Caitlin Compton

Well, it has been far too long since I have updated but I have not been wasting any time. After a few months of feeling awful and a very long break from training I woke up one morning feeling great again. I made the difficult decision as an athlete to not train and let myself return to 100% before I resumed training again. I had a few people urging me to just keep training but I have been training and racing for a long time and I realized that I was not getting better or faster by doing this. So I hung up the the shoes and rollerskis and just waited.

I have now been training and working with Piotr Bednarski and feeling like my old self again! We have been conservative in our approach but kept our goals high and the results have been awesome. I am happy to be working with Piotr (I have known him as my coach and friend longer then any other coach). Piotr exemplifies a great coach, he took me under his wing this fall and helped me when others thought I wouldn’t make it. Thanks, Piotr

In just under 2 weeks I will once again be moving. I have moved about 8 times in the past 4 years and I am hoping to stay put for a little longer this time. I am not moving very far from where I live now, only about two miles, but the area is quite a bit different.

I currently live in a part of Minneapolis known as Uptown. It is a vibrant area just southwest of Downtown that boasts tons of small shops, coffee houses, art galleries and restaurants. It is a fun place to live with so much going on all within walking distance. The only trouble with living in Uptown is the cost of living here. Ben and I don’t get to experience Uptown the way others do because we are always on a budget but it’s fun to be around it all.

Last year Ben and I were lucky to get our current apartment because they needed an on-site caretaker. We had a huge reduction in rent but the work was pretty hard and sometimes really gross. When we heard, after a year of living here, that they no-longer needed us to care-take we knew immediately that we couldn’t afford to live here! So it was time to move elsewhere.

Our budget is pretty tight so we ended up searching through tons of apartments and most were too much for us. I finally found the perfect spot last week! We had a list of criteria that we were looking for but most important was the price.

It is an upper unit in a duplex located in the Harrison Neighborhood of Minneapolis. We now have a big backyard, a huge basement, free laundry and the ski trails are a block and a half from my door! We will care-take at our new apartment too so we will be saving some on rent but doing some extra work too.

With Theodore Wirth Park (the site of the 2011 XC Junior Olympics) outside my back door there are countless recreational activities available. I will be contacting the local high school called Harrison Academy and will begin working with their students this fall. I will update soon about what the plans are for the upcoming weeks.
I am also happy to report that my symptoms have subsided and I am back to feeling like myself. Training has been going well and my energy has been great!

I have lived in Minnesota for almost 5 years now and except for the first year I have visited the fair every year.

My mother, who was also born in NYC and lived there most of her life, lives in MN now too and this was our first MN State Fair together! We laughed and joked about what was the most important part of the Fair if you are a true Minnesotan. We decided that just going was the most important part and now we had to schedule this in as a “must do” every year if we want to feel like true Minnesotans. We lived it up at the Fair and enjoyed good food, expos, games, and people from all over the state.

It was awesome! We walked forever and saw almost everything the fair had to offer! The biggest disappointment of the Fair was that the Cow, Pig, and Chicken barns were not open by the time we stopped by. We remedied the need for livestock by visiting the baby barn and got our fill of newborns from the farm world! Everything from bunnies, piglets, new born calves and baby chicks. This was by far my mom’s favorite part of the fair!

My mom was pretty exhausted by the time the evening was over and I was a little worried about her. When I called to check on how she was feeling the next day she said she was in the best mood she had been in for months! It’s great that a simple Fair can bring so much happiness to so many people this time of year. Even Lahti was psyched to get his new chew toy octopus when we got home.

The Octopus was such a hit he only lasted about 5 minutes before the apartment was covered in stuffing and tentacles.

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome is what the Cardiologist told me I have.

I have been struggling with fatigue since the beginning of the summer. At first it was between my training sessions, then it was while I working with the kids, then it was on my off days and then it started to affect my training as well. I was so busy I figured that the fatigue would end when I had a little break between programs and a rest week of training. It didn’t.

I couldn’t figure out what was going on and, I was way too busy to see it coming, but once it did I knew I had to do something. After a few days off and a number of easy sessions I started to feel better and shrugged it off as just a period of too much going on in my life. I started the next week feeling alright but by the end I knew something was up. I entered a local 5k and was 1-1/2 minutes off my usual pace for this time of year! I immediately began to review and rethink what I had done leading up to these feelings.

I couldn’t figure it out. Nothing was different from a typical summer of training for me. As I proceeded with a cautious attitude I focused on my training zones and other daily routines. I thought it was hydration so I started drinking more sports drink, I thought it was hunger so I started eating a bigger breakfast, and I stayed very low in my training zones at all times. Then one day out of the blue I was lifting at the gym and after a set of squats I felt the world begin to spin beneath me.

I quickly removed myself from the gym and put my feet above my head. I managed to avoid passing out and got a ride from my boyfriend to the ER. After a lot of tests I was sent to see a cardiologist. What! How could there be something going on with my heart?

The Cardiologist preformed a number of tests as well and determined that my heart was showing signs of Orthostatic Intolerance, which means that when I stand up my pulse jumps over 30 beats but my blood pressure also drops significantly! It is this drop in blood pressure that causes me to feel light headed and pass out!

I told him it was probably just over-training! Unfortunately he shook his head and told me it wasn’t. He said no one knows for sure what POTS is from but it wasn’t from training. I have few more tests this week, one is on a tilt table where they will try to make me pass out (or come close anyway) and a few other tests to rule out anything else more serious.

So for now I have the all clear to train as usual and just ignore my heart rate. I have taken a number of days off now and I am feeling really fresh. I went for a fun urban rollerski with Jojo Winters and Brian Gregg today and although the pace was very easy my heart rate was easily 150+. I have to learn to train by feel and leave the monitor at home for a while. I did some lactate testing with a coach and sure enough I am in the right zones just not the right heart rates. This is so strange and after years of hearing about the importance of heart rates for training it will take some time to get used to.

From what I have been told POTS often develops after an illness or trauma and will progress for months getting worse and worse before it suddenly begins to subside. The last time I was really sick was at US Nationals and if I have been through the fainting period and other symptoms I should be in the clear! Right? I am keeping my fingers crossed and spirit high. I have to admit that this would be a lot harder if I didn’t have other team members and ITA members who have faced adversity and set backs and climbed right back up to keep me inspired and optomistic! So I guess now it is my turn to just stay positive and focus on the process.

This week I have decided to talk a little bit about my dog Lahti again. Ben and I rescued him from the Animal Humane Society about 3 and a half months ago. He was scared, scarred, and very skinny.

I am happy to report that Lahti is doing Great! He has turned into an awesome dog and great addition to our apartment life. It’s hard to believe that we have a Husky living in our small apartment but we make sure he gets plenty of exercise. The goal is to get his fitness high enough by this winter for him to compete in a few Skijoring races with Ben. So looks like I am not the only athlete in training at our place.

We have been working on his long slow distance, his sprints and even a few plyo’s! It’s awesome to see how excited he gets now when he realizes we are going out for a workout. He has been running, Rollerskiing, Skateboarding, and biking with us. I think we hit top speed last week when I brought him biking on the greenway. We usually head away from home nice and easy for a warm up and when we hit the open straightaway of the bike path he gets to go all out. The return trip is a nice and easy trot home after a a long water and sniffing break.

The weather has been much cooler than usual here in Minneapolis so he has had a lot more opportunity to join us. When the temps are more then high 70’s he usually has to stay inside by the AC and keep his runs short. I know I get hot and I don’t have a fur coat on! It was only in the 60’s yesterday so we brought him out to Afton Park for a nice OD. Lahti is getting better and better at running off leash and during the early hours of the AM when we were running there wasn’t a lot of people out yet so he had a very full morning. As Ben and I follow the trail Lahti usually heads as far down the path as he can see before he comes barrelling back to find us. Based on the number of times he did this I would say he probably doubled our mileage for the run!

Only one week until the City of Lakes Tri-Loppet event (and urban off-road triathlon) and everyone is gearing up for a great event. Over the past two and a half months 30 kids from the Anwatin and Anderson middle schools have been meeting three days a week to train for the race.

The entire program was free for the kids and a number of local businesses and organizations donated time, products, and educational info about staying active and healthy throughout life. Many thanks to all who helped!

So after many days of running, orienteering, obstacle courses, canoing, biking (and mountain biking), swimming, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee and rollerskiing we are ready for the race.

The most challenging obstacle for the Tri-Loppet group is that it was an after school program at Anderson and Anwatin Schools which means that when school is over the buses are too! This means that two weeks ago was the last day of school and after school activities but not the Tri-Loppet group. So the goal was to try and get as many kids to continue meeting at the training times and locations as possible. The turnout has been great and the volunteer drivers have been very appreciated.

The next goal is to get as many kids early on Saturday morning to and from the event with smiling faces and a sense of accomplishment. Margaret (my CSD) and I have been orchestrating an incredible schedule that will pickup all the kids who are registered, pick up all bibs and race info, assign and fit them to a bike, and bring them to the start where a canoe and paddle will be waiting. Again there has been a huge number of volunteers who have offered to paddle, bike and run with a kid to help them along!

Last Week was one of the busiest of the spring/summer for the Tri-Loppet Group. We had a bit of a mini-triathlon within our daily activity. This wasn’t intentional but rather a necessity due to a lack of bus transportation. So we used our resources wisely and had a great time! The biggest accomplishment was getting everyone really tired but happy when the day was done.

Lahti entered his first phase of training ever this past month. He began with some easy walks and is now up to about an hour and a half of running with some short sniff and water breaks.

Thanks to the support of Midwest Mountaineering I was able to outfit Lahti with his brand new Skijoring Harness, shock leads, and his high performance training food:) I also got him some saddlebags so that he can carry his own water and snacks on the long runs.

While a lot of skiers are vacationing in tropical or unique places I am staying home to start my kid’s programs and play with my new dog.

On Sunday after almost 70K of racing in one week for the woman and over 100K for the men at the Birch Hill Cross Country Ski Trails in Fairbanks, AK the 2008/2009 competitive ski season came to an end. A lull in Mt. Redoubt’s volcanic activity on Monday gave my flight from Anchorage the opportunity to take off, just before the volcano spurted another ash cloud. This was the first flight to Minneapolis since the volcano began erupting a week earlier. I was so relieved when we finally got off the runway.
On Wednesday morning I joined the second through fifth graders at the Bryn Mawr Elementary School to hand out medals and certificates to every kid who completed The President’s Fitness Challenge. Each student was required to partake in healthy activities and eating habits while keeping track of their choices for the previous 6 weeks.

The best part about Anita Chavez’s P.E. class is that she has almost all of them XC skiing during the winter! The Theodore Wirth and City of Lakes Loppet Trails run right through the school playground and the trails behind the school are where I train the most when I am home during the spring, summer, fall and winter. Almost 80% of the 180 kids in the assembly had skied in the City of Lakes Mini-Loppet. AWESOME!!!

I spoke to the kids about my XC skiing training regime leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics and how much I love training in the Minneapolis parks all year. We talked about many of the different parks in the area and all of the different types of activities we can do in the parks and on the bike paths, like running, biking, rollerblading, soccer, baseball and tag. The kids had lots of questions about Skiing, Alaska, Big Mountains and my new training partner Lahti the Husky!

General Mills was also an integral part of the presentation offering prizes and info about good healthy food choices. The kids did a great job answering the trivia questions about the food groups and serving sizes!

I look forward to working more with Anita Chavez and the kids at Bryn Mawr this summer during their summer school programs and with the support of General Mills for the Tri-Loppet program that is being offered to the Anwantin and Anderson Elementary Schools.

It’s now April and the sun is shining more than the snow is falling. I will say that towards the end of the final week of racing I wasn’t quite ready for the season to be over. When I left Minneapolis on the 22nd of March the sun was shining and it was almost 60 degrees. I had just finished a rollerski hill workout and I was hoping the temperature would rise from below zero for my arrival in Fairbanks. The temps rose perfectly and Mt. Redoubt the volcano waited to erupt until just after my bags arrived a few hours behind me. The snow and trails were impeccable and most of the Elite ski community was together once again which always makes me happy.

The CXC Team could not afford to support us for the U.S. Distance Nationals so it was nice after purchasing the expensive ticket to get to Fairbanks that we could stay with some local families, many of whom were not a part of the ski community yet welcomed us with open arms and even cheered for us at the venue on race days

I was amazed how badly I wanted to race each day. I think staying in Minneapolis with the sunshine and warmth was a great approach since I was more than eager to get back on snow. The truth is I really couldn’t afford to leave any sooner than a day before the first race. I had a great 5K classic race, breathing like a freight train the whole way, and ended up 5th overall, just off the American Podium. A few juniors were ahead of me which was fantastic!!! I really enjoy how strong the junior racers are becoming here in the US and keeping all of us senior racers on our toes!

The rest of the week was solid as well. I had one hiccup in the pursuit race with some bad cramps on the second lap but rebounded for the third and forth. My favorite race of the week was the Skate Team Sprint. I would say that this is by far one of my favorite races. It can hurt so bad and yet be so much fun. My CXC teammate Maria was by far the highlight of the day skiing incredible in every leg against some serious competition (Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephens!). Maria skied the fastest time on her final leg hanging on to the relentless pace of Liz ahead. I was inspired by her all out effort!  Winning a Silver Medal was a great result for us and I am so proud of Maria.

The week ended with a 30K Classic race that utilized most of the steepest climbs in the Birch Hill trail system. This was probably one of the greatest courses I have ever skied. The snow was perfect, the temperature was perfect, the courses were flawless and the crowds of supporters were amazing! Fairbanks is an awesome place for ski races in March!!!

The major element that was so integral throughout my season while racing on the domestic circuit is the awesome wax support I received from CXC! My skis could not have been anymore perfect for the 30K Classic race!!! Bryan Fish, Bill Pierce and Wayne Fish worked like crazy for all of us racers and I hope they realized how much their efforts were needed and appreciated.

Goals for next season are starting to enter my mind but for now I will continue to relax, get some work done and absorb a fun season.