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string(5466) "Only one week until the City of Lakes span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"Tri/span-span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"Loppet/span event (and urban off-road triathlon) and everyone is gearing up for a great event. Over the past two and a half months 30 kids from the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Anwatin/span and Anderson middle schools have been meeting three days a week to train for the race.br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9rxrnMRaI/AAAAAAAAAFU/32fz_inWsk4/s1600-h/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+048.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9rxrnMRaI/AAAAAAAAAFU/32fz_inWsk4/s320/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350113383604307362" border="0" //abr /br /The entire program was free for the kids and a number of local businesses and organizations donated time, products, and educational info about staying active and healthy throughout life. Many thanks to all who helped!br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9sTOwWSVI/AAAAAAAAAFc/NG7RrWuHuJ0/s1600-h/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+061.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9sTOwWSVI/AAAAAAAAAFc/NG7RrWuHuJ0/s320/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350113959973636434" border="0" //abr /br /So after many days of running, orienteering, span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"obstacle/span courses, span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"canoing/span, biking (and mountain biking), swimming, soccer, and ultimate span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"Frisbee/span and span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"rollerskiing/span we are ready for the race.br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9qMNpf7lI/AAAAAAAAAFM/vcJii2sUIZo/s1600-h/Lahti+the+Dingo+009.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9qMNpf7lI/AAAAAAAAAFM/vcJii2sUIZo/s320/Lahti+the+Dingo+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350111640394133074" border="0" //abr /br /The most challenging span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"obstacle/span for the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"Tri/span-span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"Loppet/span group is that it was an span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"after school/span program at Anderson and span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"Anwatin/span Schools which means that when school is over the buses are too! This means that two weeks ago was the last day of school and span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"after school/span activities but not the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"Tri/span-span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"Loppet/span group. So span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"the goal/span was to try and get as many kids to continue meeting at the training times and locations as possible. The turnout has been great and the volunteer drivers have been very appreciated.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9p-m6gszI/AAAAAAAAAFE/9TH-iQaRnE4/s1600-h/Lahti+the+Dingo+005.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9p-m6gszI/AAAAAAAAAFE/9TH-iQaRnE4/s320/Lahti+the+Dingo+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350111406658204466" border="0" //aThe next goal is to get as many kids early on Saturday morning to and from the event with smiling faces and a sense of accomplishment. Margaret (my span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"CSD/span) and I have been span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"orchestrating/span an incredible schedule that will pickup all the kids who are registered, pick up all bibs and race info, assign and fit them to a bike, and bring them to the start where a canoe and paddle will be waiting. Again there has been a huge number of volunteers who have offered to paddle, bike and run with a kid to help them along!br /br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9tNe-dnTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/SvW3HAJDLi0/s1600-h/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+072.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9tNe-dnTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/SvW3HAJDLi0/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350114960760216882" border="0" //adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-2198339285257373153?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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["title"]=>
string(29) "Mini Triathlon in Minneapolis"
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string(1406) "Last Week was one of the busiest of the spring/summer for the Tri-Loppet Group. We had a bit of a mini-triathlon within our daily activity. This wasn't intentional but rather a necessity due to a lack of bus transportation. So we used our resources wisely and had a great time! The biggest accomplishment was getting everyone really tired but happy when the day was done.br /br /Thanks to the great location of Anderson Elementary School and is close proximity to the Mid-Town Greenway we could walk there in less then ten minutes. The Mid-Town Greenway Coalition once again leant us bikes to use. We took the bikes West on the Greenway to Lake Calhoun where we used canoes provided by Wheel Fun Rentals. We had a number of volunteers who came out to help for the afternoon. With two kids, and one adult per canoe we headed out to Lake of the Isles. We made a loop around the perimiter of the lake, and headed back to get on our bikes. The weather was perfect and the wind calm, the highlight for me was making it off the lake without getting soaked with water. Two years ago, I ended up swimming to shore because of a tipped over canoe. We biked back to the bike rental in time for everyone to catch thier rides home.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-3823138242398493508?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2009-05-27T08:22:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-05-27T09:02:46.738-07:00"
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string(21) "Snow and Rattlesnakes"
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string(2880) "My training camp in Bend was very successful. The US Ski Team was great with helping me find a place to stay and offering training opportunities while I was here.br /br /After 7 beautiful and 1 cloudy/snowy days of skiing I couldn't be happier with the progress I have made and the new focus of my training for the next year. The skiing was almost perfect (especially if you like klister!) and the trails were filled with skiers from all over the country so the company was great too. The focus of the camp for me was on testing skis and getting in some early season volume. I was able to participate in a few interval and testing sessions with the Methow Valley Olympic Development Group and the US Ski Team which was great! It is always great to hear feedback from a different perspective from time to time.br /br /Towards the end of the week an old NMU teammate, Melissa (Orem) Shwartz came to visit with her growing family. It was great to catch up with her and laugh about the "good old days." I hope to see her again this year and especially come race season!br /br /Yesterday I took a hiatus from Mt. Bachelor and traveled north to Smith Rocks. This is a beautiful State Park that is a rock climbers paradise! I brought along some bounding poles and found the nice paths perfect for some bounding work!br /br /I quickly realize how much of a city slicker I really am! Cruising around the city alone at night... not a problem! Running alone with Cougar and rattlesnake signs...Big Problem!br /br /I asked a few people if there were really rattlesnakes and cougars in the park and everyone seemed to think the signs were not necessary, but as I ran along the path I couldn't help but think how perfect the dry dessert landscape would be for a backdrop to a snake!br /br /I followed the path (headphones off! so I could hear if something was nearby) and made my way up and over the ridge! I met some great folks and saw some amazing scenery! The skiing was probably great again but I had the best time cruising through the volcanic cliffs and river valley.br /br /Just when I was happily cruising along the trail near the river, a man ahead held his hand up to stop me. "Rattler he said!" Of course as frightened as I was to encounter one unexpectedly this was a great opportunity to see one up close. So I carefully walked over and stood next to him as we watched the beautiful snake slither away. It was AWESOME. I tried to snap a few photos but they do not capture how cool the snake was. The man told me it was coiled on the side of the trail just moments before.br /br /So now I am leaving Bend, which has become my new favorite training place, for the concrete jungle of Minneapolis!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-5398464371858474542?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-6040865114036149184"
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string(29) "2009-05-10T21:02:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-05-10T21:20:18.103-07:00"
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string(23) "Hitting the Road Again!"
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string(1482) "After a few weeks of training it's time to start hitting the road.br /br /I had some of my first Rollerskiing intervals this week along with a VO2 Max test and strength test. Training is back in full swing again. The weather has been great here in Minnesota. Lots of sunshine and around 60 degrees. I will admit I am jealous of the many skiers who got to take a little spring break either in the mountains or at the beach!br /br /I took the opportunity this spring to catch up with a lot of CXC and personal sponsor obligations. I felt like I had a fulltime job, as most days I couldn't even get out to do other activities! I also caretake at my apartment building, which helps reduce the the rent, so my spring was filled with a lot of post winter raking and cleanup around the grounds. Not the most glamorous spring but it's what I have to do to afford to race all winter.br /br /Now in less then a week my training camp season will start as well in Bend, OR. I have never been to Bend before so I am excited to see and ski somewhere new! My coach will not be there, so I will be training with the Methow Valley Ski Team and Scott Johnston thanks to the help of fellow ITA athlete Brian Gregg.br /br /I hope to post some videos from the workout this weeked when I get my camera working again.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6040865114036149184?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-1059242504055887752"
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string(29) "2009-04-26T20:21:00.001-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-04-26T21:19:57.162-07:00"
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string(23) "Biking and Rollerskiing"
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string(5126) "divdivdivdivdivdivdivdivdivbr /divThe City of Lakes Tri-Loppet is only two months away and there is a lot of training to get in before then. During the past two weeks the kids at Anderson and Anwatin Middle school have been working very hard.br //divbr /div/divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329214238677078770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUsHVxNEvI/AAAAAAAAADs/AiFol3kCto8/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+012.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divOn Monday the Anderson group which is almost 20 strong ventured on foot to the nearby Midtown Greenway Coalition (MGC). The Midtown Greenway is a great asset here in South Minneapolis because it bisects the Grand Rounds route, which circumnavigates Minneapolis, in half allowing for quicker commuting across town.br //divbr /div/divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329213844313685778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUrwYppPxI/AAAAAAAAADk/2ADYr_3LCKI/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+010.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divThe Coalition Vision:br /We envision a green urban pathway that provides the anchor for a regional, sustainable transportation network; and encourages healthy diverse communities to prosper, participate, and connect to the region. /divbr /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329214621492624130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUsdn3iuwI/AAAAAAAAAD8/ZZtSqYKH_X4/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+016.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divThe path is built along the old railroad grade and thus is recessed below street level with many unique bridges along the straight path.br /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329215589653917378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUtV-jLrsI/AAAAAAAAAEM/ve1GBLfYUTI/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+043.JPG" border="0" /br /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329216179383634306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUt4TdtCYI/AAAAAAAAAEU/QgqASxx43W4/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+039.JPG" border="0" //divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329216886411461938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUuhdWRhTI/AAAAAAAAAEc/pUApNaHcxbQ/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+048.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divThe group was given bicycles and helmets to use for the afternoon from the MGC. They also provided a guide who lead us in safety and etiquette along the trail. We biked to Lake Calhoun and back and despite the rainy weather had a great experience.br /br /br /On Wednesday the Anderson Elementary kids had the opportunity to Rollerski. This was awesome! The Rollerskis are a part of the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation and are used for kids groups in the community./divdiv /divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329217706712663554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUvRNNUhgI/AAAAAAAAAEk/gwiWe-wgTpY/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+051.JPG" border="0" /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329219039450923298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUweyC4gSI/AAAAAAAAAE0/CcYUjSFNFZY/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+052.JPG" border="0" /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329218239660580994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUvwOmAYII/AAAAAAAAAEs/Gv_hSDQnCI0/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+074.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divWe had just enough boots and skis for all 10 kids to participate at once. For most of the kids this was their first time on Rollerskis and they were incredible! We focused on balance, turning and accelerations in our relay races./divbr /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329220149973804498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUxfbEK5dI/AAAAAAAAAE8/BlvYfBZbkcA/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+072.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divAfter the Rollerskiing we progressed to the woods where we held a mini time trial to get baseline times for everyone. Everyone left at 15 second intervals and their times will serve as a benchmark as we continue training through the summer!/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-1059242504055887752?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-6236597485704327828"
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string(29) "2009-04-12T20:26:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-04-12T20:45:44.410-07:00"
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string(31) "Kid's Tri-Loppet Training Group"
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string(1687) "Tomorrow is the first day of my new program for the summer with In-The-Arena and the City Of Lakes Loppet Nordic Ski Foundation. The Tri-Loppet is an off-road urban triathlon here in Minneapolis consisting of canoeing Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake and Brownie Lake, running the hilly trails at Theodore Wirth Park and then Navigating the single track Mountian Bike trails at Theodore Wirth Park.br /br /My first day begins with Anderson Middle School in South Minneapolis. We will be working towards the goal of completing the triathlon at the end of June. Last year I coached a similar program, but this year there will be a higher focus of getting all of the kids to participate in the triathlon either as a team or solo. The program will also incorporate nutrition and other healthy lifestyle advice. Wednesday will be the first day of the program at Anwatin Middle School which is adjacent to Theodore Wirth Park and allows us to train on the race trails when we meet. The kids at Anwatin are really lucky to be so close to such a great park!br /br /During the two and a half months of the program I will be working with both Anderson and Antwatin schools on a weekly basis, rotating between Canoeing, biking, and running! We will be supported by many local Minneapolis companies who will be providing the canoes, bikes and even donating running shoes.br /br /I am so excited to finally get this program started and to meet the kids (hopefully a few returning faces from last year).div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6236597485704327828?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-6880343143919142003"
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string(29) "2009-03-29T21:29:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-04-05T19:54:44.061-07:00"
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string(73) "President’s Fitness Awards presentation at Bryn Mawr Elementary School."
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string(4978) "On Sunday after almost 70K of racing in one week for the woman and over 100K for the men at the Birch Hill Cross Country Ski Trails in Fairbanks, AK the 2008/2009 competitive ski season came to an end. A lull in Mt. Redoubt’s volcanic activity on Monday gave my flight from Anchorage the opportunity to take off, just before the volcano spurted another ash cloud. This was the first flight to Minneapolis since the volcano began erupting a week earlier. I was so relieved when we finally got off the runway.p class="MsoNormal"a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrlMbQbcI/AAAAAAAAADE/6u5D0Un6SIc/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+5.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrlMbQbcI/AAAAAAAAADE/6u5D0Un6SIc/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321402721449831874" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"On Wednesday morning I joined the second through fifth graders at the Bryn Mawr Elementary School to hand out medals and certificates to every kid who completed The President’s Fitness Challenge. Each student was required to partake in healthy activities and eating habits while keeping track of their choices for the previous 6 weeks./pp class="MsoNormal"a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlr1Ue8JFI/AAAAAAAAADM/HYshxWQPmQE/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+9.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlr1Ue8JFI/AAAAAAAAADM/HYshxWQPmQE/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321402998490670162" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"The best part about Anita Chavez’s P.E. class is that she has almost all of them XC skiing during the winter! The Theodore Wirth and City of Lakes Loppet Trails run right through the school playground and the trails behind the school are where I train the most when I am home during the spring, summer, fall and winter. Almost 80% of the 180 kids in the assembly had skied in the City of Lakes Mini-Loppet. AWESOME!!!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrTyy4pXI/AAAAAAAAAC8/9MNl6-yLEuQ/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+2.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrTyy4pXI/AAAAAAAAAC8/9MNl6-yLEuQ/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321402422511838578" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"I spoke to the kids about my XC skiing training regime leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics and how much I love training in the Minneapolis parks all year. We talked about many of the different parks in the area and all of the different types of activities we can do in the parks and on the bike paths, like running, biking, rollerblading, soccer, baseball and tag. The kids had lots of questions about Skiing, Alaska, Big Mountains and my new training partner Lahti the Husky!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlsgl59AsI/AAAAAAAAADU/OqRtyyOvWA4/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+10.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlsgl59AsI/AAAAAAAAADU/OqRtyyOvWA4/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321403741901750978" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"General Mills was also an integral part of the presentation offering prizes and info about good healthy food choices. The kids did a great job answering the trivia questions about the food groups and serving sizes!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdltP9E0MII/AAAAAAAAADc/hvnRqrwX6Oo/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+7.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdltP9E0MII/AAAAAAAAADc/hvnRqrwX6Oo/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321404555575177346" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"I look forward to working more with Anita Chavez and the kids at Bryn Mawr this summer during their summer school programs and with the support of General Mills for the Tri-Loppet program that is being offered to the Anwatin and Anderson Elementary Schools./p p class="MsoNormal"o:p /o:p/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6880343143919142003?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2009-04-05T14:13:01.167-07:00"
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string(27) "New Addition to the Family!"
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string(1518) "a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdkes68kxPI/AAAAAAAAACU/lgXeKPObs9U/s1600-h/Lahti.jpg"img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdkes68kxPI/AAAAAAAAACU/lgXeKPObs9U/s320/Lahti.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321318191801353458" //abr /We have a new member of the household here in Minneapolis. His name is...well he doesn't have an official name yet! We have been calling him anything from "dog" to "sable" to "Kate Moss."br /br /divbr /He is a 3 year old Alaskan Husky that Ben, my boyfriend, and I rescued from the Minneapolis Animal Humane Society. He was a transfer from another agency and arrived with a few other Huskies that were all rescued together. He is going to make a great running and skiing companion someday. Right now though he is very skinny and extremely shy. The goal will be to start him with a few walks a day and gradually increase to short runs once he starts to gain weight and get adjusted to being on a leash. Hopefully we can get him out in the woods, although still on a leash, by early summer!br /br /We are excited to give him a second chance and hope he enjoys living with us./divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-1311660623841040760?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(35) "When does Exercise become Training?"
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string(2159) "My friend and teammate Jojo Winters and I were driving to the YWCA to teach a Nordic Walking Clinic earlier today, and we were discussing ways to get the group excited about getting out and doing Nordic Walking within a continuous exercise plan. As we were talking to the group I accidentally slipped the word “training” into the conversation, and realized that not everyone who exercises is necessarily “training” for something. Or are they?br /br /When does “Exercise” become “Training”?br /br /Whenever I go out for a ski, run, or to the gym I call it training, regardless of duration or intensity, it’s all training. I call it training because I have a goal in mind, and every session gets me closer to that goal. Jojo and I came to the realization that many people go for skis and runs, and to the gym with a much different goal. They simply want to live healthier lives, and enjoy their daily workouts, or escape from the stresses of life. Would you call that training, or simply exercising? Do more people say, “I’m heading out for exercise.”, or “I’m heading out to train.” Exercise and training are not really any different. They are different in scope of what they might hope to accomplish, heading to the Olympics, or completing a 5km run/walk, or simply losing a few pounds of weight.br /br /When we were speaking to the group, we thought that using the word training might be somewhat intimidating to the group, but as we walked around the indoor track with the group, I realized that although this isn’t a part of training specifically for anything, this is still exercising, and everyone at the clinic who was talking part, was exercising, and just as focused and determined as I am training.br /br /I also realized how much fun I was having, and although I would not log this time specifically in my training log, I hope to bring the “fun” into my other tough workouts I might have, and remember that it is all exercise.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-7007118255490800916?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(12) "Rollerskiing"
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string(2779) "Despite the warm weather and rain last week that melted all of the natural snow here in Minneapolis, I was extremely excited to Rollerski! Rollerskiing is the form of training that most Nordic Skiers use during the months when there isn't any snow to ski on (usually spring, summer and early fall, but sometimes February as well!). Rollerskis are made of a wooden or metal shaft and two polyurethane wheels. They are designed to be used on paved roads and paths but I have had to use them on some hard packed dirt roads in Vermont.br /br /So when all of the lakes melted and the trails near my house began to resemble the lakes, I had to migrate Northwest to Elm Creek Park Reserve for some loops on their man made loop. The skiing at Elm Creek is incredible. The man made loop is almost 5 feet deep and the trail is 2.5K of varying terrain.br /br /I sometimes enjoy skiing through the woods or across the lakes and not seeing anyone else but I also love gathering at Elm Creek with all of the other Twin Cities' skiers who are preparing in the final days before the American Birkebeiner!!! Elm Creek provides the opportunity to catch up with over 20 people in one 2 hour workout and get the opportunity to ski with each of them!br /br /After many loops, boredom began to sink in and more importantly my schedule began to fill. I could no longer drive the 30 min each way to ski and I had to make some decisions about what to do for my specific training two weeks from the World Championships. I realized that Minneapolis has one of the largest bike commuting population in the country and this is incredible considering the weather we can have. I checked out the bike paths and sure enough they had all been plowed and were mostly free of ice.br /br /Some people say they wait until June to start rollerskiing but I have to admit that I really like rollerskiing. With so many bike paths and fun neighborhoods to explore I could ski a different route everyday for weeks! I love exploring different areas of the city and I love that I can live two blocks from downtown and rollerski from my door!br /br /The rollerskiing was pretty good a few days ago but I realized that there is still not quite enough daylight, especially when there is still a few slick spots on the trail. I did have the chance to enjoy some of the most beautiful views of the downtown Minneapolis skyline. I'll be heading out to the Czech Republic Monday for World Championships, but I won't be bringing my rollerskis with me. I hope you have enough snow where you are or where you are going to keep the ski season going!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6707867538995724364?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(32) "A few Questions from Matt Chisam"
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string(2711) "1. What is the athletic background of your parents and family?br /My parents and family were very athletic and active when I was young. My parents met at a bike/ski shop in Manhattan and ran the shop’s weekend ski trips to Vermont together. I grew up downhill skiing in the winter and windsurfing and hiking in the Green Mountains in the summer. br /br /2. When did you begin participating in your sport? I began participating in my sport in High School. I was 16 years old when I started cross country skiing.br /br /3. What was your early experiences with sport like? My early experience with sports was very positive. I can remember looking forward to recess and PE everyday! br /br /4. How instrumental were parents and coaches in the early part of your development as an athlete? My parents were very instrumental in the early part of my development as an athlete. I learned how to ice skate, swim, and I did gymnastics early on in the city and was skiing from age two up in Vermont. As I grew older my coaches became amazing role models who definitely encouraged and inspired me to pursue an athletic path.br /br /5. How were you introduced to your sport and how many other sports did you seriously participate in? During high school friends were a very important role in sports and fortunately some of my closest friends were as active as I was. My best friend, who I met alpine skiing in 5th grade switched to Nordic and she had so much fun she encouraged me to try it.br /br /6. Is your success a product of nature or nurture? I think my success is a combination of both. I am the only sibling in my family who has pursued sports throughout school. I know that my little brothers and sister in California will never be cross country skiers because they simply don’t have access to snow. When I was born my parents were younger and were active themselves which was very influential for me. My parents no longer have the staminia to do the type of activities they used to and so my younger siblings are being raised much differently. I will say that I was extremely impressed when my little sister ran a 5k running race with me though.br /br /7. Are you an expert in your field? (by your own definition)NO. I think that is what intrigues me so much about pursuing a sport. There are so many components to “master” and there will always be new and unexpected obstacles to overcome. I hope to gain enough knowledge and experience in the sport of cross country so that I could one day pass on what I have learned.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-95011072746524140?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2009-01-18T22:39:00.000-08:00"
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string(15) "First World Cup"
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string(2044) "Whistler Pre-Olympic World Cupbr /br /Yesterday was my first Cross Country World Cup! The race was a 15K Pursuit at the Whistler Olympic Park where next years 2010 Winter Olympics will be held. Suprisingly very few countries were present to race at the Olympic Venue. With the conclusion of the Tour de Ski, an event modeled after cycling tours like the Tour de France, many athletes were not up to the grueling travel required to compete in the three races here in Canada. Today I raced in the Team Sprint with a former NMU skier Morgan Smyth. Morgan skied great in both of her competitions this week and I had an awesome time skiing with her.br /br /The races were also exciting to watch! There were a few extremely successful finishes by the large North American contingent competing. The highlight of my week was watching and cheering for Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephens who finished 4th in the Team Sprint this morning! A truly inspiring race to watch. There were a lot of other notable finishes from athletes from Sun Valley, APU, and the US Ski Team. I was really excited for fellow ITA member Nicole De Yong who scored her first World Cup points!!!br /br /My races did not go as well as I had hoped. I finished 32 in the 15K and 16th in the Team Sprint. I am feeling a bit drained after many days of travel and a very unpredictable US Nationals in Anchorage, AK. My races were not bad, I was just a little "off" from my usual self, and nowhere is that more obvious then at a World Cup.br /br /I am looking forward to getting back to Minneapolis and catching up with the Youthline Kids. My next adventure is coming up in a few weeks when I head to Liberec, Czech Republic for the 2009 World Championships! I am really excited about qualifying and I am looking forward to another opportunity to test my skills with the best Nordic Skiers in the World.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-2655573749799952876?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2008-12-21T21:21:00.000-08:00"
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string(7) "Layers!"
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string(1930) "Today was the coldest day I have skied in for a long time. When I woke up the temperature was -12F but the windchill was -35F. I decided to wait a few hours before I ventured outside, especially since I only had one workout to do.br /br /Ever since I was little I have had some trouble with the cold. I tend to get frostbite on my fingers toes and cheeks much quicker then those around me. I think I stayed out a little too long, with too little clothing, during cold weather when I was a kid! So today I made sure that I would not get frostbite and I decided to have fun putting on my layers.br /br /Here is a list of the many layers I wore:br /Layer 1)Warm Skin (this is a cream that Ann Bancroft used during her Arctic Expeditions) Popular here in the midwest! I put it on my toes fingers and face.br /Layer 2)Smart Wool Long Underware Top + Bottom.br /Layer 3)Smart Wool Socksbr /Layer 4)Toko Arctic Training Tightsbr / Craft Windstopper Long Underware Topbr /Layer 5)Salomon Jacketbr /Layer 6)Craft Ski Pantsbr / Toko Training Jacketbr /Layer 7)Toko Training Vestbr /Layer 8)Balaclavabr /Layer 9)Buffbr /Layer 10)Toko Hatbr /Layer 11)BIG WARM MITTENSbr / Salomon Classic Bootsbr /Layer 12)Boot Coversbr /Layer 13)Rudy Project Sunglassesbr /Layer 14)Nathan Water Bottle Carrierbr /br /I also bought some little heat packs for my wrists and in my ski boots.br /After I had everything on I quickly went outside to my car, which barely started, and drove to Theodore Wirth Park before I began to overheat.br /br /I was tentatively going to try and ski as long as I stayed warm and felt good! I looked like a marshmallow with a water belt on, but I was warm and happy for my entire 3.5+ hour ski!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-7811666196522332098?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(28) "Silver Star British Columbia"
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string(1515) "Hello Everyone!br /br /We are currently in Silver Star racing on the Canadian Nor Am circuit. We put in another solid week of training (a bit easier though) after West Yellowstone and we raced yesterday and today on the World Cup courses from 2005. I must admit that I instantly felt like the more challenging terrain was a very welcomed change after West Yellowstone's races.br /br /Yesterday was not my best sprint day. I had a little trouble feeling comfortable on my own skis in the qualifier and then couldn't quite make the Lucky Loser spot. Actually the photo finish tape was still being reviewed as they started the semi final without me. Bryan Fish and I were a little shocked. Oh Well. Laura Valaas a former CXC Team teammate and ITA teammate Dominated!br /br /Today was my first Nor Am victory! I was really excited when they changed the technique to skate from classic earlier in the week. I had an early start early in the race but I started 15 seconds behind Milaine Theriault. She is an Olympian, Canadian National Team member and best of all a 35 year old mother! As soon as I caught her we battled it out the remaining 6 Kilometers of the race. She is tough!br /br /Looks looks like the races will be moved here from Whistler next week. I will send more updates as the week progresses as well as update my blog!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-1946198524264880324?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(17) "The Season Begins"
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string(4024) "a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovHtqgIcI/AAAAAAAAAB8/5dYwtLwHcvI/s1600-h/CIMG0072.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovHtqgIcI/AAAAAAAAAB8/5dYwtLwHcvI/s320/CIMG0072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272078123354038722" border="0" //aFinally I am in the home stretch to the beginning of my race season. The truth is our training season never really ends but skiing and racing on snow is always a fun new beginning. The CXC Team and I arrived last week here in West Yellowstone, MT. span style="" /spanWest Yellowstone is a sleepy little western town this time of year, which lies directly at the western access road to Yellowstone National Park. When we first arrived there was a little snow on the sidewalks, but our hopes were a little diminished when we saw the mud pit at the entrance to the ski trails. Amazingly, once we moved to a different trail head, there was enough snow for us to actually ski! There were bits of grass sticking through but the skiing was great!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovxqWdY2I/AAAAAAAAACE/kbn3Xn-VP08/s1600-h/CIMG0065.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovxqWdY2I/AAAAAAAAACE/kbn3Xn-VP08/s320/CIMG0065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272078844019172194" border="0" //a p class="MsoNormal"As the week progressed the snow became thinner and thinner but our spirits and drive remained high. The entire CXC Team put in some huge training hours with lots of intervals and strength sessions! We made what little snow or un-groomed snow we found work, and we even took the opportunity to rollerski into Yellowstone National Park. The park was absolutely incredible but I will admit I was more than a little afraid of the Bison and Elk.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSoufRQB_VI/AAAAAAAAABs/UkB2JsnzEd0/s1600-h/CIMG0066.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSoufRQB_VI/AAAAAAAAABs/UkB2JsnzEd0/s320/CIMG0066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272077428532051282" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"The Yellowstone Ski Festival is held every year during the Thanksgiving week. Not only does this festival serve as the opener for the Super Tour, but it also brings people from all over the country who are in search of early season snow. The Nordic Ski Industry uses this event to have a ton of demos and expos to keep people entertained and excited about the sport of Cross Country Skiing. I am always excited to see familiar faces again and catch up with people I haven’t seen since last March.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSouy4TlDkI/AAAAAAAAAB0/StSh8qJHocs/s1600-h/CIMG0069.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSouy4TlDkI/AAAAAAAAAB0/StSh8qJHocs/s320/CIMG0069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272077765433429570" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"The first races start the day after Thanksgiving with a 10K Classic on Friday and a 5K Skate race on Saturday. I am really looking forward to seeing how the entire CXC Team does. We have all been working hard and I know it will pay off. I will send another update after the first races are over./pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-8141373562701209034?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2008-11-09T16:41:00.000-08:00"
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string(29) "2008-11-09T19:46:54.251-08:00"
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string(24) "Afternoon at Sibley Park"
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string(6286) "p class="MsoNormal"I spent last Monday afternoon with multiple groups at the Sibley Recreation Center. The fun began with the younger kids who belong to the Rec Plus crew! We took a lot of video where they showed me their new personal cell phones. Since the girls didn't have their own cell phones they decided to make some out of construction paper. Unfortunately I could not get the video to upload. I will keep trying though! After the Rec Plus kids left the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"Youthline/span group arrived.o:p/o:p/pp class="MsoNormal"o:p/o:pEverybody was pretty happy about the beginning of winter being just around the corner, which is great considering can get pretty cold here in Minnesota, and the temperatures have been dropping fast! Some kids who are a part of the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"Antwadin/span School and the City Of Lake span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Loppet/span new Skier Development Group had the opportunity to try Ski Walking on the trails at Theodore span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"Wirth/span. Ski Walking is a little like Cross Country Skiing but without skis and snow. Hopefully the Sibley Crew will be able to get out and join the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"Antwadin/span group this week to try Ski Walking themselves span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"befor/spanspan class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"e the/span snow falls. I am working really hard on getting some skis for Sibley Park so that everyone can enjoy snow skiing this winter at Theodore span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"Wirth/span.o:p/o:pbr //pp class="MsoNormal"We concluded the evening with personal ice cream makers. Using cream, sugar, flavorings, and coloring, we placed the ingredients in one plastic bag and then dropped it into another bag filled with rock ice. Rock is insanely cold, which is why it works so well for quick ice cream. You shake the bags and the cream mixture begins to freeze into Ice Cream!/pp class="MsoNormal"I even had the opportunity to brush up on my math facts and lend a hand in some decimal multiplication. Despite everyone else starting their ice cream, Juan was incredible diligent and finished all his work which made the ice cream even better!o:p/o:p /pp class="MsoNormal"br //p object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-f199920bd1e8b877" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"param name="movie" value="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAADjB7cieHmVEItu-JNF4-KKfmfZRGtVyJgt23OO2EySavxlyUIXQfyA1n0W08PKEVBzJ5ZC-0nDc5DrLuWsESRveEf6J89L8fwFxcGbnMHixn9Iy_7nf-2MIIxwwUrlsizwFie3MqGMhnFMEf13pRGF46ezvUSCgQ7Rsc2JLP0kVseTWhFa5QEJHuaUPcPdOdwNQKjPmYz4q3Ek_lcOsjWGcKUEO33YciSTuvzknAAyU%26sigh%3DZVmheJLyb-SZHNygjxcUBbb6DXk%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Df199920bd1e8b877%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3Do9vlwLB9R8vFatiJz6O9ykzc_wAamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den"param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAADjB7cieHmVEItu-JNF4-KKfmfZRGtVyJgt23OO2EySavxlyUIXQfyA1n0W08PKEVBzJ5ZC-0nDc5DrLuWsESRveEf6J89L8fwFxcGbnMHixn9Iy_7nf-2MIIxwwUrlsizwFie3MqGMhnFMEf13pRGF46ezvUSCgQ7Rsc2JLP0kVseTWhFa5QEJHuaUPcPdOdwNQKjPmYz4q3Ek_lcOsjWGcKUEO33YciSTuvzknAAyU%26sigh%3DZVmheJLyb-SZHNygjxcUBbb6DXk%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Df199920bd1e8b877%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3Do9vlwLB9R8vFatiJz6O9ykzc_wAamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/embed/objectobject width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-6abb1cd56111a6bd" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"param name="movie" value="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAAIiSxp13MRsP2RXZVN7myjIGLgoj6r76e8iRWltlimpzCGqH1z3ugc6ba-iIbmXPN5J5jh5-xc-Cfc_q5jQeEOnQaFjuSRtCYFONRMQXM02qkfQ17arO7s2UgsrK-CQ3lBCVLqTuuNIVf5iQo71tUt6t8cLJeh39wZjGL7C_UPK_dlHIi6iq8-EAA4Qfqzua3ssQyGzY_MKE13CDEJ9GHseLklK9ZQObiIqFOPAGuDEX%26sigh%3DVwlDfCO829eO56rsC05lhx5DaI0%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6abb1cd56111a6bd%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DKLzvC4vFLg0_IvwlzZbjrAJ2SDoamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den"param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DqAAAAIiSxp13MRsP2RXZVN7myjIGLgoj6r76e8iRWltlimpzCGqH1z3ugc6ba-iIbmXPN5J5jh5-xc-Cfc_q5jQeEOnQaFjuSRtCYFONRMQXM02qkfQ17arO7s2UgsrK-CQ3lBCVLqTuuNIVf5iQo71tUt6t8cLJeh39wZjGL7C_UPK_dlHIi6iq8-EAA4Qfqzua3ssQyGzY_MKE13CDEJ9GHseLklK9ZQObiIqFOPAGuDEX%26sigh%3DVwlDfCO829eO56rsC05lhx5DaI0%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0amp;nogvlm=1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6abb1cd56111a6bd%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DKLzvC4vFLg0_IvwlzZbjrAJ2SDoamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/embed/objectdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-2589386362621638410?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-7883841001074697990"
["published"]=>
string(29) "2008-10-26T14:19:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2008-10-26T14:20:15.602-07:00"
["title"]=>
string(10) "At Last..."
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string(2595) "p class="MsoNormal"SNOW!/p p class="MsoNormal"It’s amazing how much of my life I have spent obsessed with the hope that those little droplets of rain falling from the sky would freeze and explode into an array of crystallized wonder beneath my feet!/p p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"i style=""“As I waited for the train to stop moving, breaks squealing louder than normal from the rain outside, I can remember thinking how much warmer it was underground. I always just assumed it was from all of the people close together, breathing a lot. It was warmth you could see escape, spewing from the metal -grates on the sidewalks or manholes in the street, almost eerily from below with no visible source.o:p/o:p/i/p p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"i style=""Leaving the station, and climbing the stairs up to daylight and the hustle and bustle of the City, I saw it! A snowflake! My first snowflake of the season! I ran up the remaining stairs and stood face to the sky waiting for more. They fell slowly, drifting softly and peacefully onto the noisy and dirty street below. I knew it was here, Winter! I had been waiting all year for winter to return and it was finally here. As I walked the few blocks to my Grandmother’s apartment, I grinned and stirred with anticipation. Snow falling in New York City meant snow on the ground in Vermont. Snow in Vermont meant that I could once again ski.o:p/o:p/i/p p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"i style=""I could hardly wait for that Friday evening when my parents would load our ski gear into the car and we would leave the bright lights and tall buildings of New York for the snow-covered mountains of Vermont. As we approached the George Washington Bridge my eyelids would get heavy with sleep as my mind dreamed of more snow. Leaving the City behind, we entered the black night of the country. I mostly slept during the drive, being rocked by the rolling and twisting roads that lead to the silent country. I could hardly wait until morning when I could once again ski!o:p/o:p/i/p p class="MsoNormal"Today was the first snow of the season for me here in Minnesota. It came with the same excitement as when I was six years old and the visions of skiing are at the forefront of my mind. We have a little over a month before the season begins and I am looking forward to life gliding around on snow once again!/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-7883841001074697990?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-8482377222924715132"
["published"]=>
string(29) "2008-10-10T13:44:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2008-10-10T13:57:04.729-07:00"
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string(4733) "a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_BRT9Z69I/AAAAAAAAAA8/7exMNNbyVy0/s1600-h/Spoon+Cherry.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_BRT9Z69I/AAAAAAAAAA8/7exMNNbyVy0/s320/Spoon+Cherry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255631793324420050" border="0" //abr / Spoon Bridge and Cherry (Minneapolis, MN)br /Going Home p class="MsoNormal"I have to say that as excited as I get about leaving for training camp, I get even more excited about traveling home once the camp is over. I really look forward to completing a hard training camp and the relaxation and rebuilding phase that follows when I get home.span style="" /spanThis past training camp was one of the hardest I have ever done. We had almost 10 intensity sessions in the two weeks we spent at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center./pa onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO-_Vn32taI/AAAAAAAAAAc/AicaczIzRBw/s1600-h/Lake+Placid+from+the+Air.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO-_Vn32taI/AAAAAAAAAAc/AicaczIzRBw/s320/Lake+Placid+from+the+Air.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255629668366071202" border="0" //abr / Lake Placid from the Air (Bobsled run is the white line on the left)br /p class="MsoNormal"Lake Placid is a great place to train. The environment is filled with the site and landmarks from the two Olympic Games (1932 + 1980) that have been held there. When entering the tiny upstate New York town you are greeted by beautiful rolling hills and the omniscient structures of the ski jumps. Downtown Olympic venues line the narrow streets and bobsleds are placed throughout Main Street much to the affection of the tourists, or even the CXC Team girls!/pa onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ACxxP6bI/AAAAAAAAAAk/2lKHvGJbTog/s1600-h/n184602294_31887407_6496.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ACxxP6bI/AAAAAAAAAAk/2lKHvGJbTog/s320/n184602294_31887407_6496.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255630444116830642" border="0" //ap class="MsoNormal"The Olympic Training Center, where we all stayed, is a bit off the beaten path but it is the perfect training venue. Plenty of good running and even rollerskiing from the doorstep, plenty of good quality ready to eat food, plenty of strength and conditioning equipment, plenty of recovery and rehabilitation access, and comfortable rooms. We basically have all the luxuries of a training Mecca! Despite all of these luxuries I still look forward to getting home returning to Minneapolis./pa onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_AlGTBVTI/AAAAAAAAAA0/mmCg4e54YfE/s1600-h/Lake+Placid+Training+Center+Buliding.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_AlGTBVTI/AAAAAAAAAA0/mmCg4e54YfE/s320/Lake+Placid+Training+Center+Buliding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255631033742742834" border="0" //ap class="MsoNormal"Minneapolis requires me to make a lot of sacrifices such as not getting as much recovery between workouts, paying for rent, food and gym memberships, dodging traffic on my workouts, and sometimes less than ideal terrain, but it is well worth it. I have a great group of extremely motivated friends who, despite having full-time jobs, attending medical school, or taking care of their young kids, can push me in my workouts and motivate me to continuespan style="" /spantraining and living a very active lifestyle after I retire from full-time competition./pp class="MsoNormal"a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ASjnMdmI/AAAAAAAAAAs/kUc2esqx8hA/s1600-h/Dodge+and+the+Girls+Afton.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ASjnMdmI/AAAAAAAAAAs/kUc2esqx8hA/s320/Dodge+and+the+Girls+Afton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255630715194472034" border="0" //a/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-8482377222924715132?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2008-09-18T20:43:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2008-09-18T20:45:43.031-07:00"
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string(1702) "p class="MsoNormal"This past week I had the opportunity to work with the Youthline Group at the Sibley Recreation Center. We have been having great weather here in the Twin Cities lately and the park was incredibly busy with kids from all over. Everything from soccer to football to baseball to biking and tag were ongoing from the end of the school day past 7:30pm. /p p class="MsoNormal"At around 5:30pm, the Youthline group headed inside for a cooking day. The kids were required to participate in every part of the cooking process. They figured out the directions, set up the cooking utensils, prepared and cooked the food, and then ate the food…yum, and of course helped with cleanup. I was extremely impressed with the great teamwork that the whole group showed throughout the whole process. We made beef enchiladas, which were tasty and pretty spicy, but everyone loved them and we all had a great time sharing stories and getting to know each other over dinner. They even taught me how to play bumper pool while things were cooking. /p p class="MsoNormal"We started talking about Cross Country Skiing and I was really excited to see how interested the kids were in giving it a try this winter! Sibley Park has a number of great hills in it. I know that I was always excited to climb up the hills with the fun of going down them afterwards. So I look forward to working with this great group of kids over the year and get them excited about spending as much time as possible outside and staying active!/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-3514320775863114587?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(1986) "Hello,br /br /I am very excited to begin my Community Service Project here in Minneapolis, MN as a part of the In The Arena Roster! September is just around the corner and fall is by far my favorite time of year. When the air smells so crisp and clean and the temperatures start to drop I feel a huge increase in energy. Probably because I realize that winter isn't too far off. However, there is still plenty of time between now and the first snowfall for both training and enjoying the extended hours of sunshine.br /br /My community Service project brings me to the numerous City Parks that are spread throughout the Minneapolis metro area. I will be working with a group called Youthline that is based in South Minneapolis and is geared towards kids aged 11-17 years. One of the objectives of Youthline is to plan healthy, active and creative projects that utilize the many different features of each park we visit throughout the entire year!br /br /One of my favorite parks, Theodore Wirth, offers countless trails to run on for hours during the spring, summer and fall, but thanks to a huge effort by the local ski community we now have a snow making system and lights for the winter! The best part is reaching the top of hill while training in Wirth Park is having an amazing view of the downtown skyline as you look east. I look forward to using Theodore Wirth Park to help me achieve one of my goals while working with the Youthline kids, to try and introduce them to Cross Country Skiing while staying close to home. It is going to be a lot of work but I am extremely motivated after watching the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and I hope to use the recent excitement and enthusiasm towards Olympic Sports to motivate and inspire the group to try new things!br /br /Thanks,br /Caitlindiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6506323216613999141?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-2198339285257373153"
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string(29) "2009-06-21T17:59:00.000-07:00"
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string(14) "One Week Left!"
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string(5466) "Only one week until the City of Lakes span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"Tri/span-span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"Loppet/span event (and urban off-road triathlon) and everyone is gearing up for a great event. Over the past two and a half months 30 kids from the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Anwatin/span and Anderson middle schools have been meeting three days a week to train for the race.br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9rxrnMRaI/AAAAAAAAAFU/32fz_inWsk4/s1600-h/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+048.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9rxrnMRaI/AAAAAAAAAFU/32fz_inWsk4/s320/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350113383604307362" border="0" //abr /br /The entire program was free for the kids and a number of local businesses and organizations donated time, products, and educational info about staying active and healthy throughout life. Many thanks to all who helped!br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9sTOwWSVI/AAAAAAAAAFc/NG7RrWuHuJ0/s1600-h/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+061.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9sTOwWSVI/AAAAAAAAAFc/NG7RrWuHuJ0/s320/Tri-Loppet+Mt.+Biking+and+Lahti+061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350113959973636434" border="0" //abr /br /So after many days of running, orienteering, span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"obstacle/span courses, span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"canoing/span, biking (and mountain biking), swimming, soccer, and ultimate span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"Frisbee/span and span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"rollerskiing/span we are ready for the race.br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9qMNpf7lI/AAAAAAAAAFM/vcJii2sUIZo/s1600-h/Lahti+the+Dingo+009.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9qMNpf7lI/AAAAAAAAAFM/vcJii2sUIZo/s320/Lahti+the+Dingo+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350111640394133074" border="0" //abr /br /The most challenging span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"obstacle/span for the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"Tri/span-span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"Loppet/span group is that it was an span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"after school/span program at Anderson and span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"Anwatin/span Schools which means that when school is over the buses are too! This means that two weeks ago was the last day of school and span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"after school/span activities but not the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"Tri/span-span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"Loppet/span group. So span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"the goal/span was to try and get as many kids to continue meeting at the training times and locations as possible. The turnout has been great and the volunteer drivers have been very appreciated.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9p-m6gszI/AAAAAAAAAFE/9TH-iQaRnE4/s1600-h/Lahti+the+Dingo+005.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9p-m6gszI/AAAAAAAAAFE/9TH-iQaRnE4/s320/Lahti+the+Dingo+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350111406658204466" border="0" //aThe next goal is to get as many kids early on Saturday morning to and from the event with smiling faces and a sense of accomplishment. Margaret (my span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"CSD/span) and I have been span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"orchestrating/span an incredible schedule that will pickup all the kids who are registered, pick up all bibs and race info, assign and fit them to a bike, and bring them to the start where a canoe and paddle will be waiting. Again there has been a huge number of volunteers who have offered to paddle, bike and run with a kid to help them along!br /br /br /br /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9tNe-dnTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/SvW3HAJDLi0/s1600-h/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+072.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sj9tNe-dnTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/SvW3HAJDLi0/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350114960760216882" border="0" //adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-2198339285257373153?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(1406) "Last Week was one of the busiest of the spring/summer for the Tri-Loppet Group. We had a bit of a mini-triathlon within our daily activity. This wasn't intentional but rather a necessity due to a lack of bus transportation. So we used our resources wisely and had a great time! The biggest accomplishment was getting everyone really tired but happy when the day was done.br /br /Thanks to the great location of Anderson Elementary School and is close proximity to the Mid-Town Greenway we could walk there in less then ten minutes. The Mid-Town Greenway Coalition once again leant us bikes to use. We took the bikes West on the Greenway to Lake Calhoun where we used canoes provided by Wheel Fun Rentals. We had a number of volunteers who came out to help for the afternoon. With two kids, and one adult per canoe we headed out to Lake of the Isles. We made a loop around the perimiter of the lake, and headed back to get on our bikes. The weather was perfect and the wind calm, the highlight for me was making it off the lake without getting soaked with water. Two years ago, I ended up swimming to shore because of a tipped over canoe. We biked back to the bike rental in time for everyone to catch thier rides home.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-3823138242398493508?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(2880) "My training camp in Bend was very successful. The US Ski Team was great with helping me find a place to stay and offering training opportunities while I was here.br /br /After 7 beautiful and 1 cloudy/snowy days of skiing I couldn't be happier with the progress I have made and the new focus of my training for the next year. The skiing was almost perfect (especially if you like klister!) and the trails were filled with skiers from all over the country so the company was great too. The focus of the camp for me was on testing skis and getting in some early season volume. I was able to participate in a few interval and testing sessions with the Methow Valley Olympic Development Group and the US Ski Team which was great! It is always great to hear feedback from a different perspective from time to time.br /br /Towards the end of the week an old NMU teammate, Melissa (Orem) Shwartz came to visit with her growing family. It was great to catch up with her and laugh about the "good old days." I hope to see her again this year and especially come race season!br /br /Yesterday I took a hiatus from Mt. Bachelor and traveled north to Smith Rocks. This is a beautiful State Park that is a rock climbers paradise! I brought along some bounding poles and found the nice paths perfect for some bounding work!br /br /I quickly realize how much of a city slicker I really am! Cruising around the city alone at night... not a problem! Running alone with Cougar and rattlesnake signs...Big Problem!br /br /I asked a few people if there were really rattlesnakes and cougars in the park and everyone seemed to think the signs were not necessary, but as I ran along the path I couldn't help but think how perfect the dry dessert landscape would be for a backdrop to a snake!br /br /I followed the path (headphones off! so I could hear if something was nearby) and made my way up and over the ridge! I met some great folks and saw some amazing scenery! The skiing was probably great again but I had the best time cruising through the volcanic cliffs and river valley.br /br /Just when I was happily cruising along the trail near the river, a man ahead held his hand up to stop me. "Rattler he said!" Of course as frightened as I was to encounter one unexpectedly this was a great opportunity to see one up close. So I carefully walked over and stood next to him as we watched the beautiful snake slither away. It was AWESOME. I tried to snap a few photos but they do not capture how cool the snake was. The man told me it was coiled on the side of the trail just moments before.br /br /So now I am leaving Bend, which has become my new favorite training place, for the concrete jungle of Minneapolis!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-5398464371858474542?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(1482) "After a few weeks of training it's time to start hitting the road.br /br /I had some of my first Rollerskiing intervals this week along with a VO2 Max test and strength test. Training is back in full swing again. The weather has been great here in Minnesota. Lots of sunshine and around 60 degrees. I will admit I am jealous of the many skiers who got to take a little spring break either in the mountains or at the beach!br /br /I took the opportunity this spring to catch up with a lot of CXC and personal sponsor obligations. I felt like I had a fulltime job, as most days I couldn't even get out to do other activities! I also caretake at my apartment building, which helps reduce the the rent, so my spring was filled with a lot of post winter raking and cleanup around the grounds. Not the most glamorous spring but it's what I have to do to afford to race all winter.br /br /Now in less then a week my training camp season will start as well in Bend, OR. I have never been to Bend before so I am excited to see and ski somewhere new! My coach will not be there, so I will be training with the Methow Valley Ski Team and Scott Johnston thanks to the help of fellow ITA athlete Brian Gregg.br /br /I hope to post some videos from the workout this weeked when I get my camera working again.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6040865114036149184?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(5126) "divdivdivdivdivdivdivdivdivbr /divThe City of Lakes Tri-Loppet is only two months away and there is a lot of training to get in before then. During the past two weeks the kids at Anderson and Anwatin Middle school have been working very hard.br //divbr /div/divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329214238677078770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUsHVxNEvI/AAAAAAAAADs/AiFol3kCto8/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+012.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divOn Monday the Anderson group which is almost 20 strong ventured on foot to the nearby Midtown Greenway Coalition (MGC). The Midtown Greenway is a great asset here in South Minneapolis because it bisects the Grand Rounds route, which circumnavigates Minneapolis, in half allowing for quicker commuting across town.br //divbr /div/divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329213844313685778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUrwYppPxI/AAAAAAAAADk/2ADYr_3LCKI/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+010.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divThe Coalition Vision:br /We envision a green urban pathway that provides the anchor for a regional, sustainable transportation network; and encourages healthy diverse communities to prosper, participate, and connect to the region. /divbr /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329214621492624130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUsdn3iuwI/AAAAAAAAAD8/ZZtSqYKH_X4/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+016.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divThe path is built along the old railroad grade and thus is recessed below street level with many unique bridges along the straight path.br /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329215589653917378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUtV-jLrsI/AAAAAAAAAEM/ve1GBLfYUTI/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+043.JPG" border="0" /br /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329216179383634306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUt4TdtCYI/AAAAAAAAAEU/QgqASxx43W4/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+039.JPG" border="0" //divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329216886411461938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUuhdWRhTI/AAAAAAAAAEc/pUApNaHcxbQ/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+048.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divThe group was given bicycles and helmets to use for the afternoon from the MGC. They also provided a guide who lead us in safety and etiquette along the trail. We biked to Lake Calhoun and back and despite the rainy weather had a great experience.br /br /br /On Wednesday the Anderson Elementary kids had the opportunity to Rollerski. This was awesome! The Rollerskis are a part of the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation and are used for kids groups in the community./divdiv /divimg id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329217706712663554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUvRNNUhgI/AAAAAAAAAEk/gwiWe-wgTpY/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+051.JPG" border="0" /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329219039450923298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUweyC4gSI/AAAAAAAAAE0/CcYUjSFNFZY/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+052.JPG" border="0" /br /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329218239660580994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUvwOmAYII/AAAAAAAAAEs/Gv_hSDQnCI0/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+074.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divWe had just enough boots and skis for all 10 kids to participate at once. For most of the kids this was their first time on Rollerskis and they were incredible! We focused on balance, turning and accelerations in our relay races./divbr /img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329220149973804498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SfUxfbEK5dI/AAAAAAAAAE8/BlvYfBZbkcA/s320/Lahti+and+tri-loppet+072.JPG" border="0" /br /br /divAfter the Rollerskiing we progressed to the woods where we held a mini time trial to get baseline times for everyone. Everyone left at 15 second intervals and their times will serve as a benchmark as we continue training through the summer!/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-1059242504055887752?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-6236597485704327828"
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string(29) "2009-04-12T20:26:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-04-12T20:45:44.410-07:00"
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string(31) "Kid's Tri-Loppet Training Group"
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string(1687) "Tomorrow is the first day of my new program for the summer with In-The-Arena and the City Of Lakes Loppet Nordic Ski Foundation. The Tri-Loppet is an off-road urban triathlon here in Minneapolis consisting of canoeing Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake and Brownie Lake, running the hilly trails at Theodore Wirth Park and then Navigating the single track Mountian Bike trails at Theodore Wirth Park.br /br /My first day begins with Anderson Middle School in South Minneapolis. We will be working towards the goal of completing the triathlon at the end of June. Last year I coached a similar program, but this year there will be a higher focus of getting all of the kids to participate in the triathlon either as a team or solo. The program will also incorporate nutrition and other healthy lifestyle advice. Wednesday will be the first day of the program at Anwatin Middle School which is adjacent to Theodore Wirth Park and allows us to train on the race trails when we meet. The kids at Anwatin are really lucky to be so close to such a great park!br /br /During the two and a half months of the program I will be working with both Anderson and Antwatin schools on a weekly basis, rotating between Canoeing, biking, and running! We will be supported by many local Minneapolis companies who will be providing the canoes, bikes and even donating running shoes.br /br /I am so excited to finally get this program started and to meet the kids (hopefully a few returning faces from last year).div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6236597485704327828?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-6880343143919142003"
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string(29) "2009-03-29T21:29:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-04-05T19:54:44.061-07:00"
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string(73) "President’s Fitness Awards presentation at Bryn Mawr Elementary School."
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string(4978) "On Sunday after almost 70K of racing in one week for the woman and over 100K for the men at the Birch Hill Cross Country Ski Trails in Fairbanks, AK the 2008/2009 competitive ski season came to an end. A lull in Mt. Redoubt’s volcanic activity on Monday gave my flight from Anchorage the opportunity to take off, just before the volcano spurted another ash cloud. This was the first flight to Minneapolis since the volcano began erupting a week earlier. I was so relieved when we finally got off the runway.p class="MsoNormal"a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrlMbQbcI/AAAAAAAAADE/6u5D0Un6SIc/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+5.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrlMbQbcI/AAAAAAAAADE/6u5D0Un6SIc/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321402721449831874" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"On Wednesday morning I joined the second through fifth graders at the Bryn Mawr Elementary School to hand out medals and certificates to every kid who completed The President’s Fitness Challenge. Each student was required to partake in healthy activities and eating habits while keeping track of their choices for the previous 6 weeks./pp class="MsoNormal"a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlr1Ue8JFI/AAAAAAAAADM/HYshxWQPmQE/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+9.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlr1Ue8JFI/AAAAAAAAADM/HYshxWQPmQE/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321402998490670162" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"The best part about Anita Chavez’s P.E. class is that she has almost all of them XC skiing during the winter! The Theodore Wirth and City of Lakes Loppet Trails run right through the school playground and the trails behind the school are where I train the most when I am home during the spring, summer, fall and winter. Almost 80% of the 180 kids in the assembly had skied in the City of Lakes Mini-Loppet. AWESOME!!!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrTyy4pXI/AAAAAAAAAC8/9MNl6-yLEuQ/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+2.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdlrTyy4pXI/AAAAAAAAAC8/9MNl6-yLEuQ/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321402422511838578" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"I spoke to the kids about my XC skiing training regime leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics and how much I love training in the Minneapolis parks all year. We talked about many of the different parks in the area and all of the different types of activities we can do in the parks and on the bike paths, like running, biking, rollerblading, soccer, baseball and tag. The kids had lots of questions about Skiing, Alaska, Big Mountains and my new training partner Lahti the Husky!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlsgl59AsI/AAAAAAAAADU/OqRtyyOvWA4/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+10.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdlsgl59AsI/AAAAAAAAADU/OqRtyyOvWA4/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321403741901750978" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"General Mills was also an integral part of the presentation offering prizes and info about good healthy food choices. The kids did a great job answering the trivia questions about the food groups and serving sizes!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdltP9E0MII/AAAAAAAAADc/hvnRqrwX6Oo/s1600-h/Bryan+Mawr+President+7.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SdltP9E0MII/AAAAAAAAADc/hvnRqrwX6Oo/s320/Bryan+Mawr+President+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321404555575177346" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"I look forward to working more with Anita Chavez and the kids at Bryn Mawr this summer during their summer school programs and with the support of General Mills for the Tri-Loppet program that is being offered to the Anwatin and Anderson Elementary Schools./p p class="MsoNormal"o:p /o:p/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6880343143919142003?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(15) "Caitlin Compton"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-1311660623841040760"
["published"]=>
string(29) "2009-03-15T20:17:00.000-07:00"
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string(29) "2009-04-05T14:13:01.167-07:00"
["title"]=>
string(27) "New Addition to the Family!"
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string(1518) "a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdkes68kxPI/AAAAAAAAACU/lgXeKPObs9U/s1600-h/Lahti.jpg"img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/Sdkes68kxPI/AAAAAAAAACU/lgXeKPObs9U/s320/Lahti.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321318191801353458" //abr /We have a new member of the household here in Minneapolis. His name is...well he doesn't have an official name yet! We have been calling him anything from "dog" to "sable" to "Kate Moss."br /br /divbr /He is a 3 year old Alaskan Husky that Ben, my boyfriend, and I rescued from the Minneapolis Animal Humane Society. He was a transfer from another agency and arrived with a few other Huskies that were all rescued together. He is going to make a great running and skiing companion someday. Right now though he is very skinny and extremely shy. The goal will be to start him with a few walks a day and gradually increase to short runs once he starts to gain weight and get adjusted to being on a leash. Hopefully we can get him out in the woods, although still on a leash, by early summer!br /br /We are excited to give him a second chance and hope he enjoys living with us./divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-1311660623841040760?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-7007118255490800916"
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string(29) "2009-03-02T17:45:00.000-08:00"
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string(29) "2009-03-02T18:53:14.609-08:00"
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string(35) "When does Exercise become Training?"
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string(2159) "My friend and teammate Jojo Winters and I were driving to the YWCA to teach a Nordic Walking Clinic earlier today, and we were discussing ways to get the group excited about getting out and doing Nordic Walking within a continuous exercise plan. As we were talking to the group I accidentally slipped the word “training” into the conversation, and realized that not everyone who exercises is necessarily “training” for something. Or are they?br /br /When does “Exercise” become “Training”?br /br /Whenever I go out for a ski, run, or to the gym I call it training, regardless of duration or intensity, it’s all training. I call it training because I have a goal in mind, and every session gets me closer to that goal. Jojo and I came to the realization that many people go for skis and runs, and to the gym with a much different goal. They simply want to live healthier lives, and enjoy their daily workouts, or escape from the stresses of life. Would you call that training, or simply exercising? Do more people say, “I’m heading out for exercise.”, or “I’m heading out to train.” Exercise and training are not really any different. They are different in scope of what they might hope to accomplish, heading to the Olympics, or completing a 5km run/walk, or simply losing a few pounds of weight.br /br /When we were speaking to the group, we thought that using the word training might be somewhat intimidating to the group, but as we walked around the indoor track with the group, I realized that although this isn’t a part of training specifically for anything, this is still exercising, and everyone at the clinic who was talking part, was exercising, and just as focused and determined as I am training.br /br /I also realized how much fun I was having, and although I would not log this time specifically in my training log, I hope to bring the “fun” into my other tough workouts I might have, and remember that it is all exercise.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-7007118255490800916?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-6707867538995724364"
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string(29) "2009-02-15T20:12:00.000-08:00"
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string(29) "2009-02-15T20:50:24.060-08:00"
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string(12) "Rollerskiing"
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string(2779) "Despite the warm weather and rain last week that melted all of the natural snow here in Minneapolis, I was extremely excited to Rollerski! Rollerskiing is the form of training that most Nordic Skiers use during the months when there isn't any snow to ski on (usually spring, summer and early fall, but sometimes February as well!). Rollerskis are made of a wooden or metal shaft and two polyurethane wheels. They are designed to be used on paved roads and paths but I have had to use them on some hard packed dirt roads in Vermont.br /br /So when all of the lakes melted and the trails near my house began to resemble the lakes, I had to migrate Northwest to Elm Creek Park Reserve for some loops on their man made loop. The skiing at Elm Creek is incredible. The man made loop is almost 5 feet deep and the trail is 2.5K of varying terrain.br /br /I sometimes enjoy skiing through the woods or across the lakes and not seeing anyone else but I also love gathering at Elm Creek with all of the other Twin Cities' skiers who are preparing in the final days before the American Birkebeiner!!! Elm Creek provides the opportunity to catch up with over 20 people in one 2 hour workout and get the opportunity to ski with each of them!br /br /After many loops, boredom began to sink in and more importantly my schedule began to fill. I could no longer drive the 30 min each way to ski and I had to make some decisions about what to do for my specific training two weeks from the World Championships. I realized that Minneapolis has one of the largest bike commuting population in the country and this is incredible considering the weather we can have. I checked out the bike paths and sure enough they had all been plowed and were mostly free of ice.br /br /Some people say they wait until June to start rollerskiing but I have to admit that I really like rollerskiing. With so many bike paths and fun neighborhoods to explore I could ski a different route everyday for weeks! I love exploring different areas of the city and I love that I can live two blocks from downtown and rollerski from my door!br /br /The rollerskiing was pretty good a few days ago but I realized that there is still not quite enough daylight, especially when there is still a few slick spots on the trail. I did have the chance to enjoy some of the most beautiful views of the downtown Minneapolis skyline. I'll be heading out to the Czech Republic Monday for World Championships, but I won't be bringing my rollerskis with me. I hope you have enough snow where you are or where you are going to keep the ski season going!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6707867538995724364?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2009-02-01T20:41:00.000-08:00"
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string(29) "2009-02-01T20:48:23.718-08:00"
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string(32) "A few Questions from Matt Chisam"
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string(2711) "1. What is the athletic background of your parents and family?br /My parents and family were very athletic and active when I was young. My parents met at a bike/ski shop in Manhattan and ran the shop’s weekend ski trips to Vermont together. I grew up downhill skiing in the winter and windsurfing and hiking in the Green Mountains in the summer. br /br /2. When did you begin participating in your sport? I began participating in my sport in High School. I was 16 years old when I started cross country skiing.br /br /3. What was your early experiences with sport like? My early experience with sports was very positive. I can remember looking forward to recess and PE everyday! br /br /4. How instrumental were parents and coaches in the early part of your development as an athlete? My parents were very instrumental in the early part of my development as an athlete. I learned how to ice skate, swim, and I did gymnastics early on in the city and was skiing from age two up in Vermont. As I grew older my coaches became amazing role models who definitely encouraged and inspired me to pursue an athletic path.br /br /5. How were you introduced to your sport and how many other sports did you seriously participate in? During high school friends were a very important role in sports and fortunately some of my closest friends were as active as I was. My best friend, who I met alpine skiing in 5th grade switched to Nordic and she had so much fun she encouraged me to try it.br /br /6. Is your success a product of nature or nurture? I think my success is a combination of both. I am the only sibling in my family who has pursued sports throughout school. I know that my little brothers and sister in California will never be cross country skiers because they simply don’t have access to snow. When I was born my parents were younger and were active themselves which was very influential for me. My parents no longer have the staminia to do the type of activities they used to and so my younger siblings are being raised much differently. I will say that I was extremely impressed when my little sister ran a 5k running race with me though.br /br /7. Are you an expert in your field? (by your own definition)NO. I think that is what intrigues me so much about pursuing a sport. There are so many components to “master” and there will always be new and unexpected obstacles to overcome. I hope to gain enough knowledge and experience in the sport of cross country so that I could one day pass on what I have learned.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-95011072746524140?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2009-01-18T22:39:00.000-08:00"
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string(15) "First World Cup"
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string(2044) "Whistler Pre-Olympic World Cupbr /br /Yesterday was my first Cross Country World Cup! The race was a 15K Pursuit at the Whistler Olympic Park where next years 2010 Winter Olympics will be held. Suprisingly very few countries were present to race at the Olympic Venue. With the conclusion of the Tour de Ski, an event modeled after cycling tours like the Tour de France, many athletes were not up to the grueling travel required to compete in the three races here in Canada. Today I raced in the Team Sprint with a former NMU skier Morgan Smyth. Morgan skied great in both of her competitions this week and I had an awesome time skiing with her.br /br /The races were also exciting to watch! There were a few extremely successful finishes by the large North American contingent competing. The highlight of my week was watching and cheering for Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephens who finished 4th in the Team Sprint this morning! A truly inspiring race to watch. There were a lot of other notable finishes from athletes from Sun Valley, APU, and the US Ski Team. I was really excited for fellow ITA member Nicole De Yong who scored her first World Cup points!!!br /br /My races did not go as well as I had hoped. I finished 32 in the 15K and 16th in the Team Sprint. I am feeling a bit drained after many days of travel and a very unpredictable US Nationals in Anchorage, AK. My races were not bad, I was just a little "off" from my usual self, and nowhere is that more obvious then at a World Cup.br /br /I am looking forward to getting back to Minneapolis and catching up with the Youthline Kids. My next adventure is coming up in a few weeks when I head to Liberec, Czech Republic for the 2009 World Championships! I am really excited about qualifying and I am looking forward to another opportunity to test my skills with the best Nordic Skiers in the World.div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-2655573749799952876?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2008-12-21T21:21:00.000-08:00"
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string(29) "2008-12-21T21:45:12.704-08:00"
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string(7) "Layers!"
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string(1930) "Today was the coldest day I have skied in for a long time. When I woke up the temperature was -12F but the windchill was -35F. I decided to wait a few hours before I ventured outside, especially since I only had one workout to do.br /br /Ever since I was little I have had some trouble with the cold. I tend to get frostbite on my fingers toes and cheeks much quicker then those around me. I think I stayed out a little too long, with too little clothing, during cold weather when I was a kid! So today I made sure that I would not get frostbite and I decided to have fun putting on my layers.br /br /Here is a list of the many layers I wore:br /Layer 1)Warm Skin (this is a cream that Ann Bancroft used during her Arctic Expeditions) Popular here in the midwest! I put it on my toes fingers and face.br /Layer 2)Smart Wool Long Underware Top + Bottom.br /Layer 3)Smart Wool Socksbr /Layer 4)Toko Arctic Training Tightsbr / Craft Windstopper Long Underware Topbr /Layer 5)Salomon Jacketbr /Layer 6)Craft Ski Pantsbr / Toko Training Jacketbr /Layer 7)Toko Training Vestbr /Layer 8)Balaclavabr /Layer 9)Buffbr /Layer 10)Toko Hatbr /Layer 11)BIG WARM MITTENSbr / Salomon Classic Bootsbr /Layer 12)Boot Coversbr /Layer 13)Rudy Project Sunglassesbr /Layer 14)Nathan Water Bottle Carrierbr /br /I also bought some little heat packs for my wrists and in my ski boots.br /After I had everything on I quickly went outside to my car, which barely started, and drove to Theodore Wirth Park before I began to overheat.br /br /I was tentatively going to try and ski as long as I stayed warm and felt good! I looked like a marshmallow with a water belt on, but I was warm and happy for my entire 3.5+ hour ski!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-7811666196522332098?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2008-12-07T21:21:00.000-08:00"
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string(28) "Silver Star British Columbia"
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string(1515) "Hello Everyone!br /br /We are currently in Silver Star racing on the Canadian Nor Am circuit. We put in another solid week of training (a bit easier though) after West Yellowstone and we raced yesterday and today on the World Cup courses from 2005. I must admit that I instantly felt like the more challenging terrain was a very welcomed change after West Yellowstone's races.br /br /Yesterday was not my best sprint day. I had a little trouble feeling comfortable on my own skis in the qualifier and then couldn't quite make the Lucky Loser spot. Actually the photo finish tape was still being reviewed as they started the semi final without me. Bryan Fish and I were a little shocked. Oh Well. Laura Valaas a former CXC Team teammate and ITA teammate Dominated!br /br /Today was my first Nor Am victory! I was really excited when they changed the technique to skate from classic earlier in the week. I had an early start early in the race but I started 15 seconds behind Milaine Theriault. She is an Olympian, Canadian National Team member and best of all a 35 year old mother! As soon as I caught her we battled it out the remaining 6 Kilometers of the race. She is tough!br /br /Looks looks like the races will be moved here from Whistler next week. I will send more updates as the week progresses as well as update my blog!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-1946198524264880324?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(17) "The Season Begins"
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string(4024) "a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovHtqgIcI/AAAAAAAAAB8/5dYwtLwHcvI/s1600-h/CIMG0072.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovHtqgIcI/AAAAAAAAAB8/5dYwtLwHcvI/s320/CIMG0072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272078123354038722" border="0" //aFinally I am in the home stretch to the beginning of my race season. The truth is our training season never really ends but skiing and racing on snow is always a fun new beginning. The CXC Team and I arrived last week here in West Yellowstone, MT. span style="" /spanWest Yellowstone is a sleepy little western town this time of year, which lies directly at the western access road to Yellowstone National Park. When we first arrived there was a little snow on the sidewalks, but our hopes were a little diminished when we saw the mud pit at the entrance to the ski trails. Amazingly, once we moved to a different trail head, there was enough snow for us to actually ski! There were bits of grass sticking through but the skiing was great!a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovxqWdY2I/AAAAAAAAACE/kbn3Xn-VP08/s1600-h/CIMG0065.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSovxqWdY2I/AAAAAAAAACE/kbn3Xn-VP08/s320/CIMG0065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272078844019172194" border="0" //a p class="MsoNormal"As the week progressed the snow became thinner and thinner but our spirits and drive remained high. The entire CXC Team put in some huge training hours with lots of intervals and strength sessions! We made what little snow or un-groomed snow we found work, and we even took the opportunity to rollerski into Yellowstone National Park. The park was absolutely incredible but I will admit I was more than a little afraid of the Bison and Elk.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSoufRQB_VI/AAAAAAAAABs/UkB2JsnzEd0/s1600-h/CIMG0066.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSoufRQB_VI/AAAAAAAAABs/UkB2JsnzEd0/s320/CIMG0066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272077428532051282" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"The Yellowstone Ski Festival is held every year during the Thanksgiving week. Not only does this festival serve as the opener for the Super Tour, but it also brings people from all over the country who are in search of early season snow. The Nordic Ski Industry uses this event to have a ton of demos and expos to keep people entertained and excited about the sport of Cross Country Skiing. I am always excited to see familiar faces again and catch up with people I haven’t seen since last March.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSouy4TlDkI/AAAAAAAAAB0/StSh8qJHocs/s1600-h/CIMG0069.JPG"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SSouy4TlDkI/AAAAAAAAAB0/StSh8qJHocs/s320/CIMG0069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272077765433429570" border="0" //a/p p class="MsoNormal"The first races start the day after Thanksgiving with a 10K Classic on Friday and a 5K Skate race on Saturday. I am really looking forward to seeing how the entire CXC Team does. We have all been working hard and I know it will pay off. I will send another update after the first races are over./pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-8141373562701209034?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2008-11-09T16:41:00.000-08:00"
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string(24) "Afternoon at Sibley Park"
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string(6286) "p class="MsoNormal"I spent last Monday afternoon with multiple groups at the Sibley Recreation Center. The fun began with the younger kids who belong to the Rec Plus crew! We took a lot of video where they showed me their new personal cell phones. Since the girls didn't have their own cell phones they decided to make some out of construction paper. Unfortunately I could not get the video to upload. I will keep trying though! After the Rec Plus kids left the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"Youthline/span group arrived.o:p/o:p/pp class="MsoNormal"o:p/o:pEverybody was pretty happy about the beginning of winter being just around the corner, which is great considering can get pretty cold here in Minnesota, and the temperatures have been dropping fast! Some kids who are a part of the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"Antwadin/span School and the City Of Lake span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Loppet/span new Skier Development Group had the opportunity to try Ski Walking on the trails at Theodore span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"Wirth/span. Ski Walking is a little like Cross Country Skiing but without skis and snow. Hopefully the Sibley Crew will be able to get out and join the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"Antwadin/span group this week to try Ski Walking themselves span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"befor/spanspan class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"e the/span snow falls. I am working really hard on getting some skis for Sibley Park so that everyone can enjoy snow skiing this winter at Theodore span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"Wirth/span.o:p/o:pbr //pp class="MsoNormal"We concluded the evening with personal ice cream makers. Using cream, sugar, flavorings, and coloring, we placed the ingredients in one plastic bag and then dropped it into another bag filled with rock ice. Rock is insanely cold, which is why it works so well for quick ice cream. You shake the bags and the cream mixture begins to freeze into Ice Cream!/pp class="MsoNormal"I even had the opportunity to brush up on my math facts and lend a hand in some decimal multiplication. 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string(29) "2008-10-26T14:19:00.000-07:00"
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string(10) "At Last..."
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string(2595) "p class="MsoNormal"SNOW!/p p class="MsoNormal"It’s amazing how much of my life I have spent obsessed with the hope that those little droplets of rain falling from the sky would freeze and explode into an array of crystallized wonder beneath my feet!/p p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"i style=""“As I waited for the train to stop moving, breaks squealing louder than normal from the rain outside, I can remember thinking how much warmer it was underground. I always just assumed it was from all of the people close together, breathing a lot. It was warmth you could see escape, spewing from the metal -grates on the sidewalks or manholes in the street, almost eerily from below with no visible source.o:p/o:p/i/p p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"i style=""Leaving the station, and climbing the stairs up to daylight and the hustle and bustle of the City, I saw it! A snowflake! My first snowflake of the season! I ran up the remaining stairs and stood face to the sky waiting for more. They fell slowly, drifting softly and peacefully onto the noisy and dirty street below. I knew it was here, Winter! I had been waiting all year for winter to return and it was finally here. As I walked the few blocks to my Grandmother’s apartment, I grinned and stirred with anticipation. Snow falling in New York City meant snow on the ground in Vermont. Snow in Vermont meant that I could once again ski.o:p/o:p/i/p p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"i style=""I could hardly wait for that Friday evening when my parents would load our ski gear into the car and we would leave the bright lights and tall buildings of New York for the snow-covered mountains of Vermont. As we approached the George Washington Bridge my eyelids would get heavy with sleep as my mind dreamed of more snow. Leaving the City behind, we entered the black night of the country. I mostly slept during the drive, being rocked by the rolling and twisting roads that lead to the silent country. I could hardly wait until morning when I could once again ski!o:p/o:p/i/p p class="MsoNormal"Today was the first snow of the season for me here in Minnesota. It came with the same excitement as when I was six years old and the visions of skiing are at the forefront of my mind. We have a little over a month before the season begins and I am looking forward to life gliding around on snow once again!/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-7883841001074697990?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(69) "tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351963014587298777.post-8482377222924715132"
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string(29) "2008-10-10T13:44:00.000-07:00"
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string(4733) "a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_BRT9Z69I/AAAAAAAAAA8/7exMNNbyVy0/s1600-h/Spoon+Cherry.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_BRT9Z69I/AAAAAAAAAA8/7exMNNbyVy0/s320/Spoon+Cherry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255631793324420050" border="0" //abr / Spoon Bridge and Cherry (Minneapolis, MN)br /Going Home p class="MsoNormal"I have to say that as excited as I get about leaving for training camp, I get even more excited about traveling home once the camp is over. I really look forward to completing a hard training camp and the relaxation and rebuilding phase that follows when I get home.span style="" /spanThis past training camp was one of the hardest I have ever done. We had almost 10 intensity sessions in the two weeks we spent at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center./pa onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO-_Vn32taI/AAAAAAAAAAc/AicaczIzRBw/s1600-h/Lake+Placid+from+the+Air.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO-_Vn32taI/AAAAAAAAAAc/AicaczIzRBw/s320/Lake+Placid+from+the+Air.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255629668366071202" border="0" //abr / Lake Placid from the Air (Bobsled run is the white line on the left)br /p class="MsoNormal"Lake Placid is a great place to train. The environment is filled with the site and landmarks from the two Olympic Games (1932 + 1980) that have been held there. When entering the tiny upstate New York town you are greeted by beautiful rolling hills and the omniscient structures of the ski jumps. Downtown Olympic venues line the narrow streets and bobsleds are placed throughout Main Street much to the affection of the tourists, or even the CXC Team girls!/pa onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ACxxP6bI/AAAAAAAAAAk/2lKHvGJbTog/s1600-h/n184602294_31887407_6496.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ACxxP6bI/AAAAAAAAAAk/2lKHvGJbTog/s320/n184602294_31887407_6496.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255630444116830642" border="0" //ap class="MsoNormal"The Olympic Training Center, where we all stayed, is a bit off the beaten path but it is the perfect training venue. Plenty of good running and even rollerskiing from the doorstep, plenty of good quality ready to eat food, plenty of strength and conditioning equipment, plenty of recovery and rehabilitation access, and comfortable rooms. We basically have all the luxuries of a training Mecca! Despite all of these luxuries I still look forward to getting home returning to Minneapolis./pa onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_AlGTBVTI/AAAAAAAAAA0/mmCg4e54YfE/s1600-h/Lake+Placid+Training+Center+Buliding.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_AlGTBVTI/AAAAAAAAAA0/mmCg4e54YfE/s320/Lake+Placid+Training+Center+Buliding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255631033742742834" border="0" //ap class="MsoNormal"Minneapolis requires me to make a lot of sacrifices such as not getting as much recovery between workouts, paying for rent, food and gym memberships, dodging traffic on my workouts, and sometimes less than ideal terrain, but it is well worth it. I have a great group of extremely motivated friends who, despite having full-time jobs, attending medical school, or taking care of their young kids, can push me in my workouts and motivate me to continuespan style="" /spantraining and living a very active lifestyle after I retire from full-time competition./pp class="MsoNormal"a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ASjnMdmI/AAAAAAAAAAs/kUc2esqx8hA/s1600-h/Dodge+and+the+Girls+Afton.jpg"img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sZIWozubTkc/SO_ASjnMdmI/AAAAAAAAAAs/kUc2esqx8hA/s320/Dodge+and+the+Girls+Afton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255630715194472034" border="0" //a/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-8482377222924715132?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(29) "2008-09-18T20:43:00.000-07:00"
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string(30) "Day 1 - Cooking at Sibley Park"
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string(1702) "p class="MsoNormal"This past week I had the opportunity to work with the Youthline Group at the Sibley Recreation Center. We have been having great weather here in the Twin Cities lately and the park was incredibly busy with kids from all over. Everything from soccer to football to baseball to biking and tag were ongoing from the end of the school day past 7:30pm. /p p class="MsoNormal"At around 5:30pm, the Youthline group headed inside for a cooking day. The kids were required to participate in every part of the cooking process. They figured out the directions, set up the cooking utensils, prepared and cooked the food, and then ate the food…yum, and of course helped with cleanup. I was extremely impressed with the great teamwork that the whole group showed throughout the whole process. We made beef enchiladas, which were tasty and pretty spicy, but everyone loved them and we all had a great time sharing stories and getting to know each other over dinner. They even taught me how to play bumper pool while things were cooking. /p p class="MsoNormal"We started talking about Cross Country Skiing and I was really excited to see how interested the kids were in giving it a try this winter! Sibley Park has a number of great hills in it. I know that I was always excited to climb up the hills with the fun of going down them afterwards. So I look forward to working with this great group of kids over the year and get them excited about spending as much time as possible outside and staying active!/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-3514320775863114587?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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string(1986) "Hello,br /br /I am very excited to begin my Community Service Project here in Minneapolis, MN as a part of the In The Arena Roster! September is just around the corner and fall is by far my favorite time of year. When the air smells so crisp and clean and the temperatures start to drop I feel a huge increase in energy. Probably because I realize that winter isn't too far off. However, there is still plenty of time between now and the first snowfall for both training and enjoying the extended hours of sunshine.br /br /My community Service project brings me to the numerous City Parks that are spread throughout the Minneapolis metro area. I will be working with a group called Youthline that is based in South Minneapolis and is geared towards kids aged 11-17 years. One of the objectives of Youthline is to plan healthy, active and creative projects that utilize the many different features of each park we visit throughout the entire year!br /br /One of my favorite parks, Theodore Wirth, offers countless trails to run on for hours during the spring, summer and fall, but thanks to a huge effort by the local ski community we now have a snow making system and lights for the winter! The best part is reaching the top of hill while training in Wirth Park is having an amazing view of the downtown skyline as you look east. I look forward to using Theodore Wirth Park to help me achieve one of my goals while working with the Youthline kids, to try and introduce them to Cross Country Skiing while staying close to home. It is going to be a lot of work but I am extremely motivated after watching the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and I hope to use the recent excitement and enthusiasm towards Olympic Sports to motivate and inspire the group to try new things!br /br /Thanks,br /Caitlindiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/351963014587298777-6506323216613999141?l=in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com'//div"
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