Rest week wrap up and straight into testing...

Well my rest week did not start the way I wanted it to. On monday we were running one of our monitoring tests up at Alice lake and I re-sprained my ankle (from Peachland) bad. It swelled up like a "Cankle" that is where it looks like your calf runs straight to your heel, Thanks Zach... anyway it has stayed huge up until today where I had some major Physio work on it. needless to say an hour and a half in there brought the swelling down.

Notice the swelling and bruising around the lower foot and heel.

Notice the lack of swelling and bruising on my right foot.

Just a little example that pic was taken 1 week after. Rest week went well I still managed to log the recovery hours I aimed for and relatively painless.

It was quite easy to sit around with my foot in an ice bucket or use the icing machine lent to me, Thank you Stacey and Al, I am sure I will owe some babysitting for that but very worth it! anyway back to me finding it easy to sit and do nothing, thanks to the Olympics, which had been relatively quiet for Canada up until a few days ago! so I will continue to nurse my anklle through the coming week with a test about every other day. Tomorrow I will go up to the Callaghan to do some speed work, Thursday has the uphill run on the agenda, I hopefully will do this, the PT was still a little unsure I should do it. Saturday is the double pole/no pole test up the venue road. finishing next tuesday with V02 max test.

Post testing I will sneak away to Invermere a few days before starting our joint camp with team 2010 at Nipika resort, just outside of Radium. So the next few weeks are going to be very busy and super fun!

until next time

C

Elfin lakes OD

Yesterday Jesse (my teammate), Erik Nilsson and I had decided to take a trip up to Elfin lakes. Last fall we used this area a couple of times for early snow crust skiing. Arriving at the lower parking lot we were greeted by a bear, I am sure we woke him up and as well as almost hit him with a rock...Jesse proving he did hear a noise in the trees. So we head off on our hike. It is about a 45 min hike/run up to the plateau where you can do more running than hiking. Once you reach the lake you can continue on to hike up to the saddle or continue on to a glacier. Our workout was only 3 hours so we headed towards the saddle for a little ways before turning around. The weather has been exceptional here in Squamish with temperatures reaching the low 30's. Next week we go into a rest week before starting our testing block the following week. On the run Erik and I managed to get a few great shots of the hike...Enjoy


Chris

Elfin Lakes
Jesse and I enjoying the run!!!Erik on his way up the saddle

Jesse and Erik

Haig Glacier 2008

This past week I made the trip to Canmore, Alberta to spend the week at the Haig Glacier in Kananaskis country. It's a 18km run hike in to the camp where we sleep, eat and relax during the week. Our hike to the glacier from camp is 2.4 km one way and 1000 feet vertical. It takes about 40 minutes for myself to hike. I managed to put in a solid week of training and have a great time as well! This camp is great for 2 reasons; The training at altitude is great for boosting the oxygen carrying capacity in my body, as well as for working on some on-snow technique in the middle of the summer! So far I have been able to ski during every month of the year this year. After hiking to the glacier, skiing and then returning to camp we work on recovering and regenerating for future workouts in the week.

It was exciting to also have some younger up and comers from my home club in Burns Lake attending the camp, I don't remember the last time 3 Omineca skiers attended a BC team camp together. I also have to add that only 20 BC athletes were selected for the camp!

All in all it was a great camp my ankle held up just fine and solid training was put in by everyone there, big gains were made in technique from every single skier and some delicious desserts made from various athletes!


until next time...


C

Land of Peaches...

I have just returned from Peachland where I was lucky enough to be involved in the one of many Outreach camps put on by the National ski team. The 4 day camp consisted of rollerskiing, ski walking, running, strength and of course some much needed lake Okanagan time!! with temperatures reaching near and slightly above 40 degrees by the final day of camp one could see the effects of it on almost every person at the camp! We had many adventures such as double poling up the Coquihalla highway...Sketchy...But all in all it was a great camp it gave the younger aspiring athletes a chance to see the big guys out there training...or at least attempting to. Emily and myself don't deal with training in that heat so well. It was amazing I was probably drinking about 1.5-2 litres of sport drink per hour while training and guzzling water back in between workouts and it was as though I could not get enough liquids in me. The nights at camp started to get warmer and warmer in the cabins at the bible camp which only meant that sleeping became harder and harder with 5 guys in a small 15x 15 cabin. The final night Sam, my teammate had decided at 3 am to take a 30 minute cold shower...apparently it helped him sleep afterward.

So Sunday, the final day of camp arrives. I am debating running the run scheduled for that morning or just calling it a week and heading back early. So the final decision comes down to sure it will be nice to get a quick burn in before sitting in the car for 4 hours. After all Amy said it would be 45 mins. So I show up at the trail head and was then informed it would be minimum 1:15, not so big of a deal, except I planned for 45 mins worth of water, still no biggie. So we get about 45 minutes in and start descending to the lake we are running around...POP! I roll my ankle...Bad. I am lying on the ground trying to watch my P's and Q's while the younger kids start to surround me. I am mad. So I turn around and start heading back for the car. Hobbling. So Amy and Emily join me so they could go ahead and get the van. Long story short, I got back to camp with my grapefruit of an ankle ice it a bit and clean up my bunk, jump in the car and drive home. Next day I decide to get x-rays just to be sure. Good news, just a level 1 sprain to 2 of the 3 ligaments in my foot. should be good in a week. At least it better be I have a haig camp! anyway thats enough ranting from me for today. just thought I would let everyone know what was going on. i'll keep ya updated on my status.

until next time.


C

Skiing and Dryland to Rossland

Greetings!
well as I had said we had a great on snow camp in early june and transitioned into dryland as our grooming resources ran out. Hard to believe the image below was june 5th!!! With volume and intensity it made for such a great camp! the team bonding was also a great aspect of the camp with most people starting to arrive to the team.


As I sit in this old fire hall- turned coffee shop; in Rossland. I realize that this past month, still not over yet has been incredibly busy! Skiing the first week, V02 max testing, which was promising but still not my best show(put out some good numbers, around last july's fitness level) traveling to Rossland for fellow skiers wedding, George Grey and his beautiful wife Lesley, WOW did she look stunning! To working on some outreach with the local club, Blackjack. If that sounds busy, I still am attending the outreach camp in Peachland with a big group of BC skiers! it is going to feel good to get home and kick it for a week before heading to the Haig glacier with the BC ski team. oh yeah I forgot to mention the coaching course I also snuck in there!

Anyhow... Things seem to be going fairly well for me, Zach is over in Austria now picking out a ton! of skis, some of which will be included in my new fleet! Exciting! its like Christmas! except with a massive bill attached! 6-8 pairs adds up very fast!!!

Anyway I will leave you with one last pic, a little eye candy for the ladies....Kidding, Sam caught me goofing around!

Until next time!

C

First Week Back

Greetings!
last week most of the team got together for our first "camp" we were fortunate enough to have amazing skiing; in June! VANOC had volunteered a groomer and grooming time for our team. We were skiing up near the Callaghan lake lodge close to the venue. With the great conditions we were also able to get in 2 intensity sessions which went great for myself! On the weekend I took part in a learn to train dryland course, part of working on my level 1 coaching course. It was great the course involved a lot of theory crammed into the 16 hour course. I was also asked to "demonstrate" the majority of the dryland activities such as roller skiing and ski walking. All in all I had a great time and picked up a few new skills. Unfortunately I ended up getting a small cold virus by saturday morning which we think may have come from getting extremely chilled on our way down from a ski. (Emily and Sam also were sick the same day I was!) So a few days at this course were great! I feel awesome now (monday night) and am excited to get back into my routine this week! we will be rollerskiing at the venue where there is about 15 km of trails paved and the whole access road. A roller skiers paradise!!! I will keep you updated with all the training I have ahead of me!
until next time!


Chris

back to work

Some may argue this post title...but the way I treat my training is the same most may treat as a job. I wake up early in the morning, head out to work on my first task, my morning workout. I then come back home and re-fuel and take a nap. I often train upwards of 2.5 hours in the morning at a decent pace!. After nap time I head out for a recovery workout to get some blood flowing to help my muscles recover from the morning efforts. After my afternoon workout I return home to stretch...very important for me, I am very injury prone!!!! after my shower I then begin to prepare diner...not macaroni and cheese!!! I usually will head to the store, a 5 minute walk, to buy some fresh vegetables and some delicious looking meat! Now this might sound like a walk in the park but it takes alot of planning to keep to such a strict regime. This is why I am so greatful to all you amazing people out there who support me and help me financially!!! without you I would not be able to be doing what I am doing! right now I am back in Squamish lucky enough to be skiing on more than amazing skiing! VANOC has donated some grooming time to us which has made for some unbelievable training days! I will try to adds some pictures if i can get some I have an intensity session scheduled for tomorrow. Well looks like detroit has just won the cup! sorry just watching the game!
until next time!


Chris