Racing...already.

After the John Colter Run a few weeks ago I was approached by the cross country running coach from MSU.  I ran two races for them last year, and after running seemingly well early on this fall he wanted to know if I would be willing to race for them again this season...this time officially on the roster.  We had our first meet this morning, at home in Bozeman, and I'd have to say I'm happy with how I preformed over the 3mile course.  We ran at the Bridger Creek Golf Course, and although there were some little rollers it was pretty flat (I just want some real hills!)...

I wasn't sure what to expect because it was not only a volume week for the ski team but this race would be my third "race effort" of the week.  Wednesday we ran our famed and feared "M" uphill running time trial.  Its a guts run, its steep from the very start and you can't hold back.  This year we started the boys and girls together, which I thought was a nice change.  It hurt, my legs have been really tired recently from our new weights program this fall and I could feel the muscles in my legs painfully contracting with each step.  I pushed hard and was exhausted by the time I reached the top.  I led the girls as I tried to hang on to the tail of the boys team.  When I finished I was uncertain if I had improved from last falls times or not.  The last time I ran this time trial was late November last year as we headed out to the on-snow camp in West Yellowstone.  After some consulting of the training log I realized I had not only PR'd, but really cut a significant chunk of time out compared to last fall.   In November2008 i ran 15:15, this fall (September2009) i ran 14:30!  Huge effort there, hit 202bpm even.

The next day, thursday, I had to VO2MAX test in the motion science lab.  We ski walk/bound/run on a large treadmill with poles with the treadmill increasing in incline every 3 minutes until they see a spike in blood lactate.  Once they see the spike you run until exhaustion with the treadmill increasing in incline every minute.  Once the minute long stages start you just have to hang on for as long as you can, or as they like to say, "until exhaustion."  I could feel my legs were worn but I did what I thought was a solid effort.  I went a stage further before my blood lactate spiked and went 2.5 stages longer once the minute long phases started than last fall...both are good signs of my improved fitness level from last year.

With all that said, its been a hard week for everyone.  The race today went well, I broke 19 minutes for the first time in a 5km (even if this is only my third of fourth 5km ever).  I ran 18:57 and finished 4th on the team.  Heather ran well leading the girls in with a time under 18 minutes.  My 2nd and third team mates were only 8, and 7 seconds ahead of me, so I was right up there.  I impressed myself hanging in there with all these real runners.  Its always intimidating running against all those women and their muscle-y legs and their less mammoth arms but I wasn't nearly as overwhelmed as I was the last time I raced with them.  Today I felt confident and calm, and of course nervously excited but I went out there and really tried...and that is what i have to give.

3miles in 18:57; Average heart rate: 191bpm, Max heart rate: 204.  

getting it done, or atleast sure as heck am I trying.

team photo anyone?

Wrecked.

Owwwwwwwwww!  ...that's exactly what my legs have been screaming, but I guess they have the right to be upset... I've abused them pretty badly in the past three or four days.  Sure my legs hurt sunday morning when I woke up after the John Colter on Saturday, but now I'm positive they are even worse.  Sunday wasn't too rough, just a nice long classic roller ski so I got to put alot of the stress onto my arms, back, and core...but yesterday I'm positive, did me in.

Yesterday we took advantage of our day off from school and the team met in the morning for a long run/hike up Mt. Baldy.  We generally do long runs every Sunday up one of the local canyons, so we're pretty used to lots of up and down...but the run up past the "M" is rougher than our usual terrain.  The trail is steep and rocky.  Generally I'm a pretty big fan of flying down hills when I run.  I like to go fast and feel reckless, sometimes its more like fluid stumbling than running at all.  This run however, is an entirely different beast.  Some parts are so steep on the way down you feel like you're practically sitting down.  We hop and dance over the rocks, and slip and slide around the corners where the trail is particularly loose.  Its fun but the run down from the top is jarring.  There were moments where my mind would flit back to the same thought, "This is going to hurt so badly tomorrow..."  and it was right.

That same afternoon our team met up in the weight room for our first strength session with the trainers.  When I saw the sheet I was surprised... at the top of our routine for the day was squats...followed by split squats.  My legs felt weak just reading over the paper I was handed.   My quads were doomed.  Repetitions later my house-mates and I jogged home at what can best be called a "leisurely" pace.  

This morning as I rode to campus my quads ached...it wasn't even 8am yet and already I felt feeble.  After lab I rounded up some shorts and jumped in the ice bath with Mackenzie hoping in vain that my legs would feel instantly revived.  15 minutes later after much shivering Mack and I stumbled out of the tub with cold, red, and yes...still incredibly sore legs.  I took the afternoon off and jogged from my house to the weight room to spend some quality time with my best friend, a foam-roller.  My relationship with foam-rollers is very bittersweet.  As I rolled and rolled away today I had to bite my lip.  It was all I could do to keep my eyes from watering.  I had to keep telling myself, "This IS going to make me feel better...I promise, really."

All I can do now is stretch, and continue to ice bath and foam-roll....and perhaps with time I will coax my legs back to a non-jello-like stat of being.  Wish me luck!

Let the "Challenge" begin.

It's started... I've been dreading it for a good month or so, and its finally begun... that's right the school year has started.  My days are no longer unemployed bliss filled with training and hours spent watching the tour or the world championships for track and field...naps and cool lemonade. Now I've taken up more "responsibilities", lectures, labs, papers, homework, it adds up when you add in practice two times a day, and the smallest resemblance of a social life.  But I've got to embrace it because that is the life of the student-athlete.

My professors lectured, drew things on projectors, and I tried I tried so hard to retrain my mind to absorb anything they were spewing towards me.  My bum grew numb from sitting my hand cramped from trying to keep up scribbling down semi-legible notes.  In the end I have successfully survived my first week of the school year, and so far so good I'd have to say.

I've been in Bozeman since the 20th of August and I've settled into my house by the park with two of my team mates, Tyler and Eileen.  We've successfully made edible, sometimes even healthy, meals.  Our house is in one piece, it appears clean, this might be partially due to the fact that our carpet can best be described as the color of sandy dirty shag...

This past week we had our first team meetings and holy hannah is our team large this year.  If I haven't forgotten anyone we have 9 new boys and 5 new girls... alot of new names and new faces for all of us to learn.  Camaraderie is high, we all got together friday evening up the hill from campus at Bernhard, Gunnar, Ryan, and Casey's house for supper.  The boys and casey perpared quite the meal for everyone and the freshmen came through with dessert bringing only the finest of rice-crispy bars from the dinning hall.  We also got to meet our new coaching staff!  Our assistant coach from last season Dan Campbell is busy training for biathlon so we've managed to scoop up the assistant coach from the University of Reno Nevada, Andrew.  In addition to Andrew, one of our team mates from last year, Gunnar, will be helping us out, and Andrew's girlfriend Calisa, Whitman's old head coach, will be around to give us a hand as well.

On saturday most of the team raced the annual John Colter run.  The race is held over the most grueling 7 mile course I have ever ran in my life!  The entire course is open to the elements, most notably this year... the sun.  When they blow the horn for the start we barreled down a paved road for approximately a mile and a half before the scrambling began.  Aside from the top men that is where the march to the top of the ridge begins and where the field quickly separates out.  The first half of the race there are two climbs like this, I patiently put one foot in front of the other and waited until later in the race to start to really crank it out.  Partnering with the climbs on the course there are also incredible descents, the trail would quickly become loose and rocky and in those moments the race hinged on how recklessly you could carry your body over the course.  With approximately two miles to go my legs felt good and I started to pull back the other women in front of me.  Finally I caught back up to my team mate Mellie Park.  I threw myself down the next down hill section and surged towards the river.  All in all our ski team cleaned up nicely.

I won the women's race with Mellie placing second around 30 seconds back.  Mellie isn't in the official but she ran incredibly well.  Former team member Claire also placed in the top ten with Sylvana and Bernie placing 12th and 13th.  You can find the official results at http://perfect-timing.org/results/2009/johncolter/index.html.  

We get to start practicing as a team tomorrow and I can't wait!  Time to go enjoy the rest of the afternoon lounging in the Big Sky Country sun.

Below is our boys that finished in the top ten, what a way to represent!

Our Boys in the Top Ten Men:

1	Ryan Scott	Bozeman MT	272	20	1 M 20-29	43:51.8	6:16/M
2	Bernhard Ronning	Bozeman MT	259	24	2 M 20-29	44:28.4	6:21/M
4	Drew Scott	Boulder CO	271	18	1 M 15-19	45:21.8	6:29/M
5	Luke Bromley	Lander WY	32	18	2 M 15-19	46:41.3	6:40/M
6	Tyler Reinking	Bozeman MT	247	19	3 M 15-19	47:22.6	6:46/M