After a four week training block rotating intensity every other day, it's finally time to get back on the plane and head to the last races of the season. I'm going first to Quebec to compete in the skate sprint and 15km skate race of Canadian National ...
When you spend the vast majority of your time in pursuit of athletic success you're bound to get pretty involved in the process. For the past two years Alison and I have talked each others' ears off about running, skiing, and endurance training and pre...
Yesterday I led an all-day clinic for Methow Valley Nordic, our locally-based ski club dedicated to establishing and maintaining the strong ski community here in the Methow Valley. MVN is a very generous sponsor of MOD so I was excited for the opportun...
I'm really excited to now be sponsored by Smith Optics, a company that's born-and-raised in the good ole' US of A. Their new model of the Pivlock performance glass, the V2, looks to be a real winner with the upgraded adjustable nosepiece. A big thanks ...
It's been a busy two weeks since I returned home from the Twin Cities and my five-week racing trip in January. Alison picked me up at the airport in Seattle on a Monday evening, we drove home the next morning, and two days later turned around and drove...
For the past two weeks the MOD Squad has been living and racing in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Methow native Brian Gregg and his wife Caitlin, both pro skiers, graciously opened their home to me for the entire period and provided generous hospitality...
For the past four weeks I've been traveling on the race circuit, first in New England and now in the Twin Cities. Everywhere I've been folks have been lamenting the poor winter they're experiencing in their home area. "There's no good skiing anywhere i...
If you're in or near the Methow Valley this winter and looking for an opportunity to learn cross-country skiing, look no further! MOD Squad athlete and elite Nordic skier Sam Naney is now offering private and small group lessons, by appointment.Sam uti...
Wow - been a while since a blog post. Somewhat embarrassingly, I brought a camera with me on this racing tour but have neglected to take many photos. And without photos a blog can get boring pretty darn quick. So I haven't posted much. Here's a recap:A...
The first race of National Championships was postponed by a day due to heavy rain which threatened to wash away the tiny amount of man-made snow accumulated on the course. After a thankfully cold night and more snowmaking, the skate sprint was on for T...
For the past two weeks I've been in New England, racing first in the National Championships in Rumford, ME; now training in Vermont before some more races in Maine. Then next week I'll be on to the Midwest for some SuperTours. But first...Following my ...
Men's Quarterfinal heat in the skate sprint (I'm in the red suit and black hat, second from left)Skiing in the 15km skate raceQualifying 5th in the skate sprint(All photos are courtesy of Ian Harvey at Toko US)
I just got home from some sprint racing at the Sovereign Lakes Nordic Center, one of my favorite race venues. This weekend was a classic sprint and 15km classic distance race. Following last weekend's lackluster finishes in Bozeman I was anxious to imp...
Do you ever get frustrated traveling on the race circuit, being so far away from your massage therapist and surefire recovery from hard efforts?My fiance, Alison Hanks, LMP, is offering special rates on massage therapy to athletes for the upcoming race...
It's been a long time since I've considered myself a distance skier. I've put my focus on the sprints and that has continued to be the emphasis of the training Scott has prescribed. But this dryland season we spent most of our training efforts on aerob...
After a short break in the Methow and some skiing at Klipchuck (thanks, Scott!), Alison, Mom, Dad and I jumped into a few trucks and headed east for West Yellowstone, MT and the opening Super Tour races. It's been two years since I was last in West and...
Today is the last day up here; I head back to the Methow early tomorrow morning to do several things. First, I need to drop off the now-tested Madshus skis to Mark at Nordic Ultratune to get some grinds on them in time for West Yellowstone. Second, Ali...
Today is the last day up here; I head back to the Methow early tomorrow morning to do several things. First, I need to drop off the now-tested Madshus skis to Mark at Nordic Ultratune to get some grinds on them in time for West Yellowstone. Second, Ali...
Yesterday was a great day on the trails. It seems that after a summer of heavy aerobic training I can acclimate quite a bit quicker than in the past. I got out the door early because it looked a bit stormy, and headed up Paradise Trail to find a steep ...
Yesterday was a great day on the trails. It seems that after a summer of heavy aerobic training I can acclimate quite a bit quicker than in the past. I got out the door early because it looked a bit stormy, and headed up Paradise Trail to find a steep ...