Caitlin Compton

2010 U.S. OLYMPIC CROSS COUNTRY SKI TEAM

Morgan Arritola, Ketchum, ID, 23, 5/13/86
Caitlin Compton, Minneapolis, 29, 11/7/80
Kris Freeman, Andover, NH, 29, 10/14/80 (2002, 2006)
Torin Koos, Leavenworth, 29, 7/19/80 (2002, 2006)
Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, VT, 25, 11/30/84 (2006)
Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, 27, 12/31/82 (2002, 2006)
James Southam, Anchorage, 31, 6/5/78 (2006)
Liz Stephen, Montpelier, VT, 22, 1/12/87

(name, hometown, age as of opening ceremonies, birthdate, (past Olympics))
Source: USSA

More info:

http://fasterskier.com/2010/01/ussa-announces-2010-olympic-team/

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.

First races of the season…Rookie mistake!

I am now sitting in the Samesun Hostel in Silver Star, British Columbia. It is beautiful here with enough snow to cover the race courses for this weekend and we are at an altitude of 5,000ft which feels great!

West Yellowstone Races:
10K Classic -20th place
After a great two weeks of training mostly on the Plateau in West Yellowstone I was feeling great before the start of the 2008/2009 season opening Super Tours. We had an early morning and an unusual course for the 11k Classic Race. The race started about a kilometer from the upper gate on the plateau and descended for the next 5 kilometers, climbed a small hill and then swung around a cone and did the exact opposite returning to the start area at the top. I was really confident in my new Salomon Classic ski s with a Finn Sisu Uni grind. They felt great during our 1 minute pickups on the course a few days earlier! So a few minutes before the race started I had tested my race skis and was ready to go but had to take my warm-ups off. I don’t have zip-off pants so I quickly jumped out of my skis and threw my clothes by my other belongings. I jumped back in my skis and headed for the start. I watched the girl ahead of me start and prepared for my turn to race. I left the gate and began striding feeling like I had pretty good kick. I started double poling like the girl ahead of me but soon realized that my skis were not gliding! I continued to double pole the entire first half of the course making very little distance for the amount of energy I was able to use. I felt great so I put my head down and skied as hard as I could the whole way. I crossed the line and wondered what had happened to my awesome skis I had tested a few minutes prior to starting. I turned the skis over only to find GLOBS of kick wax way over the pocket I thought was needed for this pair of skis! I also noticed a huge knick in the base and red glide wax in the groove! I was so confused!!! I couldn’t believe my skis were such a wreck. I turned them sideways looking for my zone marks but couldn’t find them. Had someone removed them? I then turned the skis over and saw the reality! I didn’t ski on my own skis! I looked over to where I had left my skis when I took my warm-ups off and sure enough, there they were, still sitting with bindings open ready to race. I had raced on Heather Zimmerman’s warm-up skis! Big Rookie Mistake! I will never make that mistake again.
The 9K Skate the following day was a great opportunity for me to prove my fitness and also my ability to race on my own skisJ. We started down near the lower gate and climbed up towards the upper Plateau. I felt great during the race and found that the hills were by far my strongest area. I crossed the finish 2nd and then moved back to 4th overall 2nd American. I was much happier with my race because I had used my own skis and I feel like I am in a good place with more racing ahead.
I will be racing a Skate Sprint and another 10K Classic Race this weekend here in Silver Star and then heading to Vancouver for three more races before I return home. I am staying healthy and motivated and look forward to the weekend.
I have been following the trail updates around the Twin Cities and I am already excited to see guaranteed snow when I return!

Hello from West Yellowstone, MT.
The CXC Team departed on Sunday Morning from Finn Sisu at around 10 AM, spent the night in Miles City , MT and arrived in West Yellowstone the following evening at around 4 PM. As a few members went for a quick evening ski Kristina Owen, Heather Zimmerman and I decided to wait until daylight for our first ski and went for a nice easy jog.
This is my 5th year visiting West Yellowstone, two as a Factory Team member, two with CXC and one with USBA. Although I was out here last year I missed the Yellowstone Ski Festival which I am looking forward to this year. I love seeing familiar faces on the ski trails that I have recently left in Minnesota or I haven’t seen since the winter before.
The snow is fairly thin right now but I would classify the skiing on the Rendevous trails as very good Rock Skiing! Sunday’s’ workout was two sessions of volume training with a skate aki in the AM and a Classic ski in the PM.  I have a big volume week coming up followed by my first “competition prep” week before the first races. I am really looking forward to measuring my fitness during these first races and mapping out a good plan to try and qualify for the World Cup races in Vancouver next January. Until then I have a lot of hard but smart training, diligent recovery and of course plenty of wax to put in my new Salomon skis that Tom Novak ground for me at Finn Sisu before I left .
Thanks again to the Valkava ski group for my last (hopefully) rollerski OD of the season, Tom for turning my skis into finely tuned (ground) rockets and to Avho for his great support and practical insights about the world of Cross Country Ski training and racing.

The season is fast approaching and this is the time of the year when I always seem to be the busiest. After my “recovery” week I seemed to bounce back better than before got sick. My training included two great weeks with my final high volume push of the fall at about 26.75 Hours. This high volume week went very well and was followed by a very thorough recovery week of around 9 hours. After many years of training and racing I have discovered how I train best when the travel and race season approaches. It seems as though the summer and fall Camp schedule’s usually force me to travel while still a little tired from the week before. Now that the race season is upon us I take no chances. I would much rather travel slightly undertrained and fresh rather than pushing too hard or doing too much and leaving the opportunity open to get sick, tired, or over-trained. So unlike my biggest week I had three rest days last week.
My biggest week of the year looked like this:
Monday: OFF

Tuesday:
Early AM- VOTE!!! Jog and Isometric Core Strength
AM- Classic Intervals (Woodbury)
6 X 10 Minutes (L-3 ) w/ 2:30 Recovery
Classic Distance 1.75 Hours (Recovery, Warm-Up + Cool-Down)
PM- Strength -MAX strength (sets 6,6,6) Squats, lunges, dips, pull-ups, core, etc…(YWCA)

Wednesday:
AM- Distance Skate 3.0 Hours (Edina)
PM- Distance Run 2.5 Hours (Theodore Wirth)

Thursday:
AM- Strength- Max strength (sets 6,6,6) Side squats, step ups, cable pulls, bench press, core, etc..(YWCA)
PM- Time Trial (French Park Neighborhood) 10K Skate Approximately 30min L-4
Skate Distance 1.5 Hours (Warm-Up + Cool-Down)

Friday:
Early AM – Jog and Isometric Core Strength
AM- Classic Double Pole Only 3.0 Hours (Elm Creek)
PM- Distance Run 2.75 Hours (From Home)

Saturday:
AM- Ski Walking Intervals (Afton State Park)
9 X 4 Minutes (L-3/4) w/ 3:30-4 minutes recovery
8 X 30 Seconds Max Bounding
Distance Run 1.25 Hours (Recovery, Warm-Up + Cool-Down)
PM- Specific Strength Poling (West River Road) Classic Skis
(12 Single Sticks, 10 Core only Double Pole, 12 Double Pole) X 200 Meters uphill
Distance Classic Ski 1.0 Hour (Recovery, Warm-Up + Cool-Down)

Sunday:
AM- OD Skate Rollerski (Downtown Afton) 4.5 Hours

As you can see I travel around to various training locations throughout the Twin Cities this time of year. I try and make all of my sessions extremely high in quality and specificity. I start to focus a lot on race imagery and tactics while training as well. My intervals become more about transitions, corners, downhills, and tempo changes then simply a heart rate and lactate values.
I skied the Olympic courses in Vancouver last May and spent a lot of time memorizing the climbs, flats, turns and downhills, as well as the stadium layout. I am looking forward to racing the courses in December during a NorAm and hopefully again in January during the World Cups. I have already planned my routes and intervals in the Twin Cities for next summer and fall that I feel will closely mimic the demand of the Olympic course profiles.

Flexible Training Plans…

While working out on Sunday with the Finn Sisu Vakava Skiers, we skate skied the Time Trial course for the following Tuesday. It looked like a great course, and I had to try it out at full speed! It turned out to be a great TT course with lots of V2 which was important for me to work on. I only did the skate portion but stayed to cheer on the dedicated “pursuit” skiers during their classic Time Trial. I had a great time and hope to be out again this fall to have a rematch with the group of guys who I skied with (and beat me!).
I was feeling a little “off” after the first Time Trial and made the call to sit out the second, classic portion. This was a very tough decision for me because I am usually always game for a race or time trial. The next morning I was pretty sore, some of it was from the barbell weight that had hit my quad in a strength workout, a lot of it was from the TT, but some of it was from something else. As I started my next workout I realized that I was not feeling very good at all. The day was supposed to have 5 hours worth of training but instead I only went out for a very easy two hours of classic skiing on the Cedar Lake Trail. The rest of the week was fairly similar feeling really tired and not able to push myself.  I opted to either take days off or do easy distance until my body told me it was ready for more. Again this is a tough call but I have learned the hard way about pushing through sickness and fatigue.
So by the week’s end I began to ponder why I was feeling so tired? Was I overdoing my training? Was I overdoing my other obligations? Did I catch the flu? Without a definitive answer I had to accept the outcome and be pro-active in resolving it. I took it easy, went to the doctor, and re-examined my training log. Everything seems to be in order so I have to accept that this is one of the challenges of training for any sport at any level.

Hello Everyone,
Today is the official start to my blog with Finn Sisu Ski Shop in St. Paul, MN. I have been living in Minnesota for over 4 years and in that short time I have met a ton of incredibly inspiring and outgoing people from the all over the metro who have helped make the Twin Cities the perfect place for me to train.
I am originally from out East and moved to Minnesota after graduating from Northern Michigan University with my B.F.A. in Environmental Design. I hope to return to school and study Urban Planning and Development when I retire from international Cross Country Ski racing but that won’t be for a number of years. My current focus is to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. I am so excited that the Olympics are returning to North America and I think this gives us Americans a great chance to have some great performances! I am also excited that Amtrak offers service to Seattle from Minneapolis, and there is a 3 hour bus ride up to Vancouver included in the awesome ticket price! Hey, if I don’t make it as an athlete I am definitely going to watch!!!
So my blog will offer a glimpse into my world as an Elite Cross Country Ski racer and I will share all of the good times and difficult times along the way. Trust me there are many benefits to being a full time ski racer; great job description (outside enjoying the scenery for hours a  day), great training and ski equipment, and visiting and skiing in amazing parts of the World (South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Austria) and a few drawbacks; realizing that I can’t drive my dream car.
I hope to offer my training as an example of what I do on a daily basis, and if I can provide a meeting time and place, to invite my readers to join me at workouts! I’ll try to update this as much as possible to keep everyone informed to my progress and whereabouts!
Follow me on my path to the Olympics.