There are only a few "seasons" during the year that I genuinely do not like. The first is mud season, that awful time between when the snow melts and the trails dry out enough to be usable. Growing up in the mountains, we never really had much of a mud season, it seemed like one day you were skiing and the next it was 70 degrees and sunny. Since moving to the East, though, I've gained appreciation for a whole new season, one involving muck boots and some of the messiest bike rides around. Then there's stick season, which seems to happen just about everywhere in early November (okay, maybe not in Alaska. They seem pretty excited about early-season skiing up there). The pretty autumn leaves fall off all the trees and every skier is left doing a little snow dance every day, just hoping that winter comes sooner rather than later.
The anticipation of winter always gets me through this time of year, whether it's rollerskiing in the drizzling cold rain or trying to squeeze in a second workout before the sun sets at 4:30 in the afternoon. Our snow-making permits at Craftsbury are good as of November 1st, so the good news is that if the weather cooperates we could be skiing on a man-made loop very soon! Exciting!
In the meantime, here are a few photos of one of our last workouts in Utah where we tackled the Pffeiferhorn in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was a really fun way to end a great altitude camp and one of our last opportunities to enjoy the fall foliage in the mountains. I'm now back in Craftsbury for the next three weeks, doing a final intensity block to get the race fitness I need for the season. I love intensity blocks and we have plenty on the schedule with intervals, speeds, and time trials galore, so should be a fun couple of weeks, and then before I know it I will be on the trails in West Yellowstone. Can't wait!
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The one and only Jennie Bender, at Red Pine Lake
on the way up to the Pffeiferhorn |
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| Shadow play |
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| The majestic Wasatch Range |
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| Caitlin surveying the view of Mt. Timpanogos |
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| Jennie and Caitlin enjoying the top |
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| Perfect day in Little Cottonwood Canyon |
After the camp ended in Park City I had a few days to catch up with friends and family, get out on my mountain bike, and even watch the girl's Park City XC running team race at State Championships. I felt pretty ancient wearing my State Champs sweatshirt from 2005... but I was pretty excited to hear they still do the same cheer we did back in the day. "Park City Girls Are Buff!"
While I was in Park City, Rosie Brennan and I had the chance to talk to the Park City Nordic Ski Club crew about growing up in the program and going on to race in college and professionally. They have a really fast crew of kids in the program right now so I'm psyched to see how they do this winter!
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| Showing the PCNSC kids some photos from back in the day |
I also popped up to Bozeman, MT for a weekend to catch up with college friends and explore the mountains up there. It's always nice to take a break from structured training, ditch the hr monitor belt, and just enjoy being outside with the people you love. Thanks for the great weekend guys!
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| Some of my favorites hiking Bridger |
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| Beautiful sunrise in Bozeman, MT |
Finally, a little shout-out to my friend and former UNH teammate Kelsey who just finished her first ever marathon in New York! I'm super impressed with her race and the fact that she raised a bunch of money for the American Cancer Society. Such a champ!
Thanks for reading, and check in soon (hopefully) for some updates on real skiing!
