Kaitlynn Miller: November 2015

Fall is one of my favorite times of year with the crisp air, frosty mornings, and colorful foliage signaling the approach of winter. With the change of seasons also comes a change in training focus with a shift from high volume and distance to speed and intensity. Over the summer we work on building a strong endurance base and come fall our focus turns towards honing our top gears and getting race-ready.

A frosty Craftbsury morning!

After returning from Austria, we spent a few weeks training at home in Craftsbury. During one of our weekends home we hosted an Oktoberfest gathering at the Outdoor Center, which included some fun races and a delicious Oktoberfest dinner. Along with a few of my teammates, I competed in my second biathlon race - the Oktoberfest Singletrack Shootout!

Zeroing my rifle for the Singletrack Shootout
(photo: Steve Whelpley)

The start of the Singletrack Shootout bike race
(photo: Steve Whelpley)

One of the other fun races during the Oktoberfest weekend was the Checkpoint Challenge Adventure Race where teams of four complete a variety of challenges located at various checkpoint stations throughout the trail system. The GRP skiers were in charge of organizing and running the event, and it was great to see teams of all ages out there having a blast.

My checkpoint station: build a 'card'
tower as high as your tallest teammate
(with bonus points awarded for each
additional level)

Out for an evening dirt road cruise
(photo: Caitlin)

We took a few breaks to appreciate the scenery!
(photo: Caitlin)

We wrapped up our ride just as the sun was setting.

I had to stop and take some scenic foliage shots while driving home one
afternoon. Here's Elmore Mountain.

And Mt. Mansfield in the distance

After a few productive weeks in Craftsbury, the women's team and Pepa headed off to Utah for a training camp. We were fortunate enough to be able to join the US Ski Team and a few other elite teams for the majority of our workouts. It was a great experience to train with so many top-level skiers.

We went on a beautiful three-hour mountain run during our first week
in Utah. While most of the aspens had dropped their leaves by the time
we arrived, there were still some beautiful golden patches
on the mountainsides.

One of the two Sandhill Cranes that
frequented our backyard

Finishing up our first week of training in Utah with
a classic rollerski up American Fork Canyon

Distance rollerski up Mirror Lake Highway.
We spontaneously met up with some of
our biathlon teammates who were also out in
Utah for a training camp! (photo: Pepa)

Cooling down after strength on the
climbing treadmill (photo: Pepa)

All smiles after the final race of the three-day
mini-tour at Soldier Hollow which wrapped
up our camp in Utah.
(photo: Pepa)

Shortly after returning from Utah, we were on the road again. This time we headed up to Foret Montmorency in Quebec for a short speed block on snow. Foret is a unique place located in the middle of a large Boreal forest. This summer they saved a large pile of snow under a thick layer of wood chips and at the beginning of November spread it out onto a rolling 2.5k loop. The skiing was surprisingly good and we made the most of our time there with double sessions every day - intensity in the morning and distance in the afternoon.

Happy to be back on snow
(photo: Caitlin)

Sunset ski on the Foret loop (photo: Caitlin)

After returning from Canada, my teammates and I
participated in the Concept 2 SkiErg World Sprints
(1k on the SkiErg). It was surprisingly exhausting
as you can tell from this post-sprint picture...
(photo: Judy Geer)