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! :)