2 Weeks til the big dance

“There is no secret routine, there is no magical number of reps and sets. What there is, is confidence, belief, hard work on a consistent basis, and a desire to succeed.

-Steve Justa

As we get closer to the race we are able to look back and see how far we have come since our training commenced.  We all knew we would be pushing ourselves to the max but had no idea what that actually looked like.  If you were to tell any of  us 10 weeks ago what we would accomplish or what our training would be now, I’m not sure any of us would believe it. We have never completed two workouts that were the exact same. Each workout is always harder than the last in intensity and always pushes us to our max.

We started our hills training by sprinting up a segment of Banana trail. We continue to increase the intensity of our hills sprints and have even incorporated Banana Trail into our short distance cardio. It is tough, but a realistic representation of what we will be running for the race.

Data for Banana Trail 

Banana Trail rooftop-view from base where we complete hill sprints training

Wade, Dan standing on Banana Trail hill-about half way to the summit 

Summit of Banana Trail

The switch from flat sprints to beach flat sprints has been a fun way to kick up the intensity of the workout and enjoy the ocean at the same time. Ironically, we train next to our sponsor owned Le Flambeau Restaurant and Beach Bar, as well as their Picard Beach Cottages. Do not let the scenery fool you. This is an intense workout.

Le Flambeau Restaurant and Beach Bar

Beach Sprints-Pier

Picard Beach Cottages

Our long distance cardio has finally reached the maximum distance we will be facing during the race. This week we will run 12 miles. We have covered a long distance in a short amount of time. We are very proud of each other as a team.

Along the way we have posted a lot of the cool stuff we encounter-here’s one more photo for good measure.

This week we got our long-awaited gear for the race. Our gear includes: shoes, shirts (not pictured: pullovers), wristbands, camelback, headband, protein bars and misc. first aid supplies. Huge shout out to our OUR SPONSORS: ANCHORAGE GROUP OF COMPANIES for making all of this happen. We are so excited with our new gear and we really appreciate all you have done for us.

Shoes

Gear

Our amazing sponsors, Anchorage Group of Companies, made us models in their diving promotion. The flyer below was in Meadowlands Exposition Center at Secaucus New Jersey this past week and we are very proud to be the faces of Dominica representing Team USA.
We recommend to all our friends and family to book their vacations and adventure activities with Anchorage. They have all types of vacation packages and fun activities. Check them out http://www.anchoragehotel.dm/

As previously stated, we try to do as many things together as we can. This week we made it to Mero Beach, Freshwater Lake and Titou Gorge. This island has so much to offer. There is always more to explore.

Mero Beach

Freshwater Lake

Titou Gorge

This whole experience continues to get better and better each day. None of us had any idea what to expect coming into this but had high hopes. We are happy to say that our greatest expectations have been shattered and our friendships and abilities have been strengthened. We get more excited as the race gets closer. We cannot wait to give it our all.

Dan Schreier

3 Weeks til the big dance

"We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence then, is not an act, but a Habit."
                                                                                            -Aristotle

     As we inch ever closer to race day, we also inch closer to our maximum effort and ability. With the race only a couple of weeks away, we find ourselves peering into our own skill set and figuring out who we are and what we are here to accomplish. Each member brings their own experiences, skills, training habits, and internal drive and fire to the table, which makes us scarily dangerous to the other competitors in the race. After training for this long and seeing how far we have come physically as well as mentally, it's truly an accomplishment. But we don't settle for previous accomplishments.  The Challenge won't be won by our hopes, dreams, and previous accomplishments. The Challenge will be won in the jungle with our blood, sweat, and good old American muscle (and Ecuadorian). We have trained our minds and our bodies will follow. Our minds will carry our bodies when our limbs are too weak. 

    We have continued to be relentless in our training efforts and have refused to back down from the challenges each new day brings. When the bell tolls, we answer the call and hit the ground running as a team towards the goal. Alone, we are but a single person, but together, we are a team. A team that supports, coaches, and pushes each member to bring their VERY BEST to the table day in and day out.

"If you only settle for your very best, You will be amazed what you can accomplish."
                                                                   -Vince Lombardi- "Go Pack"

    So, where do we go from here? Well, there's only one way to go, and that is up. That can be thought of figuratively or actually in our case. We run hills, and we run hills, and we run hills. Why you ask?  "Because the legs feed the wolf." Whether it's hill sprint intervals, distance running, or pure insanity on our part. We Run Hills! (I wish this is big enough to see the crazy altitude)

This is some data pulled from one of our previous hill interval training segments

Sunday Run-Day for 10.5 miles this week

Friday Night beach runs have become a family favorite for us. It's a great way to see a beautiful sunset, recap the week, get a rocker of a workout in, and prepare for the weekend training to come. Plus, how many people get to say they did this?

Along with our training as a team, we also coach, lead, and participate in other training around the campus and town. Meche (above middle) lead a Zumba class for a group of women last week, that was a huge hit and a ton of fun for everyone involved. 

Intramural football has become a team effort as well, with cheerleaders and future stars of all ages.

Kate has been enjoying the waves as well as the trials and tribulations of surfing the last couple of weeks. She bends but she doesn't break. The other teams better hit harder than the waves if they want to keep her down.

With only a few precious weeks left before the competition, we continue to find our strengths and weaknesses as a whole. We continue to work strongly together in all aspects of training and have formed a bond that only teammates have the privilege of experiencing. Not just with training and all of its demands, but with everyday life and everything the world throws at us and will continue to throw at us in the future.  

Wade Axelson

3/8 Weekly Training Update-6 Weeks till Showtime! BIG THANKS TO OUR GREAT SPONSORS: THE ANCHORAGE GROUP OF COMPANIES!

3/8 Weekly Training Update - 6 Weeks till Showtime! BIG THANKS TO OUR GREAT SPONSORS: THE ANCHORAGE GROUP OF COMPANIES!

Surround yourself withPeople who push youWho CHALLENGE youWho make you LAUGHWho make you BETTERWho make you HAPPY

This week was absolutely fantastic for our training and our island discovery experience. We were hosted all-inclusive by our sponsors 'The Anchorage Group of Companies' for our 2-day intense hiking training. We had a wonderful time thanks to Anchorage! 

Anchorage Hotel staff is really friendly, welcoming, and always willing to help. They showed us all their amazing facilities, entertainment spaces, sunset deck, and pool. 

The sunset view of Anchorage hotel is breathtaking and the display of the sperm whale makes it an unique place.

 We had the opportunity to enjoy different vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and can vouch for the good quality and excellent taste of the food.

We had a pretty intense hiking day so after our dinner why not order pizza, watch Batman Rises and have Danny teach us the lawnmower dance move (check the video)

Thank you so much Anchorage for all the support and confidence in our team.

OUR TRAINING

This week we took our flat sprints to the beach fro maximum strength, ankle stabilization and uneven surfaces training

HIKING TRAINING

This week we hit segment 3 and segment 4 of the Waitukubuli National Trail in record time. We enjoyed the wonderful views of the trails. We pushed hard through very steep inclines, took no time to rest (except for a 15 minute lunch), and kept moving forward. Nothing like the feeling of being surrounded by green and wilderness!

DAY ONE: SEGMENT 3

At the end of our hike, we were rewarded by a reinvigorating and relaxing experience at the hot spa TiGwen Glo Cho. Unforgettable experiences of #NICUSAOrange.... Getting closer, getting stronger!

DAY TWO: SEGMENT 4

We started very excited and feeling great after a spa afternoon, movie/dinner and pizza night.

It was clear skies when we started the adventure, but for those who lived or have visited The Caribbean know how the weather changes in a couple of seconds. In between heavy rain, LOT OF mud, many steps. music, running, dancing, singing, laughing and pushing forward, we successfully dominated this trail.

Happy hiking!... check out those moves!