Burgers and Birthdays! Episode 3

The title just about says it all.  Well, I guess it described what was happening outside of training…on one night.  This past Monday a few of us got together to celebrate a certain someone named Hannah’s birthday!  It was cool.  Now about the stuff that really matters…. (just kidding!  Birthdays matter too!)

Our training this week looked a lot like it did the week before, but better.  Tuesday we were back on the bike path cruising through town on our roller skis, taking a water break to watch Cully shred some river in his kayak.  No tragic crashes or broken hands this week, which is pretty rare on the bike path.  Maybe someday all those sketchy sections will be fixed (with pavement please!!).  Our main focus was on ankle bend and keeping our weight forward over the ball of our foot, but once it started raining on the way back, a little of that focus went to speed!

Wednesday we just “jumped” around from place to place, speed hiking with heavy med balls, big jumps on steep hills, ball throw relay TTs (I’d say races, but we were really just racing against ourselves), and of course….parkour (the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment). 

Saturday was a steamy one.  It finally started to feel like summer again, especially the heat.  We hit the pavement for a technique focused session, shooting some great video and getting time to analyze it right away.  I look forward to more of these workouts over the next few weeks until we really start to get out technique dialed in.  Maybe a little less shirt stealing next time.  Maybe….

So, you think you can Jump?!?, Episode 2

Wow, what an interesting week. But super fun. Us Nordic-ers started the week off on a rough…errr…path. Yeah, the bike path. Initially I was nervous, as I was one some super fast and sketchy roller skis as Haakon borrowed mine. But, things started off going pretty well, with a short lived race against some DEVO riders as they cruised by. We took some time at the end of the path to talk about positioning in more depth and check out a groovy new patio. The trip back proved to be a little more interesting with a crash or 3. I seriously though Lily was going to lose a tooth.

Wednesday I decided to try out a new workout that I’ve been thinking about. The goal is to help us increase our explosive strength, leading to better sprinting as well as use of power during distance races. The workout involved steep hills, a lot of jumping, med ball double pole races, sprinting, and tons of fun.

This weekend was an incredible one to be in Durango for. Beyond the roller ski video session, and the fabulous weather, it was also Taste of Durango and dance performances from many current DNSC members. Kaylee, Lily, Mattie, and Maggie along with many other dancers from Durango put on a wicked cool show on Saturday night. For me it was cool to see those guys in a different context, having fun, and putting on a great show!

Here’s looking forward to next week and remember…just two more weeks of school!!

BBQ Smells, Sunburns, and Road Rash; Episode 1

BBQ smells, sunburns, and road rash. Yep, it must (almost) be summer again. The first week of May and the first week of training for DNSC’s Summer Training Group (STG) are officially over. With 3 weeks of school still left, we’re logging some extra bonus hours over last year’s summer program and looking forward to the payoff next winter. After a month and a half of down time since JNs, I’m psyched to be back training with DNSC and continuing to develop our program.

I know everyone has been active during our hiatus, but I was extremely impressed by the form and fitness that I saw this week. I always this it’s good to go back to the basics at the start of every year, reassess our technique, and start over again; hopefully dropping any bad habits we may have picked up in the past year. From what I saw yesterday, there are only minor corrections to be made before we can start shifting our focus to strength and speed. Wow. I’m excited!

Considering we are only one week in, I don’t have a lot of exciting news to report, but with new and interesting workouts coming up next week, keep posted for some excited stories!