Double Poling in "The Pit"

The snow in the mountains has been teasing us....there's a nice dusting although there hasn't been enough to nordic ski just yet. As the dusting has crept its way down, so has our rollerskiing. Not the intensity or duration-- just the altitude, so we can use the least icy roads! Here is a 4x(45", 60", 90" L5 double poling) workout we did yesterday in the former gravel pit.

For my relatives who dont get to watch a lot of skiing- double poling is the primary flat-terrain technique for classic skiing. I know we all look alike in the video, but Im the only female in blue tights with white strips and the black/red Atomic boots.

I must say it's awesome to get to hammer around with such a cohesive and hard working team. There are so many strong skiers that on any given day a different person can be in the leading charge, which makes it fun.

These videos can be useful for analyzing aspects of my teammates' technique, and then we can try to emulate each others' strengths. Also, I can see what I am doing and compare it to what I felt and I think I was doing. For example, I imagined I was coming more forward and up with my hips, however, I could stand to open up my body a bit more. In our next double pole session I will practice doing this better, and if Erik/Eric video tapes it I will share it with you.

Until then, do your snow dances! Thanks for checking in,

Katie

Park City Training and California Playing

This fall I had the perfect opportunity to mix up my typical routine. I did some altitude training with the US and Canadian National ski team members, spent some much anticipated time with my bf, and explored some extraordinary places. This training camp and change in scenery was perfect in every way and is exactly what I needed to feel prepared, motivated, and excited to start the new ski racing season.

Coach Louis (CAN), myself, Daria Gaiazova (CAN), Kikkan Randall (USA), Sarah Daich (CAN), Chandra Crawford (CAN), Liz Stephens (USA).

I was with some mighty fine company here as a number of these women have already gone down in history. Chandra is an Olympic Gold Medalist and founder of "Fast and Female", and Kikkan was the first American woman to win a World Cup to name a few! But they are also some of the most unpretentious, welcoming, and friendly women around.

Myself, Dasha, Kikkan, Chandra, Perianne Jones, Sarah: JUMPING for our dreams with smiles on our faces. Like any pursuit, there are periods of hard-work and focus in addition to the high moments.

Katie Ronsse (L) and Dasha Gaiazova (R) in a bounding interval workout of 5x6' L4, 4' easy (Pete Vordenberg photo). We built into the interval sessions and made each interval faster than the previous one. A huge thanks to Justin Wadsworth and the rest of the Canadian National Team staff for including me in the camp workouts!!

My impression from the Canadians National Team members as a whole, was they are very professional in the way they manage and monitor their recovery. They do a great job at keeping training consistent and being proactive when dealing with injuries or challenges. Most of all, I was impressed by their attitude. An attitude that is open, encouraging, and supportive....

This same attitude is something Kikkan (above) brings to our team in Alaska. My interpretation of her attitude is, "I want you to be better, because I know it will push me to be better too. So, lets work together. If nothing else, it will be more fun."

Here's another Pete Vordenberg photo from our mock sprint time trial. Pete and Matt Whitcomb (US Ski team coaches) came to several of the interval workouts to take video, lactates, and offer encouragement. It was awesome to have that support. Many of the videos are posted on the USSA's link on dartfish.

I went to Ogden, UT to cheer on Emma Gerrard in the XTERRA US National Championships and visit Rick Halling at the Atomic USA headquarters. Rick gave me a tour and made sure I am set with the best skis, boots, and bindings on the market.

And then there was this goober I found on a Rocky Mountin High Wheel in the streets of L.A. ... Oh wait, that's Jus! Behind Jus you can see Gary, a mt. bike racing extraordinaire and toy designer who is bubbling with creativity and good energy. You can also see Gary's own toy-- his refurbished ambulance that takes him to compete with the best in bike races around the west.

Jus and I drove from California to get to Utah. Along the way we got in some incredible riding, hiking, and running. Here's Jus making some fallen trees his natural playground along Tahoe's epic "Hole in the Ground" trail.

I thought the 17.5 miles of single track riding was challenging enough, but Jus always teaches me to think outside the box and realize what else is possible.

A huge thanks to Mark, August, Kara of Truckee, and Gus and Elias of UNR ski team, for taking the time to share your incredible back yard with us and help us get the most out of our time there. We loved it!

El Capitan (Jus photo). The scenery in Yosemite was magnificent. I can see why masses of tourists are drawn to this paradise. Jus and I were too accustomed to a pitch-a-tent-anywhere-anytime attitude after growing up in Alaska. We underestimated the traffic that would be going through Yosemite mid-week on the off-season and couldn't get a camp site for our night before our planned ascent of Half Dome. Justin suggested we begin hiking in the evening and pitch the tent at 12:01am, and then we would still abide by all the rules. Then we could reach the summit at sunrise and beat the crowds to the top. Brilliant!

Happy campers on the summit at sunrise!

The "diving board" part of the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite (Justin Libby photo). I was honing in my "Barbara School of Dance" moves I learned in my 3rd grade acrobatics class.

I'm feeling very greatful to everyone who has helped me have the experiences mentioned in this blog post. In particular, thanks to Deb Lovci for opening up home and her generous hospitality, which made training in Park City financially possible. Also, I should give a shout out to Jus for driving me half way across the country, stopping along the way for me to train, and making the trip so memorable.

Im back in Alaska now and I'm loving being home and making the final season preparations with my APU teammates. Everyone is looking fit and we are excited to get back on snow again. My camera was submerged in two inches of syrup when my Hammer Gel flask exploded in my Swix belt during my first long run at Utah's altitude.... but it is in the process of getting fixed, so I hope to continue to be able to post pictures again soon.

Thanks for reading and for your support!

Katie

The Blog is Back!

The ski season is approaching quickly, so it's about time to revive the blog! Before I launch into my recent travel and training adventures, I want to quickly recap the second half of summer.

In short, I got to train and play outside to my hearts content. We had a record breaking 31 consecutive days of rain, but as an athlete, coach, and fisherwoman, I feel like I got to make the most of every warm sunny break and enjoy the "liquid sunshine" too!

Check it out...

Kikkan Randall, my go-to summer training buddy for one of my favorite workouts, 3hr over-distance runs in the mountains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBS-R_B0U94
A video link to one of our typical L5 skate rollerski workouts. I'm fortunate to have coaches who monitor our training and give us tips to help make us better every day.

The Talkeeta Campers and coaches a few hours into our week of rollerskiing, hoola-hooping, Kasugi ridge running, blueberry picking, multi sporting, and lake jumping adventures at the Knapp cabin. These kids are a riot-- there were times I laughed until I nearly cried.

It was also awesome hearing that the kids's version of "fun" is similar to every world class skier: being outside and working hard. Here we are ascending the road up to Hatcher's pass-- which was a "highlight" for many of the kids on the day. It was an impressive performance and first time for most of them. We get to drive up this road soon enough to get to some early season skiing!
A view of a Bristol Bay boat from above. Being out there to help harvest wild red salmon this summer was an incredible experienc. To hear more about commercial fishing with the Libbys, you can click here. To support this way of life and enjoy the benefits of this superfood, you can buy wild Alaskan salmon at your grocery store.

Skiers in the distance hammering out some training hard and getting faster on Eagle Glacier (a Holly Brooks photo).Here's what the summer skiing looks like up-close. The conditions are perfect after a clear night. (K. Ronsse in an Erik Flora photo).

Eagle glacier on snow training (E.Flora photo). A skier's summer paradise on a nice day.

Check out the nunatak!
Our powerhouse of a women's team on Eagle Glacier: Greta Anderson, Katie Ronsse, Nicole DeYoung, Kalysta Schmidt, Holly Brooks, Taz Mannix, Sadie Bjornsen, Becca Rorabaugh, Kate Fitzgerald, and Morgan Smyth. Everyone is fit, fun, and ready to ski fast this winter!

Pre-Vacation Throw Down

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and shouting 'WOO HOO what a ride!'"

This moto comes to mind as I think about this past week.

I decided to take the opportunity to go out to western Alaska this July work as a commercial fisherwoman during the peak of the red salmon run. The work out there will be physically demanding and tiring but I will have little aerobic activity, so I decided that it was OK to thrash myself this past week. Here's what I was up to:

MONDAY
am: r-ski(sk) 4x5' L4 intervals up South Park Bluff w/ Elite team
pm: jog with junior team and be a quality control nazi for their strength testing
pm: r-ski(cl) 5x3.5' L4 intervals up Potter Hill. Set personal record on course.

TUESDAY
am: run w/ poles 4x4' L4 intervals up Gasline w/ Elite Team
pm: jog with jrs in wup/cool down and cheer as they time trial up the gasline
pm: bike Kincaid Loop Circuit RACE!--30miles in the rain.2nd place Expert women.
pm: celebrate teammate's birthday

WEDNESDAY
am: bike to/from weight room, do strength including max pull up test-- surpassed mid-summer pull up goal of 17.
pm: r-ski(sk) with jrs and watch them smash their old PR's
pm: r-ski(cl) easy double pole on coastal trail

THURSDAY
am/pm:a 24 mile mountain run on the Crow Pass crossing (a traverse from Girdwood to Eagle River) with group of talented
ladies. 4hrs 26min.
pm: lethargically walk around Costco and Fred Meyer, pack coolers and box up food.
pm: try to sleep but lie awake sore, satisfied, and exhausted. Write this blog post instead.

FRIDAY
Fly to Ekuk Bay (near Dillingham, AK) to spend 10 days off the grid. Get back to my rural Alaskan roots. Sleep when there's time between the 6hr ocean tide cycles. Spend time with great people. Help the Libby family catch hundreds of thousand of pounds of fish!

In past years taking 10 days "off" from training is something I would've opted to pass up due to ski training commitments. But this year Im more cognizant of the mental freshness aspect of training and life's balance-- and I am thrilled I'm getting to include this trip in my summer plans.

I've still had a high amount of ski specific load of training so far this year, but I've been taking a more balanced life approach to training compared to what I did last year. I've been taking adventure trips or jumping in various races if that's what I need to keep me enthusiastic and excited to train. Coaching for the junior team has also been refreshing and fun.

So far the adjustment in my mind-set and approach has been working out just fine-- I've been feeling strong, I am excited to push myself hard in intervals/races, I've been setting personal record times. Im not sure how this less traditional training approach will pan out by the time the ski season comes around-- but it will be a good experiment. If nothing else I'm having a heck of a good time.

June...AK Style

It's hard to believe that June has come and is nearly gone already. Highlights from the past 30 days include skiing on Eagle glacier, coaching the Junior athletes at the Girdwood "Death" Camp, racing up Bird Ridge, and ski-touring above Prince William Sound.
The name of the game up at the Thomas training facility on Eagle was: eat, ski, eat, sleep, eat, ski, eat, sleep, repeat. For those of you who aren't familiar with our glacier training facility, you can read more about it in a recent article that appeared in the Anchorage Daily News HERE or you can find more pictures on some of my previous posts HERE or HERE. My new teammate and training buddy, Morgan Smyth. Morgan moved up to Anchorage from the US Ski Team's stomping grounds in Park City to train with us-- I am psyched to have her as a new training buddy. Casey the grooming guru and Erik, my coach. Erik's hair stands straight up naturally when he gets a little crusty and he's been working his tail off up there...which means it stands straight up ALL week!
Holly Brooks ready to ski in paradise. A few days later, here's a picture from nearly the same vantage point (and no photo enhancements on either picture):
My retina can feel a overloaded with the color white! Fortunately, there are wands which mark our course so we can still train when we are sitting in a cloud. On one particularly stormy camp a few years ago I tried to come up with a list of my top 10 reasons of why its better to train up there its not a blue bird day.

One thing I love about the typical Alaskan athlete's attitude is that "there's no bad weather, just bad clothing". The junior team seems to be no different and doesn't let some cloud coverage dampen the adventures from being purely awesome. The kids ascending a snow field next to the Raven glacier before we glissaded down.

Since the start of the summer break, I've gotten the opportunity to know and work with the "Junior B" team. Coaching juniors has to be one of the most rewarding and satisfying jobs out there, and I can't say that there's any other way I'd rather be spending my time this summer.
A coach "sandwich" with Holly, Amelia, Celia, MacKenzie, Alex, Tsaina, and myself.

Our camp culminated with the Bird Ridge mountain running race where we raced from sea level to 3,400ft in just 3 miles. We all had solid performances and most of us had personal record times. Strabel and Holly took top honors and the junior girls were just shy of their team average time goal they needed to meet in order to be able to shave coach Strabel's mustache. Strabel watch out, they'll get it soon enough! Here's the view from half way up Bird Ridge, when we previewed the mountain early in the month. In addition to this view imagine seeing energetic young kids bound up the mountain, and a top-down view of a bore tide coming into Turagain Arm. We finished it all off by playing in the mud, and washing off with an ice bath in a freezing cold river. Yeah, summer is SWEET.

In addition to being fun, coaching is gratifying knowing that I get to spend my efforts engaging others in activities that promote health, fitness, and happiness. I still look back at my adolescence and feel indebted to the junior coaches I had growing up-- so spending at least a little time "giving back" is the least I can do. My coaches and mentors helped get me hooked on a sport that has provided me with a free college education, tools so that I have the freedom to exlpore and enjoy the Alaskan outdoors, sustain lifelong fitness, etc.. Here I am as a junior (along with the group), loving exploring new places on a a weekly Winter Stars hike usually lead by Jan Buron and Ben Arians.

My favorite workout of the Junior death camp was helping take the kids for a hike/ski adventure to ski at Crow Pass. Most of the kids had never strapped skis to backpacks and hiked up to snow. Hopefully this will be the first trip of many each of them!
The junior team (with Eric Strabel, Holly Brooks, Charlie Renfro, and I) ready for a 6hr adventure style over-distance workout.

I am making it more of a priority to include some adventure style training of my own when I can-- because those are the days that keep me going and I can't LIVE without.

I have a lot more learn about crevasse rescue before I am assured I have the tools and skills needed to be self-sufficient and safe when creating my own trips over glaciers in the backcountry. Rob Whitney served as Bill, Holly and my "coach" for this particular Memorial Day weekend trip. Im looking forward to learning more in this area in the coming years! Rope it up!
Ronsse and Brooks. Two glacier girls playing air guitar above Prince William Sound-- Only In Alaska!!

"More Than Sport..."

"Wilderness rowing is far more than sport to me; it has been a conduit to knowing and trusting myself. It is my way of being, of thinking, of seeing. My rowing has taken me north and pushed me to explore my own horizons. In the process, rowing has evolved from something I do to some way that I am." -- Jill Fredston in her book, "Rowing to Latitude".

For me, cross-country skiing has been the sport which has helped me explore my own horizons and evolve into the way I am.

Here is an example of a recent epic day I had with Holly Brooks in the Alaskan wilderness. Days like this one rejuvenate my soul and make me appreciate the the fitness and freedom that nordic skiing provides me. We found a map, figured out where we wanted to go, and used our abilities to make a self-powered exploration which covered terrain that was unknown to us.
Heading out from the South Fork of Eagle River, not long after the Saturday morning sunrise.
Pulling out the map to figure out where we are exactly... and more importantly, where we are going.
How about up?
Ronsse on a ridge and just about as happy as could be. Cantana peak is behind me.
Our direction of travel...now we need to find a way with the least amount of bush whacking! Holly scoping out a river crossing. I jumped it, punched right through the berm, and ended up splashing around in the water with my ski boots. I was lucky that it was such a spectacular and warm day.
AK crust cruising at its finest.
Katie Ronsse in praise of the sunshine!
Holly Brooks in her element. About 19 miles and 6.5hrs fabulous hours of skiing, bush whacking, navigating, and mountain running later we made it to Glenn Alps! What should we do now?
We decided that making a 9 miles run down into town with our gear seemed more appealing than hitchhiking or calling someone to pick us up all the way up Glenn Alps. We fit in, right?
We decided to stop for some food when we came across an Anchorage pub. The mountains we came from are in the distance. What a day!

These types of trip on any level -- from getting myself temporarily "lost" and "un-lost" on a city's trail system, to learning about massive treks, such as Fredston's 20,000+ miles of self-powered exploration through the Arctic wilderness, make me realize that there are so many interesting places out there that I have yet to explore.

Many of my favorite trips have been spin offs or inspired by treks of others, including accounts from friends and crust skiing extraordinaires, Tim Kelley and Cory Smith. I get inspired hearing about how others have made it possible to enjoy remote areas, especially in places that have not been traveled frequently but are accessible from our back door. If you have any favorite treks that you have done or are planning, I'd love to hear about them!

Feeling Well Supported

Our APU Elite Team fundraiser was an absolute success-- THANK YOU to everyone who donated their time, money, and/or goods which helped us surpass our fundraising goals! We raised over $65,000 including the generous match from the University. We will use this money wisely when traveling to competitions and for costs associated with making sure the Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier will be up and running for on-snow training camps again this summer.We are happy athletes who feel well supported by friends, family, and the community. We are looking forward to sharing our skiing dream with you again this season!

APU Nordic Ski Center's Elite Team Fundraiser

You're invited to the APU Nordic Ski Center Celebration & Fundraiser benefitting the Competition Fund May 4th, 2010 7-9p.m. APU Atwood Center Hors d’oeuvres, desserts, drinks will be provided. If possible, please RSVP to Phyllis Gross at pgross@alaskapacific.edu or at (907) 564.8250.This is a free event. Your donations are tax exempt and we hope you'll consider joining us and contributing to our travel fund. If you are unable to make it but would like to make a donation anyway, please let us know. Additionally, the APU Board of Trustees will be MATCHING EACH DONATION AT 100%!

Here's a sneak peak into some of the live and silent auction items:
-Weekend stay at Alaska’s Fishing Unlimited Lodge on Lake Clark
-Weekday Powder Passes for 2 at Alyeska Ski Resort
-A flightseeing trip/glacier landing for 2 in the Alaska Range with Talkeetna Air Taxi and lodging at the Talkeetna Roadhouse
-Nordic ski packages (including boots, bindings, and skis) from Rossignol, Salomon, and Atomic
-Helicopter ride with Alpine Air to meet us for one of our summer skiing training camps on Eagle Glacier
-Cat skiing for two with Chugach Powder Guides
-Airplane tickets for 2 from Alaska to Bend, Oregon and private ski lessons with Olympian Lars Flora
-Various types of art, including prints, pottery, and jewelry, by several local artists
-Additional donations from The Physical Therapy Place, Chain Reaction Cycles, Kaladi Brother Coffee, the AK Walking Store, The Double Musky, Skinny Raven, Masters Catering, Alaska Sea Kayakers, Great Harvest Bread Co, Gardening Goods by Annie/Dennis Ronsse, Babysitting/Mentoring by Katie, Ski lessons from APU Olympians, Training consulting and coaching with Coaches Eric and Dylan, Michael Hendrick's Massage, Bilan Chiropractic, Yoga in the Valley, Blush Botique, Snow City, Cafe, The Womens Sport Shop, and more!

Hope to see you there!