Hello once again! My apologizes, on how long it took me to put a new post up, almost 3 weeks. Reminds me of passing in late homework. Anyway, lots has happened in the last three weeks so we'll start from the beginning.
Mondays are off days for the post graduate boys, but we've started to get into rock climbing at the climbing at UMPI. Its nice to change it up once a week to a sport that doesn't involve cardio.
Nate scaling the wall
On Tuesday, we had a track workout that consisted of 12x400m@10k pace. It was a fairly easy workout but for me it was aimed at pacing. Having a set pace in my mind and not varying from it. A self discipline type of workout.
Austin was down to his last pair of running shorts #lookinggood
Wednesday rollerskied with Mike Smith, MWSC Healthy Hometown director.
Thursday, the biathletes from Fort Kent came down to train with us. We did a L2 hill bounding workout 7-8 times around a 1k loop. Also Andy Shepard, MWSC CEO and Mary Barton Smith came to practice, these two people that came through to help MWSC exist through hard times.
Austin and Nate flexing
Because I have tendonitis in my right arm, I've been spending a lot of time roller skiing with no poles. Thus, making me go slower that the rest of the guys. Luckily, Dustin (we call him Rio now) decided to be a nice guy and ski with me. We got so far behind we came to an intersection and didn't know which way to go! We found an office right next to a truck scale and used their land line, something I haven't done in a very long time. Will came an picked us up and we finished out the workout.
Nate and Austin looking good.
GOING THROUGH THE CAR WASH!!!
The Nordic Trail Festival is a weekend long event that takes place at the Nordic Heritage Center, which happens to be right next to our house! There's a downhill mountain bike race, a kids bike race, where adults race on bikes that are made for toddlers, 6 hour running race, and 6 hour mountain bike race. The 6 hour races had 3 different formats. You could race solo, as a 2 person team, or have a 3-6 person team. How the team format works is you race a lap, then tag off to you teammate, they race a lap then tag you and so on, for 6 hours.
The Gallagher house decided to race as 2 - 2person teams. Nate and Dustin, and Austin and I. Austin and I didn't do as well as we thought. Even though it was our first mountain bike race ever we still thought that being in shape had its advantage. And it did for the first 2 laps. Then Austin caught a stick in his rear wheel and it got pulled into his derailleur. He bent his derailleur hanger and broke the derailleur, putting him out of the race for a lap. So he ran his bike back to me and I rode a lap. After I completed a lap Austin took my bike and did a lap, but he came back with no seat or seat post! My seat came loose and all the parts came off. He tried looking for all of them, but couldn't find them all so, he had to ride the rest of the lap standing up. When he got to exchange zone, I decide enough was enough and we called it a day. Austin and I went back looking for the part and we found it! It was quite a race to say the least.
The positive parts of the day was that the MWSC running relay team came in first and Coach Seth Hubbard and Welly Ramsey came in second in the 2 person division.
On August 5th, Maine team camp #2 started at University of Maine Presque Isle. We got there, Will handed us awesome t-shirts, then the PG boys created an agility course to practice confidence on roller skis. Soon after we went for a 1.5 hour ski. The next day we had a classic distance session, and since my ski broke I just mountain biked.
Everyone one else skiing
MWSC junior team member Brendan Cry got a boo boo
The most exciting part of the week was VO2 Max testing. For those of you who don't know what that means don't feel bad, I didn't either until after the testing. Here's my best shot at explaining it. When you exercise your muscles use up oxygen, thats why when you work hard you're breathing harder because the body needs more oxygen. So, during a VO2 max test they put a face mask on you like you can see in the second picture. The special treadmill goes higher and faster until you literally can not go any more. My exerting so much effort the face mask measures the maximum amount oxygen you're using and boom, you have your VO2 max.
Now what can this tell me about my training? It determines how much of an engine I have, how much fuel my tank can hold. If I had a lower VO2 max then I need to do more intensity to condition my body to improve how much oxygen I can take in. Since I have a higher VO2 max then I need to do more distance to become more efficient. There you have it, a somewhat correct explanation of VO2 Max testing and how it works.
Austin warming up
Putting the mask on
Falling from exhaustion
Good thing the harness caught me!
The end of Maine team camp came on Sunday with a beautiful roller ski in Northern Maine (I'm never exactly sure where I am anymore).
As many of you know, I'm back in Portland! I got a ride back to Portland from Forrest McCurdy and surprised my parents. They had no idea I was coming home and the look on their face when I walked into the drive way was priceless!! Its so nice to be home with my family and be by the ocean once again.
On Tuesday night I and 5 dudes drove up to Millinocket, Maine to hike Mt. Katahdin the next morning. We ended up getting only 3 hours a sleep (not the best for training but let the good times roll), and we started hiking around 7.
Here we are at Chimney pond
Oliver Nolan stepping into the unknown
Made it to the top!
Doing the Knife Edge trail was something I've been looking forward to for a long time. I had heard a lot about it so I had to do it for myself! It was an awesome experience even thought there are only 2 really sketchy parts.
Katahdin is right around the corner.
And there you have it, 3 weeks all summed up into 1 post. I'll certainly be posting weekly again because it was much too difficult to remember what happened 3 weeks ago! Thanks for reading, and may the wind be at your back.
No comments:
Post a Comment