Training, Training, Training

Team training started this week, however, flu has hit the Wood River Valley, so teammates were few and far between. Our coach was hit hard with the Piggly Wiggly so he too was absent for most of the week. I have stayed clear so far and was able to get some good training in. I am in an intensity block meaning I do hard, fast workouts everyday that are typically not too long so I wasn't able to go on any adventures. Yesterday afternoon, I didn't want to drive all the way into Ketchum so I decided to drive out the gulch just north of my house, little did I know that it was a serious 4 wheel drive road that went WAY back into the canyon. It was difficult to turn around on as well so I put away my fears of getting a flat with no cell service and kept driving in hopes of finding this trail. about 45 minutes later I made it to the trailhead and although the entire road is available for camping, it seemed that many of the "campers" were more residents than campers. That also gave me a little fear. However, I headed out on the trail and about 5 minutes into my run, I saw a full deer carcass and suddenly feared all the animals of the mountains as well. I was feeling quite isolated up in this canyon and training alone just sent all kinds of fears through my brain. I did the workout and it was fast thinking of all that could happen to me....I made it back to my car and back out to the highway with no trouble, besides passing a truck full on hunters and realized that maybe that should have been my biggest worry out there! I realized how much a team is worth! Teammates can keep you company, push you hard, pick you up when you fall, and be there all the time. I miss my team back at Dartmouth! Last night, Wise Guy Pizza Pie had a fundraiser for our team and donated all profits of the night to the team so we all went out to grab some pizza. The place was hopping, so hopefully we made a few bucks! Yesterday was also a very special day for me because the Park City High School girls cross country team won state again! I believe this is the 7 year of victory out of the last 8! Today we had our first real practice with almost the whole team and our coach! Unfortunately the team was doing a power workout with lots of bounds and jumps which still hurts my knee a bit so I did a different workout. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I can train with everyone! I failed to bring my camera to any workouts so I have no pictures to share but I will do my best to fix that this week.