July in Review... plus tons of pictures!

One of my juniors girls made a valid point yesterday. She said, "people that read your blog don't even know if you crossed the finish line of Mt. Marathon successfully."  She is right, I haven't had a post since BEFORE the race. So, here's what I've been up to:

1) A successful Mt. Marathon race where I came up short by 10 seconds (meaning I was leading the race until the last block when my legs absolutely died - I got second place.)

Going up: Cedar, me & Kikkan - exactly the order we finished in

Coming down... unfortunately my big uphill lead wasn't enough to sustain me on the downhill. Cedar had a top ten downhill time for the men's field!

Here's where she passed me with one block to go in front of thousands of people! 

2) Extreme post-race soreness (since I had not been able to train the downhill due to an ankle injury)

3) A mid-summer sickness (flu/bronchitis/extreme fatigue)

4) The celebration of my one year wedding anniversary!

5) A trip to Denali with the intention of climbing Mt. Brooks with Rob and my dad - at least until we were turned around due to bad weather. (This was planned as my only "vacation" for the summer - from both work and organized ski training.)

Pointing to Mt. Brooks with my dad, Don Brooks!

We had a gorgeous approach day with a full view of Denali and the Alaska Range

Lots of stream crossings and wet feet! I was happy to get in a great day of "non-specific" training! (Fifteen hours on our feet)

In fact it was such a long day that we stopped for a "dinner break."  Here Rob took full advantage!

After the first day our weather turned. We spent two days in our tents listening to the rain and wind waiting for it to clear. When it didn't, we had to retreat. I suppose that's mountaineering for you. I'm definitely going back to climb this beautiful mountain!  

Lucky for us, my dad had the foresight to insist that we bring along a boat. Due to all the rain we had to use it to ford multiple braids of McKinley Bar due to all the recent rain.  Take a close look at the picture - both my dad and Rob are in the boat!

The consolation prize for retreating from Denali early was a gorgeous run on Crow Pass with my dad. Here he is in front of Raven glacier. 

The wild flowers were alright too.

After Crow Pass we went dip netting on the Kenai with thousands of other Alaskans.  Here is an action shot of Rob and a fish that appears to still be alive in his hands!

Our coolers full of "bounty" for the day.  This year Rob built a smoker and we experimented with smoking fish for the first time. The outcome was great! 

Getting this much fish is definitely one of those "OIA" (Only in Alaska) experiences. The cost of living here might be high but at least we get to take home and store LOTS of wild, organic fish for the winter! 

Moving on.......

6) I recently had the biggest week of training I've had in my recorded, training-log life.  It still amazes me how often I have to feel bad to feel good - meaning that to be in top form for skiing at a certain time, I have to spend a lot of time really, really tired. It's always a balance. How much is too much and how much is not enough? (That IS the question!)

7) My big training week was followed by leading a junior dryland training camp in Talkeetna:

Junior skiers skiing up Hatcher's Pass! Here is Thomas receiving some technique advice from Katie Ronsse

Our group at the end of the ski

Thomas and Doug tearing it up in an intense bounding workout

Forest getting after it!

Those that have injuries opted to bike instead.

A sweet core routine on the dock - not bad!

At junior camp we train a lot (three times per day!) but we also emphasize fun.  The Mannix family was kind enough to have us over for a bonfire. Karen challenged all the boys to hula hoop.  If they were successful, they "won" a snickers for the OD (over distance workout) the next day. Every single boy in our group did it the first time they tried!  I have to admit - I think they were better than the girls!  

Troy loving the snickers 4 hours into the run

The next day we did a 5.5 hour ridge run/hike on Kesugi Ridge. We had mediocre weather and it was still beautiful. I can only imagine what it must be like in clear, sunny weather!

Every year we end the Talkeetna Camp (compliments of the Knapp family - thank you Alice!) with a multi-sport relay. Here is Eric Strabel giving directions. 

The teams are lined up at the start.  Luckily these kids are skiers and not rowers because admittedly, they aren't very good! (Sorry guys!)

A team shot

Another team shot

Tomorrow I (potentially) head to Eagle Glacier for a week-long on snow camp - weather depending.  I'm hoping for a bit of sunshine, some good skiing, and some sleep!  My next post will be a glacier report. Thanks for reading!

Holly :)

The Goal - cross the line in one (working) piece

The countdown is almost over - I'm headed down to Seward within the hour.  July 4th is always an exciting time of year.... luckily it isn't quite as hectic as last year. (I'm not getting married next week, rather celebrating my one-year anniversary!)

Me and Cedar on the way up... 

There is always a lot of hype around this race - more so than any other race in Alaska.  Maybe it's because a ton of 3,000 swells to over 30,000 for the weekend or maybe it's because the race truly epitomizes Alaska. Racers, myself included climb 3022 (to be exact!) above sea level in less than an hour and descend down a series of steep pitches, cliffs, and waterfalls in less than 15 minutes. I'll admit - I'm excited, and a bit nervous too. After last year, my goals include #1 to get down the mtn safely. I can stand pain - I don't mind blood, bruises or falls. I just don't want to withstand an injury that will keep me from training in the days, weeks and months after the race. My second goal (which is always very important to me) is to have FUN. Racing is fun.  If I can accomplish these first two goals, I believe that a good result will follow!

Here are a couple of pictures from last year:

A view of (part of) the downhill

To show the steepness of terrain

An ambulance waiting at the bottom

Looking pretty happy in the ER?

I checked myself out to cross the finish line before going back for more IV fluid and the Drs clearance

Final ER discharge - 7pm

There was an article in the ADN this morning..... check it out here if you're interested. 

Good luck to all the racers! 

Sincerely, 

Holly :) 

Just past Solstice...

First and foremost, happy 60th Birthday to my Mom, Chris!

We just crested the longest day of the year in Alaska and now that we're on the tail end of Solstice it means only one thing: the days are getting shorter.  While we still have plenty of light, post June 21st makes the upcoming ski season seem like it's encroaching slowly but surely. 

The sixteen to twenty hours of day light in AK makes it hard to sleep, especially when the weather is good.  People up here often joke that you can "rest in the fall" which leads to people running themselves ragged when it's nice out, myself included.  June has been a hectic month for me hurrying from one thing to the next. This weekend it's finally caught up with me and I'm having a hard time peeling my tired body off the coach. Luckily the sky is grey so I don't feel bad about resting (or "wasting the day") and Rob is out of town on a trip which I'll admit, allows me to be lazy. 

Here is a recap of why I am so tired: 

I spent the second week of June at the APU training camp on Eagle Glacier. This was my first time at the facility as an athlete rather than a coach. It was awesome to be able to sleep at night and boy did I need it!  Skiing four hours a day on the glacier is tiring. We have a great write-up of the camp on the APU/Fasterskier blog - check it out here. 

I left Glacier Camp two days early because I had previously committed to leading an APU team at the annual Run for Women. I was also really excited to be the "honorary starter" for the race which had more than 7,000 participants this year! 

That night I went to Lee and Colleen's wedding which was a great reunion of friends. Congrats you two! 

The next morning was the start of ............... DEATH CAMP 2010!  Death Camp isn't as knarly as it sounds. The first rule of death camp is actually "no dying."  It's a reincarnation of a camp that existed when my peers were in high school.  Basically its a tough training camp where the athletes train 3-4 times per day and have a ton of fun. As Charlie Renfro (one of my co-workers/coaches) says, "Death Camp is where he decided he wanted to be an endurance athlete.  Camp is based in Girdwood at the base of Alyeska ski resort and kids and coaches alike have a ball..... 

Here's our group crossing the river on the tram... 

Jack and Forrest lovin Death Camp - and representing!

BK came to join us for a day of workouts. Here he shows us the weather forecast on his iphone. The mediocre weather didn't keep us from having a great time. 

Every night at dinner, our team goes around the circle and everyone announces a "highlight" and "lowlight" from the day.  When it came time for Brent to share his, he said that his highlight was seeing how FIT and TOUGH our athletes are.  He acknowledged that the athletes were way ahead of his development curve when he was their age and that he was impressed.  I thought that was REALLY cool to hear - and cool of him to share! 

The Junior team hiked up to Crow Pass when fish scale skis on our backs for some sprint practice!

I'm pretty sure Celia thought it was awesome.  PURE AWESOME - such was the theme of the camp.

We ended a tough training camp with a tough race.  Bird Ridge is 3400 feet of gain in just 3 miles. Here is APU athlete and new coach Katie Ronsse rippin it up!  The weather was perfect mtn running weather: sunny at the base and foggy and cool on top. 

The APU junior girls had awesome races - especially considering the hard training they'd done the days prior.  Many of them PR'd by 3-4 minutes..... although they were disappointed by not running QUITE fast enough to get Eric Strabel to shave his moustache. It seems to be a constant source of motivation for the girls so I suppose I'm glad he kept it. (There was a bet that 4 of the 5 juniors girls had to break 55 minutes... they were close but not quite there.) 

The Bird Ridge decent complete with Lupine

Not only was the week busy but while I was coaching camp Rob and I became an aunt and uncle!  Congratulations to Rob's older sister Erin and her husband Frank for the birth of a healthy 8 pound baby, Rienzi Mae! I hope that I can see her someday sooner rather than later! 

Last but not least, the most unpleasant part of the last three weeks was the gum graft that I had yesterday. The Periodontist cut a piece of skin from the roof of my mouth and sewed it to my gum at the base of my front, lower tooth. I'll spare you pictures but just trust me: it's not pleasant to have two sets of stitches in your mouth. 

Thanks for reading/more to come soon! 

Holly :)

Going Skiing! (and the past couple of weeks!)

Well, today is June 6th and in just a couple of hours I will be headed to my first Eagle Glacier training camp as an athlete. Yes, I've been to Eagle before but only in the capacity as a coach or a worker for a pre-glacier work camp party. The APU team will go to Eagle to ski on snow for a week once a month during June, July, and August.

A picture of the Alpine Air helicopter hovering over the training facility

The view from the edge of the glacier over looking Girdwood.... at 5500 feet sometimes we are above the clouds! 

I am looking forward to this training camp for many reasons. Skiing on snow and groomed tracks first and foremost.... but, I am also going into this with a plan of sleeping a TON.  Summer in Alaska is always crazy but the recent good weather combined with my tasks of a coaching and training (on top of other life responsibilities) has left me feeling quite tired.  During my regular in town life, I participate in "active recovery" meaning that I never have time for a nap or even to put my feet up. However, I know that my lack of rest has left me a bit deprived and I am looking forward to a skiing/sleeping camp! 

While I am sad to be missing a couple days of junior and master's practice, I am happy to say that I am coming down from the glacier early to lead an APU team for the Alaska Run for Women, a great event to promote breast cancer awareness in Alaska.  Last year the race had over 5,000 participants and I am hoping that the "APU Nordic Ski Center Girls" team will draw a big crowd.  Girls - if you haven't signed up yet, do it TODAY! 

Otherwise, life has been good and busy.  I often view May as a great time to get in some back country touring style training to rebuild my base and endurance.  Long skis are a good platform for the higher intensity, more structured training that comes with the rest of the summer. Here are a couple of pictures from my recent Alaskan training adventures: 

Rob and I on top of Goat Ridge over looking the Turnagain Arm on our Eklutna Traverse crust ski. We started hiking at 4:45am and this trip took 14 hours car to car.  Good 30/50k training! 

This is what I call "good training."  It's all about keeping the joy and passion alive. In order to succeed, I believe you must love what you do. As a ski racer and coach, I absolutely adore skiing and Alaskan trips such as this are a big part of it. It's those rainy roller ski days in October that provide my with the fitness and strength to ski hard all day - and vice versa. 

Here's a picture from a backcountry training trip where the weather didn't cooperate. Have you ever skied in full rubber ... the kind you would use for fishing?  It may be novel but isn't highly recommended! 

Memorial Day weekend Katie Ronsse (my APU teammate), Rob, Bill Pearson and I got out for a long tour above Whittier.  We had a great day on our tele skis (the snow was too "corny" to use anything skinnier)  and we decided to capture the moment with a sweet ski-guitar shot!

On another note, May featured the end of school for the Anchorage School District. I was happy to fit in a couple of school visits including some time at Chugach Optional Elementary school.  It's fun telling stories about the Olympics and discussing goal setting.  Kids always come up with great questions too! 

If you're reading this I hope that you're enjoying your summer and taking the opportunity to get outside and take care of yourself. Have fun, be careful, and thanks for reading! 

Sincerely, 

Holly :)