Sunday, September 30, 2007
UMaine-Farmington Invite
More dominance by Bowdoin XC - both teams won at the UMF Invite yesterday. Colman won the men's race and Courtney finished second by a few tenths in the women's race. John and several other Bowdoin runners took the day off.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
New Zealand Update
Here's a report from Nick in New Zealand:
The wintery picture is from a weekend at the Snow Farm. Most of the time we had blue skies and blue extra wax.
Hello from New Zealand. I've been here in Dunedin for about 3 months now stud
ying at the University of Otago and trying to keep up the ski training, but the options aren't nearly what we have in Maine. I have done some cool things that you can't do in Maine over the weekends. I've done some great overnight hikes (called tramps), including one in Fiordland and around a dormant volcano called Mt. Egmont. I also drove up to the mountains for 3 weekends of skiing in July and August, which you definitely can't do in Maine. I went up with a couple of "mates" that I met down here, including one of Nathan's former Whitman athletes. For the most part we had great snow and lots of good skiing. Some of the highlights included skiing with the US Ski Team (and almost getting passed by the women's squad going up a hill, so i had to pick up the pace to avoid that), doing a 42k marathon and racing in FIS races, but there were mainly just the New Zealand and Japanese athletes in them.
Today was more of a typical day of training here, with a 30 minute uphill rollerski time trial in 40 degree rainy weather. It reminded me of some of those cold fall workouts we have in Maine, except I couldn't pop over to Thorne or Moulton for lunch afterwards. There are plenty of good hills to ski up around here but the problem is getting back down them, so I have come up with a few different schemes to bike or run down with the skis and boots in a backpack. Well, I'll keep you posted in the next 2 months as I have a busy time with finals and then an entire month to travel and train before returning to the US.
ying at the University of Otago and trying to keep up the ski training, but the options aren't nearly what we have in Maine. I have done some cool things that you can't do in Maine over the weekends. I've done some great overnight hikes (called tramps), including one in Fiordland and around a dormant volcano called Mt. Egmont. I also drove up to the mountains for 3 weekends of skiing in July and August, which you definitely can't do in Maine. I went up with a couple of "mates" that I met down here, including one of Nathan's former Whitman athletes. For the most part we had great snow and lots of good skiing. Some of the highlights included skiing with the US Ski Team (and almost getting passed by the women's squad going up a hill, so i had to pick up the pace to avoid that), doing a 42k marathon and racing in FIS races, but there were mainly just the New Zealand and Japanese athletes in them.
Today was more of a typical day of training here, with a 30 minute uphill rollerski time trial in 40 degree rainy weather. It reminded me of some of those cold fall workouts we have in Maine, except I couldn't pop over to Thorne or Moulton for lunch afterwards. There are plenty of good hills to ski up around here but the problem is getting back down them, so I have come up with a few different schemes to bike or run down with the skis and boots in a backpack. Well, I'll keep you posted in the next 2 months as I have a busy time with finals and then an entire month to travel and train before returning to the US.
The wintery picture is from a weekend at the Snow Farm. Most of the time we had blue skies and blue extra wax.
The rollerskiing is from the Otago Peninsula just 15k from my apartment. Great scenery with potential to spot penguins and royal albatross sea birds but not so good pavement on the roads.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Multisport Athletes
These last few days have been good for Bowdoin nordies involved in other athletic pursuits. This weekend, the Bowdoin XC team dominated the Tufts Invitational, with help from Courtney, John, and Colman. Courtney finished 5th (3rd for Bowdoin), and John and Colman were 2nd and 12th, respectively (2nd and 6th for Bowdoin). Colman's on a mission to establish himself in Bowdoin's top 7, so he can go to NCAAs if and when the team qualifies - this was a significant step toward that goal for him. Also on Saturday, Forrest raced in the Colby Triathlon - he was 73rd out of the water but came back strongly in the bike and run to finish 5th overall, 1st in the men's 20-24 age group. Pretty solid. Best of all, the word is that Walt's crushing the ball off the tee these days. Marty would be pleased. Everything's coming up roses.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Emerald Pool
Emerald Pool, at the base of the Baldface Circle Trail, is one of the most beautiful swimming holes you'll find. Here's some post-hike recovery by Shem, Matt, and Sarah. Underwater video courtesy of Jeff Bush.
September Training
So - the Bowdoin Nordic team blog is up and running, thanks to Shannon, and I'm finally ready to get into regular posting mode. Here's a brief update on the team's progress so far:
No official practices until Oct. 1, according to NCAA rules. In the meantime, the skiers are organizing their own training sessions. As our only captain present this semester, Forrest has taken the lead on this, and the team has been out doing all kinds of good stuff: morning weight sessions, self-tests of aerobic fitness and upper body power, running, rollerskiing, a beach run at Popham, and a hike/run around the Baldface Circle trail in Evans Notch. The Brunswick September has been beautiful - a nice mix of warm and cool, with leaves just starting to turn. I'm hearing good things from people about these sessions - sounds like our group is both fit and dedicated, for the most part. There's lots of reason for optimism - last year was one of the best ever for Bowdoin Nordic, and we intend to continue moving forward this year. More to come soon.
No official practices until Oct. 1, according to NCAA rules. In the meantime, the skiers are organizing their own training sessions. As our only captain present this semester, Forrest has taken the lead on this, and the team has been out doing all kinds of good stuff: morning weight sessions, self-tests of aerobic fitness and upper body power, running, rollerskiing, a beach run at Popham, and a hike/run around the Baldface Circle trail in Evans Notch. The Brunswick September has been beautiful - a nice mix of warm and cool, with leaves just starting to turn. I'm hearing good things from people about these sessions - sounds like our group is both fit and dedicated, for the most part. There's lots of reason for optimism - last year was one of the best ever for Bowdoin Nordic, and we intend to continue moving forward this year. More to come soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
