Putting on a Bib makes you 10% Faster

We have had a fantastic last two weeks at the Club with nearly perfect weather every day.  The grass is starting to grow and the trees are starting to bud.  We only had one day where we couldn't go outside because of the rain.  

Janiya, Amori, Satomi and Mophion modeling their favorite bibs

We have been talking a lot about integrity.  One of my best mentors used the word often and defined it as "doing what is right even when no one is watching.  This has become a motto for run club and cutting the course is a big no-no.  We used bibs in some of our other games to help insure that everyone played fairly.  Over the years we have amassed a pretty good collection of bibs and it is fun to see them all being used.  The kids had a blast learning about where the different bibs came from.

Filling in our daily mileage log.  The kids keep a training log just like Caitlin and I.

Racing makes running even more fun.  Ready, Set, Go....

May Training

May started with a snow storm and a record May 4th grooming of the American Birkebeiner ski trail.  May 1st is the traditional new training year for many skiers and this week marked the return to training for me.  Some skiers take a week and do absolutely nothing.  I don't really plan out my training but I do stay active.  Perhaps owning a husky and his need to run each day keeps me from kicking back too much.  I run throughout the winter but my body doesn't seem to remember that based on how sore I am after just a few fast paced runs.  My body is stiff and sore as I run around with the kids and 'The Club' and I absolutely love it.  I enjoy thinking about how my muscles are regenerating and getting stronger. 

Destiny suiting up for Science time at 'The Club'

Underwater weighing to determine body composition. I am competed about 5 pounds lighter this year and it is good to make sure that I am not getting too lean or carrying too much extra mass.

Testing on the roller ski treadmill.  

Scott has a whole lists of tests for me to do this week to give us a baseline for the summer in addition to body composition.  The human performance lab up at Saint Cloud State ran a sub max tests to create a lactate profile and a running vo2 max test.  This last weekend I went down to Madison, WI to test on a roller ski treadmill with CXC.  I have never skied on a treadmill before and it is a unique feeling.  I still need to get comfortable using it, but comparing my vo2 in skiing vs running is fascinating.  The skiing test felt much easier and resulted in a 5% greater vo2.   CXC has cameras mounted on the front and side which are displayed live on two flat screens at the front of the treadmill.  This proved very helpful in tweaking technique.

Karl and Adam previewing the 5km Earth, Wind and Tired course.

We capped the week off with a 5km running race in Muskegon, MI.  The lower peninsula of Michigan is a long way from Minneapolis, MN but thanks to the Lake Express high speed ferry we made the trip from Milwaukee in just 2.5 hours.  The Lake Express has been a sponsor of ours for seven years and it was fun to take the boat with the CXC team.  The 5km trail run proved to be a real challenge with 95% of the course on sand and several huge sand dunes.   A good 5km for me is around 16 minutes and yesterday's race took me just under 23.  I won the race, but won't get too confident as I just saw that In The Arena Teammate Ben True just reached the World Championship A standard, running a 5km in just over 13 minutes. Congratulations Ben.