Hay in the Barn

To all my loyal followers out there (here's looking at you, Mom), I realize that it has been quite a while since my last update! For that I apologize sincerely, and while I wish I could say that it won't happen again, it turns out that things can get crazy busy during the summer and sitting down to write a blog sometimes feels like a luxury.

Anyways, here we are in the thick of summer in Craftsbury. A lot of people who aren't fully immersed in the nordic lifestyle ask us what exactly we do in the summer. I mean, there's no snow, right? Turns out that the bulk of our training actually happens in the warmer months, meaning while we train for those crisp winter mornings, more often than not we're sweating it out in the gym, on the trails, and on the roads. A lot of coaches use the analogy of "putting hay in the barn" during the summer months. I like to think of every long workout as giving me the ability to stay with the pack longer in a distance race or keep strong through the last sprint heat, while every interval session gives me the speed to qualify in a top position. Then of course, there's strength, which has always been a weakness of mine but something I'm working really hard to address. Bring on the pullups, Crossfit, and protein shakes. Boom. Here's to hoping my extra muscles add up to some extra speed this winter.

A typical day in Craftsbury during the summer might look something like this:

7:15 am- Wake-up time! Morning jog or HR test, cook and devour breakfast, gather stuff for workout
8:15-11:30 am- Morning workout. Rollerski, run, bike, or strength
12:00-1:00 pm- Lunch in the Outdoor Center's awesome dining hall
1:00-3:00 or 3:30 pm- Work projects around the Center. Your choice- gardening, trail work, web updates, coaching, etc, etc
3:30-4:30 pm- Down time and the most important part of the day-- SNACK time!
4:30-6:00 pm- Afternoon workout. Another run, row, rollerski, or strength
7:30-8:30 pm- Dinner. See "awesome lunch" above
8:30-10:00 pm- Hanging out with teammates, finishing off work projects, getting ready for bed
10:00 pm- Lights out.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat again. Got it?


So back on Cinco de Mayo, the day college students nationwide gather to celebrate their beloved adopted drinking holiday, I was making my way back to Craftsbury and the start of another training season. 10 weeks later, here I am! Here's the run-down in photos:

Team pull-up session (I'm the one hidden behind 
Ethan, in green) Photo @greenracingproject Instagram

Early season rollerski! Always excited to be back with
teammates- here's Kait Miller, Caitlin Patterson, and Susan Dunklee

We LOVED having the SMS T2 girls join us for a few workouts  
last week. Here's the group doing L3 skate intervals. Photo SMS T2

For every great training session, you have a day
like this. Thanks bunches, Postal Service!

As part of our living situation in Craftsbury, the athletes also help out around the Outdoor Center with various projects. It's fun to have something a bit different to do besides training, and it's also nice to have a wide variety of things to be involved in. As Hallie said the other day, you learn something new every day around here!

Finished product!!

Em and I have been building Adirondack chairs
for the deck of the new building

Hard work in the fields now means payoff in 
winter squash later. Photo Heather Mooney

We also get the chance to coach the BKL summer camps that happen twice a summer in Craftsbury. It's one crazy and exhausting week of scraped knees, big smiles, endless soccer games, and a little skiing thrown in for good measure. Basically, a total blast.

Campers pointing the way up Elmore

I also feel like it's important mentally and physically to have some built in breaks from the intense training atmosphere in Craftsbury. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but coming back from a short break raises my motivation to an all-time high. I did something a little different this year and went on a trip with my family up the Western coast of Canada and the US to Alaska. It was beautiful but rainy, and a unique experience that I'll never forget. Of course I had to keep training the whole time, but it was okay since I didn't know what to do with myself for 3 whole days on a cruise ship anyways, and whenever we got off I would go for long hikes and bike rides.

The Olympic Cauldron in Vancouver. If you watched a lot
of women's World Cup soccer, you may recognize the broadcast
area in the background!

I

Lower Dewey lake in Skagway, AK

Biking outside of Skagway

These Salsa gravel bikes were pretty rad!

Glacier Bay National Park

Snow on Mt. Roberts in Juneau, AK

Kayaking with brother Dan! That's his normal face

After getting back to Craftsbury on June 22nd, I had one hard week, and then a recovery week that included the BKL camp. We also rang in the 4th of July Craftsbury style (see pictures).

Cream cheese frosting and strawberries-- pure perfection

This happened...

After the 4th we had two solid hard weeks of training that ended yesterday with a wet and wild rollerski/mountain bike at Kingdom trails. I'm certainly ready for the some down time, some off-day waffles, and to take on the second BKL camp of the summer. Thanks for reading, check in later this summer for more updates!

Pretty friend time at Lake Champlain!

Noms. Noshes. Whatever you call them, get them.