Surly Trail Loppett

Today marks the first official day of Fall and that means that race season is coming up.  I have been training a pretty high volume of hours this year and now is the time to drop the volume and increase the intensity. After several 20+ hour weeks of training this week was only 15 hours.  I kept the frequency of workouts the same but instead of 2.5 hour I might only run for 1 to 1.5 hours.  It felt great.  My decrease in hours timed well with the Surly Trail Loppett 1/2 marathon.  The loppett events are awesome, and become even better because I can walk to the start from my back door.  I actually ran and picked up our bibs during for my pre-breakfast 15 minute jog.

Participants in the Fast Kids 1km Fun Run

After starting slowly I worked my way up to the group racing for 3rd place.  At mile 10 my legs left me and I dropped off the 1 hour 22 min pace and the other two guys in our group.  I ran it in at 1:25:30 which is still a time I am happy with.  The race has grown in the last few years from under a hundred participants to selling out at 900 participants which is pretty cool.  There are some strong runners in the group to push the cross country skiers including race winner and former Team USA Minnesota athlete Chris Lundstrom.

Madshus Posters hot off the press for this weekends big Hoigaards Tent Sale

It was nice to have an easier week with a busy weekend.  On Friday and Saturday, Caitlin and I helped customers at the Hoigaards huge annual tent sale.  Hoigaards is one of our new sponsors and they had a great sale weekend.  It was a blast to see and meet so many skiers, plus they had some fantastic deals.

Setting Carter up on a pair of Madshus Nanosonics

Team Madshus: Caitlin, Ben (Madshus Sales Rep) and I 

Glacier ski testing, 90s, and the end of summer 5km

Madshus Photo Shoot on the Eagle Glacier

We made a big move this spring switching to Madshus skis, boots, poles and bindings.  I had the opportunity to test some demo Madshus skis in June, but in August I had the opportunity to test my own skis.  Skiing on snow in the summer time is pretty special and requires a little effort and some extra dollars.  There are two summer skiing facilities in North America.  One is on the Haig Glacier near Canmore, AB, Canada and the other is on the Eagle Glacier near Anchorage, AK.  I hadn't been on snow in July or August since 2010 and this spring we decided that we needed to make it happen.  In seven days on the glacier I had my best week of training of the year.  Not only did I get in over 28 hours of quality on snow time but I gained a ton of confidence in my new skis.  I used to dread racing in warm conditions, but now with my new skis I am excited for them.  I skied most days with a camel-back so I didn't have to stop.  We did take one day pretty easy and modeled in a photo shoot for Madshus.  They flew up my friend and photographer Charlie Renfro to take photos.

Signing in the attendance for Run Club

I had hoped that our summer travels would coincide with the annual heat wave in Minneapolis.  Unfortunately we were off by one week and we returned to 90+ degree temperatures at home in Minneapolis.  Thankfully the shorter days of late August meant that the mornings weren't too unbearable but it did cut down on our number of Run Club sessions outside.  Our big summer goal for Run Club has been the Heart of the City 5km.  The running race was yesterday down in Burnsville, MN

We met at the Club at 6:30am but that didn't slow Janaya and I down.

The Boys and Girls Club kids were each paired with a running buddy so that they could each run their own race.  Terrell is one of our youngest but also one of our strongest runners. 

Caitlin and I raced the 5km as well.  I gained a lot of respects for moms, dads, and coaches out there who run races with their kids.  We had a busy morning of getting everyone into their running clothes, pinning on numbers, tying shoes, getting fueled (thanks to Fruit Share for the grapes and apples) and all the necessary pre-race activities.  It makes me really appreciate all the support I receive from others, especially on race day.  It was really cool to see the kids run the 5km race.  I ran back to cheer them in and could only keep up for a few minutes.

The Boys and Girls Club crew after a fun morning of racing and supporting.  We celebrate our accomplishments with a party at Grand Slam.  I thought that everyone would be worn out but we rallied for mini-golf, bumper cars and laser tag.

Adventure Camp

We had Loppet Adventure Camp week last week.  A huge thank you to the City Of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation for providing scholarships for 12 kids from the Boys and Girls Club to enjoy Loppet Adventure Camp for the week.  The crew has been looking forward to Adventure Camp week all summer.  The camp is a week long all day camp near Wirth Lake where adventurers get to learn and perfect their skills at mountain biking, roller skiing, trail running, orienteering, canoeing, capture the flag and more.  Challenges are added each day as the kids skills improve and it is a blast to help the kids go from barely standing on roller skis to competing in a 1 km race.  Everyone had a great time last year and it was fun to have a full van of kids ready and waiting even before 'The Club' opened up so that they would be on time to Adventure Camp.  Also thank you to Anthony Taylor for helping to transport the kids when my training got in the way.  

Getting strong and having fun at Adventure Camp

Powered by Fruit Share Organic Apples help us to keep going strong all day long.

Fueling right can keep you energized and having fun all day long..  I know I am not the only one with a sweet tooth and fresh fruit is nature's candy.  I think Janaya was the most excited about the fruit.  Throughout the week we enjoyed fresh apples, plums, nectarines and peaches.

Devon, psyched to have the front seat.

Brianna and Amori still smiling after a full day of physical activity in the warm weather

I training 26 hours the week of Adventure Camp and also worked every weekday.  It is pretty amazing how the smile on the kids faces can energize you.  On Wednesday, Caitlin and I flew out to California for her Uncle Kelly and Fran's wedding.  I will miss the crew at the Club but am looking forward to a bit more recovery between sessions.

Noah showing me around the Donner Ridge trails on a 3-hour 20 mile run.

Summertime Routine

One of my goals this year is to limit my number of out-of-competition travel days.  I love going to training camps but I have found that if I am always moving around it is hard to really get in to a good groove.  I have really enjoyed the last four weeks of staying at home and training and working in Minneapolis.  I have been training a lot, logging just over 30 hours a week ago and that load is so much easier if you can do most of it right outside your door.  I even had one whole week where I didn't use the car once.  Although that was because Caitlin had the car for a camp up in Wisconsin.  Still, it is pretty fantastic to have great training and a great job right in your backyard.

'Everyone who wants to play line up at the Glengale Park Sign"

This summer has been busier than ever at the club and our attendance is at a record high.  The Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club is really understaffed so if you have a few spare hours drop on by and volunteer.  It is so much fun to be able to be with the kids consistently and fun to see our Run Program continue to grow.  We have a date set now of September 7th for us all to compete in the 5km Heart of the City Race.  We are super excited.

"Get outside and play an hour or more each day"

One of our favorite new games is to set up challenging obstacle courses and see if we can all complete them.  The playground offers some pretty hard challenges.

I try to get in two races each month and I was psyched to find a 5km running race just up the street in North Minneapolis yesterday.  I ran a PR on an offical USATF 5km course of 16:03.  I am still looking to break 16 minutes.  I thought I had it but couldn't hold the pace on the final mile.  I haven't done much foot speed though and was still happy with a PR.

I am pretty sure today marked my first prize money ever in a running race.  $50 for the win isn't much but it still helps.  I was lucky to have Caitlin and Lahti to cheer and provide splits out on the course.

Summertime S'mores Party

Each spring we have a big neighborhood work day to clean up the yards and get them ready and safe to play in all summer long.  Spring came a bit late to Minnesota and our clean up party was right before we headed off to Washington.  The neighborhood kids all pitched in to help clean up their yards and we promised a little s'mores party for a job well done, although we needed to wait until we were back from our spring training camp in the pacific northwest.

 "What's a s'more?" they asked... well, we got that one figured out now"

Jimmy showing off his fresh cooked s'more.  First time ever doing something like this.

We made a little urban camping trip of the evening with a nice fire, roasting marshmallows
 and ghost stories on the blanket.

Me and Melena

Yum. 

Monitoring my daily training

It is great to be home in Minneapolis and back to a routine.  I will not be traveling as much this summer and especially enjoyed my first true rest day last Monday with no travel and no work.  Training is going great.  I have been doing many workouts by myself as I have put a large emphasis on pacing this year.  You can tell from my splits below that I still have some work to do to be able to feel relaxed and comfortable and consistently feel and reach my goal pace. It is fun to have many mini goals within each workout.

The Final Days on Snow

Enjoying the final days of grooming at the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center.  The Mountain did a great job of prepping the trail each day and managing the snow through stockpiling and plowing to last as long as possible.

With temperatures in the 80's it is hard to believe that skiing is just 30 minutes away 

After a solid 10 days on snow I returned to the Methow to work on technique with Scott and enjoy a few recovery sessions.  After years of hearing about it I finally got out to enjoy the Loomis Loop, a 52 mile ride in northern Okanogan county.

I am looking forward to heading home to Minnesota but not without one last run in the mountains.  Chad and I ran and scrambled up the ridge near Mt Robinson.  We had hoped to go to the peak but there was still quite a bit of snow and I figured it we made the trip more than 5 hours it wouldn't really be a recovery session.  

The mountains have always held a special place for me and although it doesn't make sense physiologically I tend to feel rejuvinated after a full day in the mountains.  It is hard to beat the cascades on a bluebird day

Ski to Sea... First race of the season on last years snow

The Ski to Sea race has been described as the Bellingham Olympics and is a multi-sport race from Mt Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay.  The race starts off with a 6.5km cross country ski, followed by a downhill ski (although it is more of a climb since you start and finish in the same spot), road run, road bike, canoe, mountain bike and sea kayak.  I have been racing in the event since high school and it is fun to add an on snow race to my May training.  A huge thank you to John and Beth Barron of Barron Heating for sponsoring the team.  We have a great group of guys that look forward to the race each year.  I have really enjoyed getting to know the other members of the team. They are some of the top in their fields with Greg Barton leading the way (two time Olympic Gold Medalist-1988).  The cross country ski leg makes up the largest ski race in Washington with nearly 500 participants.

Testing out skis before the race.  Sloppy mash potato conditions 

After an 8 year run of great weather for the race this year proved to be a wet one

The race went well and I finished just ahead of Tad Elliot to put team Barron Heating in the lead.  Tad and I finished the race and immediately went to watch and cheer the other racers.  I kept looking for Caitlin to finish but I never saw her and I began to worry.  Turns out she had a GREAT race and finished THIRD Overall! She beat many top male skiers in the country including my teammate Sam Naney, Kent Murdoch, and Marco Bedard.  Marco Bedard is one of Canada's top bi athletes and although he didn't have a very good race, I am impressed with Caitlin.  Congratulations Babe!

The second place team had one of the top sea kayakers in the world on their team so we knew it would be a hard fought race to the finish.  Last year we won the race by just seven seconds.  The rest of the crew kept the ball rolling and we won the race for the second year in a row.  A big benefit of the win is a round trip ticket on Alaska Airlines.  With Super Tour Finals in Alaska this year I am really excited to have the ticket.

We were the first car off of the mountain so we could make it back to celebrate our good friend's Chad and Cari's wedding

Disassembling the Fawn Hut which we hope to turn in to a place of our own for when we are training in the Methow.  The cabin needs some work and it will likely be a project for after Sochi but we had to move it from it's former resting spot by Memorial Day weekend.

Waxing up the classic skis for an on-snow interval session in Bend, Oregon

We are now in Bend Oregon for a week assuming the snow holds up. The skiing has been good but the weather has been too which means the snow is melting fast.  Life has been busy and training is hard.  I am looking forward to my first week of full time training next week.