Full Sass by Liz Stephen: Lake Placid Camp

We have just completed our first week of camp at the OTC here in Lake Placid. This camp is always one of my favorites of the training season because of it’s proximity to Vermont and the amazing training that can be found around this area of New York. We have been really making use of all of the incredible training venues, with some speed and agility work on the new rollerski track around the ski jumps the first day, some long skis on the quiet, but paved roads around and some epic bounding intervals on Whiteface Mountain. This is our first real intensity block of the training year, and we have done similar workouts here each year, so us athletes have come to know which ones are the really taxing sessions and mentally and physically prepare for them as best we can so as to get the most out of these important sessions. The bounding has been known as one of the hardest sessions of the camp, along with the team sprint workout that will take place tomorrow and the well known (and sometimes dreaded) Climb to the Castle next Sunday.

Yesterday we participated in a Fast and Female power hour here at the OTC. The idea of the “power hour” is to introduce the girls and the local community to Fast and Female and try to get local kids together so that they get to know one another. We are hoping that local parents and coaches in the area will then continue to host these events a couple times a month in order to keep these relationships strong as well as create a fun atmosphere for the girls to be active in. If you would like to host a power hour in your area, check out www.fastandfemale.com and get started! It does not take much planning or effort at all to get one going and they are a lot of fun.

A highlight of the week for me was getting to see my good friend Bernie Gardner, who is a high school running and nordic coach from Honeoye Falls, NY. The last time I saw Bernie was at this camp last year, but we keep in touch throughout the year, sharing stories of our travels and of his team’s endeavors, which are a blast to read about. I feel as though I know the members of his team, so it was really fun to actually meet one of his girls yesterday at Fast and Female!

The other highlight of the week has been today, as I took advantage of our off day and made the trek to Burlington on the ferry to meet up with a good friend and sponsor, Corinne Prevot. Corinne started the company Skida (www.skidasport.com) , which became my headgear sponsor last season, but Skida is also the company that makes my Friends of Liz hat each year. So today, we walked around Burlington for a bit, taking pictures of patterns, shapes, and colors that we liked and then headed back to her brand new office on Pine Street. (You should go check it out if you have time, as she has made such a great studio for her collection.) We then took colors we liked, shapes we found eye catching and Corinne’s incredible creative sense and began playing around with designing this year’s Friends of Liz unique print. I am so excited for the design that has been created and can’t wait until I see you all in it!

Until next Monday, keep smiling, loving, living and dreaming.