This
blogpost is written by Kate
Skiing!!
Last
night we got about five inches of snow, a nice addition to Forets
man-made loop. We started up the morning with a two-hour skate ski.
After about half an hour, we switched to no-pole skating. As I was
going around the loop, Adam skied up beside me and told me to give
him my arm. Slightly perplexed, I offered it over. He instructed me
to keep my arm straight then promptly pushed against my rigid limb,
causing my full weight to be transferred over my ski. We continued
this way for about a hundred meters, him pushing and pulling on my
arm like a game of tug-of-war and me getting the feeling of how
dramatic a weight shift he wanted me to be making while skiing.
After
a lunch break, we headed out again, this time for up to an hour and a
half of classic skiing. The original consensus on wax had been blue,
then violet, and finally, when more than half the team returned with
complaints of slippage, drastic measures were taken and red was
applied. Like bubble-gum in consistency and color, I globbed it on,
knowing I’d need all the help I could get to make my
ever-resistant-to-kick classic race skis actually get some kick. I
succeeded and skied the ninety minutes comfortably kicking up the
hills, slipping only when the tracks were too washed out or I
faltered technically.
The
team took advantage of the end of the loop to get in some no pole
striding, focusing on getting total weight transfer, driving the
hips, and keeping the arms relaxed. After a few trips down this
portion of the trial, some members of the team opted to incorporate
some one-pole skiing while others strapped both poles back on to
integrate what they’d just worked on into real striding.
Kyle/Gramps lookin good with some classic no-pole technique
C-Town
After
learning that snow is cold on your bare hands, Calvin entered our
previously relaxed lounge room and began running around, demanding to
know where Tickle Fingers (Phil) was. By the time Phil arrived, Calvin had
informed us all that he was going to sneak up on Phil to tickle him,
not the other way around. He built a fort to prevent such an attack
and managed to escape Tickle Fingers for another day.
Ctown having some crazy times in an old cardboard box
Dad
Dier Schedules a Massage
On
our way back from Foret, Matt Dier requests that we drive through the
shops by the alpine area to confirm that there is a spa he can go to
for a massage. He meanders in, looking slightly out of place as we
drive away. Taking a few laps of the parking lot, attempting to “whip
shitties,” we waited for Dier before creepily peering into the
window of the salon to see him leaning suavely against the counter
talking to the cute, smiley receptionist. As he came sauntering out
with a wide grin stretched across his face, like he just won the
lottery, he tells us he scheduled a massage for Thursday at 5 and
there were fluffy rugs inside. Van passengers:“Thanksgiving is
Thursday Matt;” “Go-carting is Thursday Matt.” Matt: “Wait
what?” Classic Dier.
Dad Dier heading in to schedule a massage at the luxurious Stoneham Spa
Van-Bus
Collision
After
recruiting Phil, our native Canadian, for his translator, and myself,
a certified driver, to go with him back down to reschedule his
massage, the three of us pile into the van. Then the action begins. I
slowly give the van some gas, not wanting to make a crater to give
stuck in or simply spin the tires, but the van just slid backwards.
Hit the brakes; try to give it a little more gas. The van slides
sideways towards the bus. Gramps comes strolling out of the trailer
to analyze the situation. We try backing the van up so it’s no
longer angled at the bus before putting it into third for another
attempt to make it up the modest grade of the driveway again. We just
slide backwards. By now the coaches have made their way outside and
Adam tries driving it out of the driveway. Apparently a different
person hitting the gas pedal doesn’t work either. Phil, Matt and
Kate all go to sit in the backseat while Kyle opens the back door and
sits on the bumper with the idea of putting more weight on the back
tires to add traction. Going forward is still an impossibility for
with the guidance of Ethan, Adam backs the van further up, getting
ever closer to the bus, hoping to find a spot with a little more
purchase. This final time of giving it more gas, the van and bus
collide. This persuades everyone that its time to push. The van
finally breaks free of the driveway thanks to our manpower, and Kate
is coerced into still driving down the treacherous roadways. Massage
rescheduled to Friday at five, so Go-Carting is on for Dier!
Dinner
and Beyond!
After
returning from our trip to reschedule Dier’s massage (I still can’t
write that without laughing), showers were taken as the dinner crew,
Meng Dynasty, Smellanie, and Wilhelm Klaus, made us up some south of
the border burritos. After dinner, the coaches met with team members
to go over our pre-race strategy sheets and Settlers of Catan was
brought out to continue the game from lunch yesterday, the board
meticulously re-set up from a picture taken the previous day.
Meanwhile, I slaved over this blog post as the rest of the team
roared with laughter as they watch Pitch Perfect. #feeling left out
Tomorrow
and Goal for the Week
Our
plan is to go for our morning run as usual, while Adam makes us
another fabulous breakfast, then head up to Foret to get in some
skate ski intervals and check out the new 10K loop. Fingers crossed
on that last one! Then a run in the afternoon to finish off our fifth
day of being in Canada. Things we all need to keep in mind over the
next few days are that being tired is normal but take advantage of
the downtime to do recovery activities such as stretching, using the
foam rollers, etc, finish our pre-race strategy sheets, and DRINK
WATER!
And
because we don’t say it enough, a big thanks to Mom and Dad Town
for all their help and cooking and to the Frielinghaus’s for their
great meal and stocking our fridge with leftovers!
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