Katrina Howe - MWSC Olympic Development Team Member

Friday, June 17, 2011

Have You Hugged Your Father Yet Today?

Happy Father's Day, Papa!

This weekend I can't be at home with my dad where I should be, but I'll be thinking of him every minute. He's the best father I could have asked for and I'm grateful for his undying love and support for the past (almost) 25 years. I'm lucky to have you in my life and I love you, Papa!

Ramping it up in The Valley: Training in June

With the arrival of my biathlon teammates (and one xc teammate) here in Fort Kent this weekend, I’m looking forward to some less-lonely training in the weeks to come. This week the weather has been great and I’ve been enjoying my “low week” before we have out testing and shooting camps starting next week. By the end of the weekend the Jalbert House, our athlete residence here in Fort Kent, will be home to six athletes with one more arriving in July.

The last couple of weeks have been exciting and busy, complete with my first training camp of the season in Lake Placid, NY. Bethann and I drove over to meet Seth for a week filled with shooting and easy volume, mostly in the form of rollerskiing. On the range I had a very productive week, recording my highest score ever in the accuracy, shooting test that we do regularly throughout the training season. I’ve been working on changing my standing position a bit this spring to allow for a more stable, less taxing position while I shoot. We’ve also been modifying my rifle a bit but it’s not done yet so you’ll have to wait to see the final result.

After Lake Placid we trained here in Maine for a week before taking a breather to recover a bit. I’ve been out on the 4-wheeling trails with my mountain bike and had some good and some not-so-good rides. It turns out that tired legs make it harder to ride up steep little pitches over and over during a 2 hour + ride. Who would have thought? In other biking news, I’m doing a fundraising ride called Ride Aroostook in the end of July….check out this link to learn more and donate:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/katrinahowe/RideAroostook

It’s a great event to raise money for a great cause and it’s being put on by one of the big Maine Winter Sports Center sponsors so it’s a great chance for me to help them out in return for their support!

This next week we have our first camp here in the County in conjunction with the Nordic skiing half of our team. We’ll be in Caribou most days doing a lot of physical testing and spending out down time reviewing the importance of good nutrition, mental training, teamwork, and other notable topics. Should be a fun but tiring few days. The following week we’re back in Fort Kent for three shooting-focused days to start off a big volume week.

Enjoy the weather…soon the days will start getting shorter again and you know what that means: WINTER IS COMING!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

tRAINING in Fort Kent….

One of my nordie teammates, also living in Fort Kent, remarked last week that the word “raining” is hidden in what I do almost every day: training. These last few weeks that has been especially true and holds true as I write this. Tomorrow however, the forecast is for “partial clouds” which would lead me to believe that with only partial cloud cover we must be in for some SUN!

Last week was my first “normal” week of training this spring. I say normal because it was the first week I tried to do something every day according to a schedule instead of just doing whatever I felt like. It went well despite being wet for most of it. I did my first track intervals of the year, went on two 3 hour+ bike rides (one mountain biking and the other road), ran on the 4 wheeler trails around Fort Kent a bunch and did strength a few times. One of the really exciting parts of training up here is all the wildlife you see when you’re out and about. Just this last week I think I saw (or heard) 10+ moose, lots of Canadian geese, several rabbits, and a dead fox (on our road bike adventure). The bugs are also starting to make themselves known again….a little less exciting.

Seth and I are working on getting a garden ready to go here in Fort Kent. This past week we planted seeds for a few things and bought some local tomato plants to supplement what I had brought up from home. With it being too cold (and wet) to put stuff out yet, our entryway (a glassed-in porch) has become a substitute greenhouse with all the pots arranged strategically where they’ll get the most sun if it every decides to shine. So far we have peppers (bell and banana), tomatoes (patio and cherry), eggplant (YUCK!), onions (red and Vidalia), peas, and lots of houseplants. My dad also gave me seeds for cucumbers, carrots, beans, squash and zucchini to plant but they will have to wait another week or so until I’m positive there’s no more danger of frost. Things are a little further behind up here than they were down in NH when I left home!

Some pictures from the last few weeks: both at home and here in the County….

My parents are trying their luck at growing potatoes....they should come up here and see how it's done!

The animals at the farmstand chilling out in the sun.....Fluffy the turkey is making friends with her new companions!

New calf is a cutie....he has a heart on his head and is a sweetheart!

What is it? A budding plant at the farmstand....

Zucchini anyone? My parents grew a bunch of veggies in big pots and some of them are producing fruit sooner than expected!

Big veggies plants in the greenhouses.... mostly tomatoes

Lots of flowers and little green guys already!

Dahlia picture that I played with....

Little chicks in the farmstand... literally just days old here

See the two in the back with the yellow balls on top of their heads? Hopefully they'll look something like the big guy in the next photo when they grow up!