All quiet on the western front

With all of the holiday "time off" from the team and throw in a tropical vacation and finals in there and that equals not a lot of training on my end. I've been doing what I can. Got in a killer hike this weekend at Mt. Tam. I went with some friends and we did the steep ravine trail along the Dipsea. Here's a photo of the staircase that almost killed me...



And just when you are thanking your lucky stars that the stairs are done, the trail keeps on climbing up up up and up.
The views are worth every huff and puff!
Here's one view of Stinson Beach just off the Steep Ravine trail...


GORGEOUS!
and the views coming back of the city and the GG bride peeking over the rolling hills is just breathtaking.

This weekend has also been prep time in other ways. I've started thinking about my trip to Alaska and whether or not I can stay at least a few extra days while I'm there after the race. I did a little shopping this weekend and got the last of the must have gear on my list. I hope, good ski gear is not cheap! I hope I have the right layers ~ it will be interesting playing trial and error testing out all of my gear, what combinations work with what weather and finding the right layers that work for me. I LOVE my new outter wear! I got a great north face jacket and soft shell pants that are so comfy and should keep me plenty warm (but hopefully not too warm!) My jacket has armpit zippers to air myself out if it gets too toasty in there and great stash pockets for gus, snacks and ipod. And can I tell you how much I love my hat and gloves? When did I become such a geek over snow gear?!?! :) One thing I learned from marathon training days is that quality clothing is KEY! It's worth the money to get the good stuff. I cannot wait to try it out this weekend!!!

This is it folks...I could not let the year end without getting on skis. This weekend I'm heading here to test out the waters and probably make a fool of myself. I wonder how many time I'll fall down?! January 5th is my first official ski with the team and coaches in tahoe so I'd love to have the basics down, it will help me just knowing what to expect and how it feels to be on the skis.
MMMM...solitude here I come!


So HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
There's going to be a lot happening in January and February when training and fundraising kick in FULL FORCE. See ya in 2008. :)

Committment

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead

It's RECOMMITTMENT TIME!

I just faxed back my forms recommitting to my event, I had to give my credit card info and if I do not raise my minimum committment of $4,400 by Febraury 14th I had to promise to pay the difference. That's a huge committment to fundraising! I'm confident that I can raise the funds...thanks to those of you who have already donated and those of you who will be donating!! :)

Proof I've been training! :)

Here are some photos (courtesy of our webmaster Bruce) from our first training, these are some of the strength exercises we do...

Meeting everyone for the first time.

A Name game (you have to say everyone's names as they pass you while walking from the back of the line to the front)

Loosening up our arms and shoulders

A balance and core strength exercise..you balance on one foot while you take your shoe or sock off and on (Check out my view of the Golden Gate! :)

Side Plank (my form has already gotten better, in my defense, we were on gravel here)

Another balance exercise, balancing on one foot while you swing your other limbs in the skiing motion (view of the city behind us even though it was a foggy morning)

snow dance is working...just not in california!!

ha.
I got a voice mail from my mom yesterday saying...tina, please stop doing your snow dance, we just got 12 inches of snow and i've spent my entire day shoveling and digging out my car.

I guess it's working...just in the wrong area of the country. sorry mom!
so, if you're doing snow dances for me, please try to concentrate on sending the white flakes to CALIFORNIA! thanks.

on saturday at the hike i also found out a funny fact. The L & L Society is nation-wide yet california is the ONLY state with a ski team!! can you believe that? the one state where a person has to drive over 3 hours to get to snow. so funny. Apparently this fact is quite a hoot to the alaskans, who cannot imagine driving that far to get to the snow. I did hear that the alaska chapter actually started a ski team for the first time this year, so now there are two states. GO TEAM! :)

You say the hills too steep to climb...

Climbing.
You say youd like to see me try
Climbing.

You pick the place and I'll choose the time
And I'll climb
That hill in my own way.
Just wait awhile for the right day.
And as I rise above the tree-line and the clouds
I look down,
hearing the sound
of the things
you've said today.
~Fearless, Pink Floyd

Today instead of our first ski we went on a team hike. Our fabulous team of coaches gathered us together in the East Bay to climb Mission Peak. Here are some photos courtesy of Bay Area Hiker (bahiker.com)....




It's just the beginning of early morning wake up calls. In fact, I was secretly thrilled that we didn't have to get up as early as I would have to have gone up to Bear Valley. Arrived at the parking lot and it was FREEZING out, it was actually cooler in the east bay than it was in the city! There was a giant cloud hanging over the mountain. It looked like it might rain, but that would've just been a cruel joke by mother nature considering we were supposed to be skiing in the snow today! I wasn't quite prepared, I wished I had grabbed a hat. Note to self: wake up 10 minutes earlier to make sure you have everything you may need! The sleepy group gathered, shivering but still smiling and greeting each other good morning. We were handed a raffle ticket, a little later we had a mini raffle for some great prizes!

We warmed up with a quick brisk walk and then the series of strength exercises that are becoming all too familiar, a few quick instructions and we were off!

Navigating between cowpies, we climbed and climbed the mountain. Enjoying the scenery and conversation with teammates along the way!

One of the honorees, George, shared his story with us today. He told us about his diagnosis, his treatments and bone marrow transplant, let us know that even though he's in better health now there are still lingering effects to those treatments. I got a great chance to hike with George today and got to hear about his experiences with Team In Training and he gave us good advice about skiing and what to expect in anchorage! This is his THIRD ski season with the team, he's done the tour of anchorage twice and will be doing the royal gorge course this year for a change of pace and he's done the hike for discovery grand canyon hike in between ski seasons. George has two college and almost in college-aged daughters who he clearly adores and is so proud of. George, you're a great inspiration to all of us!

On the way back down some of the coaches were stationed at various spots where we were to practice ski specific exercises, like bounding up a hill, balancing, and how to use the polls and what to do with our arms while skiing. They certainly are trying to give us as many ski skills as possible without actually being on them.

Reaching the bottom 2+ hours later felt GREAT! Stretching, snacks, announcements and the work out was over. A few teammates met at a local sandwhich shop for lunch and once I got home I felt that I had deserved the one thing I wanted to do the most: Take a nap! :)

FIRST SKI CANCELLED

no snow. booooo...if you're reading this you're clearly not doing the snow dance i've asked for!! get your booty's shaking!!

instead of skiing for the first time this weekend we will be hiking in the bay area again...this time we're Mission Peak bound. I just read this on a hiking website describing the mission peak hike..

Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 5.6 mile out and back hike is moderately tough, but manageable, particularly if you visit on a cool day and bring plenty of water. Trailhead elevation is about 400 feet. The park's high point is about 2517 feet; total elevation change for this hike is about 2200 feet. A Bay Area Hiker reader who preferred to remain anonymous describes the route perfectly: "this trail is not for beginners or casual 'neighborhood' walkers. It is somewhat steep and continually demanding."

i know the coaches are prepared to get us in shape for when we actually DO get to ski, so i'm prepared for a good workout tomorrow!

Have a great weekend everyone :)

Regional Redwood Park ~ Team Hike #2

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for my family, friends and good health!

This week has been pretty quiet in terms of training...enjoying the break from work and school by a good mix of lounging around, eating, napping, getting errands run and things done around the house..even got a nice walk in golden gate park yesterday where me and my roommate found a perfect spot to watch both the sunset over the ocean and the moon rise over the city. Ahh, I do love San Francisco! :)

Last weekend's hike in the redwoods was great! We met over in the Oakland Hills early in the morning. After a couple of quick name learning games (they really do work, I'm finally getting some of my teammates names down) and our group strength exercises to get warmed up, we set off on the trail that went downdowndown deep into the heart of the forest. Of course that meant the climb back UP was quite a doozy. I was feeling a little out of shape, ok, a lot, but I hung in there and made it back up to the top where we gathered to listen to one of the coaches talk about endurance training nutrition. You have to make sure you're keeping your internal gas tank full of the things that will give you optimum performance before, during and after a big workout.

This hike was particularly fun for me. I met two people on my team, Andrew and Brooke, who are also from nothern Minnesota! Andrew is practically from the town I was born in, which was cool because I never ever meet anyone who has even heard of the town. And it turns out Brooke and I not only share fond memories of fresh pan-fried walleye but she also used to work with one of my close friends! It turns out we share about 4 friends/acquaintances! :)

Since it's been a quiet week...I'll stop chatting and leave you with some photos I took on the hike. Next weekend: FIRST TEAM SKI at Bear Valley!! If there is no snow I'm not sure if we go up to tahoe to hike or stay in the bay area to hike so please join me in doing a snow dance, the sooner I get on skis the better! :)

squatsquatsquatsquatsquats

day after first coach's workout report: my quads and core hurt.
this is absolutely a sign of things to come. great workout though, got in a lot of strength exercises. balance, flexibility (especially in the ankles, which is a place in my body i really need to strengthen the most i think, they are just not as strong or flexible as other body parts) and core strength will go a long way on the trails. after our strength exercises we ran for i think about 25-30 mins and then ended with a good 10-15 min stretch. hour and a half total. we did a funny exercise: learning how to fall! oh boy, i hope i don't fall too much! Practicing on the pavement was not as soft as i'm hoping the snow will be! I think it's time to dust off the old foam roller from the marathon days. i was very thankful for the ride home last night because i was so tired and hungry after the work out (thanks corey!) Next week we switch back to our regular workout night of tuesday so i'll be coming directly from class and will have my bike to cruise home on.
gift ideas for me for the holidays: massages!!! :)

First weekend of training - Check!

First team meeting/workout completed! We met at the Sports Basement in the Presidio and after a few announcements and icebreaker/name games (turns out there are THREE Tina's on the ski team, the Tina Trifecta! ;) the coaches led us through some cross-country ski specific strength exercises we should do as often as possible and that we'll be doing every week at our coached track work outs and then we were off on our hike! A quick 25 min. out and 25 min. back hike - started at Crissy Field (pictured above) and climbed up the hill and past the golden gate bridge and started in on one of the coastal trails. It flew by and honestly, I kind of wanted the hike to last a little bit longer. I was thankful that it didn't because after our return to sports basement, a group stretch and a snow dance (I really can't believe that I am going to be a person who wishes for the snow this year! My friend Jennie who loves loves loves the snow is thrilled that I am joining her snowy bandwagon this winter) it started to rain. Luckily the rest of the morning was planned to be spent indoors. We had a delicious potluck, a leukemia & lymphoma jeopardy session with gummy lifesavers as prizes and a quick clothing clinic.

I need more gear!! Specically: a midlayer fleece, a rain or water proof lightweight shell jacket, a water backpack to carry water, food and layers on the mountain, new socks, gloves, hat and a pair of waterproof pants as well. Conveniently, right after I got home, my mom calls to tell me her work makes these really thin fleeces that are specially made to be windproof and that she's making me one and my roomie has a water backpack I can borrow for the season. Sweet! Two things off my list already! :)

It was great to meet everyone on the team. There is a lot of spirit and excitement and wisdom on the team. Past participants are eager to share their knowledge of training and racing and the sport in general, which I find very helpful. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better as the weeks go on. On tap this week: First coaches track workout, I'm going to try to start developing a weight/strengthening routine at my gym and I'm looking forward to next weekend's team hike in the Redwoods!!! You really can't beat a hike in the redwoods. :)

What did I get myself into?

Is a question I've been asking myself more than once this week as I've: filled out and turned in release and health liability forms, created a website promising to raise $4400 by mid-February or paying the difference if I don't reach the hefty minimum, read past team participant's journals and blogs from previous cross-country training seasons and races, bought new winter work out clothing because all workout clothing I currently own is not even close to winter attire, already had to say no or maybe to social events because i'll be training, rearranged my school schedule so I can make it to the tuesday night track workouts after a day full of work and a 1 1/2 hour lecture for my class, wondered when i'll find time to eat dinner on those nights!, already thought about how I will dread the crazy early saturday morning carpools to the mountains....PHEW! can you see why i've been asking myself "what did i just get myself into?"

I know why I signed up for this race. I signed up because plain and simple....I need a kick in the pants in the exercise department!! Three years ago when I first joined team in training and did the first annual Nike Marathon (mind you, they changed the course after our inaugural race because it was TOO HILLY, thanks. ;) I discovered a level of fitness and motivation that I previously didn't know existed within me. After those four months of training and that race I never felt better. Needless to say, I haven't quite figured out how to keep that up consistently. Since the marathon I've done a sprint tri and 2 10k races and I work out now and then. But honestly, those didn't push me the way that I want to be pushed again. So what better way than to try a new sport!! I've always wanted to be one of those people who is dying to get to the mountain in the winter. The fact that I haven't been on downhill skis since the 8th grade and that I've never broken a bone in my life makes me a little leary of trying downhill skiing or snowboarding. So I've done my annual weekend or two in tahoe with friends to enjoy the scenery and hang out in the cabin while everyone goes to the mountain all day. I do enjoy the mountains and the fresh air and the snow (when I can leave it when the weekend is over!!;) so when I saw that TNT has a X-C ski team, well, it seemed like a logical choice...it seems a little more safe. :) Hard work? of course! but that's ok...that's what I am looking for and really, we all know that something you have to work for and dedicate a part of yourself to is worth it. We just don't appreciate things that come to us too easily the same way. I was talking to a friend this week and I asked him "what if I end up hating cross-country skiing?" He had the exact answer I was looking for...."then you suck it up and do it for a couple months and then you'll be in Alaska. No pain, no gain, TINA!"

So there..you have the answer as to why I initially decided to sign up for this crazy event...but something happened this week that shifted my motivational focus. I set up my webpage this week and sent it to everyone I knew. I was thrilled to see the initial response...$555 in the first two days!! I have a long way to go but it felt good to start strong (big thanks to you initial donors!!) In emailing with one of my donors, we were having a conversation and she tells me something I probably never would have known otherwise: "My aunt passed away 3 years ago from Leukemia, she was only 36 years old. Thank you for taking the time for others." And in that moment, I remembered the other reason that I got myself into this. This training, this race, this fundraising...while all of it seems like a personal uphill battle right now...I know that it's nothing compared to what people who have to have radiation and/or chemotherapy treatments or what someone who has to say that they lost a loved one to cancer has to deal with. I know that one person cannot save or change the world or protect everyone they love from bad things that happen in our lives. But there are all kinds of things that we can do individually and collectively that really do make a difference. This is one of those things for me. This is my way of being a part of something bigger. Because I *can* train for four months, I *can* raise the money for a good cause and I *will* fly to Alaska and finish the race distance I choose all the while keeping those people I'm honoring close to my heart.

I *cannot* do it alone...I need your help! Please donate to my fundraising efforts....if you can afford to. Any amount helps and pushes me closer to my goal. Please check with your company to see if they have a match program where they will match your donation. Please check back here often to see how my progress is going! I will try to be good about posting frequent updates! :)

Tonight begins my first of many low-key, early to bed Friday nights. Tomorrow morning is our first saturday coach's training. A hike along the SF coastal trail. I get to meet my mentor (a TNT alumn volunteering to help new participants), my coaches, my teammates, the honorees (previous or current cancer patients volunteering their time to remind us why we're there). I did the training and marathon with 2 girlfriends last time, this time I'm venturing out alone so I hope I make some new friends! There will be a potluck after the hike and a clothing and equipment clinic. I cannot wait to begin what I'm sure will be an experience of a lifetime...for better or worse, I'm in and I'm committed for the next 4 months. I decided to start this blog so that those who are interested can join me on the journey. All board!! :)