After 2 weeks of dryland training in single digits, yes below 10F, I decided I had had enough. Although I will say, the cold crisp air, and low sun really makes for some unbelievable views of the mountains, if only I had a good It's really something to experience that first cold lung burn when you are bounding with poles or rollerskiing, definitely a first for me. After that joyous experience, I was able to snag a ticket north to Fairbanks, where a little bit of snow had fallen in order to get a long weekend of skiing. Erik, my coach, coached a junior camp up there at the same time. So not only were we training a fair amount, we were helping out coaching some of the juniors and making appearances in the evening to help further inspire these kids. Fairbanks is known for being bitter cold, but we lucked out and things never got below 0!!! A teammate of mine is from Fairbanks so we were able to stay at her house, thanks Becca and Family!
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| Everyone getting their wax on early in the morning (Holly Brooks Photo) |
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| The whole group, juniors, coaches, and elite skiers |
There was just a couple inches of snow, so we had to use some old skis that could handle a few scraps from the occasional rock, but we did have close to 30km of skiing so it wasn't too bad.
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| As with all camps, we finished off with a fast and female event. I got to lead the power station so we had relay races with one girl pulling another to develop leg power. All the girls had fun and it was a great time had by all! |
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This sculpture was outside one of the local outdoor shops that we did a presentation in. It's made all of bike parts!
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Unfortunately, we came back to just a few inches of snow up high in Anchorage. I guess after all that rain in September, it was bound to dry up at some point....So we have been able to do a little skiing higher up in the mountains mixed with more running. The moose are also in mating season which means they are a little crazy right now. We had a rough encounter doing some running intervals in the ski trail. We had passed this fellow a couple of times and then for some reason, on the 4th time past, he decided that was it and started in a full on run chasing after us. Well, let me tell you, that interval was quite quick, nothing like getting chased by a bull moose. Fortunately, he steered off into the bushes at the last minute so we were all safe, despite the scare.
I am entering into my last weekend in Anchorage for the next 5 months so I have more than a few ends to tie up before leaving including finishing up with all my classes that don't actually end until mid-december. Luckily, I've had a little bit of practice at that one before. The excitement for the season is rapidly building. I am extra excited because the beginning of the season not only means racing, but also seeing my family and spending more time at home! I am going to do my best to update my schedule frequently so please check back to see where in the world I might be racing.
