Long Summer Days

Summer has come to what seems to have been a very abrupt end here in the Bow Valley. It seems as though only a couple of days ago I was training in Whitefish Montana enjoying life on a lake and temperatures in the 30's during the afternoons. I guess it was only a week ago. Now, my last 4 training sessions have been done wearing tights and this morning there was snow in the mountains above Canmore.

Don’t get me wrong it has been a beautiful summer in Canmore. We have had more than our fair share of warm sunny days. I am not lamenting the arrival of fall either. I love fall, although that’s mostly because it is followed by winter. In some ways I am even happy that fall has come early (I realize this is probably not the case for most people reading this). Summer, at least for me, can be a difficult time for ski training. The excitement of the spring and getting back into training and getting to know your new teammates is gone. You settle into a rhythm and train every day. The winter however is a long way off and sometimes it’s easy to lose track of what you are working towards. I don’t know what others think, but going for a rollerski in the middle of July when its 30 degrees out is not always very inspirational. Luckily even in the middle of the summer there are short term goals to work towards. Whether this is a running race, a rollerski time trial or even just trying to get stronger in the Gym these are the things that, at least for me, keep me going during the long summer days. 

Summer can often feel difficult for skiers, yet come the end of august (sometimes even earlier) it seems as though you turn a corner. The ski season is still a long way off yet it starts to feel closer also you start noticing the small differences from the year before. You notice that you are maybe a little stronger, that you may ski a little better. I know it’s only the beginning of September and most people still have some summer to get through, yet the ski season is getting closer. It’s now less than 100 days until the Canadian World Cups and less than 90 until my first race. Just the thought of the ski season approaching is more than enough to get me out of bed in the morning. So with the end of summer comes renewed motivation. You are always training with your goals in mind, yet the closer you get to the ski season the more real they feel. Yes I know I might be getting ahead of myself a bit here, but I figure if it gets you motivated to train everyday then it cant be a bad thing.     

Beautiful day of training in Whitefish Montana. We were there for 10 days for some of the hardest training this year.
Photo credit: Stefan Kuhn (I think)

Pretty awesome group to train with. At the top of Big Mountain (yes its actually called that) during our Whitefish camp.
Photo credit: Stefan Kuhn

This was one of the most fun training sessions  this year. We rollerskied up the road on the left . Which  is appropriately named the road to the sun (in glacier National Park) and ran along this hiking trail in the opposite direction. Here Kevin is showing us how to properly wear bright spandex shorts.
Photo credit: Jess Cockney

Not sure what I'm doing in this picture, but this is later on the same day at a very European-esque chalet along the trail.
Photo credit: Jess Cockney

A good way to end a hot training session.
Photo Credit: Jess Cockney

This picture was taken yesterday during the final day of training of our three week block. It was a cold September day in   k-country just outside of Canmore and was therefore a great opportunity to wear even more neon yellow training gear.
Photo credit: Stefan Kuhn

That's all for now

Patrick