This past weekend Nikole and I had a chance to breakaway from our regular routine of life and the extreme cold temperatures. We had an awesome weekend of spending some quality time with Shana, my favorite sister-inlaw in Arizona!

Rolling in the Sedona, sushi two nights in a row, bruschetta at Postinos, evening at the Barcelona Nightclub, hiking North Mountain and Camelback, 71 for highs, and an evening outside in a hot tub made for a busy and entertaining little get-away!

Now its back on the skis. Three weeks out till Birkie and I will be working on getting some good hard training days in! Heading north this weekend for a ski on the Birkie trail with Nate and then look forward to the pre-Birkie race the following weekend.

Cord under the boards,

Sturgie

Second night of Sushi!

Godiva & Moose

Start of the 42 K

Last week was the Seeley Hills Classic ski race held in good’olSeeley, Wisconsin. I’m not much of a classic skier but I try to mix in a classic ski with my skate training. It breaks up the monotony of training and helps out tremendously with my cardio.

I find classic skiing hard and painful, in fact, today is the first day my thighs are not screaming at me. Classic skiing is a different technique that utilizes the same muscles in a sense but utilizes those muscle differently. On Monday after the race I struggled just to get up out of my office chair.

Friday night Adam and I drove up to Hayward and stayed at a cabin on Nelson Lake with my parents. We registered on Friday night at the Sawmill Saloon and participated in an over priced, filled your big toe pasta feed. The beer was good but the pasta left me desiring more.

Saturday brought cloudy skis and temps in the twenties. Like I said, I’m not much of a classic skier but I love to race. So it was different arriving to a race and not really rushing and hustling to get a spot at the start because I was not overly hyped about classic skiing a race.

At the start of the race I told my parents to grab a spot on the snowy knoll just after the start. Well, unannounced to me, the start didn’t take us in that direction. So my parents didn’t even get to the start, and the best part is I skied faster than I thought and my parents ended up missing the finish as well.

I really didn’t care about my start position until I arrived at the start line. My lack of hustle got me a start in the far back of the pack. I mean I was way back. In fact, of the 300 skiers I would bet I started 273rd. None-the-less the gun sounded and we were off to a grueling 22k out and back race on the Birkie trail.

Right from the start I began picking skiers off one by one. I started so far back that no one was left to pass me and the only thing left for me to do was pass those 200 some skiers ahead of me. Most of the race I was passing skiers and skiing by myself. With about 3k from the turn around I met the leaders heading back to the finish. I figured I was about twenty minutes behind which impressed me some considering I was classic skiing.

By 15k I had lost my kick and was double polling most of the hills and flats and to make it even tougher, I could tell by the sharp pain on my arch that a blister was forming. It was a tough race but I had a blast skiing with fellow classic skiers who know what they are doing. Most of the race was spent watching the skiers around me and trying to emulate their techniques. Right or wrong it got me across the finish line at 1:29.31 with a 4:04 pace per k and an 83rd place. I’m happy with that.

After the race Adam met up with me at the trail head and we capped off the day with a ski down to mosquito brook road. Another 15k for a cool down and the day was complete. it was a fun weekend and it’s always fun to go to races where you can rub shoulders with elite skiers and elite teams. The olive burger at the Sawmill Saloon that afternoon topped it all off.

We will see what the weekend brings. Looks like temps won’t reach much above zero. Maybe a weekend spent in the gym will be safer on the body.

Cord under the boards,

Sturgie

The warm temperatures are not being welcomed by many who are fervently logging kilometers and gearing up for the heart of the race season. It sucks to look at the extended forecast and see temps one day in the single digits and soar into the forties by the weekend. Oh well, you train with what you are dealt with. And given our previous winters, this is nothing new.

The race season took off this past weekend like it always does with the ever so difficult and humbling Blue Hills Ascent. Being able to stay with the parents, get a good home cooked meal, and ski on the trails I grew up on conjures up memories of how far I’ve come and challenges me to realize where it is that I want to be.

Nikole and I loaded up the vehicle Friday night with the dogs and skis and headed north to good ‘ol Bruce. With some steak and potatoes made to our liking, a small game of cribbage, and a movie we were off to a good nights rest for the race on Saturday.

Saturday morning I awoke to temps in the upper twenties and a forecast that looked and felt warm. I traveled to the trail head to register, hoping I was early enough to get a descent wave placement. Wave 4 was not bad…and was not good. I figured I would be picking my way through the field starting 30 skiers back. Oh well..

After a hearty breakfast, Nate and Karyn met us at 10:00 and we were off to the race. The race was at noon so Nate and I had a chance to ski a nice warm up and get a feel for the snow and our skies. Its always nice to race later in the day, not having to worry about rushing around and being on time for early starts. Non-the-less, noon o’clock rolled around and the race was on.

There were six waves and each wave starting one minute apart. Nate began his ascent in wave three and I was a minute later. Being the first race of the year, the Blue Hills Ascent is a tricky race in that its only 12 ks, not real technical, but every year it ends up being a painful race. The first 4 K is spent climbing. There are no big hills, just one long, never ending, continuous climb that at times you don’t think your climbing but your thighs are reminding you that you have been climbing for many Ks…so it is fitting that the name of the race is the Blue Hills Ascent.

I started out strong and was feeling confidant about my conditioning. In fact, I started out too strong. By the time the trail narrowed and we entered the woods began the climb I had caught Nate. It was then that I realized my heart rate was racing and that I could not keep the pace that I had started. With the long and continuous climb I was unable to recover and ended up suffering throughout the race. It sucked not being able to get into a good rhythm and find a good pace. I had to work extra hard up the hills and I had to gasp for air so that I could recover on the down hills. Not exactly how I wanted the first race to go. It was 12ks of humility and recognition.

Nate had an awesome race and we enjoyed the great fan support. Thanks to the Bro and his girl, Nikole, Karyn, and my parents for watching us start and seeing us finish. If anything, finishing a race with your BFF is sweet as hell. Nate skied to a solid 17th place and I took the 16th spot. We also took 2nd & 3rd respectively in our age group. No money though…

This weekend I’m off to the Birkie trail to race the Seeley hills Classic race. 22K of classic skiing. I’m not big into classic skiing but we will see how the race goes. It going to be tough. I will post first thing on Monday! Thanks for continued support y’all.

Thanks to skinnyski.com for the pics (Nothing like seeing Sturgie in spandex…eh?!)

Cord under the boards,

Sturgie

Nikole and I began our Holidazed travel last week when we bailed on Eau Claire and landed smack dab in the heart of Packer country, GB. A weekend spent with the in laws never fails in supplying the much needed entertainment, merry conversation, and a taste of Tingly family craziness.

By Monday we made our way back to EC in time for work, a quick fuel up, and back on the road and heading farther north to a blissful town called Bruce. It has been a click or two on the calendar since Nikole and I dropped in on ma and pops. Fondue, plenty of cheap wine, and some new snow boots made for a time spent with the rents a blast.

By Tuesday pm we were back in EC with the extended family celebrating Christmas for the first time in three years. It was nice to be back in our own dwelling come Christmas night! By Friday of break, Nikole had racked up plenty of hours of sleep and relaxation and was ready for a hearty ski in Birkie country.

Friday night we ventured up to Spooner, WI in the snow to spend some time with our friends Nate and Karyn. And if you are up north you must get out on the Brikie trail. So with some fresh snow, new cord under our boards, Nate and I put in a long 3 + hour ski and dialed out some 41 K of training. It seemed that everyone and their team was on the Birkie trail Saturday. Nikole and Karyn spent time at OO skiing while Nate and I made our way down to Hayward. Great day of fine tuning our skiing and thinking about the big one! Ran into him…

08 came in as fast as 07 went out. Another year of big things and great blessings has passed. Nikole and I are thankful to you, our family and friends. We are looking forward to the things in 2008 that make our life interesting enough to share with you. There will be no new years resolution here…its that same old tradition of the past that seems to have us focused on our faults…and as one biker put it, “A month later, valentines day rolls around and where are we? Wolfing down chocolates, sharing wine, petting heavily and ignoring the homeless. No thanks, I’ll focus on the mental detox.” Couldn’t agree more…

Big race Saturday on the trails that I grew up on. Keep ya posted!

Cord under the boards for life,

Sturgie

It sure sounded better the night of!