FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

A collection of live feeds from cross-country ski blogs around the web.

  • Nordic Bear Sighting

  • October

    Its hard to believe that its already the end of October!

    When I got home from Lake Placid I had a few days off to recover from all of the training at the camp. I took two days completely off from training and the two days after that were easy distance. This past week things have been busy again and I am back to training twice a day. I was in Madison with Dan for work and in Milwaukee for a wedding but I was able to still get in all of my workouts thanks to a great bike path in Madison and a great gym at the hotel in downtown Milwaukee. 

    For the next few weeks I will be in Marquette getting ready for the ski season which is coming up fast! 

     

    Dan and I at the Packers/Lions game on October 18

    Dan and I at the Packers/Lions game on October 18

  • Nordic Stalking.

    object width=”400″ height=”336″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/kGgaCXLZUfYrel=0egm=0showinfo=0fs=1″/paramparam name=”wmode” value=”transparent”/paramparam name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”/paramembed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/kGgaCXLZUfYrel=0egm=0showinfo=0fs=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”400″ height=”336″ allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent”/embed/objectbr/br/pNordic Stalking./p

  • The Chopping Block

    Sometimes, at the end of the season, old Bessie needs to get taken for one last gallop through the fields, then she gets brought out behind the barn.  In this case, I took my trusty steed out for a four-hour Epic on the new CAMBA single-track with Gregg, Campbell, and Jackson.  It was everything a mountain bike could hope for: muddy and fast.  Afterwards, it was time for the Chopping Block.

    I brought my bike and new poles over to the shop this afternoon.  Had to clean up my ride for the season and get my new poles cut for the winter.  All CXC skiers will be sporting Swix poles for the 09/10 season.  Our old One Way poles (which I was very happy with) will be donated to the new CXC Adaptive Program, giving more people the opportunity to get out and experience Nordic skiing – pretty cool.  I’m psyched about our new Swix poles, especially since they make a 180cm skate pole for all of us tall dudes.  New Moon’s shop was made for working on both bikes and skis, which meant doing a professional job on both projects.  Don’t worry, old Bessie will live to die another day.  She’s in her stall with a fresh coat of oil and bucket full of oats.

  • The Chopping Block

    Sometimes, at the end of the season, old Bessie needs to get taken for one last gallop through the fields, then she gets brought out behind the barn.  In this case, I took my trusty steed out for a four-hour Epic on the new CAMBA single-track with Gregg, Campbell, and Jackson.  It was everything a mountain bike could hope for: muddy and fast.  Afterwards, it was time for the Chopping Block.

    I brought my bike and new poles over to the shop this afternoon.  Had to clean up my ride for the season and get my new poles cut for the winter.  All CXC skiers will be sporting Swix poles for the 09/10 season.  Our old One Way poles (which I was very happy with) will be donated to the new CXC Adaptive Program, giving more people the opportunity to get out and experience Nordic skiing – pretty cool.  I’m psyched about our new Swix poles, especially since they make a 180cm skate pole for all of us tall dudes.  New Moon’s shop was made for working on both bikes and skis, which meant doing a professional job on both projects.  Don’t worry, old Bessie will live to die another day.  She’s in her stall with a fresh coat of oil and bucket full of oats.

  • ActivEdge Clinic photos

    Enjoy these photos from Saturday’s Ski Clinic and 350 Action.  It was held on, by far, the nicest morning of the week.  We didn’t need to use the Lenroot Lodge, but it sure was entertaining to see a bunch of Nordic skiers in a fitness studio.  Don’t worry, we got our fair share of M.N. (you know. . .Mother Nature) as well.

  • Nice Day for Skate Distance plus Mystery Photo

    a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuYvppG50kI/AAAAAAAABYI/dwXSyMzjpFs/s1600-h/100_5523.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/SuYvppG50kI/AAAAAAAABYI/dwXSyMzjpFs/s400/100_5523.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397053595906069058″ //aIt was a beautiful day for a skate distance workout at BMD. Tomorrow we have a double day, so today we just cruised, worked on technique and enjoyed the weather.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuYvQ1ecvPI/AAAAAAAABYA/CEnodKVSLw8/s1600-h/100_5516.JPG”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 238px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuYvQ1ecvPI/AAAAAAAABYA/CEnodKVSLw8/s400/100_5516.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397053169729322226″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuYuryKVtPI/AAAAAAAABX4/ILssZvQZ678/s1600-h/100_5517.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuYuryKVtPI/AAAAAAAABX4/ILssZvQZ678/s400/100_5517.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397052533184509170″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuYt_jgWzmI/AAAAAAAABXw/XjFOrH7402g/s1600-h/IMG_1173.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/SuYt_jgWzmI/AAAAAAAABXw/XjFOrH7402g/s400/IMG_1173.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397051773336079970″ //abr /Mystery photo: 10 points for identifying the pilot. Hint: picture is taken in East Timor.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-7855542036612646368?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • SPEED – the workout

    div style=”text-align: center;”div style=”text-align: left;”I received a question about a specific speed workout via email recently. On paper, the workout looks like this: 3(6x30s) start, drop-in, transition speeds.br //divdiv style=”text-align: left;”br /Many teams (including the USST and SV ODT) do this or a similar workout to reinforce technique, tempo and reaction time during specific parts of a race. It is a series of short sprints that practice taking off quickly, changing technique and tempo with an emphasis on speed.br /br /We do each of the 3 specific intervals 6 times (3 sets of 6) and run each set to completion before starting the next. We take 3 minutes rest between each interval and 10 minutes rest between sets. Each interval is between 15 and 30 seconds and the entire workout takes about 2 hours.br /br /span style=”font-weight: bold;”Starts/span begin at a complete stop and often use a mock starting gate (complete with starting wand and exact world cup geometry). These spanspeeds/spanspan style=”font-style: italic;” /spanget the athlete use to reacting quickly to a gun or voice command, training fast-twitch muscles to go from zero to top speed as quick as possible. They are the shortest interval in this workout, around 15 seconds total. This video is cropped short but shows the actual start.br /div style=”text-align: center;”br /object height=”344″ width=”425″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/HDtQ6pWpAYgamp;hl=enamp;fs=1″param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/HDtQ6pWpAYgamp;hl=enamp;fs=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” height=”344″ width=”425″/embed/objectbr /span style=”font-size:85%;”span style=”font-style: italic;”Kate Whitcomb – classic speed, starts/span/spanbr /br //divspan style=”font-weight: bold;”Drop-ins/span start by going down a slight hill, using gravity to help reach a higher speed than our own propulsion allows. Drop-ins reinforce technique at high speeds and teach one to ski at a faster speed than attainable without aid. The interval starts once you are up to speed, moving as fast as possible to keep the momentum. These can also be done by getting pulled up to speed (slightly more dangerous, perhaps) and should ideally be done on a nice stretch of road with little or no traffic.br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”object height=”344″ width=”425″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/mjK3QW_JEoIamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;”param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/mjK3QW_JEoIamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” height=”344″ width=”425″/embed/objectbr /br /span style=”font-style: italic;font-size:85%;” Colin Rodgers/span – span style=”font-size:85%;”span style=”font-style: italic;”freestyle speed, drop-in/span/spanbr //divbr /span style=”font-weight: bold;”Transitions/span are speeds that have either a sharp enough corner or grade-change to force technique or tempo to adjust. In lake placid, the team went from a flat, double pole, into a steep enough hill to run (or stride), shown in

  • Park City

    I skate rollerskied some intervals around the Soldier Hollow paved trails this morning. Being back in Park city brings back a lot of memories of my race career. I’ve been here so often over the past few years it feels very much like home. It’s odd how race venues make such an intense impact on my memory. Looking at the FIS website, I’ve only competed in 16 races here, it feels like more. Maybe because we did so many training camps out here.

    The first weekend I raced here I earned 346.69 FIS points (if you don’t ski race, that’s really, really bad). The next year I came back to the same RMISA invite and finished with 177.22 FIS points (again, if you don’t ski, that’s much better). Two years later I won the same RMISA invite. My first, and, let’s be honest, only, RMISA victory. I remember sitting in the little Homestead computer room with Tara Gregg and she said, “I think you won the race.” I didn’t believe her at first.

    It is pretty cool to have one place stay the same and to be able to come back to it year after year and feel the hills getting less steep and the loops getting shorter.

  • Park City

    I skate rollerskied some intervals around the Soldier Hollow paved trails this morning. Being back in Park city brings back a lot of memories of my race career. I’ve been here so often over the past few years it feels very much like home. It’s odd how race venues make such an intense impact on my memory. Looking at the FIS website, I’ve only competed in 16 races here, it feels like more. Maybe because we did so many training camps out here.

    The first weekend I raced here I earned 346.69 FIS points (if you don’t ski race, that’s really, really bad). The next year I came back to the same RMISA invite and finished with 177.22 FIS points (again, if you don’t ski, that’s much better). Two years later I won the same RMISA invite. My first, and, let’s be honest, only, RMISA victory. I remember sitting in the little Homestead computer room with Tara Gregg and she said, “I think you won the race.” I didn’t believe her at first.

    It is pretty cool to have one place stay the same and to be able to come back to it year after year and feel the hills getting less steep and the loops getting shorter.

  • Park City

    I skate rollerskied some intervals around the Soldier Hollow paved trails this morning. Being back in Park city brings back a lot of memories of my race career. I’ve been here so often over the past few years it feels very much like home. It’s odd how race venues make such an intense impact on my memory. Looking at the FIS website, I’ve only competed in 16 races here, it feels like more. Maybe because we did so many training camps out here.

    The first weekend I raced here I earned 346.69 FIS points (if you don’t ski race, that’s really, really bad). The next year I came back to the same RMISA invite and finished with 177.22 FIS points (again, if you don’t ski, that’s much better). Two years later I won the same RMISA invite. My first, and, let’s be honest, only, RMISA victory. I remember sitting in the little Homestead computer room with Tara Gregg and she said, “I think you won the race.” I didn’t believe her at first.

    It is pretty cool to have one place stay the same and to be able to come back to it year after year and feel the hills getting less steep and the loops getting shorter.

  • Park City

    I skate rollerskied some intervals around the Soldier Hollow paved trails this morning. Being back in Park city brings back a lot of memories of my race career. I’ve been here so often over the past few years it feels very much like home. It’s odd how race venues make such an intense impact on my memory. Looking at the FIS website, I’ve only competed in 16 races here, it feels like more. Maybe because we did so many training camps out here.

    The first weekend I raced here I earned 346.69 FIS points (if you don’t ski race, that’s really, really bad). The next year I came back to the same RMISA invite and finished with 177.22 FIS points (again, if you don’t ski, that’s much better). Two years later I won the same RMISA invite. My first, and, let’s be honest, only, RMISA victory. I remember sitting in the little Homestead computer room with Tara Gregg and she said, “I think you won the race.” I didn’t believe her at first.

    It is pretty cool to have one place stay the same and to be able to come back to it year after year and feel the hills getting less steep and the loops getting shorter.

  • Park City

    I skate rollerskied some intervals around the Soldier Hollow paved trails this morning. Being back in Park city brings back a lot of memories of my race career. I’ve been here so often over the past few years it feels very much like home. It’s odd how race venues make such an intense impact on my memory. Looking at the FIS website, I’ve only competed in 16 races here, it feels like more. Maybe because we did so many training camps out here.

    The first weekend I raced here I earned 346.69 FIS points (if you don’t ski race, that’s really, really bad). The next year I came back to the same RMISA invite and finished with 177.22 FIS points (again, if you don’t ski, that’s much better). Two years later I won the same RMISA invite. My first, and, let’s be honest, only, RMISA victory. I remember sitting in the little Homestead computer room with Tara Gregg and she said, “I think you won the race.” I didn’t believe her at first.

    It is pretty cool to have one place stay the same and to be able to come back to it year after year and feel the hills getting less steep and the loops getting shorter.

  • Park City

    I skate rollerskied some intervals around the Soldier Hollow paved trails this morning. Being back in Park city brings back a lot of memories of my race career. I’ve been here so often over the past few years it feels very much like home. It’s odd how race venues make such an intense impact on my memory. Looking at the FIS website, I’ve only competed in 16 races here, it feels like more. Maybe because we did so many training camps out here.

    The first weekend I raced here I earned 346.69 FIS points (if you don’t ski race, that’s really, really bad). The next year I came back to the same RMISA invite and finished with 177.22 FIS points (again, if you don’t ski, that’s much better). Two years later I won the same RMISA invite. My first, and, let’s be honest, only, RMISA victory. I remember sitting in the little Homestead computer room with Tara Gregg and she said, “I think you won the race.” I didn’t believe her at first.

    It is pretty cool to have one place stay the same and to be able to come back to it year after year and feel the hills getting less steep and the loops getting shorter.

  • Are You Into It?

    Because…

  • Are You Into It?

    Because…

  • Are You Into It?

    Because…

  • Sure Signs of Fall…

    Yes, it is hard to believe that October is already coming to a close… snow is in the forecast and day light savings ends next week! While these are sure sings of fall, the close of the cross-country season, the annual fall Idaho Nordic Clinic and hiking in snow-covered Sawtooth Mountains are as well.br /br /The Community School Cross-Country running season came to an end this past week with Districts. Unfortunately, several of the runners were struck with sickness and were not able to run or run to their full potential. Despite our low attendance, we had some great performances from Torin Tucker and Morgan Atikinson, both of whom qualified for state! Congratulations to both of them!br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXkWN3HkI/AAAAAAAAAeo/qMZkuos-4Pc/s1600-h/nic+001.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXkWN3HkI/AAAAAAAAAeo/qMZkuos-4Pc/s320/nic+001.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396745641679855170″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”Katie, running her heart out!br //span/divbr /Last week, Colin and I had the opportunity to coach a dry-land clinic for the Idaho Nordic Ski Club, based out of Boise, Idaho. Two sessions focusing on technique were offered, one for double pole and the other for skate. Once technique was reviewed and improved, we put it into practice with some speeds and sprint relays. It is always fun to help the Idaho Nordic crew and witness the vast improvements they make. Good job team!br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXCYD6lkI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/XZapglHMUhU/s1600-h/nic+004.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXCYD6lkI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/XZapglHMUhU/s320/nic+004.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396745058059458114″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”An attentive group of Idaho Nordic skiers/spanbr //divbr /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXCrDY1yI/AAAAAAAAAeY/3XsW32E1UVA/s1600-h/nic+002.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXCrDY1yI/AAAAAAAAAeY/3XsW32E1UVA/s320/nic+002.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396745063157520162″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”Tristen, demonstrating some good double-pole technique/spanbr //divbr /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXC5ILPcI/AAAAAAAAAeg/WczsyuIv09g/s1600-h/nic+003.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUXC5ILPcI/AAAAAAAAAeg/WczsyuIv09g/s320/nic+003.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396745066935696834″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”A close finish for the Pitt brothersbr //span/divbr /Today, I went for a wonderful over-distance run/hike in the Sawtooth Mountains! My lack of playing in the mountains this summer made me appreciate what I missed out on. The mountain tops are covered in snow!br /br /div style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUV-zkoTEI/AAAAAAAAAeI/WMTv8S7OjvU/s1600-h/nic+005.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUV-zkoTEI/AAAAAAAAAeI/WMTv8S7OjvU/s320/nic+005.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396743897213324354″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”A snowy hike in the Sawtooth’sbr /br //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUV-jn3udI/AAAAAAAAAeA/UsZHtgXY4Os/s1600-h/nic+006.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bfd1dFDmRWA/SuUV-jn3udI/AAAAAAAAAeA/UsZHtgXY4Os/s320/nic+006.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396743892931951058″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-style: italic;”A view of Sawtooth Lakebr /br //span/divSnow is in the forecast for this week! We will see how much accumulates and whether or not it will be enough to strap the skis on and tromp around. I’ll be sure to let you know if such a thing happens.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5903545846797966075-4504328006974017918?l=in-the-arena-nicole.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • 350

    div style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=” line-height: 15px;”b

  • SMS Alumni Report from Hilary

    Hilary Rich, pictured below, sends a report about her freshman fall at Middlebury. Thanks Hilary! a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuRQ7yTqHLI/AAAAAAAABXo/jpRPUmrmqv0/s1600-h/IMG_2369.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SuRQ7yTqHLI/AAAAAAAABXo/jpRPUmrmqv0/s400/IMG_2369.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396527241543425202″ //abr /Middlebury has been great so far! I’m taking an economics seminar, a computer science course and a West European politics class, so I am exploring some different interests here. The campus is beautiful, there are great views from just about anywhere you go, and the foliage was gorgeous. I’ve really been enjoying the roller skiing here, and the team is awesome. Andrew Gardner and Patty Ross (our coaches) have been amazing, and are really great at working on technique, and their strength plan is definitely making me sore…br /br /AG and Patty have been keeping us going with a bunch of fun workouts. The other weekend we did some orienteering; my partner Doug and I were one of the first to go out, and by far the last to come in, but we have some good stories to tell! A couple days later, we traveled over to Keene to take a hike and visit with the McClelland family! We’ve had a couple uphill running time trials, which are not exactly my forte, but they have gone relatively well for me. We also had a double pole time trial, and tomorrow is our skate TT with UVM up at Jericho, followed by a classic TT up Brandon Gap on Sunday! Next weekend we’re planning on going to Hanover to run up Moosilauke, which is going to be a rough one, although I think I’ve come to terms with my lack of running skills.br /br /Another fun thing we do is play speedball, which is the Middlebury Ski Team’s favorite game; I can’t say I’ve been contributing on the field a whole lot, but it’s fun to be out there. Overall, I am keeping busy between work, classes and training, but I am definitely loving it. I can’t wait for the season to begin and to be able to line up at the start!div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-904178169246039630?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’//div