The last time I wrote was in the middle of our speed block at the Hayward camp in July. Needless to say I survived my first speed block : ) and it wasn’t even as bad as I thought it would be! I have to see how I feel after a second, but I think I liked having so much intensity jammed into one week; it made me feel like I was getting some really good training in.
After the Hayward camp, I spent about a week in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, training with my boyfriend, Kevin Patzoldt, who is a biathlete. We got some really good training in (though my week was pretty small since it was a rest week after our intensity block), while also attending a wedding and spending a day or two on the lake swimming and fishing on off days. Once I left Grand Rapids, I drove back to Ely for about a week, where I spent time with my parents, worked, and of course got some more solid training in. The week in Ely just flew by, and by the time I knew it I was traveling back to the Cable/Hayward area to help coach at the Birkie Master’s Camp August 7th through the 9th. Throughout the camp there were several technique sessions, evening lectures, and even one videoing/analyzing session. Matt Liebsch and I also led a trail run and bounding/ski walking session Saturday afternoon. A planned 1:30 trail run quickly turned into a 2:15 session…yeah…Matt and I aren’t from the area ; ). But the run was great, and luckily we didn’t make TOO many wrong turns in the woods, thanks to a GPS unit on a heart rate monitor that Aaron, one of the masters, had!
All in all the camp was great! I learned a lot about coaching and found even more respect for my coaches for all of the hard work they put in every day. I am very thankful for the experience and also for the chance I had to meet so many talented and hardworking master skiers from the area. I look forward to looking up their results in the next Birkie!
Now it’s off to Ironwood, Michigan for another CXC Team Vertical Limit training camp. Kuzzy and I are taking off from Cresthill Resort in a little less than an hour.
Enjoying the view of Lake Superior
