The Team Grows

I've started therapy! So excited! I have procured the services of Dr. Marvin Backer, PhD, PA, Hypnotherapist, Psychologist... this should be interesting! I thought and thought about weather to share this stuff on my blog or not, and I decided that whilst my peers read this site, many others do as well, and I'd like to present an honest picture of what it takes to try and break into the elite in a sport.

I had an obstacle to my success, a tendency to sabotage myself when I am close to success, and I want to make sure that I do every thing I can to remove obstacles in my path.

When I first started this endeavor back in March, Shannon and I wrote up a list that looked like this:

Game Plan to the D Team:
1. Define Obstacles and Impediments

(and then we listed them all, for me they were things like: health, age, injury, etc)

2. Remove each obstacle or impediment to clear the path to success.

So as new impediments come to light, my job is to figure out how to remove them, making my path to success easier and easier. In this way, the one or two impediments that I can't remove become less of a factor, as I am stronger in every other sense. For instance, I can't help the fact that I am 36. But I can help how lean, strong, fit, happy, healthy I am. And this reduces the age issue by a significant amount (we hope!!)

So we arrive at the fact that I am tripping myself up, currently using food as a sabotaging element, but sometimes doing other things. I don't want to get close and have this negative behavior stand in my way. Enter Dr. Marvin Backer, PhD.

We are going to begin excavating Kate to figure out why I do the things that don't help. I am so excited!

I asked Michael what he wanted me to come back with in the fall, and he said first and foremost he wanted me healthy.

Healthy, Great Balance, Strong, In Shape. In that order. Healthy has to be in the head, too, so Dr. Backer, welcome to the team, and GOOD LUCK!

Wherein Tranquility Descends

It has been an interesting couple of days. But I have to say that the few days since the fourth of July have been really, just... nice.

We decided not to fight with the kids at night. Getting them to bed is an ordeal of epic proportions, even though we have an established routine. We decided that, hey, its summer. As long as they are behaving, we are going to let them stay up until they fall asleep in the kiddie pool.

Its been great! Liat and I are trying to work out during the day so that I can be home at night, and the night before last, we hung out on the patio, laying in our hammocks, Tom with Bodhi, and me with Ethan, eating popcorn, reading books, staining our chins with cherry juice. Bodhi fell asleep in the hammock with Tom, naked from the pool and covered with a towel. Sigh.

Eating outside, light until 10 pm... its great. Today has been a dream day, which is not how I usually feel when I don't have a babysitter, but we figured it out. The gym I work out at, the Ridge Athletic in Bozeman has a place called Ridge kids, and they have this AMAZING climbing structure there. Unfortunately, every time I have taken my kids there, they have gotten punched, bitten, kicked, or sick. One time, one of the instructors was by herself with 17 kids! So we stopped going.

I had a chat with the general manager of the Ridge about a month ago, and I thought we'd give it a try again and see if anything had changed. Well, there were only 4 kids there, and 2 instructors, so great! The kids had a blast, and I got to go to... wait for it... YOGA!!

YAY FOR THE YOGA!! When I lived in Pasadena, I had a very dedicated yoga practice, at this amazing place called Yoga House and it is one thing I have sorely missed since moving here. I am NOT a fan of Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Competative Yoga... I think that Yoga is a very personal experience, all about balance of mind and body and spirit... I think there should be breath involved, and mindfulness, and that your yoga practice is just for you, wherever you are.

That said, its hard to find a place that isn't like "feel the burn!" This morning I was SO excited to have a class taught by this amazing woman with a great understanding of the roots of Yoga, she has a company called Yoga Motion, and has started teaching at the Ridge a couple of days a week. SO happy!

After Yoga, Liat and I did chest (although I am still sore from climbing with Tom yesterday, and almost crippled from our awesome leg workout that evening), I wore my spiffy new kicks to work out, and felt like a superstar.

All finished up by 10:45 in the morning! I was like "Yeah, rockstar mom!" and we all bundled into the car, had a snack, and headed to swimming lessons, where I got to watch Ethan swim across the deep end of the pool for the very first time. (By the way, last night he asked me when it was going to snow, and we got into this discussion about the fact that we'd go skiing in October when it snowed, but Bridger wouldn't open until Christmas, and he was SO sad! He said, "Well, when does Snowbird open?" I couldn't even believe he remembered the name of that place... looks like I've created a monster... COOL!)

The kids earn stars, which they can redeem for things like books and transformers, etc, so it was book week, and we went off to the bookstore, where we had lunch and read for about an hour and a half. Right now, we are waiting for Tom to come home, and our amazing Manny Clay will show up about the same time, and Tom and I will go hike Kirk Hill to Leverich Canyon, and then hopefully go find a place that makes great fish for dinner.

I am sitting here wondering if this is really what life is like. Maybe in some alternate, independently wealthy, totally indulgent universe? No. In my universe. Cool. My message to myself here: keep reaching for balance, Kate!

Why We Shop at Schnee's

Alright, so the horror of Kate's feet got truly traumatizing on our last hike. Virginia and I were heading up to Heather Lake when I realized that I could feel the top of my tibia where it bears the weight of my body. Uh...

And that I could probably describe the shape of the top of the bone... and I thought, you know, i have been hiking in these shoes about 4 months too long...

So I sucked it up and went to Schnees here in Bozeman where I buy all my shoes, and picked out a new pair. I wasn't planning on getting Solomons again, but they just felt the best. I took them up to the counter, and the girl that was helping me looked up my account. She told me that I had bought my old Solomon's less than a year ago, and would I like to use my warranty on them? You mean, I can just bring in the pair I have beat to hell and they will replace them? For free?

Yes, that's exactly what they mean. So now, I have these, and happy feet, and I still have that $100 in my training fund to get to Mt. Hood in August! Thanks, Schnees!!

Training Log: Climbin' with Tom

I neglected to post some training log items: The week before last, Tom and I managed to climb together at lunch again, and again YESTERDAY, so now we have climbed alone together three times!

Its amazing, I really had thought I hated climbing, that I was just so sososososo SO done with it. But it turns out that was because an evil man had stolen our gym from us, and that I was just too heavy and out of shape to climb. And incredibly enough, with all the bosu balance work I've been doing for skiing, my core has gotten stronger than it has ever been, and now I am climbing well!

This is Tom at the Happy Boulders in Bishop, CA, the last time we climbed hard before the gym went nuts and I got pregnant. We had just been on the most amazing trip to Thailand, climbing, swimming, laying in the sun, and dreaming about one day having kids and taking them there.

SO. WE'RE GOIN' BACK! Yes. Yes we are, Tom and I are determined to get back to Thailand with the kids and climb our little hearts out in Railay. I don't think it will happen this year, but 2008-2009 season, we are saving for it.

Guess what? Dreams come TRUE in Montana!!

Okay, other training log items catch up: Last week, Liat and I were in the gym only twice, and we did a hard chest day and a hard back day. We generally don't hit the gym on the weekend, because we are doing some epic hike or bike or whatever.

Today was leg day, and it was PUNISHING! Doing glute exercises always makes me feel like I am going to puke. But hey, my ass is getting hard, so that's what counts, right? ha ha.

We have plans for a 22 miler this weekend for Liat's Birthday, and to try and start swimming the reservoir at the end of the week.

We have to re-tool the slackline in our yard because the forces are too strong, but look for some training to begin on that next week.

That's it for the training log update! Thanks for reading!

Training Log: Good Bye, Virginia

There is this incredible woman I love. Her name is Virginia. She lived with us in California, cared for our kids (to this day when I want to pull my hair out, I still think..."What would Virginia do?". She is this rather luminescent little spark plug, who can chug along at about 4 1/2 miles an hour on a stout hike after a night on the floor at the hospital (she's a nurse who works the night shift).

She moved here to Montana after visiting at Christmas, and lived here for a year, trying to make it work. Alas, the evil reality of student loans loomed large, and she is gone... she drove back to San Francisco yesterday, and Bozeman is a poorer place without her.

This was our final hike together, (Unfortunately, we didn't make it all the way up to heather lake, or even Emerald lake, because I have been a titch crippled lately... more on that later), but we had a good hike.

I'll miss her!

What did you do on the 4th?

Training Log: July 4: Sacajawea Peak

We haven't done this since last year, and it was a blast. Fourth of July morning, Liat and I headed up (kinda late, because we were up playing all night the night before), and trotted up it in the heat.

There were tons of families out, lots and LOTS of kids, the youngest we saw who walked up on his own was FOUR and a HALF! Incredible! What a burly little kid.

A huge mountain goat leaped in front of us while we had our snack on the top (amidst the giant horseflies of doooom), and Alaska, Liat's lovely but VERY dumb 70 lb pit bull decided it was a big white dog and wanted to play, so she chased it about a mile along the rocky ridge where the trail is NOT. We stood there, just completely astounded, hoping the goat would get away, hoping the dog wouldn't fall to her death, not realizing another option was that she'd could be gored.

It all worked out okay, it was a beautiful day, the goat was fine, the dog came back, and we got to scope out the Great One, which I SILL have yet to ski!

All in all, I love this hike, its a beautiful trip, a great distance, you hike through the forest and out into this rocky exposed area with all these amazing little wildflowers, clinging to the dirt between the rocks, with little pats of snow melting away... and up onto the ridge where you get just breathtaking views of Bozeman and, really, everywhere else. It's a busy hike, lots of hello, and excuse me, but its great. Not a hike for seclusion, more a social hike with a great steep push to the summit.

Training Log: In Which We Discover Kate Is Insane (finally!)

Why do I like to hike so much? This one really underlined it for me. Not because you can burn so many calories, try and shorten your time, hike something steep and challenging at a trot, start to learn to trail run, start to extend the time you are running.

Although those are pretty compelling reasons. Not even because I am getting my exercise outside, feeling the sun on my skin, feeling the dirt on my ankles, spotting one BRIGHT red Indian Paintbrush in a field of Monkshood.

Because it makes me take time to connect. With myself, with whoever I am hiking with. Liat and I and Virginia and I spend an enormous amount of time together, all alone, with no distractions. Our hikes are like mini therapy sessions, and usually they are over two hours long, so there is silence, and thought, and truth, and exploration.

During a recent hike, Liat and I were examining my relationship with food, and the difficulties I have been experiencing lately, and we decided that the best idea is for me to get counseling from someone who specializes in eating disorders. This never EVER would have occurred to me if we hadn't been chatting, then thinking, then analyzing what's making me fail, what's keeping me from my goal, what's recurring difficult and frustrating.

Thanks to the fact that I have a strong support system (thanks, guys!)and good, deep trust, brought on in part by hiking 35-50 miles a week with a good friend, we identified a problem that never would have been exposed.

Now, of course, we also talk about how stupid Paris Hilton is, how addicted we are to her champion, Perez Hilton, how lame boys are, how crazy kids are, the movies we've seen, the books we've read, our childhood scars and dreams...and more.

On the flip side of that, we do walking meditation a lot, (which I do almost constantly while I hike alone). This is a great experience, and one I'll post about shortly!

Where in we scream in frustration and go swimming instead...

Hi, everyone! Well, I have about a dozen posts for you, from thoughts on training and staying with it, to a week's worth of training logs and some more gear reveiws. I was taking my time, enjoying the week of the 4th of July, and letting it stack up... and today I sat down to post 'em all... and AARRRRRGGGGHHH!


My lovely and trusted Photobucket added some "functionality" to their site that I missed, and I spent the last four hours banging my head against my desk because my photos werent posting to my blog.

Seriously. Two Red Bulls and a giant coffee later, I still didn't have any progress made and the kids are going "moooooooom I'm Hoooooottttt and I wanna go Swimmmmmmiiiiinnngggg and he took my transformerrrrrrr"

I fixed it. I got it to work. I'm going to the pooooolllll to chilll ooooooouuut before I loose my mind. Stay tuned this weekend, we'll catch up!

Thanks for reading, and hope you had a happy fourth!

Training Log: June 30: I like to Bike with Mike Volume 2

Well, I wish it was true, but...

So I ventured back out on the South Cottonwood trail, despite the traumatizing 22 mile hike of the week previous. It was great! Michael rode his cross bike and I rode my old hard-tail mountain bike. The trail is a great one to learn on, I haven't spent that much time on a mountain bike, but every time I've been out single tracking I've loved it.

I need to learn how to put more weight on my back tire when I am riding up hill, I had to walk a bunch of the hill, but Mike was patient! I need to get out on my bike more, I am just amazed at how out of cycling shape I am!

We took our time going almost out to "the meadows" and then flipped around and rode back to my house, I don't know maybe 10 miles round trip?

The best part was when Mike showed up, he pulls a map out of his car and he's like "Now, Kate. I want to show you this." Ha. Ha. Ha. "This is a map." Ha. Ha. Ha. "They are incredibly useful." Thanks, Michael. Lesson learned. (Gawfaws all around...)

Ask yourself if this is real or not... whaddya think, did I make it across?

Happy Birthday MH!

Thanks for everything you do. Hope you had a great b-day week!

Training Log: June 26: CLIMBING!

Yay, yay and more yay. Tom and I took the boys bouldering outside of Gardiner, and that was fun. But even BETTER than that was the two and a half hours of climbing that we did ALL BY OURSELVES tonight at Spire Climbing Center in Bozeman! YEAH!

Tom and I started out as climbing buddies... well, actually, we started out as coach and client... it cost me $360 in private lessons to get a date with him. And then, years later, we opened our own climbing gym, but by then, I was nursing a 3 month old... and then we had another baby... so in the last 7 years or so, we haven't done ANY climbing together!

We both coached, he climbed with the strong guys in SoCal when he could (but man, for two people who owned a gym, neither of us climbed at all..), and I coached, but was too fat, weak and pregnant to climb at all. And WAY to heavy for it to be fun.

Over time, we just got sad and kind of gave up on climbing together. I figured i was going to always be a fat mom, and when we lost our business to our evil landlord a couple of years ago, we were both so sickened by that loss that we figured we'd never climb again.

Guess what? Tonight, it was a blast. It was like when we first started dating only better, because we were just climbing, no expectations, coaching or anything. Ahhhhh.... climbing with my sexy hubby at last...

Here you go, here is True Love In Action: Tom is the ultimate Cheater Stone, giving me a boost in Thailand in 1999.

Also, been busy building up the training fund so I can go to Mt Hood in August! Visit my Ebay Store: Uuber Baby to buy all the crap I have laying around in my garage. Its actually very swank baby clothes from a designer friend of mine. Makes great shower gifts. She does Rock n Roll t-shirts and such for toddlers. V. Cute.

Training Log: June 21: Beehive Basin

It was reviewed as a five star, three hour hike to a spectacular glacial lake in a beautiful cirque. But this is the first thing you see when you get to the trail. Welcome to Beehive basin.

What they DIDN'T say, is that there are no less than 33 trail markers in the 1.5 miles to the official wilderness area, because the trail is on PRIVATE PROPERTY that the land trust has an easement to. There were times when we could see FOUR trail signs in the 100 yards we were hiking on.

GOOD GOD! And then, while the gazillion dollar homes being built in the area were beautiful, it was kind of like "Stay on the trail! Don't look at our house! Don't step off the trail! Move along, poor people!" Ick. Ick and more ick.

The pond was nice, the lake was pretty, the cirque was lovely. This isn't nearly the hike that Heather lake in Hyalite or So. Cottonwood to Blackmoor is. Don't waste your time unless you want to hike in a pack with a bunch of people that don't want you to hike there.

Boooooooooo! Lets make a nicer relationship between the homeowners and the hikers, right now it feels like the easement is a thorn, a well marked WELL LABELED, well enforced thorn. Then we can enjoy all the things this post should have been about, like these amazing flowers, views, and great friends.

Yes, I am making this face because Gin just grabbed my ass. Its true. She's like that.

Never Let Go of Your Branch!

This is an excerpt from a book I am writing for my figure skating clients called "Champions in Training". Oddly enough, most of the stuff in this book I learned from years of coaching competitive rock climbers! Take the "Skating" part and trade it for the sport you love, or the job you want to succeed at, and give it a try.

All of us who have participated in a sport we loved have at one time wondered why and how the elite got to be that way. What makes Michelle Kwan so special? How is it that she skated so flawlessly from so young an age? And Tiger Woods? And Andre Aggasi? And Tony Hawk?

Some will say that it is genetics, and a propensity to do well in athletics certainly owes something to being born long lean and fast. But not everyone at the top of his or her game is naturally genetically gifted. In fact, in my experience as a coach it is those with the most natural ability who have the hardest time cracking the top 25%.

Why is that? Aren’t Champions born and not made? Isn’t the Olympic Village peopled with those who started skating before they could walk, were born to parents of Olympic prestige themselves, and who had nothing but the best coaching staff dedicated to their every move their entire lives? Not necessarily! Sometimes yes, but mostly, No.

Who wins, then? Who gets to be a champion? Let’s look.

Imagine this: that the triangle below represents everyone in the world who likes to ice skate.

What does it take to make it into the top 5%? Lets start at the bottom of the triangle with everyone. First, you have to like to skate. Then, you’ll probably take some lessons. If you do well and still enjoy it you might start competing. If you like competing, you probably want to win. Lets be honest, even if you DON’T like competing (and you’d be surprised how many people don’t) you probably still like the idea of being a famous well loved awesome ice skater who goes to the Olympics.

Making it from the group of people who compete (the top 50% of people who skate) into the group who does well enough to start training, who have Olympic dreams, who have desire to be the best is right around where I come in.

Stepping into the top30%, joining the group of “contenders”, or people who we can seriously consider as contenders takes something special. Most of us can guess what those things are, but let’s list them so that we know that it is hard work and not magic that gets us there.

• A love of skating
• Understanding that it takes work to improve
• A desire to improve

Lets stop right there. If I love to skate. And I understand that it takes work to get better, and I have a desire to get better, then… You have to learn to love to work!

• A love of the work that will make you better
• Determination to keep working when it gets hard

Have you noticed that I haven’t yet said “A will to win?” That’s because it takes a LOT more than a desire to win to become a champion. If I had to put “Will or Desire to Win” on the triangle above, I would have to put it down at the bottom with “Takes Skating Lessons”!

• Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed
• Get a coach you trust and listen to them

This list will get you into a more elite group. The big question is… how do you get out of this group and into success? The first guess is that the people who rise to the top of this group are naturally gifted.

Let me assure you that is not the case. I have trained people with more natural talent than anyone would know what to do with. I have trained people who had to work a hundred times harder to land a jump that came in a week to a peer. Its true that you need to have an ability to skate, and enough intuition and natural athleticism to master the moves, but what makes a champion?

Lets look at another triangle for the answer:

Here is my golden rule. It takes any combination of two of the above to succeed. That means: Timing (being in the right place at the right time, or more accurately, putting yourself in the right place at the right time) and Persistence are as likely to succeed as Timing and Talent, or Talent and Persistence. Talent alone won’t get you there. Being in the right place at the right time won’t get you there alone.

The top five percent are people who have remembered that, and are smart enough to hang their hat on persistence, keeping talent and timing in mind.

Imagine that all the competitors in the top 30% (All of whom are good enough to qualify for Senior Nationals. They all have triples. They all have put in the time, they all have spent a lot of money and made a lot of sacrifices.) are in a tree, hanging on to branches.

Let’s imagine that to make it to the top 5%, to be a real champion, all you have to do is hang on to your branch when the tree gets shaken.

What shakes the tree?

• Injury
• Failure
• Depression
• Loss of belief in yourself

You have been skating all your life. You and your family have made sacrifices. The last three competitions you have placed in the bottom 5 in the field. You examine your choices and… give up? Or hang on to your branch? What can you do here? Give up and never make the top five, or…

• Talk to your coach
• Make a new strategy
• Go back to basics
• Learn to reinvent yourself
• Hang on

And crack the top 5%. In my experience, everyone in the top 30% is talented to some degree. Everyone has an almost equal chance of becoming a champion, belonging to the top 5. The difference between the groups?

The only difference is that the people in the top 5% didn’t let go of their branch. They have a cantankerous desire to improve that makes them hang on, back up, and find another maze.

Want to be in the top 5? Never let go of your branch.

Does this help me reach my goal?

There's a new Quotes That Help in the side bar, so this one is coming down. If you ever want to refer to it, scroll down to posts by Label, and click on "Deep Thoughts."

***

Every time I reach for food, make a choice about spending money, decide to work out or not to work out, I ask myself this question.


And I think the trick is to realize that your GOAL isn't singular. I am NOT going to reach my goal if my family isn't happy. I am NOT going to reach my goal if my kids aren't spending time with me. I am NOT going to reach my goal if I eat Costco Pizza.


So sometimes, I choose not to go to the gym. But I ask myself, "Is this going to help me reach my goal?" If the answer is, my husband needs an evening with me because my training is stressing our relationship, then yes, skipping the gym helps me reach my goal.


Someone asked me, "What if I don't know what my goal is?" If that's the case for you, try this one "Does this help me discover what my goal is?" That's a great one if you are stuck in your routine, and unhappy. Just ask, examine, and act.


Ask, examine, and act.


What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If something isn't working, and you are not happy, find ONE THING and change it. And ask yourself, "Does this help me reach (or find) my goal?" If its different, new and charges you, the answer is probably YES!

Gear I Use: The Horror of Kate's Feet Part 3

Ahhhhh... okay, so when I get home, I put on my very favorite slippers ever. Trust me, I have tried EVERY freakin' slipper out there. I am all about warm, soft, and barefoot.

Huzzah to Haflinger! At $60/pop they are definitely the MOST expensive slippers I've ever owned. But BUT BUT!! They are super soft, warm, dry, and DON'T STINK when you wear them barefoot all day!

Made of thick, non-itchy boiled wool, it's like walking around with someone hugging your feet all day. As you can tell, I've had mine for a year (I told you I was hard on shoes) and they've very accommodatingly worn holes in the toes where my poor big toes need to breathe.

FYI: my sister has the same slippers, and hers don't have holes, that's just me and my gnarly feet.

The Bottom Line: Nothing beats em!

Gear I Use: Horror of Kate's Feet Part 2

These are my Solomon XA Pro 3D XCRs from last season.

About $90, things I love: super light weight, fast drying, quick on and off, nice closure, cushy footbed.

Not so psyched: The sole lasted longer than the shoe for me! The shoe offered great support for the first month, and then began stretching out quite quickly. Now, when I close it up, I have to tuck the laces in because I have to crank down the shoe so much!

A fun shoe, great to run in, but if you are a serious hiker logging lots and lots of miles, buy two pair, or three, they won't last a whole season. (Well, the sole and footbed will, but the support just won't.) I'll probably give these one more try and see how this season's stacks up.

Gear I Use: Welcome to the Horror of Kate's Feet

Okay, it's that season of the year when shoes become really really important. These are my North Face Gore Tex XCR's from last season. At about $110, they are a bit pricey, but well worth the dough!

Now, a caveat here: I am really freakin' hard on shoes. They have that new shoe feeling for me for about a month, and then most shoes are all compacted, broken down and just useless to me. I am also really REALLY picky about fit and comfort because I have chronic frost bite on both my big toes, whose toenails are always on the verge of coming off... so I'm hard to please.

And I have to say that TNF did it. They made my feet happy for almost 6 months before they started breaking down. These suckers are almost still goin' strong a full year and a half later! I think they have about 600 miles on them at this point, and the sole is finally coming off the last. I can also feel rocks through the compacted foot bed. BUT! They are STILL stable! Yes, indeed, they have softened quite a bit, but out of the hundreds of pairs of shoes I have run into an early grave, this sucker could take a re-soleing and probably last the summer.

They are a bit heavier than most would think they want (just over 1 lb), but again, I've worn lots of them, and heavier seems to equal bomber in this case. When they are dead, I am going to replace them with another pair by TNF, you can count on that!!

Now, let's test their customer service: I'm sending them in to see if they will fix the sole. Stay tuned!

***Update***
If you want to know about other gear I use, it is always posted in the sidebar under Gear! Or, just click here. More gear reviews and updates soon!

Wildflower Bonanza

I just really needed to share this incredible bunch of wildflowers with you! The roses are starting to bloom on Kirk hill! Liat and I found wild irises, wild orchids, and just a veritable plethora of amazing color especially at Kirk Hill and on the South Cottonwood trail. If you get a chance in the next two weeks, get out there, man! Its amazing!

This, by the way, is a lovely and handy guide that I like to carry in my backpack, its all stuffed with field samples and notes of when and where I saw each flower.

A Field Guide to Wild Flowers of the Rocky Mountains by Carl Schreier. If you are here in Bozeman, they sell it at the Roundhouse, Northern Lights, and Barrel, the last time I looked. Otherwise,

A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains
Buy it at Amazon

Training Log: June 20

Its a Kirk Hill day. First hike after the Epic, we were going to go all the way up to the fire road, but about 2/3 of the way there, my body started saying "NOT YET!" Good golly. So if it were anything other than my hips, I'd keep going, but I have decided NOT to hurt myself training for skiing so that I am healthy enough to just hurt myself skiing. So I hiked down.

If you get a chance, get out there, the wildflowers are mind blowing! It's backday at the gym, and we'll shoot some video of new drills tonight... hold your breath, its gonna be awesome!!