I ran Ester Dome today. Anyone who has spent a summer in Fairbanks knows this hill. 5 km of up, up, up. It took me 36 minutes (running easy). The course records are something like 22 minutes for men and 26 minutes for women — I have these stats back at my office.

I’ll give any non-NCAA athlete $100 cash if they can beat 20 minutes.  I’ll come up with a similar challenge for the women’s record and post it later.  We have a regular race up Ester Dome in September (I’ll post details later) — plan your training and collect the cash.

Spring skiing in Bend

Another blue-bird day here in Central Oregon. Jack Hart picked me up at 7:45 this morning for a ski at Bachelor. Jack gave me the nickle-tour of the outskirts of Bend complete with historical data, the best burritos in Oregon, and a few long yarns. He also lent me the new Salomon skaters and a pair of poles. (Thanks, Jack!)

We hit the trails with Zoe Roy and Jamie Bronga at 8:30 and the skiing was fantastic.  Hard corduroy at the start, then a bit soft by 10:00 am in the sun, though still quite form in the shade.  Perfect!  The new Salomons felt pretty darn good, though I was sucking wind big time.  As I skied up the last hill of the day I came upon some of the USST coaches waiting to perform lactate test on the USST athletes.  Please, I thought , don’t watch this train wreck.  Chris Grover asked if I wanted a finger prick.  No,I told him, I know I’m pushing 20 mmol of acid without spending the money on a strip.

The ski was fantastic.  I was able to clear my mind and just ski for the fun of it.  I was not worried about recruiting, testing wax, pre-viewing courses for feeds, or trying to predict the weather for an upcoming race.  It was just skiing.  Days like today help me recharge my batteries after a long season.  I don’t want to sound too touchy-feely, but there is something pretty cool about late spring skiing.

Though I expected the skiing to be the highlight, it was equally exciting to see the USST members and other elite athletes out doing their business.  I was able to introduce my son, daughter, and nephew to a few USST members later in the day.  It may not seem like a big deal, but for two six-year-olds an an eight-year-old, it’s pretty cool. 

All day conference call tomorrow with the CCSA (this blows) and then we fly home on Thursday.  One more day in Bend would be pretty nice.  -SJ

So, here I am taking a week-long family vacation in Bend, Oregon. My dad moved here 18 months ago and I had yet to see his new place. So, Denise, the kids, and I packed up and flew south for a week of R & R in one of the most beautiful places in the Northwest.
As I was riding a borrowed bike around my dad’s neighborhood yesterday I saw a US Ski Team Chevy parked in front of a house. It’s about a block from my dad’s place. Lots of skis in the garage, two wax tables, etc. Obviously the USST is using the house for training camp.
Though I want to knock on the door and say hello, I feel a bit like a stalker. Though I know several of the athletes and coaches, I am not “tight” with any. I am afraid my knock on the door may seem a bit “Pacific Heights” or “SWF”.
I would have no real reason to say hello other than to be friendly and say “train well”. Maybe that’s enough of a reason.
By the way, Bend is SWEET! Did a ten mile run yesterday along the Deschutes river with my stepmother. She is 67 and runs a 2:00 half-marathon. Not bad for a grandmother! Awesome biking here. Hope to ski Monday with Swix’s Jack Hart — hope he calls back!