July, 2010

This may be the only website where a post about the benefits of barefoot running is followed by a post about the excitement of stock car racing. . .

Our July Camp wrapped up last weekend and Brian, Karl, Eric and I decided to take a 24 hour adventure up to the Chequamegon Peninsula on Lake Superior.  The trip included a run (and several detours getting lost) on the Ojibwe CAMBA trail in Cable, followed by pizza at the Ideal Market.

Ominous skies loomed overhead, but we disregarded our instincts and the weather forecast and decided to head north to Ashland for the Saturday night Stock Car races at ABC Raceway.  Stock car racing on the 1/8 mile Red Clay oval offers the 8-cylinder, muffler-less, 80 mph thrill that just can’t be matched by a 10km course.  Each of us picked our driver to win.  I didn’t have a choice, but to cheer for the number 1x  uzzy car whose first letter had been rubbed off by someone else’s bumper, but sure looked like the #1 Kuzzy car to me.

Racing was cut short by the late night thunder storm, but we still caught some Super Mod racing, which is always a highlight at a night of racing.

The next morning, we woke to cool weather and clearing skies.  Perfect for a little breakfast on Lake Superior, largest freshwater lake in the World.

Our roller ski up County Road C included dirt, a 45 minute climb (yes, even in Wisconsin!), and fresh blueberries on the side of the road.  What a treat.  The best part was cooling off in the big lake afterwards.

On the way home, we refueled at the Delta Diner in Delta, Wisconsin.

Eric’s got a great recap of our experience at the Diner here.  Needless to say, everything on the menu looked great after a 3 hour roller ski.  I made the resolution to try everything on the menu at some point, so I will definitely be back soon.

I’ve been wanting to do a post about running barefoot for a long time, ever since reading “Born to Run” last fall, in fact. Yesterday, NPR played an interesting segment on All Things Considered that addresses barefoot running and even includes a video on their website showing various running techniques.  The book “Born to Run” is a pretty interesting story about the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico and their connections to endurance running.  Much of the book reads more like a combination of this National Geographic article about the Tarahumara and UVM Professor Bernd Heinrich’s book “Why We Run” (did you know that hummingbirds have the highest VOmax of all animals, somewhere above 40o?).  At any rate, if you’re interested in barefoot running, these are some solid resources to start with.

Personally, I’ve been barefoot running since my high school running coach Ed Bauman had our team doing barefoot speeds everyday after practice.  I think it’s a good tool to help improve running technique, not to mention it feels pretty good to run barefoot over a field a thick grass or along a sandy beach.

If you’re not into running barefoot, but want a shoe that simulates barefoot running, I’m a big fan of the Salomon Speedcross.  They’ve got way better traction than my barefeet, but feel just as light and maneuverable.

At any rate, next time you’re out for a run, try kicking off your shoes and ripping around barefoot for a change.

Ahh yes, the annual Regional Elite Group Camp.  The first two days of this camp can be brutal, kicking things off with a 3000m running time-trial on the track, followed early the next morning by strength testing.  A new component was added to this year’s tests: the ski erg.

I’m pretty sure my sister Martha spends more time on an Erg in one day than I have in my life, but still, this ski erg is brutal.  It’s just like a rowing erg, except vertical and you’ve got to double-pole as fast as possible, without the satisfaction of actually going anywhere.  Ouch.

Santi and Eric go head-to-head on the ski erg

Other components of the CXC Strength Testing protocol are pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, dips, and box jumps.  Check out CXC Skiing on Facebook to see some of the top CXC strength testing results.  While you’re at it, become friends with CXC Skiing to get regular updates on the latest team news.

Karl Nygren, light on his feet, busting out over 90 box jumps in 90 seconds.

Here’s the full 2010 Men’s CXC Summer Training Team: Gregg, Eric, Santi, Karl, Dougie D, and Kuz.

Ski racing might be fine and dandy in the winter, but when there’s no snow to be found on this hemisphere, it can only mean that bike season is upon us.  The Tour de France started last weekend, along with the Tour of Austria, as the King himself reminds us.  Here in Wisconsin, it was the Subaru Cup–the first National Series mountain bike race to hit the Midwest in over 10 years.

National Series races mean there will be a Cross Country and Short Track, and Short Track means that I will be doing my best to get out and race.  For this edition, of course, all the top Pros from around the country show up.  It was cool to catch up with some friends on the Pro tour that I haven’t seen in a while.

After fellow Middlebury rider Spencer Paxson made the trip to cheer on Simi & me in Vancouver, I got to return the favor and cheer on Spence at the Subaru Cup.  He works 60 hour weeks at a desk job in Seattle and still manages to pull off top results at Pro mountain bike races.  Nice work!

Jack Hinkens is a recent Hopkins High School grad and Pro mountain biker.  Jack finished 20th in both the Cross Country and Short Track at the Subaru Cup as a first year U23 rider.  Jack’s so fast he was just invited to race a couple of Mountain Bike World Cup’s later this summer with the big dogs in Europe.

Of course, I forgot to put the memory card in my camera (rookie mistake, I know) before the weekend.  The action shots are courtesy of Paul Belknap.

Tad Elliott is on the CXC Team and throws down on dirt and snow.  Tad is legit and awesome to have around to hang out with training and at races.

I even got to get out and do some racing, albeit in the Expert Category (not Pro, like the really fast dudes above).  I picked up one of the new CXC Team Vertical Limit cycling jerseys to rock this weekend.  You too can dress like the pros – check out the CXC Store for some cool swag.

Maplelag‘s Lars Ellefson and Jake Richards were hammering all weekend and getting ready for National Championships in a couple weeks.  A big thanks to Jay Richards for providing race support and getting me some cold bottle hand-ups to stay hydrated on a hot weekend.  Carla Hinkens, Jack’s mom, is awesome.  Thanks for the lodging and being team photographer for the weekend!

Nothing like standing atop the Podium after a successful weekend of racing.  Man, I love this sport!

Last Friday, in conjunction with International Olympic Day, Premier Physical and CXC Skiing, held Olympic Day in Minocqua, Wisconsin.  The event was held for kids of all ages to get together and get exposure to a wide variety of sports and activities.  There were over 100 kids from Northwestern Wisconsin who came out to join in the fun.

Steve Merlin, strength consultant to the CXC Team, taught the kids barefoot running drills to help teach them to run more efficiently.

One of the highlights for the kids were Merlin’s “Critter Crawls.”  I’m not exactly sure which critter they’re demonstrating here, but I’m pretty sure it’s some sort of crab walk.

Local news crews were even on hand to document the day.  Here, Jim Mullen shows off his new World Class training facility at Premier Physical.

Of course, what would Olympic Day be without real Olympians?  Igor Badamshin (’94) goes old school, Russian Style, on Caitlin Compton (’10) representing the home team – US of A.

Yes, this is a really old update, but my new buddies, Pat & Ted Baer, from Pennsylvania just sent some photos from my spring break in New Orleans.

Pat and Ted Baer on their annual service trip to New Orleans

Dan Skold has been living and working in New Orleans for the past 3 years, helping to rebuild New Orleans as a super intendant with Habitat for Humanity.  At any given moment, Dan is responsible for 8 to 10 new builds.  I got down to New Orleans earlier this spring to visit Dan and do a little new home construction on the side.

Ted and Skoldy take a break from pounding nails long enough for a photo

Dan was crippled this spring with a torn ACL playing soccer, but has since recovered enough to ride his bike across France for a little “pre-Tour” Tour.  I’m fairly certain he just faked his injury to get a few extra days off of work.

See, he doesn’t even need those crutches.  My two new favorite football teams after my trip to New Orleans?  The Packers & the Saints.  Who dat?!

Greetings loyal garrottkuzzy.com followers.  After a brief stretch of regular updates at the end of our last CXC training camp I have fallen off the proverbial blog wagon.  Have no fear; I am alive, doing well, and avoiding contact with this time vacuum, my computer, as much as possible.  Instead, my days have been filled with work (yes, I occasionally do that), bike racing, training, and simply enjoying the end of an awesome June.

I will be off-line for a while yet, but when I get back to updating, look forward to some pictures and updates from the past weeks.  For now, get outside.  If you simply must sit behind a computer, check out Jack Hinkens‘ website.  The stuff he’s doing, like qualifying for mountain bike World Cups as a junior rider from Hopkins, Minnesota is way cooler than whatever I’ve been up to lately.  You may even catch a garrottkuzzy cameo while you’re there.