Weeks in and weeks out

So the Yellowstone trip came and went with no posts I realize.  If I were to get serious about this blogging thing I think I would need a laptop or at least a pad or something so I can type on the go.  Thats actually when I would probably have the most time for posting anyhow.  When I'm at home there is usually no shortage of other things I have to work on.  Anyway, I'm back now and here is a brief (relatively) sysnopsis of what's been going on.

Yellowstone -  Conditions were far from ideal for training, but when is skiing ever in ideal conditions.  I think the great days are that much better for knowing they are few in number.  After about the 10th wonderful 70 degree fall day this year I started to get sick of feeling guilty for not making use of all the wonderful weather when I just couldn't drag myself out for another run or rollerski, but I never have trouble passing up a ski on a 20 degree day with beautiful courdory or a 10 degree evening with a rock solid track and bomber kick.  Yellowstone got a lot of snow, several feet, while we were there, and the groomers had trouble keeping up with it there was so much.  This made for slow skiing, probably good for the first week on snow, plans for 5 hours of skiing a day, and at an altitude of 6600 feet too.  Then when the snow finally slowed it got cold.  Thanksgiving day the high hit about -10 F, brrr.  Slow classic skiing felt great, but when I tried to skate it was just dismal, the red cheetahs felt like they were waxed with velcro (more on that later).  Friday things turned around, the weather started to warm, and my sister showed up with her two dogs to visit and ski for a day.  The dogs were fun to have around, and much less of a problem than I expected having in the hotel room.  All in all I skied about 350k in 25 hours over the course of the week, not a bad way to kick off the season.

I also watched some racing while I was out there, the supertour sprint and part of the biathlon race.  It is fun to be out amidst some of the best skiers in the US, and I got to see a lot of people I usually only read about, and meet fasterskier reporter Nat Herz.