Oh Man

It's Monday afternoon and things have been pretty crazy and I finally feel like I am settling back in after a bonkers weekend. Training last week was really good. Had a hard time trying to get my legs to recover from some of my stupid workouts. I was going out for a double pole and had a tip break and instead of going back for a new tip I tried to no pole classic for an hour, my legs paid the price. My left ankle is still messed up after coming off this summer's sprain. It's hard to get my left ski to track well since I can't stay stable. Anyway after a nice easy Friday ski we had a rainy time trial out on river road. Felt good, not really fast, but I felt in control and got some speed going in the end. Zizzy won for the second year in a row, Beano was second, I could see him in front of my for about half of the race and our gap was about the same but he made a big push on one of the easier hills and pulled away. I was third and happy with my result. Being such a social minded team we help out at Make a Difference Day and cleaned a playground in town. Saturday night was the world famous OC Halloween Party. Everyone made it out and the weather held out for the most part. The band was dope and I couldn't have asked for much more. Sunday morning was pretty funny hearing the stories filter out as we got in a good running OD. Anyway another week in the books and the season has really started now that the world cup has gotten going. I am taking today off, maybe throwing in a light easy run before the sauna.

I really want to get on snow soon, it sucks that it has been so warm lately. The team seems to be coming along really well, good efforts by both the mens and womens teams and everyone seems fit. I think as a mens team we could really crack into the top this year. Everyone is focused and Ethan and Knut's attention to detail is awesome. Training at Higely state park is nice too because the road is closed down so we can ski four or five wide in double pole intervals without watching out for cars. We also found out that dragging our rollerskis on the pavement makes the bolts shoot sparks, everyone thought this was awesome (well the mens team). Thats about it from here.

rain and soccer

Woke up tired as shit this morning and went to lifting, same old but felt good. Classes were ok, had an alumn in my printmaking class show some of her work. Poetry was fine but my third class was pushed back because of my teacher. Snuck in a solid hour skate rollerski in the pouring rain on wet leaves which was sketchy as hell. Almost went into traffic trying to snow plow on leaves on a downhill... of couse I didn't have a helmet on since it wasn't team practice. Played soccer with the team and got schooled on by all the girls, I suck at soccer. Solid day of training though. Reading all the other blogs everyone is putting their training up like they are blowing the doors off everyone else. I have made the results before and I know I can do it again, it just has to click, days head down in the rain help for college skiing where anything can happen. As the season sneaks up I am trying to get dialed while sneaking in the needed deer camp and fun. With the moustache growing and the days getting shorter I think I am on my way.

Good weekend

So last week was a really solid block for me with some really controlled solid interval sessions that I felt were done near perfectly, which is hard when I usually find a way of messing up everything. So I had an easy run Monday, L3 ski walking Tuesday that was two hours long, Skate on Wednesday, uphill running intervals Thursday, Friday I did an easy double pole on my own and was totally friend and started feeling a bit sick after skiing in the rain.

Friday night I drove with my buddy Graham to the premier of the new Matchstick movie, Seven Sunny Days, a freeskiing film. It was soooo dope. Two of our other buddies that are apart of our "Crazy Wimo" brotherhood were in town and we were all at the premier with some other friends that work for ski companies. The movie was so good and we had a great time. After the lights turned on I noticed that my favorite skier was there for the premier. SARAH BURKE (Rated as one of the top 100 hottest women alive by FHM). The head of Nordica skis introduced me to her and I had stolen a sharpie and had her sign "crazy wimo" on one arm and she wrote in huge letter I (HEART) SARAH BURKE XOXOXOXO. I was in pure heaven. About half an hour and a few ginger ales I went back to say hi again after Ingrid Backstrom had signed my stomach and had Sarah sign me again and I started talking.... Put me anywhere near a beautiful woman that can ski and it is going to lead to trouble, luckily Graham saw this and pulled me away before I asked her to marry me. The start to a good night.

Saturday we chilled in Burlington and decided that it was going to be my day off for the week. My legs were totally maxed out and it just worked out better that way. I finished off the week doing a 2.5 hour rollerski this morning followed up by a half hour run. I felt really good, Zizzy accused me of going out too hard in the start by my heart rate was totally under control along with my breathing. So I wasted all day watching Mad Max return to Thunder Dome and I am tired and still have some work to crank out so I can train in the morning. I hope this little cold I have goes away soon and that tonights work passes by quickly. Thats about it from here.

Back on my game

So last week I took some personal time and left a few days before mid semester break started to go see my brother in Maine. I need a break, school was really stressing me out and I was exhausted all the time. Break was really good, I didn't get any pics but I was at our cabin in Burke for most the week doing some training and bird hunting, but mostly sleeping. I also read possibly the best book ever written and I encourage everyone to read it. I hope they serve beer in hell by Tucker Max, get it, I almost pissed my pants reading it. So yeah just a lot of rest and some nice workouts out on the pipeline in Burke and in my woods at home. I was actually sort of glad to get back to school and I feel a lot better. Went for an easy run Monday, yesterday was L3 ski walking out at seven springs and I felt really good, in total control. Today I felt pretty stiff so I woke up and went for an easy run before settling into the library to get some work done, we have a skate ski this afternoon. The rest of the week is looking pretty tough but it will be good to really step it up as winter draws ever nearer.

I am really sick of school though, every Senior says it but I mean come on, so close, yet so far away, I just want that degree. The only thing that's keeping me going is flannel lined chinos and calling Steve Vargo "scuba steve". hahha. Anyway, back to work....

Peaking

Right before Beano decided to destroy me in the 3000 last week.




Peak weekend is coming up and most of the guys team is pumped for the annual tradition of running ourselves into the ground. Every fall SLU puts someone on 46 of the tallest peaks in the ADKs. Every year the nordic guys get stuck/choose MT Allen. 6 mile run in, bushwacking up for 4-5 back down and out. It gets pretty ugly, the first year I had to walk the last 2 miles out in dead last. It vaporizes shoes and makes you resort to eating some pretty gross stuff. The best part is that we have St. Regis the day before. St. Regis is one of our fall tests, around 40 minutes I think of all out trail running a smaller mountain. I have never won, I was second freshman year, off the back sophmore year (a formal the night before, Kalie almost caught me) and last year Beano got me. So we will see, Beano has been killing testing winning no pole testing and the 3000 but Ziz and I ran up the mountain all summer... so we'll see.

Zach and I had to test this week because we missed it over the weekend because we had planned on going to a concert at Burke months ago. It was a sick show, highlighted with Grace Potter (Slu alumn) killing it on a perfect fall night. Zach, Graham and I stayed at the cabin and it was almost worth the horrible drive from SLU.

Anyway Zach and I did testing by ourselves and Ziz ended up setting a new best time for double pole out at Browns Bridge (8 min uphill) I was really happy with second since I never really test well and I wasn't feeling %100. In no pole testing Beano's best held out winning by over a minute over Ziz, I was fourth with Pepper ahead of me.

So testing was good, this weeks training has been good with a skate on monday, good long hard skate tuesday with Beano involving my first fall on rollerskis. Testing Wed, easy run out at the Higley Wiggley yesterday. I feel like I am soaking up my training pretty well. Next week I go on mid semester break on wed so I am heading up to Burke I think for a little rest and some good training.

Thats about it from here, I will post some pictures of the epic weekend once I get them. adios.