Sophie Caldwell: Park City Update

Jessie and I have an easier week this week with two or three off days! We've been trying to sleep in a little and Jessie has mastered that pretty well while I still have some work to do. Park City has proven to be both an easy place to train and an easy place to rest. I'm still working into running and bounding, so the majority of my workouts have been on the many rollerski loops around Park City and in the Center of Excellence. There are a ton of other athletes working out in the COE who compete in the other disciplines such as alpine skiing, snowboarding, jumping, and freestyle, so it's fun to walk into a packed gym and see what everyone else is doing for training. A handful of the alpine guys went to Dartmouth while I was there so it's nice to see some familiar faces. It's been an awesome opportunity to be able to take advantage of the many incredible resources the COE and US Team have to offer. I've been working a lot with our Physical Therapist, Adam, who has been a huge help and doing strength three times a week with our strength coach, Michael. This is the most strength I've done before and Michael has been really patient, walking me through each exercise to learn the proper technique so I don't get injured. It also helps to have Jessie there to demonstrate the perfect technique for each lift. Strength makes for long days, but I feel like I'm starting to get stronger and I think the combination of the lifting and muscle milk will begin to pay off in skiing!

morning drive to the COE with a hot air balloon in the background

I ran on the AlterG machine in the COE for the first time yesterday in order to ease the transition to running for my foot. I only ran for 15 minutes at 70% of my body weight, but I'm going to play around with it some more before I leave. I had been warned that it isn't the most comfortable contraption, due to the fact that you're strapped into a pair of shorts that resemble a wetsuit and can be a little sweaty and unpleasant. Noah Hoffman said, "Running on the Alter-G is not a fun experience. It makes me feel bloated, and I am running with a massive wedgy." I still prefer running outside, but I can't say it was THAT miserable.

Simi and Jessie checking out the sunset view from our condo

Holly, Jessie, Matt, and I went for an awesome 3 hour rollerski around the Promontory community the other day. There was barely any traffic and there were enough roads so that we didn't ever have to repeat ourselves. We were pretty exhausted by the end, but found enough energy to check out the Park Silly market that happens every Sunday in town. We didn't take any cute puppy pictures to share at this one, but it was fun to check it out. I did some skate intervals yesterday and Matt was nice enough to join me on the bike. Training is much easier when you have good company and we made a new friend during our workout! I don't know what kind of perfume Matt wears, but whatever it is, he has been attracting the wildlife lately and this moose stopped by our intervals yesterday!

Moose friend

ski in Promontory with Jessie and Holly

Holly left on Sunday night, so now it's just Jessie, Andy, Simi and me in our condo. It's a very easy group to live with and I'm excited they're all coming back to VT for the summer. The boys have even been cheffing it up the past couple nights! Andy made a very tasty pasta dinner and Simi insisted on making a delicious frittata for us with no help from the girls. Both turned out wonderfully and Jessie and I were very impressed. I have about 10 more days in beautiful Park City and I'm hoping to bring the weather back to VT, where I've heard they could use it lately!