Home from Girdwood

FasterSkierAugust 1, 2010

The Comp Team returned from Girdwood yesterday after four more training sessions since our last update.

Thursday afternoon we met up with ANR who was just arriving for a camp of their own for a classic technique and specific strength session.  It was a nice low-key session after the morning TT, and gave everyone a chance to work in small groups with some new athletes and different coaches.

Friday morning we got up early and jogged down to the Girdwood school for some strength before jogging home to some blueberry pancakes, Olympic sprint relay coverage on the TV and some nap/downtime.  Upon waking it was time for lunch, some video and our big OD session of the week.  Getting that all in proved to take a little longer than expected, so we left a bit late for Potter Marsh, the start of our 7.5 (12k) or 9.4 mile (15k) run along the Turnagain Arm trail – the first leg of our OD.  From Rainbow or Windy Corner (12 and 15k endpoints, respectively) we regrouped in the vehicles and headed to Indian to start on the bike path to Girdwood for a 11 or 21, or even 25 km ski for the two that chose to ski the whole way home.  The headwind was vicious along the Arm as we went back to Girdwood, and we definitely suffered the effects of a few wind-blown poles planting between the legs.  Sometimes you have to face such gnarly conditions in races, so it’s good to have some experience and learn how to adapt your movements in training.

It was quite an epic session, but we (I) hadn’t estimated the time quite right on it, so we returned home to a porch-full of ANR athletes and coaches who we’d invited over to dinner 30 minutes before we got back.  Oops…

Before packing and cleaning out our rental Saturday morning, we headed down to the bike path for one last ski.  Rather than a normal, boring specific strength session, we chose to spice things up with the Girdwood Specific Strength Championships.  Head-to-head double-pole and single-stick races on a mildly uphill or downhill course.  Skiers advanced through a single-gender bracket with world cup points being assigned to the order they finished in the bracket.  Perfectly fair?  Heck no.  But it served it’s purpose as a motivator to bring energy to the last session at the end of a long week.

Here are some pictures, interspersed with results from various results from the week:

A few of the ladies during DP 30-30s on Tuesday afternoon

A few of the ladies during DP 30-30s on Tuesday afternoon

Willie on his DP

Willie on his DP

Half the crew

Half the crew

Kira flies by in a blur

Kira zips by…

As part of a lighter day on Wednesday we were going to go for a long, low-intensity hike in the afternoon.  In a scene that makes me wonder how many aspiring politicians we have on the team, various groups of athletes lobbied for the hike or for playing games, with the lady-dominated games-group eventually passing around a paper ballot while most of the fellas were scouring their duffle bags for the most hideous piece of short lycra and a pair of tall dark socks they could find to go hiking in crow pass while pretending to be foreign tourists.  Political diligence prevailed and then we had a guys vs. girls soccer game where the boys won ~10-7 (NB: Girls scored one goal which counted for 7 points).

Note how the ladies turned the tide on outfits too...

Note how the ladies turned the tide on outfits too…

Stefan completes the Uphill TT on Thursday morning

Stefan completes the Uphill TT on Thursday morning

Alyeska Hill Climb TT
Girdwood Training Camp
29-Jul-10
MEN
Name Time
Kyle Hanson 25:17
Pat Nugent 25:25
Neill Toelle 27:12
Vanya Rybkin 27:23
Stefan Hajdukovich 28:12
Kipp Wilkinson 30:32
Dan Jelinek 32:16
Willie Via 39:41
WOMEN
Name Time
Hannah Boyer 30:53
Megan Edic 31:33
Eliza Rorabaugh 31:54
Helen Sudkamp-Walker 38:52
Kira Leonard 39:53
Claire Ferree 44:12

Run up Alyeska? Neill approves.

Run up Alyeska? Neill approves.

Pat watches racers make their way up the climb

Pat watches racers make their way up the climb

Kira sprints for the line with Julia at her side

Kira sprints for the line with Julia at her side

Friday's OD run.  The front boys descend to Rainbow Creek at about mile 7 of the Turnagain Arm Trail.

Friday's OD run and ski. The front boys descend to Rainbow Creek at about mile 7 of the Turnagain Arm Trail.

Neill, Nick and Dan

Neill, Nick and Dan

Turnagain Arm Trail run: Neill approves

Turnagain Arm Trail run? Neill approves

Wishing for wingsuits: Windy Corner, Turnagain Arm, AK

Wishing for wingsuits: Windy Corner, Turnagain Arm, AK

Dan, the Seward Highway, and the Arm

Dan, the Seward Highway, and the Arm

LiLi and Megan descend to the run's end.

LiLi and Megan descend to the run's end.

Skeeto beautifies her boot (which she gained, along with a contusion, during the soccer match earlier in the week)

Skeeto beautifies her boot (which she gained, along with a contusion and a pair of crutches, from the soccer match earlier in the week – she still hung around for strength, videoing teammates, and even tried her first rollerski the last morning of camp)

Wildflower along the side of the bikepath make a nice touch

Wildflowers along the side of the bike path add a soothing touch to a long workout

Claire shows the after effects of catching a ski pole in the wind and taking a tumble.

Claire shows the new splatter paint job on her roller skis – the effect of catching a ski pole in the wind and taking a tumble.

FasterSkier




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