Back at it!

My last post was about the last time I was in the full on ski scene. I took a month off after the Super Tour Finals in Vermont, I had a great time in Alaska doing things I rarely get to do. For me it is necessary to once a year push the good old reset button just so I don't get blown out on the sport. I find that three to four weeks is all it takes before I am eager to start training again and give up the non-athlete lifestyle. My mind doesn't work right if I haven't done a workout that day. I find myself with a worse attitude, schoolwork is harder, food doesn't taste as good, and I just don't enjoy life as much. Soooo it's nice to be back at it again! Here are a couple of photos from my month off-

Backpacking

oops

I jumped back into training two weeks ago with a super big week of training in Anchorage with the APU team. The very first day our coach had us do classic intervals. What a good way to kick our butts back into shape. Most of the week was on snow skiing which is pretty sweet for May. After the start up week in Anchorage I flew down to Utah for two days of testing and strength at the US Ski Team building in Park City. It was sweet to get the results back and see that I have a made a big jump this past year in fitness! If I can make that big of a jump every year I will be more then happy. 

Testing

Met a couple of famous runners while I was there. ("Mo" Farah, myself, and Galen Rupp)

After the two days in Utah I hopped a flight to Oregon where I am now. It's been one year since the last time I was here in Bend, Oregon. It's a really fun place to be at this time of year. You can wake up and within a half hour be in a winter wonderland atmosphere at the top of Mount Bachelor, train for a couple of hours and come back down to town where it is usually sunny and warm. This is one of the few places in the world you can do that and that is why hundreds of skiers from around the US and Canada come here to do their May camp. My goal for this camp is to follow around the fastest skiers from North America and learn how to ski better then them. Check out these pictures from skiing-

 The cone marks the end of the speed.

I learn a lot from following people.

Also, as I'm starting a new year I have been thinking about things that went great last year. One of those things was all the support I got. I am amazed with all the support I got last year from my hometown and from all around North America. Thanks EVERYONE!! It would be impossible to have made it to where I am today without all your help.