While here at the OTC we have been able to take advantage of the great sports medicine lab they have here. We had hard uphill classic intervals and were able to cool down in the stream right after the workout. The stream was quite cold, but not as cold as the ice bath Maria and I used the next day. It was pretty painful for the first few minutes but after that initial freeze it was not too bad. Training has been going well and we are looking forward to the U.S. Ski Team athletes showing up next week.

The second week of the CXC Elite team camp in Hayward started with quite the off day. Instead of our usual day of rest and relaxation on Monday, we took to the Birkie trail to clear rocks and whatever else we could find that was in our way. This was a great project in that we were able to clear a couple kilometers worth of the newly cut and graded classic trail around the OO trailhead. We basically walked the classic trail sections and threw the rocks off the trail that we felt would damage skis and get in the way. It was a great couple hours working with Terry Penman from the ABSF Board of Directors and executive director of the Birkie Ned Zuelsdorff.
Tuesday brought us back to the usual training routine of isometric strength at 7 a.m. and some skate speeds at 9 a.m. After throwing a ton of rocks on Monday we hammered our three sets of 6×30 second uphill skating sprints. We then hit up OO for some intense specific strength. This workout is always brutal because of the steepness of the climb we use on OO. I think our coach Bryan Fish loves watching us suffer on this particular workout, but I always try to put on a tough face to not let him get the satisfaction of killing me.
Wednesday was the last day of our training camp and started off right with a filmmaking session. You will have to check out the CXC Academy to see what I am talking about. We took some time to film the strength routine we have been using and that will be posted at www.cxcacademy.com for your viewing pleasure. We then had an easy classic distance workout planned and it was a good way to end the camp.
That was the end of the training camp but not the end of our team adventures.We all headed over to the Twin Cities for the big tent sales at Gear West, Finn Sisu, and Hoigaard’s. was great to help spread the word about our sport and give back to these shops who have supported Nordic skiing in the Midwest for so many years. The team was split between the three stores and we had the chance to talk to the customers and help fit and sell various products to them. We were supported by Andy Gerlach and Kevin Johnson from Salomon as we were primarily helping customers find the perfect Salomon products.
On the way home from the Twin Cities tent sales, Maria and I stopped in Bloomer, WI to give a masters clinic. Check out the clinics link for more information on how it went.
We then stopped in my hometown of Rhinelander, WI for some late season bare footing. The weather cooperated long enough for me to get in a decent run without freezing too bad. My brother Chris put in a solid 5:30 minute run and our good friend from across the lake, Jaime, put in another solid run before we were through. It was a great way to spend a few days before heading back up to Marquette.