I have spent the last 3 week skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho, thawing out from the my week in Houghton. It has been great to get into the rhythm of a solid training period, without the worry of travelling or racing.
To all of the fair weather skiers out there, Sun Valley is the place to be. As the name suggests the sun has been out every day since I returned (except for 2 days when it rained). Further more there is plenty of snow on the ground (however a little top wouldn't go to waste), trails with incredible views and I don't have to wear 20 thousand layers each time I go out side. Skiing has been very pleasant!
Since I have only been training lately, I do not have a lot to write about, however I do have a couple of highlights that I hope you will find interesting.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to ski with my younger brother, Abe, who is also skiing with SVSEF for the winter. It nice to have a familiar accent around, especially since it was Australia Day last weekend! Keeping to tradition, Abe and I chucked on our flags, green and gold zinc and hit the trails. We also managed to get the rest of the PG team involved, however zinc was their limit. During the warm up before our downhill session, I was leading the team down one of the hills, when a quite large moose, decided to play chicken across the trail. Although I was really excited to see my first moose, the encounter was a little bit too close for comfort.
As you may remember from a previous blog post, Sun Valley sits around 1800m above sea level. Although it has been great to get a altitude training block in before I head to World Championships, there is a massive difference between skiing at high intensities at 1800m and at sea level (which I will be when I get to Sweden). To help ensure that I am adjusted for the abundance of oxygen when I get to Sweden on Monday, I have had the opportunity to utilise Oxygen Supplemented Training. Basically this requires me to ski with an oxygen tank on my back while wearing a mask (which unfortunately makes me look like a mosquito). Never the less, it allows me to breath in air that contains approximately 80% oxygen. I have used it for 3 quite hard intervals sessions, and I have felt fantastic in each.
I am currently writing to you from Seattle Airport, en route to Sweden, where if all things go to plan I should arrive tomorrow. I will be spending my first 2 weeks away in Gronkllitt, with the Australian XC Ski Team for a preparation and training camp. Following this we will travel to Falun to compete at the 2015 World Championships. My first race will be the 5km skate qualifying race on the February 18th. I am really excited compete at the World Champs, however to say that I am not nervous is a bit of a lie. I will return to Sun Valley at the start of March to compete in the US Super Tour Finals, which will be held on our home trials at the end of the month.
Until next time: Dream the Impossible, Live the Dream
Until next time: Dream the Impossible, Live the Dream