For all of those who are still unsure of what exactly I'm doing, I'll clear the air. Currently, I am an athlete with Maine Winter Sports Center participating in the Post-Graduate program. Now, what that means is that I will be living, training, racing, and working in Aroostook County. I'm taking this year off between high school and college for a couple reasons. 1. I love cross-country skiing and I love to train for it. I want to be a successful skier and this was the best way to do that. 2. If told you I was ready for college in the fall I would be straight up lying to you, and my mother will have none of that. Because I will be living in a house with 4 other men, it gives me an opportunity to mature and learn more about myself. 3. Its going to be an amazing time.
On to the blogging. Last Saturday my father and I set off for Aroostook County with most everything I own and need for the up coming year, from summer all the way until late spring. It was quite the task packing my room up and it couldn't have been done without my brother.
(photo credit: Chip Allen)
We drove 5 hours north to Presque Isle, my home for the next 10 months. Its a nice little house with a garage, and a homey feel. Unpacking was much easier than packing thankfully.
Before
After, with much help from father
Austin and I before our first workout at the new house
Currently, I'm living with only one other guy, Nate LaTourette. Nate is from Concord, New Hampshire. I'll also be living Austin Huneck who resides from Clifton Park, New York when he gets back from a sweet hiking trip out west.
On Tuesday the we had out first camp, which was at University of Maine, Presque Isle. This was an Assessment Camp with the Junior Team to see how summer training has been going.
Getting Ready to Rollerski
Obstacle course to improve coordination on skis
USA World Youth Biathlon Championship Team member Kamran Husain
Wednesday was the running and strength testing day. We all raced a 3000 meter on the track, had a 15 minute break the raced a 400 meter. It was brutal, but it felt awesome to work hard. In the afternoon we had strength testing. 90 second box jump test, followed by as many pull-ups as you can do and ending with hanging from a bar and bringing your toes to the bar (try it sometime!)
Thursday was the final day of the Assessment Camp. The last test was the 1k erg test.
Mid test
(photo credit: Nate LaTourette)
As you can see this machine mimics double poling and we pole for 1000m or 1k.
My final results. I ended up being the fastest person!
Housemate Austin Huneck and half of my other housemate Dustin Ramsey after the test.
(photo credit: Cody Johnson)
After working with Seth for about 1.5 hours this is what I look like.
(photo credit: Seth Hubbard)
Artsy shot into Seth's fancy scope
(photo credit: Cody Johnson)
After all of that I went for a mountain bike ride with MWSC Junior Team member Lance McKenney
Took a little spill on the trail. (Yes mom, I took care of it)
That night Nate, Austin and I made a fire of stuff that needed to be thrown out that we found in the garage.
It was an awesome fire.
The next morning, after Austin left to go back home, Nate and I went on a mountain bike ride at the Nordic Heritage Center.
Sweet Outlook
That afternoon Lance showed Nate and I the good rollerskiing roads near our house
Another great view
The next morning Nate, Lance, and I did bounding intervals on Quaggy Jo, the small downhill ski area down the road from our house. Bounding is pretty much running up hills with poles except you imagine you're classic skiing.
Afternoon strength session in Gentile Hall at UMPI
Sunday I had an Over Distance workout. I'm still not entirely sure where we started or ended up but it was an awesome session, ending at a lake. We went swimming and it was easily the best swim after a 2 hour rollerski I've ever had. We ended the day with a cookout at my coach, Will Sweetser's house in Stockholm.
Just a little pit stop half way in
Well, that's all I have for this week!
