95 degrees...HOT!

Summer is here, we have lots of sun and 95 degree heat, which means it's time to drink a lot of Cliff Shot! This is a huge change from Saturdays weather, I woke up Saturday morning to a brisk 54 degrees. The cooler weather however made my training session much more enjoyable, and Saturdays training was something I had been looking forward to all week. I started my run at 7:30 in the morning, ran from Bolton to Waterbury and back, to meet with my dad, together my dad and I ran up Bolton.
For a few years now my dad and I have been battling it out at Bolton, my dad however trains to race up Bolton as where I train to race in the winter. This was the first Bolton climb of the season for the both of us, we both did really well and ran the entire way. The first climb of the year is always a little bit daunting, and usually makes you feel defeated. Nothing gets to me more than having to walk during one of my "runs".
As for Josh, he is racing really well and getting ready for some really big races. Here is a post about a race he did last week, you can check out other posts at this website: http://www.rigoniusa.com/team/blog/email.shtml

"Dillon Wins Housatonic Classic Road Race, June 17
Josh Dillon was determined to make Sunday’s race the second team win in a row, and he bided his time before putting in a powerful race-winning attack on the final climb. The plan for the 80 mile race was be attentive at the front to make sure nothing escaped without representation from the team. Will Rifflemacher and Todd Nordblom were the most aggressive riders for Fiordifrutta, but despite numerous attempts a break would not succeed on the day.
In the final downhill miles before the finishing climb, Rifflemacher pushed a group to a small advantage, but the race came back together and Josh Lipka hit the front to bring Dillon into the finishing climb. Once the climb began, Dillon immediately attacked solo, while Marzot and Driscoll marked the chasing group. Dillon stayed away for a solo victory, with Driscoll sprinting in for 2nd and Marzot in 4th. It was a dominating performance for Fiordifrutta with 3 other riders in the top twenty as well: Brooks-12th, Peck-15th, Rifflemacher-18th."

Tired? Me? NEVER!

So what do you do when you feel that you might be over training just a little bit? Rest maybe, just a little, just to see how it feels!
ahhhhh...who needs rest when there is all this sun and warm weather. Saturday I got out to Catamount for a nice long run before heading out on the boat for the day....it was an amazing day on the boat, with lots of time in the water. Sunday I got up early, ran an hour before doing a fathers day 5k race with my dad....my dad (51 years old) is still really fast...he beat me. This is when I am reminded that even though I am tired, and sometimes worry that I might be over training that I better work on the training a little harder.

A few pictures from Oregon

Josh Dillon, who had a few great races in Oregon
my ski trail after a few days at 80 degrees on the mountain

The Beginning of 2008

One month into my 2008 season, training is going very well; doing a lot of running, mt. biking and of course roller skiing. I just got back from Hood River, Oregon where I got some good summer skiing in, not to mention a great tan and summer highlights.
Some of my summer training adventures that I am looking forward to are all of my mt. bike races, and getting in some good training hours with Catlin Compton. This past weekend I finished off my training week with a Root 66 mt. bike race, not bad 4th place overall (since overall is really the ONLY result that matters). This race got me quite excited to continue with the mt. bike racing scene, though tonight I have my 5k Catamount run and my legs still feel a little heavy.