The first glacier camp was a huge success, despite some challenges. After one skate session, we experienced some technical difficulties with our grooming equipment, making creating a wide, firm trail for skate skiing pretty much impossible. Normally with clear nights, the snow is firm in the mornings and skating is fabulous, but with the ash from Mt. Redoubt volcano covering the glacier, the snow wouldn't get firm, and the snow cat- which could have scraped the layer of ash off our trail- was out of order. So... the camp continued and we classic skied. Yep! We classic skied every day, twice a day for six days. In the end, I classic skied for 20+ hours that week, and it did wonders for my technique. With skating being my stronger suit, it was definitely a really beneficial camp for me. Sometimes there's nothing better than doing something over and over again to really ingrain it in your brain (and in this case also muscles).
With a short rest period after the camp, we jumped back into everyday training back in Anchorage. I've been noticing good progress so far this summer. My body is feeling good, I am recovering well, and I can tell that I am handling the training loads well. Perhaps it was a little too good to be true with everything appearing just perfect, because last week I got a nasty cold that put me out of commission for six solid days. The most I could do was drag myself out of bed in the morning for a pathetically slow, short run/rollerski and then climb right back into bed when I got home. I feel as though I slept for six days straight and exercised for maybe 4 hours total during that time. I was under the weather for July 4th, but I still headed up to Talkeetna to see my family and enjoy some time at home. It was fun to swim, packraft, and canoe in our lake; walk the dog; and join some of the family on a packrafting adventure down Willow Creek (which, due to my cold, I ended up bailing from and resorted to sleeping on the beach instead).
With a week of illness behind me, I am two days into training again and so happy to be back. One day off, let alone, six reminds me just how much I love what I do! Despite the aches and pains of training, the heat wave that we're currently experiencing, the smoke from the fires that has put a haze over Anchorage... I couldn't be more thankful to be running, rollerskiing, off of sudafed and out of bed!
Thanks for tuning in. Check back in a week for an update from the glacier...
