with friends and my sister and family to do some pheasant hunting. It was a great opportunity to let the past few weeks of "re-training" soak in, and to relax a bit before really getting back to it. Despite the quite cold weather (which would hit West Yellowstone a few days later and postpone the opening SuperTours), we managed to shoot down some birds, and Alison got her first shotgunnin' lesson.

When we returned to the Valley Monday evening, we were greeted with COLD temps and snow! I was psyched to get out Tuesday morning for my first ski of the year, up at Klipchuck campground. Over the last three days I've gotten five hours of easy skiing, and today I started in on some more comprehensive training. Scott has been a telecommuting coach since he's been over in Scandinavia and sent a plan which included some L3 intervals and muscular endurance training. This morning I did a 1.5 hour skate ski with 15min of 15/15sec L3 intervals. It felt GREAT to open up a little bit and the best part of it was getting home and not being too tired! I'm confident that I'm really back on the side of light and good, and will be ready to get into a race sometime in December.

Starting to feel the racing legs again...

Rovaneimi Sprint

2010-11-23T00:34:00.000-08:00

We have just returned to our secluded and beautiful mountain cabin at Hotel Rustad in Sjusjoen, Norway after a day of travel from Rovaneimi, Finland and the sprint race above the Arctic Circle. FYI: Roveneimi is loosing 1 hour of daylight a week right now. With sun up at 9 and sundown at 2 snow conditions and temps stay fairly constant.

We connected with the Americans on the Maine Winter Sports Center Tour de Finland trip put together and lead by the very able Will Sweetzer. Will, being an old hand at these Privateer ventures designed to expose American skiers to top level European competition was the inspiration for my MOD trip to the OPA Cup race last February. This year Will gained another convert as the Craftsbury Green Racing Project joined forces with Will's merry band. For more on these two clubs' trips please refer to their websites, as they each have their own stories to tell

After another good week of training it was time for Torin to slip on a bib and toe the line in a classic sprint with a solid field of Canadians including Stefan Kuhn (10th in 2010 Oly Sprint), former world sprint champ Vassili Rotchev and a host of Estonian and Finnish sprinters.
The qualifier was a shock to all of us observers as Torin, seeded second, finished 25th but looked to be skiing much faster. Some confusion over timing was quickly put behind us as we prepped for the heats.

Photo: Torin leaving the stadium in the qualifier and about to enter the cork screw tunnel/bridge affair.

A quick ski change and wax adjustment was done while Torin borrowed floor space in the Craftsbury GRP nearby house. It was clear to see that Torin was really eager and aggressive in the heats as he gave no quarter in the quarter final.

He was slow off the line but by the time the pack left the stadium he was in control of the race and left it clear that to beat him was going to take a lot.

One look at his face in this photo as he leads Rotchev over the bridge and back into the stadium and you can sense his frame of mind. The mind of a champion. Undaunted by the miserable qualifying (see his number?) time trial and determined to give his best effort in each heat.

A photo finish in the semi final meant Torin was advancing to the A final. Since Sam's illness and Erik's departure for school Torin has been training alone and so this was his first head to head final since the Super Tour A final in Maine last March where he and Andy Newell fought to the line and Torin barely, literally, inched in front.

A slip at the line left him in 6th place at the start of the final and last out of the stadium. This shot from above on bridge as the pack enters to corkscrew shows Torin trying to move around on the outside to get a better position before the big climb. This turn was a full 360 degrees! The first I have ever seen.

The finishing sprint left him in 4th place. I was a bit disappointed because I was really hoping for the new wax iron that was being handed out for 3rd. It was, altogether, a great effort and should have the needed training effect to boost his racing fitness.

We will be off to Gala, Norway for another Norwegian Cup race next weekend.

Rebuilding at home

2010-11-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

While 66% of the MOD Squad is duking it out over the pond in Norway, I've been focusing these last few weeks on rebuilding strength and fitness following having mono, which I estimate lost me about a month and a half of training.

So far things have gone well. I was able to get in a few good strength sessions, rollerskis and some long-ish runs this week for a total of 14 hours, which is twice as much as I had for all of October. It's amazing how fast the fitness does come back and heart rates come down, but I also notice that my body isn't there quite yet. I'm not getting much above level 1 for any of these workouts, and am taking today completely off to allow the work to soak in. This coming week I'm hoping to get in some speedwork to start tuning the legs a bit, and with luck I'll be on snow in a week or two!

Here are a few pictures from a late fall run over Spokane Gulch:

Looking upwards to Washington Pass - not a lot of snow yet!

MOD Team Massage Therapist and ultrarunner Alison Hanks and intrepid pace-setter Nikki

First Race Of The Year

2010-11-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

First Tracks in Sjusjoen, Norway

2010-11-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

For the past week I've been calling Sjusjoen, Norway home. The mountain town sits twenty kilometers outside Lillehammer. The place is pretty sweet, with incredible facilities, both from the long tradition of sport here, and the influx that came here for the 1994 Winter Olympics. The ex-pat Mike Meyers set me up with a nice little cabin by the lake beside the Rustad Hotell. If you're ever in this neighborhood, you should check this place out: http://www.rustadhotel.no

While in Norway I'll be racing with Team Sjusjoen. The team is a professional outfit, and is actually the oldest team of its kind in Norway. Former World Cup podium boy John Anders Gaustad took over the coaching duties this year for this team of ten. Here JA and I get in a couple hot laps around the tracks here. I also picked up a couple good pointers from the man himself. Good times, good stuff.

Here Team Sjusjoen gathers around the training table. This evening, though, was a bit more spoecial. As the last night of the last training camp before the racing season kicks off in Beitostolen, Norway we had a julbordet, or Christmas Table. You know, eating all those delicious Scandinavian specialties like rotten fish, salted pork and lefsa. I know your jealous...

And a lil quick viv for you interested ski fans out there:

Our Cabin by the Lake

2010-11-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

Holmenkollen

2010-10-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

After landing in Oslo, my friend Tore Tajet met the MOD at the airport and whisked us away for a day in the city. Before checking out Holmenkollen - the home of the 2011 World Championships - we stopped by Tajet's cityscape view from atop Grefsenkollen. Holmenkollen frames the city on the other side.

The Avenging Angel of Misery

2010-10-30T13:57:00.001-07:00

The old air-cooled bike might not yet quite be road-worthy, but the CB750 Tourer is no longer the oily, dirty rheumatoid tosser purchased earlier this fall. In the last days it's been stripped down to bare steel, then built up again from the ashes to become the avenging angel of misery, only of the prettiest kind you see here in the photo.

That's all the motorcycle is, a system of concepts worked out in steel. ~Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

YES!

2010-10-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday I had my fourth blood draw in a month. And this time there was rejoicing - my ALT (liver enzymes) count was finally down, indicating the mono infection is no longer active in my system. Being a small town clinic and the fact that most of the nurses know me there, they were all happy and rushed in to tell me. Dr. Joe Jensen has been great through this whole month - offering great advice and staying in very close contact with me about the pathologies and what they all mean. As well, Dr. Jeff Clarke in Wenatchee has been invaluable with his care and advice regarding returning to training and how best to rebuild. Thank you both!

So now I have a few weeks of careful re-entry into exercise. After taking nearly a month entirely off I want to be sure I'm ready before I dive headlong back in. A relapse would really burst my balloon. As it is I'm able to train about 1 hour per day in Level 1. Hopefully by mid or late November I'll be back to 10-15 hours per week and maybe can grab some on-snow time at Silver Star. The speed will be there for Nationals.

Final Rollerski of the Year

2010-10-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

There's plenty of beginnings and endings in skiing. And today I passed a relatively notable one, the one in which I trade in my trusty, slightly rusty Marwe rollers for my fleet of Rossignol's, which are all packed up for the flight across the pond to Norway. My season kicks off at the Norwegian Cup in Beitostolen, Norway in about two week's time.

Tomorrow, I have an uphill run on the schedule, into the mountains of the Cascades, an appointment in the afternoon in the Liberty Bell junior high classroom for my In The Arena project, then a little drive to the airport.

Until the next time,
Torin

Recovery Day Chores

2010-10-23T09:44:00.001-07:00

Torin's rig was badly in need of some preventative maintenance. Taking a break from the routine of cafe racer construction was required to put his brakes back in order.

The NASTY old brakes coming off.
With the neglected scooters in the background.

The shiny new brakes going back on
with a big smile.

Torin's bike (front) coming apart, getting ready to start its new life. Coach's bike (rear) going back together again.

Sam's bike (not shown), needn't be in the shop since it is the only one that currently runs. ODD!
Come to think of it Sam, maybe you should drop it by so we can tinker with it a bit.

Power Training, MOD STylE

2010-10-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Mono...continued.

2010-10-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

Mono truly is the annoying person who won't leave the party and is ruining everyone's good time. As much as I'd like to write about something a bit more exciting and, wonder of wonders, something specific to skiing or training, I'm at a loss currently. But in the last few weeks since I received the diagnosis of this really frustrating virus I've scoured the internet for information on mono, for testimonials and stories of other athletes who have contracted it and dealt with it. How long was recovery? Are there remedies that alleviate the effects? Can/should I exercise? Fortunately I have a great doctor in Joe Jensen and a really intelligent consulting physician/athlete in Jeff Clarke and both have been invaluable in helping me understand what's going on and what I can do. So right now I'll post in the hope that if someone else out there has mono and is searching for answers or commiseration, they might find some here.

But first, a few snapshots of what my days have been like:

Because I'm a lazy sod and have not the time or energy to actually go OUT to hunt for deer, I have my 30.06 waiting on a coat hook by the door, should that pesky young white-tailed buck wander into my orchard.

Not being able to train has left me with a fair bit of time on my hands. Aside from continuing in my online classes, I've been able to log some time in my wood shop - I just finished this bed platform yesterday.

And now the business. By my understanding my experience (thus far, at least) with mono has been relatively mild (refer to my last post to learn about my initial symptoms leading up to diagnosis). For the last two and a half weeks I've been able to move around and do stuff, such as building things like the above bed platform, cooking, easy walks, etc. It hasn't been too debilitating. Which is good and bad. Good because I can do stuff. Bad because I often feel like I can train, but am under direct orders not to. Every week I go to Dr. Jensen's and get blood drawn, to check how my various indicator numbers are doing. The primary pathologies we're watching are atypical lymphocytes and alanine transaminase (ALT), which is an enzyme in the liver. The lymphocytes are an indication that there is an infection present in my body creating them, so as they go down, one can assume the infection is doing the same. The ALT is an enzyme found in the liver. When a hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) occurs with an infection such as mono, the liver enlarges and "leaks" blood which contains these liver-specific enzymes. They can be identified in a blood sample pretty quickly and, like the atypical lymphocytes, are a good indicator of progress. Too high of an ALT reading = liver still inflamed = mono infection still present.

I have another appointment for a blood draw tomorrow. The timeline is this: when those various numbers return to normal levels, I can begin considering "exercise". Not training, mind you. I must crawl before walking. Dr. Clarke is recommending starting with 1/2 to 1 hour per day of light activity, working upwards only as I feel able to do so. Right now I can get tired after a short bout of activity such as a half hour walk with some uphill, so it's going to go slow. As soon as I've got a few weeks of that light activity under my belt and if morning HRs, etc. are showing recovery, I can start upping volume and getting into aerobic "training". My hope is that I'll be in that stage by mid-November. West Yellowstone is out. But if I can return to base training and even a bit of speedwork by early December I can be ready for US Nationals and the rest of the season.

But, as anyone who's had mono can tell you, it's a long process. I'm trying to mix hope with realism and not get too excited about any specific time frame. Just controlling what I can control.

More later...

Records Fall in 47th Annual Stella Memorial Hill Climb

2010-10-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Presented by...

With nine Olympiads represented by the twenty-four athletes who toed the line for the 47th Annual Driveway Butte Hill Climb, one knew the competition promised to be fierce in the steep four mile switchback singletrack hill climb up the inappropriately named Driveway Butte, situated in the mountains just east of the North Cascades National Park.

Whether it was because he slept through his alarm, or motivated by the six pack of Stella Artois and fistful of Powerbars awaiting the winner of the race, Torin Koos posted a record run of 25:32, slicing two minutes off Erik BabyFace Bjornsen's top time, the hill climb's winner the previous three editions.

Following close behind pitted a battle royale of Chris Flash Clark and Laura Squeeky McCabe, with Flash pulling away by sixteen seconds in the final half mile.

Sammy Boy country-boys-can-survive Naney must have been doing something right as summer junior coach of the Methow Valley Nordic Team, seeing as fifteen-year old Nina Darling Ekblad also sliced two minutes off another Bjornsen's record, this one held by Sweet Sadie B's junior women's standard. Also of note, fifteen-year old Jake The Snake Harrop ran the second fastest junior men's time recorded, crossing the line in 34:02.

Full Results:
Organizer, PaceSetter, Course Cutter, And Timer Scotty J. 35:26
Torin 25:35
Flash 28:24
Laura 28:46
Erik 28:53
Leslie 30:04
Heather 30:40
Brent 31:24
Brian 32:10
Betsy 33:56
Jake 34:02
Steve 34:50
Robert 34:59
Jim K 35:21
Julie 35:55
AndyK 36:14
Chad 36:33
Hans 37:03
MarkL 37:15
Nina 37:34
Ginny 37:49
Jan 42:24
ROlfe 42:33
JaneP 43:35
Sage 47:36
Bryce 50:45

When Every Second Counts

2010-10-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

Fall Kickoff Get Together: October 16

2010-10-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

FALL KICKOFF GET TOGETHER
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16 at 5:30PM
MAZAMA COMMUNITY CENTER
WINE AND HORS D’OEUVRES

Join the MOD Squad and help us kick off another successful season of skiing.

We’ll be showing fun and exciting videos of MOD doings over the summer

Three time Olympian Torin Koos will share his experiences as a professional skier with a multimedia presentation titled Olympic Reflections. The presentation will provide insight into the training and commitments unique to this level of sport.

Sam Naney will lay out his plans for the SuperTour Series

Families and friends welcome!

Please let us know if you can come:
sandm@methownet.com
or 509/996-8080

Methow Olympic Development Project
18019 Hwy 20 Winthrop WA 98862

Progressive MOD Weight Vest Training

2010-10-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Mononucleosis

2010-10-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

The following should help to explain the dearth of blog entries over the last few weeks.

About a month ago I foolishly occupied myself on an off-day of training by felling trees and bucking up firewood for 8 hours. At the end of the day I was amazed at how tired I was from the effort. I scratched it up to overexertion and ignored it. The following day was a moderately-intense interval session and in the following few days I again had signs of fatigue. And again, I chose to believe it was just overreaching a bit with the training. I rested for a day and a half and, that Saturday morning, felt a lot better and ran the Cutthroat Classic, a 12 mile mountain race in the North Cascades. I didn't feel spectacular on it but didn't feel too bad, either. I took it as a sign that whatever fatigue I had been carrying was gone. The following week I resumed normal training and soon felt that same fatigue - inability to complete an intensity workout, less snap in my legs, etc. I again rested for a few days until my morning HR test numbers returned to normal levels. Around that time, we left for the Sun Valley training camp.

When we got to Sun Valley my HRs elevated a bit. I chalked this up to being at altitude. The first workout was a distance run and, despite the slightly higher HRs my energy was good. Then we had a sprint TT. My lap splits in the time trial were pretty erratic - I was dropping off the pace every time and really tying up in the legs. But again, we attributed this to altitude, lack of high intensity training thus far in the summer, and pushing too hard in the first heat. I felt like I recovered in the days following and had a good interval session, speed session and overdistance run. I thought I had gotten past any problems, and excitedly prepared for the 3.5K prologue TT. There again, despite conscious pacing efforts my legs tied up quickly and I felt like I totally blew up, and was way off the pace. I returned home from Sun Valley a bit dejected at my efforts and concerned that something in my fitness was off. What followed was almost a week and a half of full rest, complimented only with occasional easy distance sessions. In these workouts as well I noticed that my HRs were at least 10 bpm higher at a given intensity than they usually were. As well, my morning HR test continued to register high numbers.

Finally, at the urging of Scott and despite my own fears of doctor's offices, I went to our local doc, Dr. Joe Jensen, and had blood drawn to test for any abnormalities. During the exam he noticed that my spleen was enlarged, along with my lymph nodes, and I also had a bit of a sore throat. He suggested mono. I'd never had the illness before but have heard horror stories of entire seasons being destroyed by the infection. I hoped it wasn't so.

Blood work came back today: positive for mono. I don't have the normal high fatigue attributed with the average case of mono so my hope is that I don't have a very severe case. Doctor's orders are that I can exercise at low intensities as long as I don't stress my spleen or go into any glycogen depletion. My hope beyond hope then, is that I can maintain my aerobic base and not be pushed into bed rest, and slowly emerge from this illness relatively unscathed.

Here's hoping.

The Adventures of Sun Valley

2010-09-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Intensity in Ten Cities...

2010-09-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

This morning we completed the second of four intensity sessions for our seven-day camp here in Sun Valley. Given our focus so far this summer on strength and aerobic base training, these sessions have been a unique challenge for us; it's been great to put the hammer down alongside the USST and Sun Valley ODT guys. Yesterday we had a skate sprint simulation - four time trials to represent the qualifier, quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals. Because of the narrow roadway we had to run the heats individually with 15 second intervals, which greatly intensified the effort of each one. For my sake, I definitely took the first one out too hard; focused on wanting to make a solid standing I probably burned a majority of my ATP stores in the long climb in the qualifier. After that it became a matter of holding on each time. We had 40min rest after the qualifier, 30min after the quarters, and 15min after the semis. Needless to say I was fried at the end.

Today's workout was a different story. The plan was 5x3min double pole, level 4. The course was a gradual uphill grade through a subdivision and given the width of the road, all the guys were able to ski at the same time, making for a fun pack of about 15 athletes hammering along together. My plan today was to be a lot more conservative through the first several intervals and then, provided I felt good during the last one, give a little bit more to open it up.

Tomorrow's a 3hr OD run then we have 36hrs off before Tuesday's 3.3km skate prologue in the evening, and Wednesday morning's 10K classic TT. Recover right, keep on moving. Stay tuned!

Rollin' with the MOD Squad

2010-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

"Poppa said 'Son you're going to drive me to drinking if you don't stop driving that hotrod Lincoln."'

The MOD Squad rolled into Sun Valley for a little mix in the training scene. While in town we had to visit Max, who has just begun to call the Wood River Valley home. Heading into the drive I ran into Max and this sweet '63 Lincoln. The old school Continentals have always been down with those classic long lines and - when compared to the rival Cadillac of its day - a certain understated style and vibe. I just couldn't resist getting behind the wheel of this 4,500 pound beauty of Detroit chrome, steel, style and big block muscle...

Grindin'

2010-08-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

It might still feel like summer, but I'm already starting to dial in the little parts of the ski racing equasion. Mark Waechter of Ultra-Tune's been showing me the ropes with getting a better handle on my racing boards. Between the morning and afternoon sessions my coach Scott Johnston and I were cranking on my fleet of skis; first scraping, then flex testing, finishing with waxing. The next session at Ultra-Tune I'll take this information and plan out a lil grinding plan to have both my old and new Rossignol's running better than my competitors. Watch out!

The past weekend made for an altogether different kind of grind - the 11.5mile Cutthroat Classic. It's a classic trail run that crosses from Rainy Pass on the Western side of the North Cascades, then drops down from the high alpine setting into the sunny side of the state. With three miles of climbing remaining, decided to set off solo and put about four minutes on the closest pursuer by the time we reached the valley on the other side, who came all the way from Track Town USA (Eugene, OR) to defend his Northwest trail running title. It felt good to race and be so in control, especially in longest running race of my life.

Stuff To Train To...

2010-08-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

In place of some introspective blog post I've decided to offer something light for today's entry. Here they are, the top-5 songs on my IPod this week for training sessions. Judge me, not.

"Just Sixteen" by Velvet Revolver (With Slash on lead guitar it's easy to make rock sound this good)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMcQ7-mitvc

"If Rap Gets Jealous" by K'naan (thanks, Erik!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlBFLuW-_ek

"Starstruck" by Lady Gaga (shameless, I know. But I can't fight the beat...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUbPgTIY4iQ&feature=related

"King Nothing" by Metallica (A total classic - guaranteed to increase your max lift by 10%!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAGP24eq_0o&playnext=1&videos=uDJVJ3ugFbg&feature=artistob

"The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails (Nothing to say. Great song.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwhBRJStz7w

MOD Fall Clinics - Learn the Secrets!

2010-08-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

Join the MOD Squad and coach Scott Johnston for any one (or more!) of three, 2-day seminars on the secrets of successful endurance training. The clinics will be:

September 24-25 Wenatchee, WA
October 9-10 Mazama, WA
October 23-24 Kongsbergers Ski Club, Snoqualmie, WA

Training topics will include strength, speed, aerobic base training, training fast twitch fibers for endurance and much more. If you are an endurance athlete at any level in any sport these principles apply to you.

The clinics are open to all ages and abilities and all attendees will receive a camp packet with a training manual chock-full of knowledge and research to help them in their quest, a Methow Olympic Development t-shirt, and a DVD of training footage and instruction with MOD athletes. Junior skiers (under 20) can attend the seminars for free (packet materials extra).

For more information and to register, go to:

Wenatchee Clinic registration:
http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=oxp9b8dab&oeidk=a07e307z2y11c36bef2

Mazama Clinic registration:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e308u0l899933adb&llr=oxp9b8dab

Kongsbergers Clinic registration:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e308u0syb59dc0fc&llr=oxp9b8dab

Recovering with the Polar OwnOptimizer

2010-08-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

In ideal circumstances, we train long quality hours and recover well in accordance with those hours. Since April things have been going about that well - my hours each week have been consisently high and very good quality and most weeks all I've needed is a recovery workout or at most an off 1/2 day to bounce back and be ready for the next session. But at some point these smooth sailing situations are bound to be thrown off course by a squall of fatigue. This past Monday, after a solid week of speed, strength and moderate intensity, I was supposed to take a full day off to prepare for our next training block. Paying only lipservice to that notion, I spent the better part of 8 hours felling trees and bucking up firewood to sell. It was hot, laborious work and I got totally spanked. And then I knew I'd made a mistake.

Tuesday was an interval day with strength in the evening; before the morning's session I felt good and thought I'd dodged a bullet with my over-exertion the day prior. But after the intervals I knew it wasn't so; my legs were heavy and I felt pretty spent. I left Torin to finish the evening's strength workout on his own after completely only one circuit; my body wasn't performing.

Times like this are inevitable for a pro athlete. You're pushing the limits of your body's endurance and ability to recover quickly on a daily basis; overreaching such as I did on Monday throws a wrench into this process and demands a halt to the machine. Bring in the OwnOptimizer test. We've been using this software on upper-end Polar heart rate monitors for the last few years and have been astounded at its accuracy. It uses the combination of resting heart rates and heart rate "variability" to determine your level of fatigue or recovery. When training is going well and I'm recovering, the test will register a "1" (Recovered) or a "2" (Normal). But this morning, I get this:

Not truly bad, but certainly an indication that my body is working hard to rebuild after the stresses put upon it. Time for rest, eggs, bacon and a brisk walk. Tomorrow's the Cutthroat Classic 11.5mile Trail Race on Washington Pass, and I want to be recovered for it.

Welcome to the A-Frame of Pain

2010-08-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

While there might be a monstrosity of a strength facility dubbed the Taj Marolt in Park City, the Methow Olympic Development Program takes you behind the scenes to its own gym, known around these parts as the A-Frame of Pain. What it lacks in cubby holes and foam pits it makes up for in plates, homerigged machines and ingenuity. Check it out.

How Enchanting...

2010-08-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday two-thirds of the MOD Squad (where's Erik? probably sleeping...) plus coach joined a larger group of athletes to complete the beautiful 22mile Enchantments run, a point-to-point 5500ft gain journey in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness outside of Leavenworth (Torin's hometown). Alison and I had made plans to do the run a few weeks back and we got Scott and Torin to quickly sign on for this scenic endeavor. Add skiing legend Alan Watson, his brother Rolf and ladyfriend Delianne, Scott's brother-in-law John, and PNSA star junior Max Christman and we had ourselves an expedition party.

Necessary equipment: French press and Sportslick anti-chafe

After car-camping in various spots along the access road we all met at the ending trailhead at 7:30am Sunday morning. Filled to the brim with fresh French roast and suitably guarded against the evils of armpit chafing, I was ready to roll. We left my and Torin's trucks at the end and piled into the MOD van for the ride up to the Stuart Peak/Colchuck Lake trailhead. The first few miles of the trail were a nice warmup; a gentle uphill grade with periodic steeper hiking bits got our blood moving. After climbing for about 2 hours we reached Colchuck Lake and the base of Asgaard Pass, a 1/2 mile climb taking us up another 22ooft. This is where things got a bit askew. Alison and I had dropped behind the group a few yards, having stopped to take a few photos. When I turned to regain the pack I couldn't see them, as we were scrambling over huge boulders along the edge of the lake. I knew we had to ascend a steep gully to the Pass but didn't know which one. Because the last two times that she'd done the run it had been snowing and fogged-in, Alison couldn't tell either. So we headed up the first steep gully we saw. We had been scrambling upwards for about 45min, following the cairns that we thought were the correct markers, when I began to get nervous. We hadn't seen or heard any of our group the entire way, and despite the clear trail we were following I wasn't sure of our route. Then, looking over to the other gully, I saw our guys.

After a long traverse across the slope we regained the correct trail and started up to Asgaard. At the top, we were amazed - it was gorgeous. An almost lunar landscape with small lakes and jagged peaks greeted us, along with countless mountain goats.

The noble mountain goat...

From there on the run was a lesson in navigation; the trail followed large cairns for the next several miles and it was very easy to step out of line while trying to maintain an even running pace. A few hours later we began dropping down out of the alpine bowl to Snow Lakes, a more forested section of the route linking several rather large and mosquito-inhabited lakes. We came to find later that this was where Torin, Max and John took their 1.5 hour off-course detour.

High alpine lakes and rock slopes dominated the Enchantments bowl

Looking down on Snow Lakes

After the lakes it was a steady hour and a half descent, undulating between gradual and steep trail. After five hours of running my knees were starting to let me know they were there, and I watched as Alison's ultrarunning prowess took over and she easily loped away from me down the mountain. We reached the end trailhead after 6.75 hours on the route and figured we would be the last to arrive, given our routefinding mistake in the beginning. But walking into the parking lot we saw that a) No vehicle was gone to run shuttle and b) Scott and Rolf had clearly just arrived. We came to find out, almost an hour later when Torin and Co. showed up, that the group had truly separated after the high alpine section, and that Torin's group bounded ahead, only to be stymied by a confusing trail junction in the Snow Lakes portion. They bushwacked in search of the trail for nearly and hour and a half before regaining it, and bonking ensued en masse.

Everyone finally arrived and shuttle complete, we all eagerly retreated to our old friend Rusty's, a classic burger and shake stop in Cashmere. Another O.D. down, more mitochondria for the bank, and one more day closer to West Yellowstone. Our quest continues...

The athletes: Alison, myself, Max and Torin

Just a Sunday afternoon with the MOD Squad

2010-08-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Trout Lake, Washington

2010-07-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps its not surprising some of the best skiing in America can be found beside a volcano stretching 12,276 into the sky. What might be surprising, though, is this underground mecca for ski training is used near exclusively in the summer months, and, even though one can see hundreds of acres of terrain on the upper reaches of Mt. Adams, all the skiing is done on paved logging roads put in years ago to haul out the resident Ponderosa, White Pine and Doug Firs. All it takes to put a smile on this skier's face in the summer months is smooth pavement that meanders through the Cascade foothill. To have all this in a sleepy town that sparingly shares the road with fossil fueled BMW R75's and mid-nineties Chevy Silverados makes it even better.

We saw the hottest days of the summer yet at this camp. Fortunately swimming holes abound around Trout Lake, making the plunge into the icy waters running off Mt. Adam's glaciers an easy detour before rolling back to camp and filling up on Taco Stand inspired food.

The kids were working hard all week. I don't think they were too used to putting in two tough workouts a day, but I never heard the young'ens complain. I was pretty impressed, especially when we finished the last two days of camp off with a time trial, a max strength session and a fast trek to the top of Mt. Adams. It was pretty sweet to see this long thin line of raucous skiers blowing by these slow moving, overburdened climbers, puffing away in their full GoreTex kits, headlamps and ice axes in tow.

More adventures...

2010-07-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Three quarters of the MOD Squad was back together in the Methow last week. Scott returned from his travels in Europe and Erik got back from training it up with the Alaska squad. And I've been here, holding down the home fort. We reunited on Saturday with a track workout, incorporating the Methow juniors I've been coaching all summer in a fun mixture of speed and speed endurance, and culminating in the ever-popular "truck push".

Then yesterday we got out for a real Cascade-style training session. Beginning at 7:30am, Scott, Erik and I saddled up and rode the 12 miles and 2500 ft up Washington Pass to the hairpin under Spire Gully. Trading our bikes for running shoes and backpacks we then ski-strode up Spire Gully to the base of South Early Winters Spire. Erik and I roped up and Scott free-soloed next to us as I led the first few pitches of the climb, then we un-roped and all of us soloed up the remainder to the top, giving us a total vertical gain of 5660' for the day. We allowed ourselves a few short minutes to take in the view of the surrounding peaks before downclimbing to our rope and rappelling the last few pitches to the ground. Back in our running shoes we partook of the bitchin' foot-glissade down the Spire gully before re-mounting our bikes and blasting down the pass. Not bad for a six-hour workout.

Tomorrow I load up the van with juniors and head down to Trout Lake, WA to help coach the second PNSA junior camp of the summer. Scott will join myself, Husaby, Brenna and Janice Sibilia as coaches while Erik and Torin will join in as guest athlete-coaches. Should be a great training week and a great way to intermingle with the division's top athletes. Hopefully we'll have great weather on Sunday for our annual ascent of Mt. Adams and I'll get some good photos - more to come!

The whole crew during June's Methow PNSA camp, showing their gratitude for a generous donation of sport drink from MOD sponsor Hammer Nutrition

Tour de Northwest

2010-07-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

It's July. And in the tradition of the 97th edition of the Tour de France, I've spent my last days out on the roads getting to know the Northwest as you only can when no two days are alike.

First, I left Bend for Portland; then the City of Roses gave way to the port town of Astoria, Oregon.

After Oregon came Washington. A wedding, nights by the waterfront of Lake Wenatchee, coastal sunsets, the obligatory celebrations of July fourth and rollerskiing in 102 degree heat.

My gypsy in arms came all the way from across the Atlantic to take in America, experience the 4th of July and to touch the Pacific for the first time. Forget Swatch watches or Swiss chocolate, this is the finest of Schweiz's imports.

Just as this tour came to end, so soon shall my time in Bend. Next week I load up the truck for good, leave the tenement aptly named the House of Fun solely in the hands of Carl Decker and Matt Lieto, and trade it in for some quality time up in the north country. Before arriving in Mazama I have one more stopover, though. I've been invited to lend a hand coaching the young up-and-comers at the PNSA ski camp at Trout Lake, Washington next week with Scott and Erik. To the best of times. And those that will be.

On the Italian Front: Coach Johnston reports on leave

2010-07-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Shirking my coaching duties and leaving the MOD athletes to train on their own I arrived in Europe a few days ago meeting Midge who had already been here a couple of weeks biking the big passes of the Italian Dolomites with a group of friends. Despite my being groggy with jet lag she started the flogging the very first day. We’ve been touring some of the popular via ferrata in the mountains around Cortina. The literal translation of “via ferrata” is “iron road”. The term comes from the ironwork installed on steep and what would otherwise be technically challenging climbing terrain. The Dolomites have no shortage of huge, steep mountains comprised of very sound limestone.

Barbed wire still litters the old front lines. Behind rises Tofane de Rossa up whose face goes a via ferrata.

During WWI the Italian alpine troops and the enemy Austrians dug intricate fortifications and tunnels into the jagged cliffs over looking all the important passes of the Dolomites. Actually, the tunneling began in the late 19^th century on what was already the border between the Austrio-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. Ostensibly allies, tensions ran high as the Italians feared the imperialistic designs the Austrians had on Venice as a seaport. To get to the unlikely gun emplacements perched high upon and inside the 2000’ high vertical cliffs a labyrinth of tunnels and caves was constructed inside these mountains and iron hardware was installed to allow access by the soldiers to these airy stances. Munitions and other supplies were carried into these positions on the backs of young men. Inside complete small camps and cities with barracks, mess halls and hospitals were carved from the solid rock.

Typical tunnel leading to gun emplacement 1000’ up a cliff face

Sometime after Europe recovered from the devastation of the war to end all wars the sport of climbing returned to the high mountains and climbers soon discovered the abandoned handiwork of the energetic Alpine soldiers and began exploring what had in most cases been forbiddingly steep terrain. Since then new via ferrate have cropped up in some non-war zones as well. Guide books lead the ferratisti like ourselves to the base of the routes and once there is it is a simple matter of following the iron road to the summit.

Midge in the remains of a machine gun pillbox, on a summit, guarding a pass. Access was by a tunnel just visible, below and to her left.

This is my first experience with via ferrate and while not climbing as I have known it, it is none the less an enjoyable way to get to some incredible places.

Today’s climb took us (unwittingly) up an Italian Alpine Troops training climb for 1500’. We got behind 38 Alpini as they thrutched their upward with full battle gear, including rifles and overnight packs while helicopters circled and dropped the occasional smoke bomb.

Here we had to wait on a ledge for Italy’s finest to be all they can be.

Tomorrow, another climb and exploration of a WWI tunnel system. The irony of these grim reminders of the years of bloody struggles that went on here is not lost on us as we traipse around this alpine wonderland.

PNSA Junior Camp

2010-06-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

My dryland season job this year is perhaps the best I've had yet: junior coach. Three days a week I get to spend a few hours training with the Methow's up and coming teenage athletes as we run and rollerski and bag peaks in the North Cascades. This past week the Methow hosted the first PNSA junior camp of the year. Ben Husaby brought his Bend Nordic Team group up and led the camp based on his long-standing "Trout Lake model" of training camps: four big-volume days of training, a rollerski time trial and a final BIG day in the mountains. The weather in the valley really worked for us, shifting from rain to sun mid-way through Wednesday and staying beautiful all weekend.

I managed to snap some good shots of our hike on Sunday. We started at the Cedar Creek trailhead and veered off onto the Mudhole Lake trail which shot straight up a ridgeline adjacent to the creek trail, then continued on up until we reached the top of an unnamed peak which overlooks Silver Star peak, Kangaroo and Snagtooth Ridge, and the western depths of the North Cascades. A BEAUTIFUL day allowed for almost seven hours of mountain adventuring, leaving the athletes (and me) tired and happy as we jogged back into the trailhead.

A day off today, and I return to the business of my own training tomorrow. Scott's in Europe, Erik's in Alaska, Torin's in Bend and I'm in the valley; the MOD squad is spread across the globe but we're putting in the time - stay tuned!

Some pictures from yesterday's epic:

Ascending the trail at 7am - steep!

Our objective in the distance

The final scree-scramble to the summit

The boys on top of the peak - Kangaroo Ridge as the backdrop

Home

2010-06-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

I got home to the Methow last night. Yesterday felt like a long day of travel. Trying to stay awake on the trip home from Park City, Utah was a struggle. It felt great to be able to sleep in my own bed last night. The last couple of days of the camp felt hard, I could feel the weeks training adding up. It ended yesterday with a 2 hour rollerski from Park City to Jeremy Ranch and a hour and a half hour run on some sweet single track. I'm really glad I got the opportunity to go down there and train with everyone and get coached by the U.S. Ski Team coaches. Here are some pictures from the camp thanks to teamtoday.org.

Thank you coaches for hosting a great camp!

Chris using the heat from the exhaust to change a pole tip.

School's in Session

2010-06-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

If there's been an extended narrative from this spring to summer, it's been that school's in session. Just as my 5th grade class celebrates it's summer freedom, I'm relishing my own changes in education. To join the MOD Squad, to begin working with Scott, to train alongside Sam and Erik, is to build the new associations that underlie creative innovation. This burning, this spark, this ignition has always been within me. It's just needed the chance to grow, blossom and burn.

Leading a group of young skiers along the climbs and descents of Mt. Bachelor. But who is it, exactly, who is the teacher and who is the student? (And while I'm on it, why does it seem so often in life do these happen to be opposing forces?)

Passion has no expiration date. The evolutionary function of play, captured in the blink of a camera's shutter. "Those most likely to prevail believe in possibilities - an optimist, a creative thinker, one who cultivates their own inner sense of power and control," begins the book. I'll be reading the rest.

Utah

2010-06-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Im in Park City, Utah training at the NTG Camp. The National Training Group is a group made up of 25 of the top junior and U23 athletes from around the U.S. The camp started off with a brutal hill climb called Agony Hill. The name says enough. I had a good race and finished fourth place out of the 9 guys here. The rest of the week has been lots of rollerskiing, running, strength training, and games. I have spent some time working one on one with the US coaches, working on technique and training. They have been filming us through out the week and last night we sat down with the coaches and analyzed it. Today we had a Sprint time trial at Soldier Hollow. I qualified 2nd, tying with two other skiers. I came in 15 seconds behind one of the fastest sprinters in the world, Andy Newell. After the qualifier we had 3 heats. It was a really good opportunity for me to battle it out with some of the top guys my age. It was a great chance to see the tactics Andy Newell uses, you can tell he has a ton of experience. He knows when to put in that little bit of extra effort to gap the rest of the field. He seemed to be really really strong pushing over the tops of the hills dropping the rest of the pack. We have four more days of intense training before I head back to Washington for some more training at home.

Running up Agony Hill

Scott Patterson, winner

Andy Newell

Coach's analyzing my technique