FasterSkier

Category: XCFeeds

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

  • Colorado Training Camp

    There was an unofficial CXC Team Vertical Limit training camp held in Crested Butte, CO over this past weekend.  The players were myself, Maria Stuber, and Gus Kaeding.  However, it was not just  a training camp, but it was also my best-friend’s wedding.  Our former NMU Ski Team teammates James Letson and Kelly Ahern were married at the amazing Lazy F Bar Ranch in Crested Butte.  This place was unreal, and the weather for the wedding was perfect.

    James and Kelly

    James and Kelly

     

    If you have never been to Crested Butte you are really missing out.  The whole town was great for anything outdoor, as well as indoor, where we celebrated James’ bachelor party on Friday night.  We then hiked up Mount Crested Butte on Saturday until we cleared 10,000 feet.  The rehearsal dinner was on Saturday night, and then the wedding at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

    Crested Butte, CO

    Crested Butte, CO

    Currently, Maria and I are still in Colorado for the rest of the week.  We are staying near Boulder with our good friend’s Tami Kochen and Shane Mundt of Mundt Arts.  We will be here training at altitude until Saturday when we will fly back to Milwaukee and go to Maria’s high school friend Nicole’s wedding.  Back-to-back wedding weekends are going to be pretty intense, but we are both really looking forward to it.  After that it is back to Marquette for some more working and training. 

    Colorado Living

    Colorado Living

  • Colorado Training Camp

    A

  • Training Camp (pt. 1)

    We returned last night from a week on the road in Girdwood, AK.  A big week of training for all.  More pictures to come after this post, but this one should get it started.  Photos from Day 1:

    Loading up with food in Anchorage on our way to Girdwood (the other cars were a lot less full, but don't tell these guys...)

    Loading up with food in Anchorage on our way to Girdwood (the other cars were a lot less full, but don't tell these guys…)

    Roller skis laid by the front door with care...

    Roller skis laid by the front door with care…

  • “Many things in my life have come and gone. Eating (at the OTC) has been the only constant. …”

    “Many things in my life have come and gone. Eating (at the OTC) has been the only constant. I’ve probably eaten more here than any other place.”br/br/ – em Lowell Bailey on the pleasures of the OTC dining hall./em

  • On the road again

    After a week without organized group training (coaches break), we got back together for our Weston specific endurance strength workout. Nothing too glamorous, just 2-2:15 of d-pole and single pole with a little striding technique drills in the middle to break it up. Each week we make it a little tougher and the group is doing well.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhXH5NeWCI/AAAAAAAAAfc/aQjmVWXE9UM/s1600-h/100_3270.JPG”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 320px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhXH5NeWCI/AAAAAAAAAfc/aQjmVWXE9UM/s320/100_3270.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366134749139982370″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhWtx2stxI/AAAAAAAAAfU/fpPrZdU2clE/s1600-h/100_3271.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhWtx2stxI/AAAAAAAAAfU/fpPrZdU2clE/s320/100_3271.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366134300488808210″ //abr /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhWNgMMVMI/AAAAAAAAAfM/BTykaoFrFjM/s1600-h/100_3275.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 224px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhWNgMMVMI/AAAAAAAAAfM/BTykaoFrFjM/s320/100_3275.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366133745991308482″ //abr /After a week without group training, the boys pause to swap stories after the workout.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhVig8WL3I/AAAAAAAAAfE/2sXH8837awI/s1600-h/100_3291.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SnhVig8WL3I/AAAAAAAAAfE/2sXH8837awI/s320/100_3291.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366133007458905970″ //adiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-6127687652276455122?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’//div

  • Train when you can

    So this is finals week for me. span id=”SPELLING_ERROR_0″ class=”blsp-spelling-corrected”Hopefully/span, the last finals week of my life. (I just think back to how many tests and exams I have taken over the last 26 years and cringe). But as with most finals weeks, my training has taken a bit of a hit. I have a final early in the morning on Mon, Tues and Wed mornings, but I will still be in the clinic after that until 4pm, leaving little time to both study and get a workout of any substance.br /br /My plan for yesterday was to try and get a short run in once I got home just to clear my head before I started studying for this morning’s span id=”SPELLING_ERROR_1″ class=”blsp-spelling-error”TMD/span/span id=”SPELLING_ERROR_2″ class=”blsp-spelling-error”orofacial/span pain exam. All was going to plan when at the Franklin Ave light rail station (I ride the train to a park-and-ride every day) it was announced that the train would be going no further. span id=”SPELLING_ERROR_3″ class=”blsp-spelling-corrected”Apparently/span there had been a crash further down the line. When this happens span id=”SPELLING_ERROR_4″ class=”blsp-spelling-corrected”buses/span come and shuttle people to the next stops, but there are thousands of people that take the train, and the people around me were mumbling that the last time this span id=”SPELLING_ERROR_5″ class=”blsp-spelling-corrected”happened/span the span id=”SPELLING_ERROR_6″ class=”blsp-spelling-corrected”buses/span never really showed up. So I decided that I should at least start moving towards my car, since walking put me closer to home than standing waiting for a bus that I did not know if it would ever show. When I got to Lake street I could see a news chopper hovering over the next station. I figured that that is where the

  • Parker, Sophie and Isabel invited to NEG camp

    Parker Tyler (SMS ’08, Utah ’12), Sophie Caldwell (SMS ’08, Dartmouth ’12) and Isabel Caldwell (SMS ’10) have been invited to the National Elite Group training camp at the Olympic venue in British Columbia. Approximately 15 skiers from across the country have been invited to train alongside the USST at the camp which is scheduled for August 27th-September 4th. Two other New England skiers, David Sinclair from GMVS and Adele Espy from Maine Coastal Nordic have also been invited to attend. br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/Sndli0AfspI/AAAAAAAAAe0/NVKohEhZtEw/s1600-h/IMG_0043.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/Sndli0AfspI/AAAAAAAAAe0/NVKohEhZtEw/s320/IMG_0043.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365869129785914002″ //abr /Sophie is the top ranked Junior in the US, a 2 time Jr World Team member and was a two time collegiate all-American in her freshman year.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SndjpwHhyMI/AAAAAAAAAes/h4DU7Ta6hf4/s1600-h/JO09+012.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/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SndjpwHhyMI/AAAAAAAAAes/h4DU7Ta6hf4/s320/JO09+012.jpg” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365867049977497794″ //abr /Parker has been training in Park City this summer alongside the USST group. Her strong training along with her 3 gold medals at last springs Jr National Championships made her another easy choice for the group.br /Isabel, David and Adele impressed the coaches with their performance, attitude and level of fitness at this summer’s REG in Lake Placid. All three posted strong results last winter and are ranked in the top 4 for their respective age groups in the country.br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SndjWy5EqYI/AAAAAAAAAek/OkVvPnY3vTg/s1600-h/DSC_2379.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2SCM3lmKm8/SndjWy5EqYI/AAAAAAAAAek/OkVvPnY3vTg/s320/DSC_2379.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365866724304660866″ //abr /Congratulations to this group and all of the others who are training well. Keep it up!div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4680416899705879324-6306985114819421407?l=smsxc.blogspot.com’//div

  • Franklin Falls TT at the NENSA Camp 6/31/09

    div Check it out. NENSA camp wraps up with a time trial. Your coach finally figured out how to pace the infamous Franklin Falls uphill TT. 3o minutes: average heart rate 187.br /br //div divMen /div div /div div1. Justin Beckwith 30:23/div div2. Welly Ramsey 31:40/div div3. Paul Smith 32:24/div div4. Phil Tosteson 33:35/div div5. Tyler D’Angelis 34:49/div div6. Brian Vargo 35:08/div div7. Nate Niles 35:55/div div8. Neil Garrison 36:18/div div9. Tom Rabon 36:34/div div10. Jeb Clarke 38:15/div div /div divWomen/div div /div div1. Hannah Smith 29:12/div div2. Shelby Aseltine 30:51/div div3. Emily Nice 31:06/div div4. Tess Hamilton 32:11/div div5. Hannah Allen 33:06/div div6. Jenna Maddock 37:55/divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1847564486460994594-976005562467595803?l=gmvsxc.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • Mt Jellicoe (10,640) aka The Big Guy Above the Ski Trails

    span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”Our workouts have been very focused but one can’t help but to look around at the awesome mountains. Mt. Jellicoe shades the ski trails in the early morning keeping them semi-firm. It is pretty wild contrast between skiing in the sun or the shade. We have been talking about climbing it all week but have been waiting for a good time. Each Day at Altitude Matt and I have been feeling better and better. Yesterday we tried a few threshold intervals and both of us felt the best we have all week. We kept them pretty relaxed and controlled testing just under 4mmol blood lactate for 8×5 minutes. Today we felt good after our morning over distance ski so decided to give it a go. John led us up the scramble for our afternoon workout. We had a great time. Although my legs are looking forward to a good stretch and roll, I think hiking mountains is my favorite mental recovery workout./spanp/p p align=”center”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfNe0f9jI/AAAAAAAAARg/C3XfobdWJaU/s1600-h/Jellicho+060.JPG”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfNe0f9jI/AAAAAAAAARg/C3XfobdWJaU/s400/Jellicho+060.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365862166251435570″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-size:85%;” Matt /span/p p align=”center”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfNm4xyPI/AAAAAAAAARo/hH8MO5mi65w/s1600-h/Jellicho+057.JPG”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfNm4xyPI/AAAAAAAAARo/hH8MO5mi65w/s400/Jellicho+057.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365862168416864498″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-size:85%;” Our home every morning for the past week/span/p p align=”center”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfORusvwI/AAAAAAAAASA/hM9OjepK5VU/s1600-h/Jellicho+065.JPG”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfORusvwI/AAAAAAAAASA/hM9OjepK5VU/s400/Jellicho+065.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365862179917315842″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-size:85%;” This is a classic John smile. Thanks for taking us on a Canadian Rockies Adventure/span/p p align=”center”span style=”font-size:85%;”img src=”http://www.xcskilife.com/images/Jellicho%20068.JPG” height=”413″ width=”550″ /br / The ridge is a fun scramble, but you don’t want to drop off either side/span/p p align=”center”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfN60tKWI/AAAAAAAAARw/SmI5_yRsVo4/s1600-h/Jellicho+051.JPG”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfN60tKWI/AAAAAAAAARw/SmI5_yRsVo4/s400/Jellicho+051.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365862173768493410″ border=”0″ //aspan style=”font-size:85%;” Enjoying the Mountains/span/p p align=”center”a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfOLdVjbI/AAAAAAAAAR4/Aoqgz671x7E/s1600-h/Jellicho+058.JPG”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M9ps8F85nS0/SndfOLdVjbI/AAAAAAAAAR4/Aoqgz671x7E/s400/Jellicho+058.JPG” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365862178233879986″ border=”0″ //a/p p align=”center”span style=”font-size:85%;”img src=”http://www.xcskilife.com/images/Jellicho%20078.JPG” height=”733″ width=”550″ /br / We made great time getting down the mountain by Glissading on the scree and snow/span/p p align=”center”span style=”font-size:85%;”img src=”http://www.xcskilife.com/images/Jellicho%20080.JPG” height=”413″ width=”550″ /br / Taking a swim after a great week./span/pdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8083254037538554650-5402776748307819205?l=in-the-arena-brian.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • First long group ski of the summer

    Last Thursday’s practice was the second 1k double pole TT of the summer (and it was so much fun that Dave had us do it twice!). It seems like almost everyone was able to set a new personal best, and a couple people were even faster on the second 1k than the first. I felt good on the first 1k up, and my time was fast – a new course record and personal best by 5 seconds in 2:34. Bjorn started a few people back came in at 2:36, and Derek finished in 2:40. The second time up the course was tough for me though. The first thing to give out in these all out sprints is my legs, and they were getting pretty bogged down by half way up the course. I also had Bjorn starting just a couple seconds behind me, and I could hear his poles getting closer and closer. In the end I was able to hold Bjorn off, and finished faster than I thought I would in 2:37, but Bjorn killed the course in a new course record time of 2:30. The TT confirmed to me that I need to get my legs stronger. I have been putting in lots of running this year, and that has really helped my fitness, but I have been lacking in the leg strength category. I will have to find time to get to the gym for more lifting, and should ideally add some bounding to the training. At least I know what I should do, now its just whather I find the time/energy to do it.br /br /Sunday was the first long group rollerski of the summer. Last year these group skis got very popular, drawing in most of the top skiers in the Metro at one point or another (with our biggest group being 28 people). Every year we move the start date further up the calender than the last year, so I wasn’t sure how many people would be up for the long group skis on August 1st, but there must have been some pent up demand since we still drew a group of 12, including olympian Carolyn Bramante and national champ Caitlin Compton, among others.br /br /The discussion on these long skis often involves how fast we (as individuals) should be going. The course that we take around Afton always includes plenty of out and back sections that allow for regrouping, but some people are better at going there own pace than others. I know that I have probably “won” a few to many hills on these long skis. Caitlin is inspiring on these long skis not for how fast she goes, but for how slow she takes these long skis. She is a master of the “ski slow to ski fast” mentality. My struggle is always how to adapt this to my training. She is training twice (or three times) as many hours as I am in any given week, and she has to keep her long skis easy so that she can hit her intervals hard. I am often not able to get in a workout every day, and so have more recovery built in to a given week, but does this mean that I should be taking the long skis harder? This week was easy to go slow since I raced a half marathon the day before (and set a new PB by over a minute!), and needed the recovery. Next week will be the real challenge to hold myself back.br /br /Anyone have any thoughts?div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1572647974447867713-5523128407872706189?l=vakavaraceteam.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

  • The Dog Days of Summer Training

    This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

    I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It’s hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

    We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo’s! It’s awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

    The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70’s he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don’t have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60’s yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn’t a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

  • The Dog Days of Summer Training

    This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

    I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It’s hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

    We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo’s! It’s awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

    The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70’s he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don’t have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60’s yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn’t a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

  • The Dog Days of Summer Training

    This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

    I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It’s hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

    We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo’s! It’s awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

    The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70’s he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don’t have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60’s yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn’t a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

  • The Dog Days of Summer Training

    This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

    I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It’s hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

    We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo’s! It’s awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

    The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70’s he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don’t have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60’s yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn’t a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

  • The Dog Days of Summer Training

    This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

    I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It’s hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

    We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo’s! It’s awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

    The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70’s he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don’t have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60’s yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn’t a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

  • The Dog Days of Summer Training

    This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

    I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It’s hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

    We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo’s! It’s awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

    The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70’s he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don’t have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60’s yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn’t a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

  • Kincaid Adventure Camp

    Since school was out for the summer, I helped out with the Kincaid Adventure Camp down at Kincaid park. It’s a camp for local youth with three different week-long sessions, each focusing on a different zone of the outdoors. One week focused on terrestrial life, the second on things that fly, and the final week on aquatic life. The really cool thing about these camps was that the main focus was outdoor recreation so our goal was to be active while exploring the outdoor world.

    On one of the days we were paddling the kids were super jazzed up to get out into the lake. We had to go over all of the water safety and how to paddle talks first.

    The kids were psyched to finally get into the water, practice their canoeing strokes, and explore the riparian zone from the water side.

    After they got comfortable with the canoes, we let them “upgrade” to kayaks.

    It was super fun to get involved with another activity during summer break, hanging out with kids is a refreshing way to see the world!

  • Kincaid Adventure Camp

    Since school was out for the summer, I helped out with the Kincaid Adventure Camp down at Kincaid park. It’s a camp for local youth with three different week-long sessions, each focusing on a different zone of the outdoors. One week focused on terrestrial life, the second on things that fly, and the final week on aquatic life. The really cool thing about these camps was that the main focus was outdoor recreation so our goal was to be active while exploring the outdoor world.

    On one of the days we were paddling the kids were super jazzed up to get out into the lake. We had to go over all of the water safety and how to paddle talks first.

    The kids were psyched to finally get into the water, practice their canoeing strokes, and explore the riparian zone from the water side.

    After they got comfortable with the canoes, we let them “upgrade” to kayaks.

    It was super fun to get involved with another activity during summer break, hanging out with kids is a refreshing way to see the world!

  • Kincaid Adventure Camp

    Since school was out for the summer, I helped out with the Kincaid Adventure Camp down at Kincaid park. It’s a camp for local youth with three different week-long sessions, each focusing on a different zone of the outdoors. One week focused on terrestrial life, the second on things that fly, and the final week on aquatic life. The really cool thing about these camps was that the main focus was outdoor recreation so our goal was to be active while exploring the outdoor world.

    On one of the days we were paddling the kids were super jazzed up to get out into the lake. We had to go over all of the water safety and how to paddle talks first.

    The kids were psyched to finally get into the water, practice their canoeing strokes, and explore the riparian zone from the water side.

    After they got comfortable with the canoes, we let them “upgrade” to kayaks.

    It was super fun to get involved with another activity during summer break, hanging out with kids is a refreshing way to see the world!

  • Kincaid Adventure Camp

    Since school was out for the summer, I helped out with the Kincaid Adventure Camp down at Kincaid park. It’s a camp for local youth with three different week-long sessions, each focusing on a different zone of the outdoors. One week focused on terrestrial life, the second on things that fly, and the final week on aquatic life. The really cool thing about these camps was that the main focus was outdoor recreation so our goal was to be active while exploring the outdoor world.

    On one of the days we were paddling the kids were super jazzed up to get out into the lake. We had to go over all of the water safety and how to paddle talks first.

    The kids were psyched to finally get into the water, practice their canoeing strokes, and explore the riparian zone from the water side.

    After they got comfortable with the canoes, we let them “upgrade” to kayaks.

    It was super fun to get involved with another activity during summer break, hanging out with kids is a refreshing way to see the world!