Ski Team Endeavors in the First Week of Class

I may or may not have just posted this on the Nordic Ski Team Blog, but I figured I'd throw it up here since it includes a story from my week. Plus, it could be a good lesson. Sometimes things don't go according to plan and your intervals get completely messed up and end up non-existent. Even when this happens you can at least look at is as semi-entertaining. Optimism?

Anyway, enough late night rambling...here's the post:

We have a Facebook page! This is going to be short and sweet because it is late and we leave for Rumford tomorrow, but I wanted to make sure it got on the blog before the weekend. This is a new thing for the team and I'm going to see if maybe when I have service/wifi at carnivals I can post results and whatnot to the page before they're online (although the EISA is usually pretty speedy.)

The boys (and Gabby) give the van a little push

An exciting adventure the team had this week was when we attempted to get in some intervals on Tuesday. We went up the the Range in Jericho only to find that the road leading up to the biathlon range was a little icy. And by a little icy I mean a complete ice rink that was nearly impossible to even try to walk on. We got part way up the hill in the van only to have my dad maneuver us carefully into a driveway. After getting slightly stuck for just a minute we unpacked our skis and began to walk up the ice covered hill. On the walk up we encountered a school bus in a snowbank, a woman in a Subaru that gave my dad the keys and let him do the driving, a fishtailing, skidding van, and, finally, a dirt truck that came to everyone's rescue. (I'm clearly not an English major, so those of you who are into that kind of thing...you know...literacy...please don't judge me for the hardcore overkill of commas in that last sentence.)

High fives for getting the van out of the snowbank

Pumped for the arrival of the dirt truck

We made it to the top and the skiing was still good, but unfortunately just before we really got rolling the National Guard decided to call it quits and shut down the operation. While our workout was less than desirable we got to ski the Range and test out potential interval loops for the following weeks.

Big Purple leaves tomorrow at noon for the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain! I made the girls purple and yellow hair ribbons earlier in the evening so we're officially ready for the race season to begin!

Make sure to check out and like our Facebook page and wish us luck!

Update from LP

It hasn't been that long since my last post, but a lot has happened. It's been a busy week or so for SMC Nordic. Last I wrote we were staying at Larissa's house in Jackson and skiing at Bretton Woods just half an hour away. The conditions there were absolutely perfect while every other ski area was hurting for snow. We had sunny days and hard tracks. We got in a day of intervals, a double session, and a really successful long ski. We were all absolutely in love with the place and were sad to leave. I'm completely in love with the hotel. It's basically a castle and it's amazing.

Mount Washington Hotel

Larissa up at the Yurt

Kat and I

From New Hampshire we headed back to school for a few days. We spent a good amount of time up in my area. We skied at Dickenson's, which is where I skied in high school, and had chicken parm made by my Gram at my house.

Dickinson's

Kat, Silke, Larissa, and Gabbi at Dickinson's

Yesterday we had a quick ski at Sleepy Hollow and then made our way to Lake Placid. We had dinner at Colin's which was nice since it was the first time in a while our whole team together. Colin's been M.I.A. with a broken ankle from ski jumping and Silke's leaving soon for World Juniors for biathlon. Clearly straight up nordic skiing is the only way to stick around for extended periods of time. Last night it started snowing and pretty much didn't stop. It let up for a while, but is now going steady again. Things are looking good for the carnival this weekend hosted by SLU.

Kat shoveling away this morning

Excitement on the way to ski this morning

Races on the bridge

Whoops.

Kat and I pretending to be Silke

Check out the team blog for Larissa's account of our day in Placid! Tomorrow's an easy ski on the courses for the weekend and then Friday we start our carnival season. Busy busy.

Ski Update

SO MUCH WORK. That's what this time of the year brings. Everything speeds up and all of the end of the semester assignments aren't so far away anymore.

It's also a big time of the year for ski training. I don't know how many times I've heard my dad say, "These next six weeks are really important." It's a lot. Since everyone's heading home for break today we've had a couple of big workouts in the past few days so that the time at home could be fairly relaxed. We ran the Westford Turkey Trot 10k on Saturday. It was a fun community filled race. A lot of the ski club my dad belongs to, Northwest Vermont Endurance, was there, which was fun because it was a lot of people from around my hometown.

NWVE sends out an email after each race. They're usually pretty entertaining. My favorite bit from the Turkey Trot Report:

"With Camille Bolduc (the two-time female driveway dash champion) graduating to the 2 (~1.7) mile event, NWVE had no athletes in the first wave. (NOTE: The first wave was the 50 m dash for kids) None-the-less it was one of the more exciting races in memory with an intimidating stare down between the top two finishers, to a happy go lucky gallop, and the traditional terrified tears created by the phobia inducing tunnel of giant grownups clapping and cheering louder to encourage the emergent athlete in what creates an unfortunate terminal circle of fear and cheer. I was late to the start so no word on how any of the wagering went on in the kid’s race."

On Sunday we did a long double pole roller ski. Today we had an early morning interval session that went very well. It's finally almost Turkey Day and I'm ready for a few easy days.

While the only two boys currently on the team have been finishing up the cross country running season the girls have been working hard. Having only two of us back from last year (Kat and I) it's really exciting to see such a great girls team coming together. We're looking ready for snow!

NENSA races start up as early as the beginning of December, so cross your fingers for that white stuff we love.

I'm really starting to get antsy, so I was looking at ski pics from last year. I stumbled upon these two videos and this great picture, which were from one of my favorite days of practice last year. It was snowing so hard that we couldn't even make it to Stowe so we ended up out in the 3's field building jumps and having snowball fights. Check out Colin, Kat, and Josh below...

Definitely the best picture of the day.

In other ski news, I finally got the team blog up an running last night! Check it out!

Fall Has Arrived!

View from about half way up Madonna at Smuggler's Notch

It finally really feels like fall in VT. It's the time of year when girls are pulling out the boots and sweaters and putting away summery dresses and the time of year when you actually have to remember to wear a jacket when you walk out of your building. There's nothing worse than rushing off to class and realizing half way there that wearing just a cardigan is not going to do it for the day. It's also the time of year when VT is absolutely gorgeous.
When thinking back and trying to decide what to write about today it seems that the past week was filled with the usual math work and Ben & Jerry's consumption. (The flavor of the week was Dublin Mudslide)


One thing that I'm really excited about is the first ski team workout. There were only three of us there, but we were all really happy to get things going. I was really glad to hear that the other two girls there, Katlyn and Larissa, have been working out on their own and are both serious about getting things moving in the fall. Ahhh, I love fall, but I love winter even more. I can't wait to ski!

Me, Katlyn, and Larissa chillin' at the top

We did a hike up Madonna, which is one of the mountains at Smuggler's Notch. My dad had a "creative way" to go up the mountain. This sounded terrifying, but it wasn't all too bad. At first we did some 6-6 1/2 min bounding/ski walk intervals with a couple min rest. After doing a handful of those we just hiked the rest of the way to the top. It was a good workout, especially after racing the day before.

Fave pic of the day

As far as XC goes this week we had a couple of crazy muddy, rainy runs. We also had the VT State Meet at Middlebury on Saturday where the boys came in 3rd and we came in 2nd! We were obviously pretty happy with our finish as a team. As far as my race goes, I was really surprised to find out that my time was faster than last time. Before I even hit the first mile mark I started feeling pretty sick. It's the absolute worst when you've got yourself ready to work really hard in a race and your stomach just doesn't want to go there. I felt like I wasn't running as well as last time, but I still kept my head in the race and worked the flats and the uphills. I think it's a really good sign that even though I felt much worse and thought I was going much slower that I actually came out with a faster time. Getting faster every race definitely helps the motivation during the week. We head for Boston on Friday and race Saturday. Wish us luck! It's a HUGE race.


This week should be a fairly easy one. I have an exam in Abstract Algebra, but I'm not overly worried about it. Because I had a Prob/Stats exam Friday and have the Abstract one coming up I have no math homework for the week, which is pretty much unheard of. I'm not sure what to do with myself. I should probably start with cleaning this room. It's completely absurd.


Check out the slide show for more XC pickies! Ah, what a beautiful weekend.

Back in Action

The first week of school has come and gone. It actually kind of flew by. It was nice for the weekend to come so fast. I wasn't around last weekend and it was really nice to be able to hang out with everyone I missed over the summer.

XC girls - Andrea, me, Erin, Kate

Erika, Maria, and I

This semester I'm completely working on my major, which makes all of my classes super enjoyable. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have two math classes. I head to Prob/Stats bright and early at 8:15. I'm not completely in love with the class since I'm not really a fan of stats, but as it's a requirement for the major and the professor seems to be pretty good I'm not really complaining. At 1 i have Abstract Algebra. This class is interesting for me because I am one of four students in the class. It's an upper level math class only taken by majors, so, as most people find the idea of being a math major to be the absolute grossest, not many people sign up. It makes the class really relaxed. I really enjoy the itty bitty class size.

Tuesday and Thursday I have the Secondary Ed Block. I have one class a day from 12-2:15. They are separate from each other, though the professors work together to mesh the two. We only have one syllabus, for example. Starting in a week or two we'll be getting placements in local high schools where we'll be observing, helping, and teaching from 8-11 Tuesday and Thursday mornings until just before Thanksgiving. These classes seem like they'd be super long, but they go by quickly.

All in all, I'm pretty much in love with my schedule. While I do like LSRs and think it's good to have the Liberal Arts education it's nice to be focused on the two things I'm really interested in. Plus, I'm done by 2:30 every day, which leaves plenty of time for a nap before XC practice at 4:15. YES.

Speaking of XC, I'm bouncing back from my ridiculously long illness fairly quickly. We did a tempo run Friday than nearly killed me, but if that won't get me back into shape I don't know what will. I love being with the girls and getting to know all of the first years. With a team of 24 we've been having a good time.

SMC XC girls on a hike during pre-season (I'm MIA)

Another reason I'm enjoying XC season so much right now is that I've talked with my coach, Molly, about focusing on skiing. This means that she's really flexible with my schedule and I'm able to be more ski-specific. On Wednesday when we do strength I do my own strength afterward. On Saturday I went home with Juli, who's also on the ski team, and we did a long double pole rollerski with my dad. Sunday I was able to substitute a hike with Juli and my crazy athletic parents for the long run the rest of the girls were doing. It's so nice to know that I'm getting a head start on skiing compared to last year when I did almost nothing. I'm crossing my fingers for some better results. There's really nowhere to go but up at this point.

Juli and I on our cold, rainy hike

Juli and my dad heading back down

Summer Summer Summer

As usual, it's been pretty busy. I've been getting a lot of 9/10 mile runs in lately. This coming Sunday is the Burlington Marathon and I'm doing the half relay with my mom. Wish me luck. I haven't been doing a very good job with the training thing, so it could be iffy. We'll see how it goes. I was smart and took the first leg. This way I can't stop because if I do my mom will never get to run. Smart, no? I'm forcing myself to finish the thing. Ha.

Last weekend I went down to southern VT to watch Evan run the GMR. The Green Mountain Run is a Burke Mountain Academy tradition. The entire school runs the length of Route 100 from bottom to top. Each student, whether alpine or nordic, gets a leg and runs individually for about 4 or 5 miles. Each little section has its own record, so a lot of the runs are not just leisurely strolls to the finish. They all paint the vans the day before (Evan's was painted Ben and Jerry's style). The vans arrive at the bottom of VT early in the morning and the run lasts until about 3 am the next day. No wonder it takes so long...100 miles is a long way to run! It makes my 13.1 look like nothing! It's cool to see the whole school so involved. All the kids cheer like crazy for each of their classmates and everyone runs along for little section of other runs just for support. Not to mention all of the parents that come from all over the U.S. just to watch the run! It would be awesome to get something like that going at SMC.

Nordic and alpine team up to run the length of Route 15? Hmmm...

Evan had promised that there would be pictures up on facebook to steal for this bloggy blog, but apparently the kids at Burke have better things to do than get on facebook. Like mountain bike and run and train and stuff, so obviously they're too lazy to get the pickies on fb. Ugh, those Burkies. I did take these two lovely pictures of southern VT on my dad's phone.

How could you possibly not love VT??

The past few days have been all about Tyler Place. Orientation was busy busy busy. Being a counselor has so much more involved than life guarding. There's the boat dock, the pool, the playhouse, the club house, the inn, the children's garden, mountain biking, countless games and songs to learn, and God knows what else. I'm glad to be done orientation and starting work. I'm with the Junior Midgets this week, which is the youngest group, around 2 1/2 to 4 years old. I've literally never changed a diaper. Potential problem? Ehhh. We shall see.

My camera is dead and I've lost the charger, so while I'd like to promise pics of TP soon, there might be a bit of a wait. For now, I've got the next few days off and some brownies in the oven. Nom nom nom.

Time to Get Moving

Since I've been home I've had to get my butt moving as far as training goes. While I was at school I always just went with the "when summer actually starts and I'm out of school I'll start training" line. Well, this is the line I wish SOMEONE had given me: "Sam, here's the thing you don't realize...when you get home you will not be training at your own discretion. Your dad lives with you, remember?" Simple meaning: I forgot that I could not just ease my way into this like I do at school. No, no.

I'm sure you're wondering...is my dad some crazy dictator-like training machine? Kind of. Minus "dictator-like" part. I'd hate to make him sound mean. My dad, Lary (I call him by his first name far too often) has pretty much been my coach since I started high school. This year at SMC he actually became my coach for real. He's now the assistant nordic ski coach at St. Mike's.

The reaction I get from a lot of people when they find out is "Oh my God. I'm sorry, that must be awful." People assume that he's worked his way into my school-life, making the leap from my separate home-life. False. When he was first asked to coach pretty much everyone involved in the decision-making process checked in with me. First my dad himself, later on, my coach, Joe, and then finally, the AD Zaf. (SIDENOTE: If you're at SMC and you ever wander into Ross you should do your very best to meet Zaf. I promise you, he'll have at least 3 jokes so awful that they're great ready and waiting for any topic you might talk about. You don't have a choice but to love it.) Anyway, everyone thought I'd be hesitant for my dad to coach me, but I was all for it. The man's crazy in shape at all times and I trust him more than anyone with my skis and training.

He's been a crazy athlete pretty much forever. Back in the day he raced XC and nordic at Johnson State as well as road biking on his own. He's got the most ridiculous will-power. I seriously don't think he feels pain. He's the only person I know that's so insanely competitive Other than my brother (seen in the pic), who quite obviously gets it from Lar-Bear.

So, since I've been home I've been training much more than I would have started out training at school. For the first few days I kind of ran on my own, went to a weight class at Duke's, my fave local gym, and ran with my aunt, Becky. All of a sudden it got kind of intense when dad started throwing out workout ideas.

Friday I went to get my brother from Burke to bring him home for prom at our old high school. While there I hiked the mountain, showing myself just how out of shape I am.

Sunday I ran the Run for Jim, a 5k for cancer patients in honor of Jim Bashaw, who passed away about a decade ago. As if throwing myself into a 5k wasn't hard enough, I ran 8 miles with Becky back to her house after awards.

Yesterday was a much needed day off.

Today I'm planning on doing intervals and core with my dad in a little bit. It will hurt. I promise.

It feels good to get back into shape. I'm pretty motivated at the moment, so I'm hoping I can keep things moving. We'll see how it goes when I start at TP. Hopefully, I can find a happy balance between my training and my TP social life. For now, it's back putting Ke$ha on repeat and cleaning this room of mine.