For the past week or so now there has been an ever growing presence of endurance athletes.  The US ski team  moved there National Team and NEG camp up this year (I guess in the past they normally come to Lake Placid in October when we are in Utah) …add NENSA to that mix and suddenly you have enough skier types to rival the overwhelming number of Bobsledders and Skeleton athletes roaming the halls of the OTC!

Can you say super training group?

I’ve gone the past four weeks relatively on my own so having people to go for an easy run with is awesome.  A little soccer.  Two intervals sessions, and the big one…Climb to Castle, an uphill rollerski race, this upcoming saturday!

Although the biathlon and cross country ski worlds are different our methods of training aren’t that foreign to each other.   We follow similar principles and our training philosophies aren’t worlds apart or anything.  So we carry rifles around on our backs on occasion…so what.  We ski uphill, we do intervals, heck we even classic ski!  I produce blood lactate just like your athletes, and I get the same thrill from skiing fast over snow just like your athletes.  I just also like to shoot shit.

That being said, it has been absolutely wonderful getting to train with the men and women of the US ski team.  Nothing says comradority like a line of skiers in the pain cave during uphill max skating intervals…and nothing will bond you quite like sweating and suffering shoulder to shoulder bounding up whiteface over and over again.

We might compete on different circuits, but we are both in the search of success.  You don’t have team mates so that you have someone to beat.  You have team mates to get you through workouts when you’re struggling.  You have team mates to motivate you when you can’t seem to find your spark.  They push you and encourage you.  …this past week our team’s expanded and I can’t wait to see the US ski team girls again when we are in Utah for our training camp!

Photo by Pete V.  of the US ski team.