See ya later Vermont!11/6/2018 For the past month we’ve been waking up in Stratton about twice a week to find a little surprise in the morning, SNOW! The temperatures are dropping and we’re beginning to bundle up for our early morning workouts which can only mean one thing; the ski season is fast approaching! It’s crazy to think back on those initial training sessions with the SMS team back in June. Five months ago, I was getting dropped during most workouts and knew I had my work cut out for me for the summer. Those hot, humid, sticky months looked daunting to me at the time as I knew I would be training outside of my comfort zone. Yet, somehow those months just flew by and now we’re all heading our separate ways.  Sophie and I bounding up Stratton Mountain with a fresh coat of snow. For the last few weeks we’ve been bringing back the volume in our training and really starting to ramp up our intensity. One of the biggest changes for me is that I slowly stopped working as much. I needed to work over the summer and fall so I could save up a little bit for the winter race season, but I knew that this was taking a toll on my training. Once I stopped working I started having a lot more energy in my workouts and really felt like I had the ability to step into that next gear of training. Also, the lack of working has helped with my recovery from training and I think it could not have come at a better time. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to these teammates who have now become great friends. Most of the team is traveling directly over to Europe to start the World Cup season in just a few weeks. I am so proud of all of my teammates- for some, this will be their first time racing multiple world cup races in a row. It inspires me to hopefully one day join them and reach more of my goals, but for now I am heading out west to kick off the season with Julia, Katharine and Kyle in West Yellowstone.  Team run around Putney Mountain. Before I try to find snow though, I am making a quick stop at home in Minnesota for a fundraiser that I have been working on for a few months now. Gear West Ski and Bike Shop has been generous enough to support me with this and has agreed to match up to $1,000 in donations. The event will take place on Thursday, November 8that 5:30pm at Gear West and will include a run from the store, a presentation, silent auction, as well as food and beverages provided by Gore Tex and beer provided by Barley John’s Brewery! With this partnership, Gore Tex has also agreed to match up to $1,000 made from auction items. Some of these items include Birkie weekend cabin, Birkie start pass and wave boost, Rossi skis and gear, Swix poles and gear, Tailwind Nutrition Products, and a variety of other gift baskets. It’s been really great working with the entire Gear West crew and I am excited for a fun evening with Midwest skiers.
I am also looking forward to spending some time at my cabin on the Birkie trails. I grew up going to my cabin whenever I had a free weekend and have a lot of childhood memories from there. Since leaving for college four years ago I haven’t had the same opportunities to spend time there and I’ve realized how much I’ve missed it, along with having so much quality time with my friends and family. As sad as it is for me to say goodbye to Vermont for a few months, I am looking forward to heading home and then finding snow!
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Skiers to the line, set... Move out!10/18/2018 The last few weeks in Stratton have been great training and we’re starting to gear up for an exciting winter! It’s hard to believe we are only about a month away from the start of the season. As a college athlete, my season usually didn’t start until US Nationals in January because we were busy working toward finals in school. This year will be totally different for me! My first Supertour will be the first weekend in December, but I will have a few races even prior to that to help prepare for it. That means that right now, it’s time to put in a lot of hard work. Personally, the best way I can get into racing shape is to simply race more. We’ve been incorporating more of this into our training; two weeks ago Kyle and I competed in an uphill running race that went from the base of Stratton Mountain Resort all the way up to the top of the gondola. It was a 2.18 mile race but it took me just over 28 minutes! Kyle made it to the top of the podium while I placed second, overall a great day for SMS T2.  Gearing up for the big climb  Shout-out to Kelsey and Pat for hiking up to cheer us on!  Women's podium This past weekend, we traveled up north to race at the NENSA Roller Ski race in Jericho, Vermont. I headed up a few days early to spend some time with old college friends and teammates in Burlington. It was really nice to feel so much VCat love, which made it pretty tough to say goodbye. I was so excited though to see my old teammates perform so well at the ski race with Bill Harmeyer taking first place and Lina Sutro in third. Personally, I was happy to be in the mix (finished in 5th place) but that also set a nice fire inside me to get down to business this next month.  Back with the VCats!  Time to race  So proud of all my teammates, old and new! On top of all this racing and gearing up for the season, a lot of us are starting to move out of our summer homes. Kelsey and I ran into a few challenges with our condo over the summer and decided that the combination of mice and mold did not add up to a great living space for athletes. So, we worked to find alternative living options and decided to make a small move across the mountain. Kelsey and I spent a majority of last week packing and cleaning our condo and putting some of our belongings into winter storage. It might not sound like much work but turns out skiers come with a lot of extra “stuff” required for training and racing. Happy to have gotten that out of the way so our real move-out date will go much smoother!  Continuous interval work with Sophie and Kelsey in Stratton.  Joined the Craftsbury team for a run/hike up Mt. Mansfield the morning after the Jericho race.  First snow up on Stratton Mountain calls for some hard bounding intervals! I am looking forward to heading home in just three short weeks before I head out West for the kickoff to the season!
New Zealand Recap10/3/2018 Last month I had the privilege to join my Stratton Teammates, along with the US Ski Team and Craftsbury Ski Team, for a three week training camp down at the Snow Farm in New Zealand. The trip was full of spectacular views and phenomenal skiing, most definitely worth every penny and every hour of traveling to get to the other side of the world!  Proof of the magical views (PC: Matt Whitcomb) For the first week, the SMS crew stayed in apartments about 2k from the Snow Farm. The living arrangement was great, unfortunately, our rental van wasn't so great. I think we all lost count of how many times our van got stuck during the short drive to and from the skiing. We were very thankful for all of the strangers who chose to stop and help us out along the way.... Luckily, we had the perfect afternoon entertainment as our apartments were located right above a car testing track where people could drive cars as fast as they wanted on a slick ice rink. It was Audi's week to test on the track so we got to see some pretty cool cars driving around all day.  Can you spot Coach Pat under the van?  The view from our apartment (PC: Kelsey Phinney) Coach Pat didn't let any of the technical difficulties stand in the way of getting some good training in so we got right to it, training hours and hours out on beautiful ski trails!  Sophie and me enjoying the sunshine (PC: Julia Kern)  So many trails to go ski! (Matt Whitcomb)  Out cruisin around (Julia Kern)  First time all the SMS T2 girls have been in the same place since June! (Julia Kern) After one week of skiing, skiing, and more skiing, we took a trip down into the town of Wanaka for a mountain run and some New Zealand Tourism.        After a mini hiatus we went back up to the Snow Farm for a few races. Jessie and I did the Merino Muster 42k, my first skiing marathon! I definitely learned a few things about fueling before, during, and after such a long competition. Once experiencing a nice boot-and-rally about 14k into the race I was able to happily and comfortably finish the race coming in third place. We then went on to compete in the 2018 New Zealand Audi Quattro Winter Games. The women raced a freestyle 5k, freestyle sprint, and classic 10k, while the men completed a freestyle 10k, freestyle sprint, and classic 15k.  Jessie and me racing through The Glen for the first 7k (Matt Whitcomb)  Heading out for the second half of the race!  (Matt Whitcomb) Once the racing was completed we still had a few more days to spend every last precious second skiing our hearts out.   Finally some corn! (Matt Whitcomb)  So. Much. Training! I promise we were just using the snow to cool off... (Matt Whitcomb)  Yes Cork beat me in a lunch, working on it! (Kelsey Phinney) It was an unforgettable trip full of so much skiing and so many laughs, I can't wait to go back again soon...  (Julia Kern) College Conflict: Part II9/20/2018 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics about 70% of 2017 high school graduates enrolled in some form of college the following fall. In addition, a handful of the working population decided to either start college after a few years, or return to classes after a much needed hiatus. But what happens if you stray from the norm… and something pulls you in another direction? For Jessie Diggins and Andy Newell, there were alternative ideas for the future. At the time, both Jessie and Andy followed the same route exploring collegiate racing right out of high school. Similar to many high school skiers, they went through the process of applying to schools, talking to coaches, and establishing academic opportunities for themselves after graduation. “When I decided to go full-skiing, I had deferred a place at NMU, and had that as my plan B if I decided that full-time skiing was too stressful or not as fun as I wanted it to be,” states Jessie. “What I decided to do was defer from UVM but I was also able to take some classes from the University of Utah with tuition reimbursement and a loaned laptop courtesy of the US Ski Team,” Andy claims. At the time, both skiers were still open to going to college, but decided to “take a year off.” The only difference was that they never experienced that longing to go back into full-time school. As previously mentioned in Part 1 of this article, many skiers who decided to take a gap year soon came to the realization that something was missing and that they still wanted a balance in their life. It made sense for them to go back to school and ski in college. But why change something when you’re already happy? Jessie explains, “At the end of the day, a happy skier is a fast skier… For me, I was super happy having all my eggs in one basket and making skiing my full-time job. I love having skiing as my career, and I perform well under stress so having the pressure of becoming a professional athlete at a young age didn’t create too much anxiety.”  Jessie being goofy during training in New Zealand (PC: Julia Kern) This stress worked well for Jessie. With such a unique combination of personality, work ethic, and training load, Jessie knew taking this route would be better for her. “Personally, going to college wasn’t going to work for me if I wanted to get the grades I wanted and train as hard as I wanted,” Jessie notes. Jessie goes on to note how important it is to figure out your own personality; whether you can do a good job at balancing school and skiing, or whether you’re excited to focus all of your time and energy on one goal. She found that specificity suited her lifestyle really well after high school and carried that momentum for years to follow. Similarly, Andy found success from a young age and didn’t see a reason to change what was already working so well for him. “To get that kind of international exposure was sweet for a junior but more importantly it got me hooked on skiing; the addiction to the big show and excitement of European racing,” Andy reflects after racing at World Juniors, U23’s, and World Championships his first year out of high school. With the need for speed and an obvious progression into becoming an elite skier, Newell admits that he pretty much gave up any opportunities for racing in college after he started signing contracts and collecting win money. Although, he notes that the ski racing environment was slightly different at the time he made this choice. In high school, Andy was named to the US D Team which, at the time, provided free housing in Park City, access to daily coaching, and most of the Winter travel expenses covered. “I consider myself lucky that the US Ski team was in a position then to support D team members a little bit better,” Andy admits. Andy explains that he wouldn’t have given up his opportunities for anything. He was feeding his addiction to the big show of European racing, making decent money, and having the time of his life! What else could he need or want? So, the big question is, do all the stars need to align? Do you need to have the right opportunities present themselves at just the right time? Maybe! But it’s important to note that this right moment appears differently for everyone! What is more impactful, is the way you respond to the opportunities presented to you. “There are a lot of options these days, but those who become exceptional are the ones who actually pick something from the list. And they run like hell with it,” says USST coach Matt Whitcomb. You don’t need to do exactly what your teammate did, or what an olympic medalist did. Whitcomb advises, “Create your own path, get vulnerable. Most people just run down America’s path of mediocrity, when they could instead be cutting their own unique route.”  Matt pointing us in the right direction during a crust cruise at the Snow Farm. Every skier can take a different road. Maybe that road is pin straight without a single bump, or maybe that road has curves and hills and potholes. It doesn’t matter what it looks like or how you approach it, as long as you figure out the best scenario for you and what makes you happiest. One way to solve this solution would be to test out every possibility; take a gap year, go to one school, maybe transfer, take another year off... but this is unrealistic and requires far too many resources. I think that the easiest way to find your way is to talk to others that have faced a similar situation- an older sibling, teammate, coach, or friend. Also, remember that you really can’t go wrong. No matter what choice you make you will still face unexpected fears, experience a new lifestyle, and figure out why exactly you still love this crazy sport! For those of you taking a year off from school, I wish you the best of luck in finding the perfect place where you belong. For those heading back to school, I hope you cherish every moment of it, because it goes by far too quickly. Regardless of which road you choose, own it! Make it your decision and give it your best shot/all you’ve got. If you do that, you can’t go wrong. “There is no right or wrong decision, do whatever works for you!” -Sophie Caldwell
“You can be the fittest person out there, but if you are not happy and motivated, it will be very hard to ski fast.” -Julia Kern “My only regret in my skiing career is that I was not mentally prepared to win a medal at my first Olympics as a 22 year old…. I thought I had a chance of winning a medal but I didn't actually BELIEVE I could do it. So above anything else I want young skiers who are graduating from high school to know that 4 years is not a long time and you can find yourself at the start line of the Olympics before you know it.” -Andy Newell “I don’t think there’s one model that fits every person. It’s also important to remember that it’s not forever!” -Jessie Diggins “The opportunities will present themselves when the the time is right!” -Ida Sargent “If you want to be exceptional, don’t be afraid of being an exception.” -Matt Whitcomb New Zealand Recap9/14/2018 Last month I had the privilege to join my Stratton teammates for a camp down under at the Snow Farm in New Zealand. Breathtaking views, phenomenal skiing, and sunshine so sweet that you couldn't stop smiling, it was a trip that was worth every penny and every hour of travel (40 hrs).  Proof of the magnificent views! (PC: Matt Whitcomb) Driving up from the town of Wanaka you forget about summer and say hello to Winter! For the first week, the SMS team stayed in an apartment about 2 kilometers from the Snow Farm Lodge. Unfortunately, this became a battle between slick roads and a horrific rental van. Luckily, Coach Pat came to the rescue (along with a few strangers who chose to help us when we got stuck, multiple times...) and we made do for the time being. On the bright side, we were staying right above a car testing track where people from all over would come test whatever brand of cars and go for a "joy ride." We got some good afternoon entertainment watching Audi's drive around an ice rink for fun!  Can you spot Pat under the van? For the millionth time in a week?  View from our apartment, overlooking the test track (PC: Kelsey Phinney) We made sure none of these van problems held us back and were able to jump right into skiing for hours and hours everyday. Turns out it's not that hard when there's always spectacular views to keep you company.  Sophie and I enjoying the sunshine (PC: Julia Kern)  So many trails to be skied! (PC: Matt Whitcomb)  Out on a crust ski with the team. (PC: Matt Whitcomb)  First time all the SMS T2 girls have been in the same place since June! (PC: Julia Kern) Part way through the camp we took a trip down into the town of Wanaka to go for a mountain run and get a taste of New Zealand tourism.        By the third week of our camp, we began racing. Jessie and I competed in the 42k Merino Muster, my first marathon ski race! I learned a lot in this ski race- like how to fuel before, during, and after such a long competition. After experiencing a boot-and-rally at about 14k, I learned my lesson and was able to happily and comfortably finish the race in third place.  Racing through The Glen in the first 7k (PC: Matt Whitcomb)  Heading out for the second half of the race!  Beautiful day for an awesome race! (PC: Matt Whitcomb) Next were the 2018 New Zealand Audi Quattro Winter Games. The women competed in a freestyle 5k, freestyle sprint, and classic 10k, while the men raced in a freestyle 10k, freestyle sprint, and classic 15k. After the races were over, we had a few days remaining. We spent every last second we could embracing the snow and sunshine including some great crust skiing.  Finally finding some corn out there! (PC: Matt Whitcomb)  So. Much. Training! Really we just needed to cool off cause the sun was getting so hot.... (PC: Matt Whitcomb)  Last day on snow, yes Cork beat me in a lunge... working on it! (PC: Kelsey Phinney) It was an unforgettable three week trip with so much skiing and so many laughs. Can't wait to go back again sometime soon...  PC: Julia Kern The College Conflict: Part I9/9/2018 For the first time in 17 years I will not be going back to school this fall. Saying that out loud is more daunting than I had anticipated. For the most part, the classmates that I graduated with can say that they are “going to grad school,” “starting a new job,” or “taking a year off to travel,” but I still don’t know where I lie. I am not taking any classes this year, I am not working anywhere consistently, and I am doing more than just traveling to explore, I’m traveling to race!  US Ski Team Camp at the Snow Farm in New Zealand (pic: Matt Whitcomb) I am wrapping up a three week training camp in New Zealand with the SMS, Craftsbury, and US Ski team. When I walked through customs I had to write down my reason for visiting New Zealand: Was I a student? Was I visiting a family or friend? Was I working? What was my job? In the rush of the moment and due to habit, I wrote that I was still a student and continued on my way. I later had a few reflections; I still haven’t reached the point yet where I can say I have a job. I don’t have a salary and there are no company benefits. Yet, I work 24/7 toward my job- my job is ski racing. But why is this so hard for me to admit to myself? Is it because, for my entire life, I’ve been a student? What if I hadn’t taken this route? How do others make this decision? Racing throughout high school I was given a number of perspectives about picking skiing versus school. My friends were all preparing to go to college and I always assumed I would go to college too. My parents and older sister went to school, why wouldn’t I go as well? But then I thought about skiing. I never had the most outstanding results in high school (never qualified to race internationally), but I was good enough to qualify for regional and national level camps like REG, NEG, and NTG. I traveled to these camps and trained with other high-level athletes, getting more and more motivated by each skier or coach that I met. Then the thought came to me... what if I didn’t go to college? I could focus on training, make those vital steps toward international racing, and continue along the “pipeline” that so many olympians had followed. Maybe I would make bigger jumps and improve my skiing exponentially? I was entering the unknown and I was unsure how to pick the right choice for me. Looking back on this four years later I realize that I was far from alone in this predicament.  National Training Group, Summer 2013, Park City, Utah. I have since had the opportunity to talk to a wide variety of skiers and competitors and have learned so much that I wish I knew in high school. It’s okay to be confused. It’s okay to make your own path. Every athlete is in a different situation, comes from diverse athletic and academic backgrounds, and has various goals that they hope to achieve post-high school. “I've always believed that the most important thing to remember when discussing the decision to go to school or not (or when to go to school) is that is it a completely individual decision and the right decision for one person might not be the right decision for the next,” states Sophie Caldwell. Personally, I finally decided that taking a gap year might be too big of a jump for me. I wasn’t ready to focus on skiing and I had a lot of goals for myself academically. I decided to attend the University of Vermont and upon reflection, can admit that this was one of the best decisions of my life. Similarly, SMS teammate, Kelsey Phinney, went from high school in Boulder, CO directly to Middlebury College. “The reason I chose Middlebury College was simple: I went to visit and I was ready to unpack and stay for good. I loved the people, the area, the ski team, and the classes I sat in on,” says Kelsey Phinney.  Carnival Love! Kelsey and I both fell in love with our schools from the start and knew we were where we belonged. We took these college experiences as learning opportunities; maybe we wouldn’t have been ready to jump right into the professional circuit but we both determined this was the right path for us. “I loved the experiences I had on the Carnival circuit. Both good and bad times taught me a lot about life and skiing, and I felt like the balance of school and sport made me better at both,” Kelsey reflects.  Learning how to care about everyone’s race, not just your own. Similarly, Sophie Caldwell had her mind made up without the need to hesitate over a gap year or jumping into full-time skiing. “I chose to go to college right out of high school and it was something I had always known I wanted to do. I knew there was a good chance I wanted to ski professionally at some point in my life, but when I was 18, I wasn't ready to 100% commit to skiing” Sophie explains. With academic goals in mind and the confidence to pursue skiing in the long-run, sometimes there’s no need to question it. Going directly to college might challenge you more than you think and it might make you question what you’re doing. The balance of school and skiing is great, but it’s TOUGH! At least you worked through those challenges and figured out where you want to be though. “I definitely had my ups and downs throughout college and at times I considered not pursuing skiing after college, but by the time I entered my senior spring, I knew I wanted to give skiing professionally a shot and knew it was because it was what I wanted to do, not what I had to do,” Sophie notes. Over the course of four years we were able to say goodbye to our homes, grow into adults, and develop as skiers; allowing a much smoother transition into the professional racing circuit post-college. This decision to go right to college made sense for Kelsey, Sophie and me - it was simple; but I recognize that this choice isn’t as straightforward for everyone. “I loved my time at Burke and wasn't quite ready to leave. I also didn't know where I wanted to go to college as part of me wanted to go out west while part of me wanted to stay closer to home,” says Ida Sargent. The conflict of picking a school, a place we are willing to spend at least four years of our lives at, can be intimidating to anyone. Taking a year off to think and explore what motivates you once the structure of school is taken out of the picture can be extremely vital to one’s skiing longevity. Other times, this year off can be done to test out what skiing professionally is actually like. “I wanted to test out whether I could do only professional skiing,” offers Katharine Ogden. A feat that might sound easy to accomplish- ski, eat, sleep, repeat - can’t be THAT hard! But what happens when you suddenly put all of your time and energy into one goal? “Ironically, my gap year did not turn out even close to how I had planned or imagined!” reflects Julia Kern. After facing an early summer surgery for compartment syndrome, and then an untimely back injury in the fall, Julia notes that her gap year was extremely tough with plenty of lows and setbacks.  Julia with swollen legs after surgery, requiring A LOT of physical therapy during the summer. Ida Sargent offers, “My PG year was a bit of a disappointment as I wasn't as happy as I was expecting and I also didn't feel like I made as big of a jump with my results as I had hoped.” “I think in hindsight it was a good philosophy but I think I approached it wrong. I didn’t do a good job securing other things to do besides training and was thus pretty bored, which led to me putting a lot of stress on skiing and racing,” says Katharine Ogden. Maybe taking a gap year isn’t as easy as it sounds? Coming face-to-face with this type of ski-focused intensity as an 18 year old can be challenging. “It showed me how much I really wanted to go to college,” offers Katharine Oden. It can also be validating, as it can prove to oneself where they really belong at that point in their life. “It made me realize that I wasn't ready to ski full time and I still needed balance in my life,” reflects Ida Sargent. What might be the most beneficial part of taking a gap year, is the lessons you learn throughout. How to deal with the pressure, free time, potential obstacles, and how to respond when you’re suddenly put in an unfamiliar situation. “My gap year turned out to be far from ideal from a training/fitness standpoint; but I became very in tune with my body, learned how my body responds to training, became mentally tougher, and learned that I love the skiing lifestyle (even if it is tough sometimes) and that I want to ski at the highest level possible,” says Julia Kern. Some things you just can’t learn in a classroom.  Julia, still smiling with her PT.  SMS PG's always having fun! (pic: Julia Kern) After taking a gap year to figure out what skiing was like full-time; Ida, Katharine, and Julia attended Dartmouth College (via various routes): Ida states, “I started by going to school full time and I raced for Dartmouth for three years and then made the National team so I took my senior winter off to race for the USST and then I went back for a spring term my fifth year.” “One year in [as a traditional student], I am very happy at Dartmouth and racing the collegiate circuit last year reignited my love for the sport,” adds Katharine. While Julia contributes, “I chose Dartmouth because I wasn’t sure what skiing and school balance I wanted to have, but I did know that I wanted to be able to take terms off to race internationally.” Regardless of which Dartmouth plan they followed all three skiers seem to have enjoyed the choices they made. Whether taking a gap year is or isn’t part of your plan, the most important takeaway is that you should TAKE SOMETHING AWAY! Learn something new about yourself, about skiing, or about classes you want to study.
So what about other options for pursuing a ski career? Jessie Diggins and Andy Newell both chose to skip college and go straight into skiing. Stay tuned for my next post when I’ll include input from both of them as well as what Matt Whitcomb has to say on this topic. Last Week of Summer8/12/2018 It’s crazy to think that we only have one last week of summer! Next week we all head down to New Zealand to greet Winter with open arms for some great training on snow. As yummy as the current fresh berries and garden veggies in Vermont might be, I think we’re all excited for some cooler temps and a break from the humidity. After just about every workout this week we’ve been able to wring out our training clothes due to either sweat (GROSS!) from the 95% humidity or to the pouring rain from the ruthless afternoon showers. So, we’ll have one more week of this, escape for a little winter adventure, and then HOPEFULLY come back mid-September to a few crisper mornings- keeping my fingers crossed. Upon this realization that summer is almost over I’ve done a bit of reflecting on what I have accomplished thus far. As one who usually classifies myself as a “distance” skier, I’ve been really excited about the progress I’ve made in some of the speed/sprinting workouts we’ve done, one of my major goals for this year! I’m not saying my super fast teammates have magically rubbed off some of their fast twitch on me, although that would be nice, but I have become so much more comfortable skiing well at higher speeds. I’ve been able to pass Coach Pat during a speed, turn around after, and hear him say, “Alayna that actually looks pretty darn good!” This is something new to me and I’m excited about it! Now I just have to learn how to transfer this over to real skiing on snow…. Good thing I have plenty of opportunities for that coming up soon!  Some super sweaty bounding intervals up Stratton Mountain earlier this week. We ended our last big training block before New Zealand with a race at the Nensa App Gap Challenge. This race was a 5k skiathlon. The juniors started in 30 second intervals while the elite skiers started after everyone in one big wave. We skate skied 2.5k up to the base of Mad River Glen, switched to classic skis, and then skied another 2.5k to the top of the App Gap. Quite the butt burner! It was a super hard race with some relentless climbing, but it was great to put on a bib and really go for it. Nensa did a ton of planning and logistical organizing for this event and we all enjoyed a great celebratory BBQ at Green Mountain Valley School after the race. Huge thanks to Nensa and to GMVS! Ready now for a week of rest and packing before a big trip!  Kelsey and me chasing down some of the Junior boys!  So happy to FINALLY see the top of the App Gap (and finish line)!  Great to run into the UVM coaches at the event (Perry Thomas- Patrick Weaver not pictured). Hanging on with the Best7/30/2018 A few weeks ago I had the privilege to tag along with the US Ski Team at their mid-summer Women’s Camp in Lake Placid, New York. Fellow SMS T2 skier, Kelsey Phinney, and I were able to live in the house with the National Team and use the facilities at the Olympic Training Center to optimize our recovery between hard workouts. It was a 10 day camp with intensity every other day and long distance workouts on the opposite days. The camp consisted of skate sprints, threshold bounding intervals, a skate sprint simulation, hard double pole intervals, and threshold skate intervals. In the middle of all that, Coach Pat helped me with a lactate test on a treadmill at the OTC to make sure I’ve been training well the past few weeks. 10 days later… I was ready for a nap!  The US Biathlon Women were able to join us for a few workouts too! Through the tired legs and sweaty mess though, I had a chance to reflect on all this work and be really proud of myself. Back when I was in high school I attended a US Camp in Lake Placid during the fall where we did many of these same workouts. I remember doing double pole intervals in the exact same location as we did this summer. The entire setup was replicated--starting location, intensity, length, most of the same girls. The only difference this time? I was able to keep up.  Double Pole Intervals Sure, I’ve been training with some of these athletes all summer, but hanging on in a workout once a week versus sticking with them everyday for 10 days, that’s a big difference!  Learning from my teammate, Julia Kern, during some speeds.  Sprint simulation: on your mark, get set…. Go! Other firsts for me at the camp: we ran to the highest peak in New York (Mt. Marcy), I received my first massage mid-week to help with recovery, I went mountain biking in New York, I went swimming in Lake Placid (the lake downtown is actually called Mirror Lake) with some old college teammates.  Coach Pat took his gals out for an afternoon recovery workout.  UVM Skier, Lina Sutro, and I jumping into Lake Placid. Thanks Karl Schulz for the ride! The USST Athletes and coaches have been so welcoming to guests like myself, as well as the Craftsbury Green Racing Project Team. Living in the same house as them and hanging out between workouts have made me feel really included and remind me that I am right where I belong, which I am so thankful for. A busy week at camp made me both exhausted and excited for more. Most of the team took advantage of a few days off to go visit family and friends after Lake Placid but now we’re building up to one last big blocks of training before we head to New Zealand in a few weeks!
Work, and work... and work7/13/2018 It’s almost been one full month since I arrived in Stratton and so far I’m loving it! I’ve settled into a new home, a new team, and a new schedule. There has been a lot of change for me but it excites me to be doing something so different. One of the biggest hurdles for me as I take on the world of professional skiing is funding. I am working hard on finding sponsors and support from the Minnesota and Vermont community, but in the meantime I’ve been continuing my juggling act by getting not one, but two jobs in the Stratton area.  Training with some speedy new teammates in the Town of Stratton. On Mondays I get to work in a ski shop located in the Stratton Village, close enough that I could walk or bike to. As there isn’t much downhill skiing going on at the Mountain these days, things have been pretty quiet. So I get to spend most of my day sitting and reading my book, while occasionally selling a water bottle or two. Then I get to focus completely on my own skiing the following three days of the week until Friday rolls around and I head to the J.J. Hapgood General Store three nights in a row. Although, not your most typical general store, they also have a full restaurant where I work as a server… among other things.  Just your average counter girl/store clerk/barista/bartender/server. Working two jobs on top of training full-time is not the most ideal situation when it comes to scheduling workouts and recovery. Fortunately, the team has been very supportive of my decision and they even come to visit me while I’m at work!  We had a huge BBQ/Pizza Party with Live music last week and whole gang came out for some dancing. Running around the store can be a little tiring from time to time, but the fast-pace business keeps me on my toes, entertained, and time flies by! I just need to be sure I head straight to bed after work and keep off my feet whenever I’m not training or working. So far it’s all going well and I’m happy to be getting more acquainted with the Stratton community! July 13th, 20187/1/2018 I grew up in the Midwest with mosquitoes, deer flies, and the most dreaded: humidity! I thought I did a good job surviving it, knew how much my body could handle, and stayed as hydrated as I could. I went to college in another notoriously humid area, but I only spent September through April training, when things had already started to cool off. My coach at UVM recommended I spend a summer training in Bend, Oregon, an idea I jumped on right away. It only took a couple weeks to absolutely fall in love with the Western summer. The dry heat, mountains of opportunities, and lack of bugs, had me crawling back to Bend three summers in a row.  Soaking up that dry heat with Kristen Bourne my first summer out in Bend, OR. Alas, it was time for me to grow up. I didn’t pick a ski team according to its local weather patterns. So I had to say goodbye to the endless sun and welcome back the spontaneous thunderstorms with open arms. During my first month of training with the SMS T2 team in Southern Vermont, I received a good slap in the face. I traded in the sun screen for bug repellent, the sun glasses for a rain jacket, and pretty much anything I could find for MORE WATER! Last week we had a pretty intense week of training with lots of intervals and volume. One of our workouts included 4x11 minutes of skate roller skiing intervals up and down a gradual pass working on skiing well at high speed. The goal was to build neuromuscular adaptations while not being too aerobically taxing. The humidity killed me! After each training session it wasn’t only about replenishing the thirst from what our body just endured, but preparing it for the next time we had to go run for 2 hours in 90 degrees and 88% humidity.  Paddy Caldwell staying on top of those electrolytes mid-workout! Thankfully, this team is not new to breathing in a sauna. In order to get through the challenging weather we held each other accountable to take plenty of water breaks, restore electrolytes, and eat many snacks along the way. Luckily, Coach Pat came prepared with PLENTY of extra water to keep our core body temperature down.  Unsure if it feels better to drink the water or have it dumped over your head… Finally, we made it through the end of the training block and got to take some time off for more R&R. I've spent the last few days trying to find any body of water I can to jump in and have taken on average 3 cold showers each day. Thankfully, the weather is starting too cool off again before we jump back into the next big block of training!  Even upon summiting Stratton Mountain there wasn’t much of a view because of the heat haze |
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