Posted by: sarianderson | December 27, 2009

Christmas turns

Although I’ve been able to get out to ski for the past few days – a tour through the neighborhood, No Name in Marble and then Snowmass today – I think my favorite thing the last few days was skiing with Juniper on her new cross country skis.  It is amazing how fun it is to watch her fall in love with all the things Ian and I love to do so much.

While my parents are in town, Ian and I took advantage of the babysitting and made a quick trip up to Marble yesterday for some backcountry skiing.  We have not had any new snow in a while but have had some wind so some aspects have considerable avalanche danger.  While Ian and I were very confident in our line, we watched a group just next to us set off a slide.  The first two skied the line but the third person set it off – a good reminder that it doesn’t mean it’s safe just because someone has skied it.  Thankfully, everyone was totally fine and the skier was able to hike back up and ski our much safer line.  Conditions were not perfect, nor was my skiing, but it was great to get out for some exercise with Ian! Also, I have to say I was pretty impressed with my prototype Polartec Power Shield Pro jacket. I wore it on the ski down and it stayed completely dry despite a couple of pretty good crashes in deep snow, but it also breathed well enough that I didn’t overheat during some aerobic route-finding on the way back to the car.

6 months pregnant

Top of No Name had some great snow.

I was standing on the ridge when a skier to my right triggered this slide (you can see him in the center of the frame above the slide crown, click photo to enlarge). Thankfully everyone was ok, but it was definitely not how I wanted to start my descent.

Debris path

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Posted by: sarianderson | December 20, 2009

Winter Trail Running

Blue skies, snow packed trails, two girlfriends and a dog all make for a great day of winter trail running.  After my first skate ski session of the year, Elinor, Wendy and I were able to get out for a child free trail run on Red Hill.  We were a bit surprised how everyone had stuck to the frontside trails which forced us to as well after a short trail breaking section and turning back around.  Constant chattering makes the uphill grind go by very quickly and seem almost fun. The descents on snow covered trails are soft and fast with little concern for tripping or turning an ankle on a rock.

It’s hard for me to believe I’ll be six months pregnant tomorrow as I’m feeling better and better while I’m exercising.  I’m not sure if I am finally no longer nauseous or if my body has adjusted to the weight gain, but it is so nice to be able to continue to run so much while pregnant AND feel good.  Although I’m probably not getting faster right now, I don’t seem to be slowing while my pace feels easier and easier.  Since this most likely won’t last as I continue to gain weight and grow for next few months, I’m going to enjoy every second of it while I can.  I’m also going to continue to mix in some good ole family fun.

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Posted by: sarianderson | December 6, 2009

Weekend of Fun

Running the 4-miles and 1,500 feet up to our house.

It is finally feeling like winter and this weekend reminded me why I love Colorado so much.  I spent much of my weekend teaching Juniper how to ski which has been one of the most fun and rewarding things I have done in a long time.  The kid truly loves it and is able to ski all alone down short beginner slopes.  Watching her learn and have so much fun is such an amazing experience as a mother.

Mixed in with the skiing, I was able to get out for a run and a skin to test out a new Polartec fabric.  So far I have been very impressed and am excited to get out more to continue to put it to the test.

I continue to feel well and fit even as I’m at five and a half months pregnant.  It’s a relief to be able to get out to clear my mind and do what I love.

Elinor, Sari & Wendy ready to skin in some fresh snow!

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Posted by: sarianderson | December 3, 2009

Oh Boy

I’ve been plodding along through this pregnancy and have finally passed the halfway point.  Although I’m pretty much exhausted all of the time, I have been able to continue to exercise and train pretty consistently.  I’m slowing down, especially running uphill, but only by about 5 – 10% and have managed to feel pretty comfortable on the descents.

Yesterday I had my ultrasound that measures and reviews everything on baby and was psyched to know everything is right on and that Juniper will have a little brother.  With Juniper being fairly small (4 lbs. 9 oz.) and a month early, I think I have done a little less this pregnancy to see if it makes a difference.  Throughout both pregnancies I have continued to run, ride, skin, and do most anything else, but this time I have not managed to get out for as many long (3+ hour) runs or rides.

Knowing that the little man is growing well and has a very strong heart, I am hoping to get out for some longer sessions while I still feel well…as long as I can find the time.  I continue to feel very strongly that pregnancy is not a disease nor a handicap and that I shouldn’t cease my normal activities.  Some activities may need to be slightly modified but otherwise listening to my body has enabled me to do as much or as little as it feels up to.  Now we just need some snow for some nice long ski tours!

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Posted by: sarianderson | November 18, 2009

AR World Championships Race Format Explained – Updated

A good explanation (finally) of the world championship race format by AR World Series guys themselves Grant from the Untamed New England event.  Visit the Adventure World website to read the article.

I wish we had this explained to us before the race and wish the racers also had a better explanation.  Not sure if anything would have changed in the overall outcome but it would have made it a much more even playing field.

AR World Championships 2010 in Spain!

UPDATE:  I apologize to Grant that wrote the very informative article explaining the Portugal race format and want to make clear that he does not direct or have anything to do with the event.  He was present at the race this year and thought it would be very helpful to all of us to get a good explanation out there.  Thanks Grant!

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Posted by: sarianderson | November 15, 2009

Ski Weekend

Skin w Penn on Ajax 11-15-09

Plenty of snow on top of Aspen

Colorado had been experiencing a nice Indian Summer until midday on Friday when we got about a foot of fresh powder.  The trails are no longer dry to run or ride on, the road is a little too wet for road riding and the nordic trails are no where near ready yet.  The only thing  I came up with for some fresh air and exercise was some skinning and skiing.

Saturday morning I made the drive to Aspen with Penn Newhard hoping the rumors were true that Ajax had received 6 – 8″ in an hour on Friday evening.  As we drove into town knowing the bottom third of the ski area had been grass two days before, things looked a little grim.  We decided we would carry our skis and hike for awhile but were nicely surprised with the skin track from the base of the gondola.  As we gained elevation, the snow got deeper and deeper while the sun worked hard to push the clouds away.  Despite one small face plant, we enjoyed some great powder turns and an awesome first day of the season.IMG_3635

I’m not normally one that needs to ski everyday but it was so nice to get out on Saturday that I made Ian and Juniper join me on another skin today.  Unsure if Juniper would tolerate being in the backpack for the entire trip up Ajax, we decided to skin up Sunlight in Glenwood Springs.  I recruited a few more folks and we all appreciated the exercise, sun and powder.  It has been fun to get out with the family and I’m looking forward to more ski days with Juniper this year both with her in the backpack and on her skis.

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Posted by: sarianderson | November 15, 2009

Nike 2nd at AR Worlds

ARWC 2009 Finish

Chris Forne at the finish of the 2009 Adventure Race World Championships

After a long tough race, Nike Beaver Creek finished in a very respectable second place at the 2009 Adventure Race World Championships.  I have not spoken to anyone from the team so haven’t gotten the story from the source, but it sounds like the final outcome had to do with some confusion on cutoffs.  The latest post on SleepMonsters has a quote from Chris stating that they thought they had to be through a bike leg by 2 o’clock when in reality they just had to start by then.  Due to this, they missed three checkpoints in the trekking leg causing them to no longer have the most received checkpoints.

This race had a difficult format to follow (and race and support) throughout and I’m unsure how I personally feel about optional checkpoints and sections.  From the results, it appears that some teams skipped entire sections of the race while still finishing ahead of other teams that completed all portions.  Maybe I just needed to be there to understand better, but this doesn’t seem right especially for a world championships.

No matter what happened, the new world champions, Helly Hansen Prunesco of England, raced extremely well and strong to win in such a strong field.  Helly Hansen Prunesco received the most checkpoints and came on very strong towards the end proving they have what it takes.  Congrats to HHP!  Lundhags Adventure, Orion Health (last year’s world champs) and Navigator RaidLight rounded out the podium.

Congrats to Mike Kloser, Monique Merrill, Chris Forne and George Christison and everyone that competed in the race as it sounded grueling.  As much as I enjoy being the Monday morning quarterback, I miss being out there to experience it myself.

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Posted by: sarianderson | November 13, 2009

Nike Leading AR Worlds…

Mike AR Worlds

Mike Kloser coming in from a cold paddle.

From reading the latest reports from SleepMonsters and the ARWC site, it appears that Nike Beaver continues to lead the race.  The team came into the last few time cutoffs with very little time to spare (just about giving Mike’s wife a nervous breakdown) but continues to pick up most (if not all) checkpoints.  There is just under another full day of racing before we will know anything official.  Hopefully the weather gets a little nicer and Nike continues to race well and super strong.  The latest two reports are here and here.

Chris AR Worlds

Chris Forne coming off the paddle

Nike Headed Out

Nike & Orion head out together. I hope Chris puts on some shoes.

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Posted by: sarianderson | November 12, 2009

AR Worlds Update

_091110135525

Mike Kloser, Monique Merrill & Chris Forne charging in Portugal

The Adventure Race Worlds Championships have been very difficult to follow.  I honestly have no idea how Team Nike Beaver Creek is doing as far as the race lead is concerned.  The format of the race is very different from other races especially expedition races.  Most checkpoints are optional and if a team actually gets the checkpoint then it will be used as a time bonus at the end of the race.  For the first few days it was being reported that Nike was the only team to have received all the checkpoints (even Orion Health had skipped one or two) but at this point I’m not sure if Nike has gone to all of them.

Coverage and tracking is very confusing because most teams are in the same vicinity even though many have skipped most checkpoints.  I’m not sure how I would feel racing in an expedition race not knowing how the team is doing due to many variables.  Strategy is usually based on position of your team and judging whether you have time to rest or have to continue racing all out.  I know this is difficult for Mike Kloser, Monique Merrill, Chris Forne and George Christensen as they are unaccustomed to this race format.  They have a day or so more of racing so we will continue to cheer for them from afar and then wait while all time, penalties and bonuses are tallied up to determine the 2009 Adventure Race World Champions.

In the mean time, continue to check out the race site, SleepMonsters, Cris’s blog (Nike’s support crew) and Twitter for as many updates as possible.

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Posted by: sarianderson | November 2, 2009

AR Worlds Start this Week

Joy Sopris

Joy Schneiter training with the Chariot. We cannot live without these!

With the Adventure Race World Championships starting this week in Portugal, I’m beginning to miss racing a little.  Team Nike Beaver Creek, consisting of Mike Kloser, Monique Merrill, Chris Forne and Gordon Walker, are heading to Europe this week to hopefully regain our World Champions title.  After a great race last fall in Brazil, Team Orion Health pulled out the win just ahead of Nike which has left my teammates yearning for the win this year.  If I receive any updates throughout the race, I will try to get them posted as soon as possible.

Since I will not be competing this year, I’m just hoping to continue to get out for some fun runs and rides.  This pregnancy has been much harder than the first which continues to have me on up and down swings of training.  I’ve been working hard at listening to my body and not overdoing it.  This past week, that meant much time at work and on the couch while my abdomen and uterus were cramping.  Now that the uncomfortable cramping has subsided (at least for now), I’ve been able to get out the last few days.  It was really nice yesterday to have Ian tow Juniper in the Chariot so that we could get out as a family.  This morning Joy and I enjoyed just under seven miles of running with the kiddos at an eight and half minute per mile pace.  Not outrageously fast but not bad for pushing the kids on some hills.

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