We have just returned from our week long camp in the Squamish/Vancouver area. After four good days of training in Squamish, we moved back to the wet land of Vancouver for the remainder of the week.
Ice baths after the hard workou
Jim and Sharon Bishop were nice enough to let as use their house to live in while they are in Winthrop for the summer. The last couple days were very successful for the four of us. Learning to get around the traffic and finding our destinations were often times the hardest parts of the workout.
We got in two very successful rollerski vertical workouts skiing up to the two local alpine ski areas, Seymour and Cyprus. Unfortunately the weather was a little wet, creating a fog that made it impossible to see more than 8 feet in front of you. As we punched out our last ten minutes of 30-30 intervals I got the feeling of winter racing in a snowstorm.
Sadie coming through the fog
One afternoon we decided to mix it up and try some new training. We spent the afternoon venturing over to the Olympic speed skating oval in Richmond. The four of us ripped around the oval trying to use our Nordic skiing skating skills to propel us along the ice. Let me tell you, the two sports may look very similar in their movements, but the techniques behind them are very different.
Sam catching a ride
We tried to pick up on the things the instructors were teaching the new skaters, and finally at the end got one of them to give us a short one-minute explanation of the basics of the movements and how to take the corners. I now understand why speed skaters all have huge quads. That sport is a serious leg workout! Along with the speed skating rink there was also a huge gym in the building, so we got in a good strength workout after warming up the legs on the rink. To end our day, on our way home we drove through the heart of the city and walked around downtown doing some window-shopping and people watching.
Sam, Sadie and Erik Speed Skating
Throughout the week we got in several good intensity sessions, a good long volume session on the last day, and a nice variety in our training. It was a great opportunity for training, but also a good reminder of what we are aiming for. Being surrounded by the hype of the Olympics was a nice reminder of our goals and why we need to be focused and ready to go every day and every workout. While we were downtown we got to watch the Olympic clock tick down.... 215 days until the start of the 2010 Olympic Games!
