Friday, May 29, 2015

Park City Training



You know it's been a successful training camp when lying on hard pavement feels this good!  We had places to be and things to do but after a hard set of double poling intervals with the sun finally out, nobody felt like moving!


I'm on my way home now to Vermont after finishing the first training camp of the year in Park City with my USST teammates.  Due to a horrible snow year in the Pacific Northwest, our annual on snow camp in Bend, Oregon was moved to Park City, Utah for dryland training at altitude.  Formal training for year starts on May 1st and the beginning period is always a tough transition with lots of sore muscles and out of shape feelings after the off-season.  And this year, after an extended recovery for a concussion, these feelings were extra strong as I returned to training.  Having a training camp with the team, though, was exactly what I need to find the motivation to get the ball rolling again, push through the sore muscles that laid dormant through April,  and build the foundation for next season.  Having teammates and coaches together made a huge difference as we finished our first four hour OD workout of the year in the rain, hung on to the back of the treadmill for a few more seconds at the end of a VO2max test, skated uphill to our condos at 8200' at the end of a long ski, fought for one more pullup in the gym, or hammered out L4 double intervals.  I am 100% healthy again and feeling more and more of my normal self and fitness return with each run, rollerski, or strength session!  I'm looking forward to returning to Craftsbury now for some sea level training with my GRP teammates, summer weather, cottage time, and of course Craftsbury Outdoor Center dining hall meals!