I'm not fat: I look like J Lo

Wearing a wetsuit is not my favorite thing. Getting into it is an ordeal that I wouldn't wish on... well anyone. I'm just glad that the swim is the first event in the triathlon cuz if it wasn't my transition time would be even more epic in length.

Everyone has their own special way of dealing with putting on the dreaded suit. Some people arrive at the race with their wetsuit already halfway on. They'd rather drive to the race in their wetsuit than suffer the humiliation of squeezing flesh into the confines of such a wonderful garment in a public setting. Some people head off in search of the elusive bathroom for a little privacy. And some like me just try and get it on and get it over with as fast as possible.

I recently discovered something that makes me feel a whole lot happier about the whole wet suit experience. And that little something is..... I look just like J Lo in my wetsuit!!!! Check out the photos. It's hard to tell which booty is mine and which is her's!

In addition to being a singer/dancer/actress/fashion mogul, Jennifer Lopez is a triathlete. She competed in the 2008 Nautica Malibu Triathlon.

Based on the above pictures I'm going to embrace my bootyliciousness. Self acceptance is where it's at. I have a J Lo booty and I'm proud of it. Like most everything else out there, there is a support group of sorts for peeps like me. If you have junk in your trunk, you can connect with others just like you (& me) at I Have a J-lo booty. Seriously, I'm not making this up!

This weekend is the All Women's Triathlon and Duathlon at Blue Lake. Me and my booty are doing the Tri-it again, keeping to the shorter swim. And my little princess is doing her first kid's Tri, the Splash and Dash.

I'll let you know how it goes.

xoxo,
ski girl
p.s. The temps have been over 100 this week in Portland. If this keeps up I may experience a totally new emotional trauma this weekend. Doing the swim in my swimsuit. Yikes! How will I survive?

It’s Not Over -- Women Ski Jumpers File Appeal

NEWS RELEASE

July 16, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Deborah Folka, APR, 604.517.1339
604.312.8384 mobile; deborah@dlfcommunications.com



It’s Not Over -- Women Ski Jumpers File Appeal

Vancouver – The women ski jumpers denied justice in last week’s BC Supreme Court decision have decided to file an appeal with the BC Court of Appeals seeking a ruling on men and women’s ski jumping events at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

“It’s not over,” Deedee Corradini, president of Women’s Ski Jump-USA and spokesperson for the group, said today. “We took a few days for our lawyers to review last week’s judgment and to canvass our plaintiffs to see what everyone thought and now we’re ready to continue our fight to get the women into 2010.”

According to lawyer Ross Clark, Q.C., the appeal will be based on the argument that VANOC must host the Games in accordance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “It cannot host events on Canadian soil that implement discrimination,” Clark pointed out.

“We believe with an expedited ruling in September that still leaves plenty of time for VANOC to plan and host a single women’s ski jumping event next February,” Corradini said. “When we hosted the Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, we had contingency plans for everything. I’m sure they can accommodate us, especially given all the supportive comments they’ve made about the women ski jumpers’ situation.”

Highly ranked Canadian jumper Katie Willis says she is “thrilled” the fight is still on.

“We were so disheartened by last week’s decision, but we’re competitors: we won’t give up,” Willis said.


World champion ski jumper Lindsey Van echoed Willis’s comments. “I’m glad we’re going to appeal the court’s ruling. We have earned our right to be at the Games, just like all the other top athletes: with hard work, discipline and perseverance. I want my shot at Olympic gold.”

you know you're a triathlete when....

You know you're a triathlete when ...

you dress up for a post race night out on the town and your race numbers are still sharpied to your legs. I'm especially fond of having my age marked on my right leg!

F.Y.I. After repeated attempts to remove the numbers I found that laundry detergent works best. fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish is nice but it didn't even fade the numbers. On the plus side my legs are very soft. When searching online for a way to remove the sharpie tats I discovered Sharpie Uncapped. Check out the amazing artwork created with Sharpies. I think that if my race numbers looked more like this I wouldn't be trying so hard to scrub them off!

xoxo,

ski girl

p.s. Notice the Mui Mui. Aren't they pretty? I still have a thing for designer shoes.

2010 Olympic Decision for Women Ski Jumpers

Sadly, the 2010 Winter Games won't include the women ski jumpers.

Fifteen female athletes sued Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee
to get their sport into the 2010 Games. The B.C. Supreme Court has rejected a bid by women ski jumpers to be included in the 2010 Winter Games.



Check out Ski Channel's breaking news update. Click here to read more on the decision.


Women's reaction at the ruling from the Times Colonist.

American, Jessica Jerome said she is “extremely disheartened.”
“I feel like we were trying to do the right thing to advance the sport as a whole, not just for the girls currently competing, but for the upcoming generation as well. Unfortunately, this decision will affect a lot of talented skiers. I am hopeful the future of women’s ski jumping will look more promising.”

Ski jumping is the only sport in the Olympic Winter Games not open to both men and women. Supporters are still confident that woman's ski jumping will debut at the 2014 Olympic Games, in Sochi, Russia. And there is talk of an appeal for 2010. Some good news concerning the 2014 Olympics is that Halfpipe skiing will be included!
xoxo,
ski girl

ski like a girl's "lazy" ride

As we head up on the Flight of the Canyons gondola with our bikes safely ensconced in their very own gondola, I start to question our mode of transportation. And yes, each bike is in it's own gondola. 2 people + 2 bikes = 3 gondolas. I was feeling a little guilty. Not about the excessive gondola usage. They're empty and they are going up the hill with or without us. No I was feeling guilty about being on the gondola. Mountain biking to me is about the ups and downs. And I'm better at the up than the down. Much better. Shouldn't we be riding our bikes up the hill? Okay, I know it's not a hill it's a mountain! I have a retention problem. Didn't I learn anything yesterday?

When we got to the Red Pine Lodge we took yet another lift to get higher up the mountain. More guilt for me. We started out on the Red Pine loop and got lost. Well not really lost we just couldn't find the Mid-Mountain Trail and end up back at the day lodge. The plan was to take Red Pine to Mid-Mountain. Eventually we worked it out and found the trail. We decided to take Mid-Mountain Trail to Park City. An awesome ride that is tougher than I thought but worth it. 1,900 calorie burn, not bad for a "lazy" ride. Be prepared with adequate snacks and water. Once you get on the trail at The Canyons there is no exit until Park City. Here is a nice description of the trail:

Mid-Mountain Trail

Also known as the "Eight Thousand Foot Trail," the Mid Mountain Trail is an awesome single track ride. It rocks up and down at the 8000-foot level from Park City Mountain Resort to The Canyons Resort. This 8000-foot portion of the trail is 11.3 miles long. Add the climb up the Spiro Trail, and the 4 mile descent on The Canyons' lift road, and it's 18.8 miles point-to-point, 22 if you loop back into Park City along the road. Altitude change is 1400 feet, but with the up-and-down on the Mid Mountain Trail, total climbing will be close to 3000. This is a big ride.

My newest goal for 2010 is to run the Mid-Mountain trail. Here is a link to this year's Mid Mountain Marathon, September, 12, 2009.

Welcome to the Mid Mountain Marathon. This stunningly scenic almost level single track trail is at 8,000′ and traverses Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, The Colony and The Canyons. There are spectacular vistas, enchanted forests and glowing aspens.

Time & Place:
8:00 AM start at Silver Lake Lodge at Deer Valley Resort. Awards at 1:00 PM at The Forum at The Canyons.

Course & Distance:
26.2 miles on single track trail from Silver Lake Lodge at Deer Valley Resort to The Forum at The Canyons.

Keep training and have a fun summer! Ski season will be here sooner than you think. Share any summer training ideas you have in the comments. I'd love to here from you.
xoxo,
ski girl

ski girl ponders, "When is a hill really a mountain?"

Today was supposed to be a long run. I also decided that today was going to be my hill run. If I was in Portland this would have been a 15 miler. Due the elevation here in Park City and the fact that I'm on vacation I thought that dropping it down a bit would be a nice thing to do for myself. My intended route was from The Canyons to the Utah Olympic Park and back. Just 9 miles or so.

Along the way there were some slight elevation changes. But the "hill" part of the run was the mile and a half up Olympic Drive to the Utah Olympic Park and back down. On the way down from the park I noticed a sign. 7-9% grade! Doesn't that mean the "hill" I just ran up was really a mountain? According to WikiAnswers, my new favorite source for useful and useless info,

"A mountain is a hill over 2000 feet (609.8m) in height. Anything under that is considered a hill."

Before I even started up the hill I was at 6300 elevation. Then I climbed and climbed and climbed... to around 7500+. So I'm calling my hill run a mountain run. What do you think?

The highlight of my "mountain run" was my brief stop at the Utah Olympic Park. The Olympic Park was awesome. I'm going back with a camera on Saturday to watch the Flying Aces. I'll post pictures.

While "resting" briefly, (aka desperately searching for water), at the Olympic Museum. I spotted Olympic silver medalist,mogul skier, Shannon Bahrke, she's been on the US Freestyle team for 10 years. She posed for a few photos by her life size advertisement for Silver Beans. And was super sweet and friendly. Silver Beans is a coffee company she's started complete with athlete blends and ski themes for her coffees inspired after a day of skiing.

• Blue Bird Espresso Blend
• Experts Only Blend
• Last Chair Decaf Blend
• Powder Blend
• Sunrise Blend
• Velvety Groomer Blend

Another cool thing about Shannon was her partially pink hair. I love it! Hope to see her at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I read this in an interview with Shannon on SkiNet.

Is there any circumstance under which you would dye your whole head pink?
"Oh - if I won a gold medal at World Championships or at the Olympics I would dye my whole head pink."

ski girl will be cheering for you Shannon. Can't wait to see the full head of pink hair!

While recovery from the grueling climb I also got to check out some of the up and coming Freestyle skiers practicing their tricks landing in the Splash Pool. It was inspiring. I just wanted to strap on some skis and jump in.

And for $95, I can!
There is an Intro group lesson; learn basic freestyle skills and a few tricks by jumping into the Utah Olympic Park Splash Pool – the same training site used by the US Ski Team and Olympic athletes!!!!

Check this out you too can fly like an Olympian! FLY Freestyle

Or for $200 I can have 3 hours of private coaching. Private Lessons are coached by some of the top freestyle skiers in the country. All ability levels are welcome in these three-hour lessons. Learn freestyle and Freeride tricks while ramping into the Olympic Park Splash Pool. You name it they can coach it! You know I want to.

After all the excitement what I really wanted to do was ski but I had to run back down the "hill"/mountain and make my way back to The Canyons. Tomorrow it's a day of mountain biking. I love Park City! Oh yeah, if you feel like running any hills or mountains let me know. I'm up for it.

xoxo
-ski girl
p.s. You know I'm going to end up in that Splash Pool.

Ski Timberline with the U.S. National Ski Team

Don't miss this!!

World Cup Dreams
Spend time with members of the U.S.National Ski Team and help support World Cup Dreams Foundation at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Oregon

Ski with:
Scott Macartney
Steve Nyman
Tim Jitloff
Bryon Friedman
Megan McJames
Kaylin Richardson
Erik Schlopy
Leanne Smith
and many others!!!


Dinner and Auction: Saturday, July 18

• Multnomah Athletic Club 1849 SW Salmon Street, Portland, OR 97207
• Doors open at 5 pm
• Black Tie + Blue Jeans Attire
• Auction items include: signed athlete memorabilia and items from their world travels, vacation homes in Vail, Sun Valley, The Caymen Islands (to name a few), crystal, tones of wine, ski, golf, and sporting equipment. Plus more!!
• $125 adult, $75 youth 8-18 years old
  

Clinics: Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19

• Timberline, Mt. Hood, Oregon
  
• Lifts open at 7 am
  
• Clinics include: Personal coaching by U.S. National Ski Team. Breakfast and lunch at Timberline and lift tickets.
• Registration is limited to a maximum of 100 skiers per day. Maximum of 8-10 skiers per group.
  
• $350 per person 1 day, $600 per person for 2 days

All proceeds benefit the WORLDCUP DREAMS FOUNDATION, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created "by the athlete, for the athlete" to further the growth and development of the world's best skiers by helping them attain their skiing goals and dreams through financial assistance and rehabilitation programs.

For more information: info@worldcupdreams.org 970.343.0872

Hope to see you there!
xoxo
-ski girl

Road trip PDX to Park City

It was a long drive. A very, very, very, very long drive. I learned something about myself yesterday. My uninterrupted, road trip, drive time limit is 7 hours. Exactly 7 hours. After that I am not a happy camper. I get twitchy, tired, and angry. Unfortunately for me and my traveling companion, 7 hours was the exact point that I took over the driving. While I pumped it up to the Black Eyed Peas at a ear splitting volume. Robert watch an episode of Rome on the mini DVD player. He had to press the headphones to his ears with both hands to block out my Fergalicious song styling. I only sing the Fergie parts cuz I'm a girl and I sound just like her! Seriously, I do.

Idaho
I have some personal road trip dietary rules and one of them is no fast food. Ever! I'm a true joy to travel with. Hour 9 of the trip and the break down begins. I want ice cream! Chocolate ice cream. Haagan Dazs chocolate ice cream. And as far as I can surmise from my perusal of many a fine Idaho road side establishment, THEY DON'T HAVE HAAGAN DAZS IN IDAHO! So I rethink my commitment to clean eating and end up at Jack in the Box. As you can tell from the picture Jack uses real ice cream in his shakes. Unfortunately for us, after a 25 minute wait in the drive thru line we find out that Jack has no shakes and we are stuck in the line. It all works out for the best. Really! No shake means, no rule breaking. And this would have broken three.

1. no fast food
2. no eating after 8 pm
3. no carbs 3 hours before bedtime (at this point in the journey I didn't realize it would be 5 hours before that would happen!)
   

So you see I'm a much better person because of this experience. Really! Okay, I know I'm a bit of a freak but I embrace it.


Utah
What's the difference between an Elk and a Moose any way?
2 am and we arrive at The Canyons. Having spent a fabulous spring break skiing here this year we find our condo The Westgate Resort and Spa easily. The adventure begins in the hunt for the Moose Lodge parking area. It's like parking at a Disney Resort. Multiple levels, all themed but without the guy in the costume directing traffic. With a moose, bear, elk, bison mural at each parking spot. Letting you know that you are safe and secure and in the right spot. 2:15 am and we are still looking for moose, we only find elk. Or at least we think it's elk. Who really knows what it is? This is the closest thing to big game hunting veggie me is ever going to get. And I can't find the Moose! We then take a moment for a semi heated discussion on what the check in guy meant by "take a sharp right turn".

We leave the Elk parking area and turn into another gated structure. This parking area doesn't offer the sweet Disneyfied security of animal murals. Instead it's more of an Alice falling down the rabbit hole/sleep deprived/Twilight zone experience. The walls are lined with doors, little doors, that seem to be getting smaller as we drive deeper into the structure. Each turn we make gets tighter and tighter. Finally we squeeze the car thru a tiny passageway only to end up back the entrance. No Moose in sight.

We then decide that an Elk is as close to a Moose as we are going to get and head back to the first parking lot. (According to the mostly accurate and ever helpful folks at Wikipedi moose and elk are one and the same. Depending on your local. North America = Moose and Europe = Elk. We are in Park City, Utah, North America so that must make the Elk parking lot the Moose parking lot, right????) It's a good thing I'm not dependant on my hunting skills for survival cuz we know how that would turn out. Of course this choice puts us in the wrong lodge once we enter the building. Multiple elevator trips in two buildings to find the unit. 3 am and finally some much needed sleep!

xoxo,
-ski girl
p.s. I'm not exactly sure where my car is but my mountain bike is locked to it. Motivation to begin the hunt again!