Wednesday, October 17, 2018

First Couple Weeks

Time's been flying by since we wrapped up tryouts two weeks ago.  After a couple good training days, we hosted the Phil Soule 5k for Homecoming Weekend.  This is always a hectic day, and it's extra exciting when it happens during Fall Break, since we have to bolt out of town right after the race to get Fall Camp started.  Fortunately, the race went pretty smoothly - 70+ runners competed in a light rain, and a good time was had by all.  After a quick brunch we took off for Northfield, MA, where Leslie had been able to set us up with a couple cabins (her own and a neighbor's).  We shook out the legs with a good hard bounding workout at Northfield Mountain before settling into the cabins for a delicious chili dinner.

Next morning we ran/hiked all over Pisgah State Park across the border in New Hampshire, a beautiful expanse in a corner of the state we never pass through.  That afternoon we completed the triple play with a nice roll in Vermont, ending on one of the best rollerski roads any of us have ever seen (Huckle Hill Road in Vernon).  Fall colors were amazing against the overcast skies, and we finished a hard day of training happy.



That evening we cooked a nice pasta dinner and spent some quality time learning interesting stuff about each other, playing games, and toasting marshmallows around a bonfire.  We left Northfield the next morning and stopped on the way home to check out one of Gabby's favorite training routes, the classic CSU rollerski in Littleton, a winding series of country-ish roads through small towns and farmland.  All in all, a pleasant little camp with three days of quality training.

Since then, we've been settling into our regular fall training routine with some old and new favorites:  30/90s on Ridge Rd, rollerboard, pool running, Marty sprints, Wolfe's Neck roll/run, and of course a little sand skiing.  It's a small crew these days, with 6 juniors abroad - that feels odd sometimes, but it makes for a nice compact training group out on the roads and trails.  Health and energy has been good for the most part, and the skiers look fit and technically sharp - so far so good!



Thursday, October 4, 2018

Morse Mountain TT

Tryouts concluded yesterday with the Morse Mountain uphill run test.  Although it's not a perfect test (too short, too rolling), I love it anyway.  We've been doing it since 2008, so we have lots of data, and I love data.  It's also a beautiful spot for a time trial - nothing's better than celebrating the end of tryouts with a jog down to the beach and a quick dip in the ocean.  We had plenty to celebrate this year - several PRs, including a new team record for Renae!  The only negative was that we were missing 3 of the women due to various health issues.  Still, a good solid day to wrap up a great set of tests.

Women
Renae 6:28
Gabby 7:04
Perrin 8:01
Men
Noah E 5:48
Ian 5:54
Elliot 6:08
Sean 6:09
Noah G 6:09
Russell 6:11

Tomorrow we'll get going on a couple days of regular training and then Fall Camp!


Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Underway!

I'm always excited to start the season, but this year it's been like waiting for Christmas - so glad we're finally underway!  We started up with a fitness testing day on Sunday and then our first official practice day yesterday (ie, more fitness testing).  On Sunday our test was a 2x3k skate/classic rollerski time trial on Penny Road.  Elliot scorched it for the men and Renae posted the top women's time, with Gabby close behind.  This was my first time seeing everyone ski since March, and I was super stoked to see that people have made some noticeable technique improvements - off to a great start!

Name SK CL Total
Elliot 7:59 8:23 16:22
Sean 8:09 9:03 17:12
Ian 8:33 9:09 17:42
Noah G 8:21 9:48 18:09
Russell 9:24 9:11 18:35
Noah E 9:15 9:33 18:48
Renae 9:58 10:15 20:13
Gabby 10:02 10:22 20:24
Perrin 11:16 10:50 22:06
Triana 11:40 11:28 23:08

Monday was everyone's favorite - the 2k erg test.  Elliot edged out Sean on the men's side, and Gabby posted a nice PR for the top women's time, not far ahead of Mary.  Mary's test was a classic example of a silver lining - she's been out with a knee injury for the last couple weeks, but she's obviously been using her training time well!
Women Time
Gabby 8:24.8
Mary 8:31.8
Perrin 8:40.5
Renae 8:47.7
Men Time
Elliot 7:07.7
Sean 7:09.7
Noah E 7:20.3
Ian 7:20.6
Russell 7:34.3
Noah G 7:37.8
Our agility test was rained out this morning, sadly, but we had a nice on-foot session with all kinds of good stuff - agility, coordination, elasticity, and a little spenst.  Good solid general strength workout this afternoon - looking forward to the big finish at Morse Mountain tomorrow!