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2010 March 04

Well, the race season is officially over for me and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I know I need a break both mentally and phyically, but it's still hard to see it end. It was so much fun and I had a great season. But now I can no longer postpone all the things that have been piling up over the winter. I feel rather overwhelmed by it all and am trying to tell myself it doesn't all need to get done tomorrow and that I need to pace myself. But enough about that, the real reason I'm posting is because Nate keeps prompting me to. That and because I've been meaning to all season long. I've learned a lot, or I should say re-learned, namely how to race again. Each race taught me something and I want to recap them all. (Or maybe I just want to re-live the season in self-denial that it's really over.) So over the next several days I'll post about each one and relate what I learned. I guess the pile of projects and chores will have to wait a few more days.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1572647974447867713-2907729322369814819?l=vakavaraceteam.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

The Man and the Method: John Morton, Morton Trails

John Morton received this year’s EISA Service Award for the work he has done in trail design which has so positively affected many communities and nordic skiers; racers and recreational tourists alike.  Many of the EISA college races are run on trails that he has designed or modified, including the new homologated race courses at Trapps Family Lodge in Stowe, VT, and The Jackson Touring Center in New Hampshire. Morton is a two-time Olympian who...

Manager Outdoor Clothing Store Gear West Ski & Run has a managerial opening for their new store, The Buckhorn, an outdoor clothing store in Long Lake MN. Located 20 w of Mpls, the Buckhorn was started 1 1/2 years ago and features 2/3 womens clothing, 1/3 men and sells 15% hardgoods. This could be a great opportunitiy for an enthusiastic person to manage and operate a fledling young store (under the guidance of Gear West,...

Anyone who knows me knows two things.  One, I have blond or dirty blond hair.  Two, I’m not the hairiest kid you’ll find out there.  Really, at my age, the amount of hair I have can be a little shocking.  I have at most 6 hairs on my chest, none on my back, and very [...]

Sprinting: Slowing Down to Go Fast?

Sprint racing can be a tough balancing act, between tempo, technique, pace, and power application. As the sprint courses have grown in distance and time, not only on an international level but also domestically, controlling your tempo has become more and more crucial to laying down the fastest time of the day. People automatically associate sprint racing with moving everything at top speed to try and maximize speed, however, if you focus more on big...

Editor’s Note:  This article was submitted by XC Oregon and was not written by FasterSkier. With a third Olympic cycle in the books, the XC Oregon elite development program based in Bend, Oregon is already starting to look ahead towards the next four years. Currently highlighted by elite athletes such as Evelyn Dong, Kristina Strandberg, Marshall Greene, and Brayton Osgood — XC Oregon maintains a diverse roster of nearly 20 athletes. XC Oregon’s all-everything (Founder,...

Classic technique for 90K, 57,000 registered skiers. Welcome to the 2010 Vasaloppet week.A lot of folks need wax help. Toko is the wax supplier, providing assistance to anyone who needs it, from the start line through every feed station.Getting fresh k...

Classic technique for 90K, 57,000 registered skiers. Welcome to the 2010 Vasaloppet week.A lot of folks need wax help. Toko is the wax supplier, providing assistance to anyone who needs it, from the start line through every feed station.Getting fresh k...

Craftsbury Green Racing Project Accepting Applications

The Craftsbury Green Racing Project is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011 training year. Space will be limited as all current team members are planning to continue with the program. We hope to be able to add at least 2 new members to the team. Applications will be due by April 1st and decisions will be made by May 1st at the latest. The GRP had a successful first year, with members earning a number...

Presque Preview: The Junior Olympic sprint course

The 2010 Junior Olympics will take place March 8th through the 12th at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, Maine. First race up: the classic sprint on March 8th.  The sprint trail was widened in anticipation of this event, with a successful trial of the course held in December with Eastern Cup sprint races. Next article of discussion: the vision, birth, and trail design of these world-class trails; Morton Trail design; and the importance...