The weather seems to enjoy throwing rain at the race days at Mt Bachelor this season. The current (1:00 PM 12/31/09) forecast for New Years Day is br /br /Tonight: Rain and snow. Low around 28. Breezy, with a west southwest wind between 24 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. br /br /New Year’s Day: Rain and snow showers, becoming all snow after 10am. High near 35. Southwest wind around 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. br /br /The race is a relay of 3 skiers. The first leg is classic and the last two are skate. See the MBSEF website for more details. br /br /br /Glide wax: Start with a fairly soft pair of plus base skis. Brush them well with a medium bronze or steel brush and apply a layer of Solda UF7, scrape and brush. Follow with a layer of Solda F31 Pink or F40 Red, scrape and brush. Finish with Solda Fluor 100. The spray would work well, or Powerjet 1. After corking these fluoro additives remember to let the skis cool before brushing. Use a soft horse hair or very fine/soft nylon to finish the job. br /br /The economy wax would be a layer of Solda UF7 on a nice clean base. br /br /After waxing you could apply a medium structure with the Toko Structurerite tool. Always brush again after applying structure. br /br /Kick Wax: YUCK… I would start with a sticky wax under foot, maybe two thin layers one just a bit longer than the other and then cover with a slightly harder wax. If using Swix, start with a layer of VR 60 or 65 and cover with VR 55.You could also try straight VR 70. If using Rode, start with the Rode Red Extra 0 to +2C and cover with Rode Blue Super -1 to -3C. Good Luck. Remember there is also the Klister cushion. If using this idea probably best to start with a Silver klister and cover with a hard wax for around 0C temps. Klister must be cold when covering with a hard wax. br /br /Good Luckdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6589659500745667109-3034142787261700567?l=www.webskis.com%2Fwebskisblog.html’ alt=” //div
Category: XCFeeds
-
Tour de Ski/Stage 1 Preview
Tomorrow sees the start of the fourth annual Tour de Ski. Oberhof, Germany is the location of the first two stages and will be the first time the 10-day competition has taken place in an Olympic year. Subsequently, some big names will not be taking part as they have prioritized the Olympics and the preparation more vital than competing in the Tour. Still, both fields will be heavily packed with talent. I can’t see anyone upsetting the favorites; Northug and Kowalczyk, with the form that both are currently in. The current odds for the two are 1.85 and 2.05 respectively. However, the bookmakers have generous odds on such skiers as Størmer-Stiera (17.00) and Legkov (13.00). You can find a list of all the odds for the Tour de Ski winners here.
Though Northug has enormous pressure on him as many expect him to win, he has been rather humble saying that he fears the Russians most, especially Legkov and Vylegzhanin, but says that he has to be aware of Cologna’s ability to race any distance in either technique. Northug’s plan is to have at least a one minute lead on everyone before the final climb up Alpe Cermis. I guess we’ll have to wait and find out if he’ll be able to build on his second, third, and eighth placings in the previous editions of the Tour.
Here are my predictions for the Tour de Ski.
Men
1. Petter Northug
2. Alexander Legkov
3. Dario ColognaWomen
1. Justyna Kowalczyk
2. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen
3. Kristin Størmer-StieraIn other news, Vassili Rotchev will not be on Russia’s Tour de Ski or Olympic teams. According to skisport.ru, the races for team selection was the Krasnogorsk races. Rotchev had just had an operation due to appendicitis and was unable to races, thus not qualifying. It’s too bad since Rotchev has been such a great ambassador for Russia skiing over the years, especially in the past couple as there has been a cloud of suspicion hanging over the Russian ski federation.
On a more positive note, the Canadian national team got some good news as head coach Inge Bråten will be back in time for the Tour de Ski after successful hip replacement surgery. This should greatly increase the team’s spirit heading into the new racing period.
Over on the official Tour website, Vegard Ulvang has good article discussing how individuals view the radical changes to cross-country skiing over the past 20 years from the same race day in and day out dominated by only a couple names to being a multi-national sport where no one is ever sure who will win the next race. He also goes on to say:
…one of the most important proposals on the agenda at the Cross-Country Committee meetings in May will be the introduction of a new multi-stage event over three days in the beginning of the season (November). The first racers to cross the finish line on Sunday will be the winners of the first weekend and immediately bring the focus to the fight for the overall World Cup.
I personally think that this would be a great idea. All the athletes would have relatively fresh legs due to being so early in the season and it would definitely put an emphasis on the World Cup Overall as some big points would be immediately up for grabs. Some athletes could put a big gap on the competitors with a good showing.The spotlight could also be shone on emerging talents such as those handfuls of Norwegians and Swedes trying to make their respective national team. Also, due to the timing, the “mini-tour” wouldn’t interfere with those World Championship or Olympic years since it’s so early in the season. We’ll have to wait until May to see what the verdict is.
Tomorrow will see the prologue to kick off the Tour. It can be argued that it is the toughest distance of them all (2.8km for women and 3.7km for men) ; where we see both sprint and distance specialist struggle with the same dilemma… it’s too short to pace and too long to go 100% from the start line. It’ll be interesting to see who gets across the finish line only to crumple into a heap of exhausted athlete. One thing is clear though, Axel Teichmann loves this distance as he has finish first and second in the two previous years. Here are my predictions:
Men
1. Dario Cologna
2. Axel Teichmann
3. Alexander LegkovWomen
1. Justyna Kowalczyk
2. Arianna Follis
3. Anna HaagTil Tomorrow, Happy New Years!
-
Ghosts of Kincaid Park
The winter solstice is barely a week behind us and Anchorage is still very much in the dark. The sun starts rising around 9am. Fortunately, there’s no ” – ” in front of the 14F like there was last year.
The distant Chugach Mountains make for a cool panorama around the city. We’ve been waiting to ski until after 10am, so that it’s light enough to see on the trails. Once on the trail, it’s uncommon not to see moose. They lurk around the Kincaid Park trails like ghosts, blending in with the surroundings early in the morning. I almost ran into several on my ski. These shots are by no means the closest I was to the moose, but rather, the closest I felt comfortable taking a picture of the moose. Seeing how well they blend in makes me wonder how many more I skied past and didn’t see. . .
-
Is there any ski shop that doesn’t have a metric crap-load…
img src=”http://3.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvhxl7xeDr1qzt3xbo1_500.jpg”/br/br/pIs there any ski shop that doesn’t have a metric crap-load of Swix Polar that hasn’t sold?/p
-
Anchorage Update
a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvXJSGzYQI/AAAAAAAAB0w/PHTTO017v8w/s1600-h/IMG_1918.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvXJSGzYQI/AAAAAAAAB0w/PHTTO017v8w/s400/IMG_1918.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421163130949689602″ //aWe flew up to Anchorage on Monday for the US National Championships. The trip was long, but smooth and uneventful. Skiing is great up here. On Tuesday we skied up near where we are staying at the Hillside trails. Beautifully groomed trails for everyone to use. It was fun to see a bunch of the Alaskan teams practicing and we had a nice distance ski. Pictured above is our group along with Corrine Prevot who is up here with the Middlebury team.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvW4tToGgI/AAAAAAAAB0o/8_b6AsaL7x0/s1600-h/IMG_1920.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvW4tToGgI/AAAAAAAAB0o/8_b6AsaL7x0/s400/IMG_1920.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421162846193457666″ //aToday we went to the race site, Kincaid Park. These pictures are taken around 11am. This is as light as it gets. It is dark until 9 am and gets dark again by 4. It is a little strange knowing that the sun has risen, but not being able to see it because it is hiding below the mtns.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvWrX1C2LI/AAAAAAAAB0g/cgbQISrlaGE/s1600-h/IMG_1923.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 206px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvWrX1C2LI/AAAAAAAAB0g/cgbQISrlaGE/s400/IMG_1923.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421162617089743026″ //aWe skied the 5 km skate course and then practiced the sprint course. The sprint course is pretty long… 1.6 km or so, with a good tough climb near the start. It is going to be important to save some energy for the last 1 km which is rolling.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvWbC86TbI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/kq-9b2D3kew/s1600-h/IMG_1927.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvWbC86TbI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/kq-9b2D3kew/s400/IMG_1927.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421162336607686066″ //aSophie and Megan joined us for the workout.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvWL8zxy7I/AAAAAAAAB0Q/bHQD4OFC0II/s1600-h/IMG_1930.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvWL8zxy7I/AAAAAAAAB0Q/bHQD4OFC0II/s400/IMG_1930.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421162077260729266″ //aThere is a large warm bunker for waxing. Each team will be assigned a space and it makes the whole experience quite social!br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvV7BdV3YI/AAAAAAAAB0I/fyDyb98A9vI/s1600-h/IMG_1931.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvV7BdV3YI/AAAAAAAAB0I/fyDyb98A9vI/s400/IMG_1931.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421161786451025282″ //aThe bunker does not officially open until tomorrow. It will become much more crowded.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvVsneVBmI/AAAAAAAAB0A/l9XJ3U8Jeug/s1600-h/IMG_1948.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvVsneVBmI/AAAAAAAAB0A/l9XJ3U8Jeug/s400/IMG_1948.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421161538957674082″ //aHere is a picture from the car on our drive home. We are living with an ex SMS coach, Jeff Clarke and his wife Kris. It is great to be able to relax in a home and cook our own food (or have it cooked for us)!br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvVYoz3GNI/AAAAAAAABz4/0-XHTG4iySY/s1600-h/IMG_1951.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SzvVYoz3GNI/AAAAAAAABz4/0-XHTG4iySY/s400/IMG_1951.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421161195719039186″ //aHere is the house. You can see Mt Danali (aka McKinnley) from the upstairs window.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-2727311525131920973?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
-
Excuses, excuses…
In high school I heard a saying that stuck with me: “Excuses are like backsides*. Everyone has one and they all stink.” (*You can imagine what the backsides word usually is.) However, I have a couple weird excuses I’m dealing with now.br /br /As I whined to several of you about, I had a catheter ablation performed on my heart in mid-November in order to hopefully cure my atrial fibrillation. This problem started becoming noticeable soon after I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2006. My heart would skip around randomly at a high rate, and for no good reason. Within about a year, this was happening to me about every 7-10 days, and the episodes lasted for up to 24 hours or longer. When it happened, I couldn’t even walk up stairs without getting winded. Then I could go out the next day after it was over and pound a 20 mile run…it was weird. br /br /After my collegiate track/CC teammate from Notre Dame, Ryan Shay, died of a heart attack in the Olympic marathon trials in November of ’07, I decided I had to get checked out right away. (Incidentally, the last time I saw him was when we went out to dinner after that Twin Cities marathon the year before.) The doctors told me I had “A. Fib” and sent me on my way. I didn’t try drugs until the summer of ’08, and then added another drug in October of that year after I had to walk away from the start line of the TC 10 miler because an episode started minutes before the gun.br /br /The drugs didn’t work well, so I went to Mayo to have the surgery done. I was out for about 8 hours, during which time the burned the portions of my heart containing bad electrical pathways in order to “open” those circuits. That’s my extremely dumbed-down explanation, but the hope is that this stops the conduction of the erratic electrical signals that caused my Afib. Now, about 6.5 weeks after the surgery, I’m still Afib-free. br /br /However, two things are holding me back on the athletic front. First, my phrenic nerve was damaged, so my right diaphragm is partially paralyzed. It pushes up against my lung rather than going down when I breathe. Second, I started noticing lately that my heart rate is weird. My resting rate now is 90 (which is not so surprising since my resting rate when I’m healthy is usually way up in the 70s), but the absolute max I’ve been able to hit so far is 165, which I confirmed by wearing a monitor during a skate interval session on Monday. That is over 20-30 bpm lower than what I’m pretty sure it should be. I know it was generally not too difficult for me to stay in the 170s or 180s for sustained efforts before the surgery.br /br /The doc thinks that it’s possible my sympathetic nervous system was affected during the ablation, and along with the phrenic nerve, it should heal over several months. But for now I’m left with a couple barriers to any success this season. I’m going to keep training hard and hoping things come around by late February for the big races. In the mean time, if I miss some Wednesday workouts (like tonight), it is likely because I’m still trying to do my own stuff where I experiment and watch what happens with my max rate. Hopefully things will get better soon, and I’m left with a strong Afib-free heart.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1572647974447867713-7121153133413060488?l=vakavaraceteam.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
-
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
The song is by Europe, the location of THIS final countdown (National Championships: the final Olympic qualifier) is Anchorage, AK.
Last year it was cold. When I say cold, I must stress that last year’s conditions redefined the word. It was so miserable that I have heard people (when talking about current circuit conditions) ask “is it Alaska cold, or just cold?”
Yeah, it was bad. Like can’t breathe, most of the races were canceled, bad.
This year it is downright balmy. 18 degrees on my run yesterday (12 noon) and I am heading out to the venue to ski this morning – course conditions to come.
With almost 300 athletes already registered, it is going to be a good time. Sun Valley ODT is staying in a B&B with a dog named Cuddles who has massive dingle-berries. I can’t imagine he gets many cuddles but I will let you know.
-
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
The song is by Europe, the location of THIS final countdown (National Championships: the final Olympic qualifier) is Anchorage, AK.
Last year it was cold. When I say cold, I must stress that last year’s conditions redefined the word. It was so miserable that I have heard people (when talking about current circuit conditions) ask “is it Alaska cold, or just cold?”
Yeah, it was bad. Like can’t breathe, most of the races were canceled, bad.
This year it is downright balmy. 18 degrees on my run yesterday (12 noon) and I am heading out to the venue to ski this morning – course conditions to come.
With almost 300 athletes already registered, it is going to be a good time. Sun Valley ODT is staying in a B&B with a dog named Cuddles who has massive dingle-berries. I can’t imagine he gets many cuddles but I will let you know.
-
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
The song is by Europe, the location of THIS final countdown (National Championships: the final Olympic qualifier) is Anchorage, AK.
Last year it was cold. When I say cold, I must stress that last year’s conditions redefined the word. It was so miserable that I have heard people (when talking about current circuit conditions) ask “is it Alaska cold, or just cold?”
Yeah, it was bad. Like can’t breathe, most of the races were canceled, bad.
This year it is downright balmy. 18 degrees on my run yesterday (12 noon) and I am heading out to the venue to ski this morning – course conditions to come.
With almost 300 athletes already registered, it is going to be a good time. Sun Valley ODT is staying in a B&B with a dog named Cuddles who has massive dingle-berries. I can’t imagine he gets many cuddles but I will let you know.
-
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
The song is by Europe, the location of THIS final countdown (National Championships: the final Olympic qualifier) is Anchorage, AK.
Last year it was cold. When I say cold, I must stress that last year’s conditions redefined the word. It was so miserable that I have heard people (when talking about current circuit conditions) ask “is it Alaska cold, or just cold?”
Yeah, it was bad. Like can’t breathe, most of the races were canceled, bad.
This year it is downright balmy. 18 degrees on my run yesterday (12 noon) and I am heading out to the venue to ski this morning – course conditions to come.
With almost 300 athletes already registered, it is going to be a good time. Sun Valley ODT is staying in a B&B with a dog named Cuddles who has massive dingle-berries. I can’t imagine he gets many cuddles but I will let you know.
-
Original Plans for the Tour de Ski
A couple days ago, I dug up an old video of the men’s relay at the 2005 Oberstdorf World Championships, which is a great race* but which also included a little preview by Jürg Capol (then and now the race director for FIS cross-country skiing events) of what was still being described as a ski version of the Tour de France. Said Capol:I guess today it’s a little bit difficult to find out who is
-
Rodeo Time Trial Results
Due to thin snow conditions in Mazama, the traditional Rodeo race was cancelled, and instead the MVNT and MVSTA hosted a rodeo-like time trial at the Klipchuck trail on Sunday, December 27th. br /br /Almost 40 skiers participated, and Olympic hopefuls Brian Gregg and Caitlin Compton posted the fastest times. The complete results are posted at: www.mvsta.com/summer/results.html.br /br /Special thanks to MVSTA for grooming the Klipchuck trail for this event, providing bibs, providing timing assistance, and posting the results.br /br /embed pluginspage=”http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer” src=”http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf” width=”288″ height=”192″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” flashvars=”host=picasaweb.google.comamp;hl=en_USamp;feat=flashalbumamp;RGB=0x000000amp;feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmtnmind%2Falbumid%2F5421058596204096241%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US”/embeddiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/489212310283984495-5637503837819056387?l=methowvalleynordicteam.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
-
Back in Business
Is it possible to go for over a week without internet? Yes. And it’s good to know the world keeps on spinning without it.
garrottkuzzy.com is back, signing in from Anchorage, Alaska. For now, though, let’s take a look back at several highlights from the past week.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Kuz, Ahvo Taipale – Finn Sisu
I’m not really into politics, but one politician I respect is Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. He’s a huge silent sports advocate and since becoming Mayor, he’s basically turned my favorite city park (a.k.a. my backyard), Wirth, into the best cross country skiing in Minneapolis (with the hard work of a lot of other individuals as well). Wirth will be hosting the 2011 Junior National Championships for cross country skiing. While I was picking up my newly ground skis from Finn Sisu, I had the opportunity to meet Rybak who was also picking up skis. Rybak announced recently his intent to run for Governor of Minnesota, so that’s a name you’ll surely see more of in the future.
Speaking of Wirth Park. . .we had a great group for the Hopkins Holiday Ski Clinic. My high school ski coach (and high school photography teacher), Rob Fuhr, was on hand to take photos. Great to see such a big Hopkins team (over 100 skiers this year!). The team definitely caught the contagious enthusiasm of their new assistant coach, Missy Hoffman Ayers. Here are a few shots from the morning. . .
Coach Fuhr
gotta play a little ultimate!
how far can you make it on one ski?
Of course, spending time with my whole family was a treat. Speaking of treats, one of my favorite Christmas gifts was a couple boxes of Sun Valley Bars from my sister Laura. Laura’s coach at UNH, Sarah Walker, started the energy bar company a couple of years ago. They were a great snack on the six hour flight up to Anchorage.
However, I did get some grief from my teammates about eating a bar with the name of our rival club, Sun Valley. It reminded me of the time, shortly after signing the embargo against Cuba, that John Kennedy was caught smoking a Cuban cigar. When questioned about this, Kennedy responded, “I’m not supporting their economy, I’m burning their crops.”
With that, I’ll sign off. Now that you’re up to speed on the break, my next post will get into life in Anchorage, where I can see Russia from my hotel. . .
-
The Three Toughest Obstacles of the 2010 US Nationals
pLake Placid has Russian Hill, Soldier Hollow has Hermod’s, the Birkie has the Powerline accent yet in Alaska, everything is bigger and while the courses at Kincaid will be challenging, selective and fair, the obstacles will come in larger, more foreboding packages. Here are three of the potentially toughest obstacles facing competitors and coaches at the National Championships next month./p
p1. -
“Dear Cloxxki, please stop talking. I get dumber everytime I read one of your comments on…”
“Dear Cloxxki, please stop talking. I get dumber everytime I read one of your comments on fasterskier. Thanks, the ski community.”br/br/ – em(via ZSimeoni)/em
-
Christmas Time in Vermont
divI have been at my parent’s home in East Montpelier since I traveled back from Davos, Switzerland two weeks ago. I have yet to miss a Christmas here with my family, and this year my brother, Andy, who lives in Seattle, was able to come home for a few days as well. I am enjoying my last day at home tomorrow before heading out to Alaska for Nationals. Coming home is always awesome, time with my parents, time with my dog and just plain, time. It is great./divdivbr //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg4IyIEKI/AAAAAAAAAU4/P9Z1-RB9m3A/s1600-h/IMG_0434.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg4IyIEKI/AAAAAAAAAU4/P9Z1-RB9m3A/s320/IMG_0434.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420470144063770786″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”My parent’s home with the newly erected barn!/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg30vPDEI/AAAAAAAAAUw/99PTQd-vm8A/s1600-h/IMG_0387.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg30vPDEI/AAAAAAAAAUw/99PTQd-vm8A/s320/IMG_0387.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420470138682936386″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Family snowshoe/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg3XJ7JEI/AAAAAAAAAUo/f5ydsLSydhg/s1600-h/IMG_0422.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg3XJ7JEI/AAAAAAAAAUo/f5ydsLSydhg/s320/IMG_0422.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420470130741814338″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”My brother, me and my cousin Josh and his wife Kate!/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg3dSahOI/AAAAAAAAAUg/bOxRo2hv5WQ/s1600-h/IMG_0423.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg3dSahOI/AAAAAAAAAUg/bOxRo2hv5WQ/s320/IMG_0423.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420470132388037858″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Christmas doll from Norway whom my Mom named Sigrid/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg2_nz1KI/AAAAAAAAAUY/Wb3obMnyZYM/s1600-h/IMG_0439.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 268px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlg2_nz1KI/AAAAAAAAAUY/Wb3obMnyZYM/s320/IMG_0439.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420470124424713378″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Took Charley for her first ski on the snowmobile trails with me. It was incredibly fun. We both had headlamps, as it got dark while we were out there, and it was an experience I will never forget, and will repeat tomorrow!/divbr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf83a7gjI/AAAAAAAAAUI/aYdM241emy4/s1600-h/IMG_0457.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf83a7gjI/AAAAAAAAAUI/aYdM241emy4/s320/IMG_0457.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420469125790794290″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Andy sporting his new glasses/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf8hdYmAI/AAAAAAAAAUA/n7kkDPXH3lI/s1600-h/IMG_0463.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 320px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf8hdYmAI/AAAAAAAAAUA/n7kkDPXH3lI/s320/IMG_0463.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420469119895508994″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Dad doing a dance!/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf8Pwvp5I/AAAAAAAAAT4/JIzigXk2TSA/s1600-h/IMG_0464.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf8Pwvp5I/AAAAAAAAAT4/JIzigXk2TSA/s320/IMG_0464.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420469115144873874″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Andy and the dreaded gift of “the puzzle”/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf7_05DAI/AAAAAAAAATw/MNbPfuhvhRA/s1600-h/IMG_0476.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf7_05DAI/AAAAAAAAATw/MNbPfuhvhRA/s320/IMG_0476.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420469110867299330″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Next year’s Christmas card, or it would be if we sent Christmas cards/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SzldhKRwedI/AAAAAAAAATo/kMErAOKleBk/s1600-h/IMG_0490.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SzldhKRwedI/AAAAAAAAATo/kMErAOKleBk/s320/IMG_0490.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420466450793003474″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Burke Mountain from the Sutton Ridge/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SzldgmG6_TI/AAAAAAAAATg/RRqBBRzjxt4/s1600-h/IMG_0494.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SzldgmG6_TI/AAAAAAAAATg/RRqBBRzjxt4/s320/IMG_0494.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420466441083878706″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Morning light/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szldgc_5j6I/AAAAAAAAATY/OMt6O8Qh3dM/s1600-h/IMG_0510.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szldgc_5j6I/AAAAAAAAATY/OMt6O8Qh3dM/s320/IMG_0510.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420466438638505890″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Mom performing carols/diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SzldgHqma_I/AAAAAAAAATQ/NMO-smgEDGk/s1600-h/IMG_0523.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/SzldgHqma_I/AAAAAAAAATQ/NMO-smgEDGk/s320/IMG_0523.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420466432912026610″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Christmas pudding burning the traditional flame/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf9a0c8KI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/mvMwD5T13ss/s1600-h/IMG_0443.JPG”img src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szlf9a0c8KI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/mvMwD5T13ss/s320/IMG_0443.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420469135293083810″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px; ” //a/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”Charley in action!/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //diva onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szldf0Usd2I/AAAAAAAAATI/2dxdP-mT2wo/s1600-h/IMG_0530.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ObMdc4mpVIg/Szldf0Usd2I/AAAAAAAAATI/2dxdP-mT2wo/s320/IMG_0530.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420466427719874402″ //adiv style=”text-align: center;”Rough life, eh?/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8313858291794282393-4959827363181400136?l=lizhstephen.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
-
I hope you had a merry xmas!
I hope everyone had a merry xmas!
I’ve been in Minnesota for the last week, and I’ve been keeping busy with family get-togethers (after 4 holiday celebrations I am done). On Christmas eve I cooked up a broiled flank steak dinner with blue cheese stuffed portobello mushrooms and a roasted beet and apple salad. (The meal got rave reviews)! My final Christmas party was a taco dinner at my mom’s house. It was a first for me, but everyone likes tacos… so why not?!?!I’ve also been training hard, getting ready for Nationals up in Anchorage next week. This last week I had 2 days of interval sessions, followed by a day off, and then two more interval days. I’ve been feeling strong and fast down here at sea level, and I’m excited to fire it up next week!!!
Family and skiing has kept my time pretty occupied, but I did manage to go to the 3-D movie AVITAR last night with my sister and some friends… I recommend seeing this movie! And if anyone can get me a flying dragon to ride, that would be great.
