I'm sitting here on our porch in Placid relaxing after my second workout of the day. The week has been brutal, trying to combine a volume week with a 6 day work week. The restaurant is crazy right now because there is a horseshow in town and that means tons of rich people eating out. It's great for money, but not so great when it's 95 in the kitchen and a table is demanding to know where their crabcakes are. After last night (a total clusterf--k), I needed tonight off.
But, rather than lounge around all day, Anna and I met up with Devlin this morning to do some threshold running. The girls opted for 3x10 minute intervals while I went for a 35 minute sustained threshold run with 5 minutes of "burning matches" at the end. It was warm, but much cooler than the day before. I cruised around the trails behind Dave's house and the ski jumps (bumping the new Clipse album for entertainment) and then finished up running up Bear Cub Road where the girls were. All of us had a great workout and we finished up with a dip in Mirror Lake.
In the afternoon Schulz had to go to PT over at the medical center, so I decided to rest a while. "A while" became a two hour nap and I only woke up to the sounds of Anna cooking Ramen and talking to Nabel on the phone. Schlutz had to go to work at the restaurant (big ups to bussing tables) so I dropped her off and headed over to Van Ho to do the mid-week strength workout. Warmed up with a 40 minute run and then dove into the hardest week of the Wednesday circuit. It busted my ass and I got eaten alive by bugs. Deer flies are vicious if you train shirtless.
The rest of the evening is open, so I'm gonna go meet up with some buds and relax before getting Anna at work. Then it's early to bed, early to rise for an OD ride. I've got an 80 mile loop planned out that swoops through small towns east of Placid. Should be a good one. Then it's back to the grind at the Boathouse every night this week.
Dave's rocking the Tinman half-Ironman triathlon this Saturday, so hopefully he'll update after that on his training for the race and how the race goes. He's gonna slay it.
Remember: if you want it bad enough, you can train on the moon.
-- Ollie
Thursday, June 28, 2007
"I believe the common character of the universe is not harmony, but hostility, chaos and murder."
-Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man, 2005
I spent the past weekend in Lake Placid; it was idyllic. In Boston, big buildings named for insurance companies haunt the skyline. In Lake Placid, the closest thing you'll find to a sky-scraper are the ski jumps, which allow the jumper to gaze over his surroundings like an eagle hunting prey. Or, in Boston, you can ride an elevator like a caged canary.
On Friday evening, Anna and I went rollerskiing next to a river east of town. As the sun set, there was stuffy haze that stuck in the air. You could taste each breath, and it tasted good. Real good. I work in a lab all day, surrounded by fluorescent tubes, neon lasers and a smattering of -ols, -enes, and -ides. I love my work, but I wish these natural escapes were closer at hand.
That's why this weekend was so great: the warmth of the sun on my skin, the soft glow of endless forests and the warbling of the rivers all put me at peace. I felt connected to nature, and I returned to Boston inspired. There was a common character to Lake Placid, and that character was harmony.
That harmony came with me back to Boston Sunday night. At least, that's what I thought. To keep the juices flowing, I appealed to the fresh pond trails on Monday to sate my hunger for all things verdant. Running back to Harvard square, I cut through Danehy Park. That was where the common character of the universe revealed its true colors. Brown, specifically. With feathers.
For millennia, philosophers have asked, "What is the average airspeed velocity of an unladen sparrow?" I have experimentally determined that the sparrow travels at the speed of assault and battery. As I ran through the back side of the park, a sparrow perched on a tree gave me a look I would only expect to see in a seedy back-alley. This avian thug then unleashed what I assume to be the most menacing of tweets and entered into a nose-dive, headed straight for my torso. Swooping within inches of my back, the bird dove back and forth two more times, staring me down all the while, before I sprinted off into the bosom of dear Danehy.
Thinking the incident some freakish anomaly, I returned to Danehy this morning. When I neared that familiar patch at the back of the park, I slowed to a trot. Like a little kid getting into a scalding hot-tub, I carefully tested the waters. A orange-breasted birds on the ground heard me coming and flew to safety. All is good. That's when I saw them.
That's right, two birds, not one. They cocked their heads, and after a few tweets, they decided which one would take out the intruder. Last time, the bird caught me unaware; this was my chance to stand up for myself. The bird dove at me like a Spitfire in a dogfight--I now find it much easier to believe that birds are descended from dinosaurs (namely, the velociraptor). In a pitiful attempt to defend myself, I waved my arms and shouted incoherently. Success! The bird retreated to its tree as I scampered on down the road.
That's when I saw a car, stopped in the middle of the road. The driver had witnessed the entire incident. He stared at me with a confused look on his face, then shook his head with disapproval. He dropped his head, taking his eyes off the road, and drove off.
I wish there were an easy explanation for this. You know, like some kind of self-aware computer virus has infected common animals, and they are the pawns in an emerging struggle between man and machine. However, such stories are only played out by Keanu Reeves in b-level Hollywood movies. I'm puzzled. In the greater context of the universe, I see this as a minor incident. Infinitesimal, really. When I think about the common character of the fifty-odd square meters behind Danehy park, however, hostility and chaos drown out all other emotions. For fear of what might come next, I shall avoid this place for the near future.
Be safe, and where I have found discord, may you find harmony.
Chris
-Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man, 2005
I spent the past weekend in Lake Placid; it was idyllic. In Boston, big buildings named for insurance companies haunt the skyline. In Lake Placid, the closest thing you'll find to a sky-scraper are the ski jumps, which allow the jumper to gaze over his surroundings like an eagle hunting prey. Or, in Boston, you can ride an elevator like a caged canary.
On Friday evening, Anna and I went rollerskiing next to a river east of town. As the sun set, there was stuffy haze that stuck in the air. You could taste each breath, and it tasted good. Real good. I work in a lab all day, surrounded by fluorescent tubes, neon lasers and a smattering of -ols, -enes, and -ides. I love my work, but I wish these natural escapes were closer at hand.
That's why this weekend was so great: the warmth of the sun on my skin, the soft glow of endless forests and the warbling of the rivers all put me at peace. I felt connected to nature, and I returned to Boston inspired. There was a common character to Lake Placid, and that character was harmony.
That harmony came with me back to Boston Sunday night. At least, that's what I thought. To keep the juices flowing, I appealed to the fresh pond trails on Monday to sate my hunger for all things verdant. Running back to Harvard square, I cut through Danehy Park. That was where the common character of the universe revealed its true colors. Brown, specifically. With feathers.
For millennia, philosophers have asked, "What is the average airspeed velocity of an unladen sparrow?" I have experimentally determined that the sparrow travels at the speed of assault and battery. As I ran through the back side of the park, a sparrow perched on a tree gave me a look I would only expect to see in a seedy back-alley. This avian thug then unleashed what I assume to be the most menacing of tweets and entered into a nose-dive, headed straight for my torso. Swooping within inches of my back, the bird dove back and forth two more times, staring me down all the while, before I sprinted off into the bosom of dear Danehy.
Thinking the incident some freakish anomaly, I returned to Danehy this morning. When I neared that familiar patch at the back of the park, I slowed to a trot. Like a little kid getting into a scalding hot-tub, I carefully tested the waters. A orange-breasted birds on the ground heard me coming and flew to safety. All is good. That's when I saw them.
That's right, two birds, not one. They cocked their heads, and after a few tweets, they decided which one would take out the intruder. Last time, the bird caught me unaware; this was my chance to stand up for myself. The bird dove at me like a Spitfire in a dogfight--I now find it much easier to believe that birds are descended from dinosaurs (namely, the velociraptor). In a pitiful attempt to defend myself, I waved my arms and shouted incoherently. Success! The bird retreated to its tree as I scampered on down the road.
That's when I saw a car, stopped in the middle of the road. The driver had witnessed the entire incident. He stared at me with a confused look on his face, then shook his head with disapproval. He dropped his head, taking his eyes off the road, and drove off.
I wish there were an easy explanation for this. You know, like some kind of self-aware computer virus has infected common animals, and they are the pawns in an emerging struggle between man and machine. However, such stories are only played out by Keanu Reeves in b-level Hollywood movies. I'm puzzled. In the greater context of the universe, I see this as a minor incident. Infinitesimal, really. When I think about the common character of the fifty-odd square meters behind Danehy park, however, hostility and chaos drown out all other emotions. For fear of what might come next, I shall avoid this place for the near future.
Be safe, and where I have found discord, may you find harmony.
Chris
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
VASA ERGOMETER
So I ran into Mike Muha, the gentleman who runs nordicskiracer.com, at Kensington Metropark on Sunday. We got to talking and he gets to try out all kinds of sweet ski gear including an ergometer which he has up on his garage wall for double pole strength training. From what he told me he's really been getting into upper body strength and he was kind enough to invite me over to try it out sometime. When I go I'll report back but if it is pretty solid it's something I think we might be able to get in the weight room because it can be used for a variety of sports.
http://www.vasatrainer.com/
Andrew
http://www.vasatrainer.com/
Sidenote - it's pretty sweet that the USSA is building a National Training and Education Center in Park City.
in an office in detroit,Andrew
Friday, June 22, 2007
ADK Style: the first of many LP updates
I'm sitting here on my bed in the spacious Lake Placid apartment I'm sharing all summer with the one and only Anna Schulz trying to figure out what to do with the day. Originally my plan was to go for a long (long) bike adventure. I had a route all laid out, my bottles were filled, my food and clothes laid out, everything was set. That is, until I woke up at 7:30 this morning to a steady rain out my window. I know what you're all saying: go train in the rain, you wuss. Well, I would, but the last place I want to be is stuck 30 miles from home in the rain with a flat and no cell service because the Adirondack Park is New York's Stone Age getaway. So the ride was scrapped and it was back to bed (gotta love days off), getting up at 9:30 to drive Schulzy to work and scarf some cereal and bacon.
So here I am, debating how to spend my time. I need a long-ish workout, but I'm not sure I want to be out rollerskiing when the sky as dark and forboding as it currently is. Schulzy (who just got home from work, having secured a day off. Turns out no one wants to go out to lunch on a golf course when the weather sucks) says I should do something that "looks sweet" so she can post pictures on the blog. I like this idea, because it appeals to my vanity. In the end I'll probably settle for a nice distance run in the pouring rain. Always a blast.
C-Nabes arrives in the LP tonight and adventures are sure to be close at hand. Updates will follow in due time.
-- Ollie
So here I am, debating how to spend my time. I need a long-ish workout, but I'm not sure I want to be out rollerskiing when the sky as dark and forboding as it currently is. Schulzy (who just got home from work, having secured a day off. Turns out no one wants to go out to lunch on a golf course when the weather sucks) says I should do something that "looks sweet" so she can post pictures on the blog. I like this idea, because it appeals to my vanity. In the end I'll probably settle for a nice distance run in the pouring rain. Always a blast.
C-Nabes arrives in the LP tonight and adventures are sure to be close at hand. Updates will follow in due time.
-- Ollie
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Can you find the Red Bull in this picture?
Team photo after the 2007 skiing banquet at the Harvard Club in Boston
Welcome
Welcome to the Harvard Nordic blog. Inspired by blogs created by other skiers and teams, this page will hopefully become an easy way for Crimson skiers (past and present), coaches, friends & family, and fans to follow the team more closely.
This blog will be entirely team run and has no association with the Harvard Athletic Department or its Harvard Skiing website. Instead, current skiers can post on what they are up to, how their training is going, and the like.
The idea is to have all skiers contribute to the blog whenever they want (hopefully with somewhat regularity), sharing stories and pictures about training and racing.
-- Ollie Burruss '08
This blog will be entirely team run and has no association with the Harvard Athletic Department or its Harvard Skiing website. Instead, current skiers can post on what they are up to, how their training is going, and the like.
The idea is to have all skiers contribute to the blog whenever they want (hopefully with somewhat regularity), sharing stories and pictures about training and racing.
-- Ollie Burruss '08
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