I’m on the road!
In the last month I’ve driven 2,400 miles, completed a two week altitude camp and visited two National Parks plus a National Forest.
This has been a fun experience thus far so read on to hear all about it!
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All pictures of Violet brought to you by Victoria Veterinary Hospital
What’s Happening?
My year kicked off in the midst of a grueling altitude camp with Cal-Berkeley at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center. I spent a lot of time with their butterfly group and we got through some tough workouts together. Training at altitude adds significant challenges so it helped to have such a supportive group around me.
The next stop was the pro group training at Arizona State University, but Audrey, Violet and I made a detour to the Petrified Forest National Park. This park had spectacular views and unique formations. It is hard to believe that millions of years ago that desert was a lush forest near the equator!
We eventually made our way to Arizona where we set up at a campground with helpful neighbors. They showed us how to turn our water on for the first time and make sure everything was running as intended. Due to the wildfires near LA, the Vikings-Rams game was moved to Arizona. My parents bought Audrey and me tickets for my birthday, but unfortunately the Vikings lost. The MN crowd was impressive for an away game and it was a lot of fun while it lasted.
The practices at ASU were high intensity and lower volume which was a nice reprieve coming down from altitude. I expanded my aerobic base with Cal and then shocked my nervous system with ASU. These last few weeks I was hoping to climb out of the hole I’ve dug myself into, but this form of training has me equally exhausted! The lower volume let me be more aggressive in the weight room, which is always gratifying.
We spent two weeks in Arizona and decided to do a hike in the Tonto National Forest while nearby. Audrey and I drove on a scenic winding road up to Boulder Canyon. After a two hour hike, we ate a nice dinner in a nearby town.
During this period when there are less competitions to race at, it was beneficial to put suits on and race the other pros at ASU off the blocks. I took a lot of losses which was humbling and motivating. I’m hoping to get some rematches in the coming months when I loop back around.
With the conclusion of the Arizona portion of our trek out west, it was time to head for Mission Viejo, CA. Once again, we opted to stop at a National Park on the way. This time, it was Joshua Tree. With two deserts colliding, it was interesting to see the transition from the Colorado to the Mojave as we increased altitude. Exploring Desert Queen Mine and viewing the San Andreas fault line from Keys View were the highlights at this park for me.
Looking Ahead
The Mission Viejo Nadadores were kind enough to invite me to run a butterfly clinic with Trenton Julian during my time in California. I’m looking forward to sharing my expertise alongside another phenomenal butterflier!
The engagement photos Audrey and I took over the holidays have arrived!
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