Christmas Vacation

By Brayton Osgood

This year I didn't go home for Christmas, I got my family to come visit me. While it's hard to beat the comforts of home (especially the red couch) it was really fun to have everyone come visit for a week. We fought tough grooming conditions all week (a foot a day or more is a lot to deal with, particularly when it's a foot of cement), but we all got a lot of skiing in. I was no match for my mom and dad in terms of training volume, but I did get in a few more intensity workouts than they did. Gotta win the family battles somewhere. Today it was finally clear enough to see the mountains while skiing, a nice treat for the end of their trip.

I'm off to Anchorage tomorrow for the little race series known as US Nationals. I'm curious to see if this one will be smaller than in years past because it's so far away from everything. Then again, there enough junior skiers in Alaska to potentially make up for all the ones that don't come from the lower 48.

For me Nationals starts on Monday with the classic race. I think I'm ready. I'm the healthiest I've been this season since before I left for West Yellowstone. I managed to get in my hard workouts, even with less than ideal skiing conditions. There's nothing left to do except travel, get rested and race fast. Time to punch a ticket to Whistler.

Kickin' It At Kincaid

When the snow is good at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska it is hands down one of my favorite places to XC ski. Right now there is a lot of snow at Kincaid Park.

I arrived up in Anchorage a little less than a week ago and for the first 4 days I don’t think it stopped snowing. Sometimes it was coming down hard and other times it was just flurrying, but I really don’t think it stopped. Now after a solid foot plus of new pow-pow the snow has subsided and the cold has moved in. Nothing like snow and cold to make you feel like it is wintertime. Add the dark in there and you have got Anchorage in December. The highs for the next few days are between zero and 5 degrees. Bring it. This type of weather makes you tough.

Between now and the last time I wrote about a week ago a lot has gone on. Nicole and I traveled down to Boise from Ketchum in a snow storm one early morning and put on a ski clinic for the Idaho Nordic crew. That was fun, as it always is to work with a fired up group of Masters athletes who really love living a healthy active lifestyle. The skiers from Boise are a dedicated crowd! We learned this after making the drive up to Bogus Basin two times in two days. Getting up there is a haul. Thanks for having us down everyone and hope to see you again later on this winter.

Monday we barely made it through Seattle to get to Anchorage, but we did and since then it has been a recipe of rest and hard training every other day. This usually gets me pretty sharp and I am hoping it works out this year for Nationals. There is a lot riding on these races so I definitely want to perform. If all goes well it means a possible start later on in January at the Whistler World Cups. Everyone knows this is the venue for the Olympics next year so each opportunity to race there is key!

I hope everyone out there had a Merry Christmas and I will keep you posted on the action up here in Anchorage as the races get closer. Take it easy- Colin

Happy New Year

by David Chamberlain

Here in the east Old Man Winter is having a little trouble getting into his groove. We still have snow and decent skiing but in the last week I have skied on every kick wax imaginable, including red klister. The days have been a little unpredictable. The good news is that even with a little rain there is still a good two feet of snow on the trails.

My Christmas was a good one.I was able tostay tuned fornationals bydoinga few easterncups last weekend in Stowe. The most interesting part of the weekend was driving homein a blizzard (it took two days).The rest of time I spent doing the usual Christmas things, eating, skiing, hanging around.

The last couple of days we have been putting in the final workouts before heading for Anchorage tomorrow. Our plan is to make the drive to Quebec City tomorrow night and fly tuesday morning.

Happy New Year!

Kincaid Park- U.S. Ski Championship Venue

By Nicole De Yong

Hello from Alaska!

I was very lucky to arrive in Anchorage Monday evening despite all the airline delays and cancellations in Seattle. As we were landing, I peeked out the window and was excited to see a thick, white blanket covering everything!

I headed out to Kincaid Park the next morning for a ski, and just to let you know, it doesn’t get light until 10:30 am! I forgot how dark it is in the morning. The groomers were out in full force making their way around the park, setting tracks. With the help of a map, I was able to figure out the course for the sprint race and the distance races. A lot of trail remodeling has occurred since I was last at Kincaid. I was only 10 minutes into my ski when I ran into a moose…a sure thing to see while you are here!

The temperatures at Kincaid have been in the teens. The forecast calls for colder temperatures with highs around 0-5 degrees and lows around 0-10 below. Yes, it will be cold! Don’t forget lots of long-underwear and your down parka!

Check out www.anchoragenordicski.com for updated trail grooming conditions, weather and the link to the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Championship website.

Out of the Gate

By Adam Swank

The holiday season is in full swing, and with it - the early season racing is underway.I joined a large cadre of langlaufers from south of the border to race in silverstar two weeks ago.Snow gods had been withholding their goods from the normally blessed Wasatch Valley in Utah, temporarily displacing the supertour to Canada.

This was my first attempt at going fast on skis for the 08/09 season.

Both races I did were freestyle due to lack of snow even in Canada, and the pace I sustained for 2 1/2 minutes was very likely the same pace sustained the following day in a 15 km race. This maintenance of the same pace does not indicate I dominated the 15km, rather, it revealed my lack of skill in sprinting.

This upcoming weekend I will be back in Minnesota and racing a local sprit race here in Duluth in an attempt to improve my skills in the sprinting arena. Forecast is for flurries all weekend, with accumulation nearing 12 inches. This low key event should be a great springboard into the holiday season, and some intense training to get prepared for the upcoming marathon season. Happy holidays!!

2009 Nationals Prep

By Colin Rodgers

Well, the start of the racing season did not go the way I anticipated. If anyone asked me how I was going to ski this December in September I would have said one word, "Fast". One of my goals this season was to start off racing well from the gun, and try to be consistent throughout the season. In the past I have never been a great early season racer, but I thought this year it would be important to figure it out since the Dec 2009 early season will be very important.

Either way I did not accomplish my goal. I have instead been flirting with sickness since before West Yellowstone. I suffered through a few different colds and the dreaded Nano-Virus. This flu like virus pillaged my insides and left them somewhere in the West Yellowstone sewer system. Now, I am determined to be over the sickness hump. The only good way to look at it is to hope that my body has built up a ton of immunity! After all it is prep time for the 2009 U.S. National Championships in Anchorage, AK. These races have been a big goal of mine for a long time. I have trained really well this summer and fall and I am not going to let a bout with some illness keep me from performing the way I know I can 2 weeks from now. Sometimes life throws you off a little bit, but I have realized you can’t let the unforeseen get in the way of goals you are still perfectly capable of accomplishing.

Tomorrow is the first interval workout in my 2 week prep block leading into Nationals- 3 or 4X10 min L3 skating. The goal is to flow- no more, no less. I want to find a good feeling on my skis without over reaching in the workout. The training session will set the stage for what is going to be a great block of training with the focus on finding speed. After all the U.S. National Championships is just an excuse to go really fast on our skis and when you figure that out it is pretty damn fun!

Good luck and go fast! - Colin

BACK in the game

By Kate Whitcomb

Good afternoon sports fans. This is an especially sweet day for me. It snowed about 8 inches last night and I get to go ski!!!

I realize, that for a professional skier, this shouldn’t be a day different than any other. After injuring my back in West Yellowstone however, I took the better part of 3 weeks off to heal. Today is day 3, back on the horse. My workouts have been around 45 minutes (an hour less than average) but I will take anything I can get at this point.

Still awaiting the verdict on Nationals. I will have to see how big of a hole, 3 weeks off has dug and try to climb at least part way out. Stay tuned, x-ray pictures to come!

Picture: Kate joins her 5th graders in decorating gingerbread houses.

Canadian NorAm Recap

By Nicole De Yong

It’s hard to believe we are half way through December and Christmas is fast approaching! After spending two solid weeks in Silver Star, I now have 7 races under my belt and the season is officially on.

The first weekend in Silver Star started with a skate sprint. I had a slow start but managed to squeak into the quarterfinals. My body felt flat and slow but I tried to push as hard as I could. The next day was a 10k skate. I didn’t feel great but kept a steady pace throughout the race. After getting passed by Milaine Theriault and Caitlin Compton within the first 2k, I felt a little discouraged but kept pushing. I finished the race disappointed with my effort but soon found out that I placed 14th. That was a lot better than I expected! Knowing that I didn’t feel my best but managed to get in the top 15 lifted my spirits.

After four days of rest, I found myself warming up again, this time for a 15k skate mass-start. This was the race I was most excited for! I went into the race mentally ready to push my body as hard as I could. The lead pack of girls stuck together well into 5k and then started to break up. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hang with the lead group but I managed to stay with the second pack. Going into the second 7.5k loop, I was leading the pack. I had fast skis and had no problems keeping up and passing on the down hills. I worked the uphill and put a gap on the group of girls I was skiing with in the last 1k. It was a steady climb to the finish and I skied to the point of having blurry vision and wheezing in my lungs. It came down to a sprint at the finish and I gave it everything I had…just enough to nip my competitor at the finish line. I finished 11th and was pleased with my effort.

Only seventeen hours later, I was back at the venue warming-up for the classic sprint. Whew! I felt tired. My legs felt heavy and slow from the race the day before. Trying not to think about the way my body felt, I started the prelims and skied as hard as I could. I finished 23rd…good enough to qualify for the quarterfinals. But once again, I did not have the quickness and pop to advance to the semi-finals. Disappointed with my race, I finished a good cool-down to get the lactic acid out of my legs and tried to begin my recovery to prepare for the race the next day.

Rumors of a cold front moving through the area and temperatures getting down to -20 C raised the question as to whether or not the race was going to happen. One hour before the race started, (we raced at 5pm, in the dark) it was decided that the race was officially on. Alright, one more time! I began my warm-up in -16 C degrees and in the pitch dark. There were areas of the course where there were NO lights and of course it had to be on the sweeping down hill. After some slight confusion as to how to get to the start line, I got there with only a few seconds to spare. I was off! On the first lap of the 3 lap course, I felt like I was hammering. I didn’t now if I really was skiing fast or if it was just the sensation of racing at night, in the dark. I received splits that I was 7th overall. I kept a steady pace the next 2 laps and finished 9th , 4th American. Whew, I could feel the lungs burn and I could taste the lactic acid after the race. Despite the frigid temperatures, I skied a good cool-down and cheered the guys on. After getting numb fingers and a super cold nose, I tired to pack up as quickly as possible and head back to the house to warm-up.

The next morning we began our 17 hour drive back to Sun Valley. It took us two days, but we made it. I am currently in Ketchum, getting ready to head to Alaska early next week. U.S. Nationals are just around the corner and I am feeling more and more ready as the time approaches. Stay tuned for updates on the races. I hope you have Merry Christmas!

It's started...

By Brayton Osgood

And it shows no signs of stopping. I wasn't here to experience it, but apparently a week ago there was not much in the way of skiing in Bend. Mt. Bachelor was closed, the ski shops were begging for customers and the XC world was stuck on a few kilometers of Centry Drive past the snow gate. No more.

The mountain got hit last weekend, and we're dealing with another pretty big storm right now. The picture is from the Meissner Sno-Park after my ski this morning. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the skiing today. The TLC groomer was out driving around most of the morning and he did a great job keeping up with the snowfall on 5 or 10 km of trail. We were able to ski, not tour. And it was really good. With more snow in the forecast through the weekend and next week, I think we're looking at good skiing here through mid-May at least!

The final race report from Sovereign Lakes is mixed. I wrote it up a little more fully over on (one of) my other blogs, but the short report is that the mass start skate was pretty good. I was 11th, but just outside of the magic 60 point race. Rarely to 7-8 seconds hurt so much. Ah well, next time. Time to get ready for Anchorage.

Shooting Guns

By Zach Violett West Yellowstone was a bit of a disaster for me. I came down with a cold Friday morning and held it through the races. It was not the best showing for the first races of the year...

It was time to head back to Bend, get healthy, have some fun and get ready to race again. It was 5 days before I was ready to train again. I still wanted to get outside so I found some other fun things to do. One of these, was trap shooting.

For the Polar Challenge that I am doing in April/May we are required to learn how to shoot a shotgun. I found that to be a great excuse to go out and buy one of my own. While at it, I bought a box of clay pigeons and a hand thrower.

I had never shot a shotgun before, so I had to do a bit of learning. Apparently the wood end goes against your shoulder and the round metal tube looking thing points away. Shells go in with the plastic pointing away also. I was then ready to shoot...

I rummaged around my trash can and found a few old milk jugs and water bottles. I started off setting these ~20yds away and practicing my aim. I then moved on to ~30-40 yards. Once I felt proficient at that, I decided I was ready for the clay pigeons.

For the record, moving targets are way harder to hit than stationary ones. Way harder! After a few (at least 10) misses, I finally got one. Some of the tips that Brian Schiller gave me really started to help. For example keeping the barrel moving with the target really helps.

It ended up being a very fun morning. I was able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine despite being sick. I now find myself healthy and in Silver Star, BC. I am excited to be back skiing and look forward to tomorrows race. Time to wax some skis and rest!

(the photo is a BB gun from earlier in the summer)

Silver Star