Tweet Headwear...yes, I crochet too much!

My friend Siri and I started a toque (and other fun things) company (I use that term loosely). What started out as an arts and crafts/wine drinking night has slowly evolved into selling some of our hats and then from there turned into a website and then a Artisans Festival.

The company is called Tweet Headwear. The name evolved from the "tweeting" sounds my boyfriend and Siri's boyfriend made when they spotted a "hot chick"...so "Tweet" was born.

The site is evolving every day and as it stands, no two toques are the same. We also do headbands, hair bands, earrings, and then some other things are in the works...especially if you like feathers!

go to: www.tweetheadwear.weebly.com if you would like to check out the photos, you can purchase items online or just send me an email or call!

...I Thought I would use my blog for a small marketing tool!

Have a great day,
Brooke

West Yellowstone Super Tour

Well the first race weekend has come and gone. I love the Supertour! There is always great music pumping, tons of athletes and the energy is always high. You can't be far off your 'A' game at these races as the time gaps are small and there is always another racer there to sneak past you if you didn't ski a flat powerful enough or a downhill aggressive enough...I love the supertour!

The first races of the year went really well, I was pleasently surprised by the new found strength I have worked hard to develop over the last few years, and getting my butt handed to me by the ankle biters on the Academy time after time in anything double pole related has definetly started to pay off!...although extremely humbling (my ego has taken quite a few hits...those girls are fast and strong! Look out!)

All in all I feel like my fitness is there and now we just have to do some sharpening and get to a place mentally where I can push past my limits!- basically the fun part about racing and all the hard work we put in through the summer! (its the reason I race!)

Next up is the Alberta Cups here in Canmore this weekend. It looks like its a pretty deep field with a ton of racers of all ages! The sprints are on Saturday followed by an individual start on Sunday.

This will be the Academy's debute as a full 20 athlete team! We have some awesome new suits too!

On Tuesday we leave for Silverstar to start the Olympic Trials races! YeeeHaww!

See you on the trails!

and thank you to everyone who has supported me on this quest! I am super excited to see what I have in my engine!

cheers,

Brooke

Winter is here!

The last few weeks have been awesome! Training is moving along nicely and although I am starting to feel the last three weeks of a tougher block I feel like I have made a ton of positive gains! To top it off most of the skiers in the valley have been taking advantage of the ski loop at the Nordic Centre and although its small, its a much needed break from slamming my poles into cold pavement!

Canmore of course was beautiful today, we finally had a sunny day! today we did a combination run/ski workout. We skied around for 2 hrs and then ran up the highline trail to finish off a volume day. There is a ton of snow on the highline which made navigating some of the rocky sections a little challenging.

We leave for our first races on November 21st to West Yellowstone. I am pretty excited to start racing as I have worked really hard on my weaknesses this summer and I am hoping it will translate to faster skiing.

I hope you have great day!
Brooke

Its Been a While

Wow, its been a while!
Honestly I just didn't have anything to write about other then how training is going and well, for me training is always going well- I love it! I have always maintained that even when I stop racing I'm pretty sure my training will increase because then I wouldn't have to worry about optimum recovery or trying to peak. BUT for now I am pretty happy to just keep following the program and trying to find a way to get fitter and faster everyday.

Canmore has been pretty cold and snowy, so our rollerskiing has been thrown off a bit, and I will admit I didn't dress well enough or warm up well enough for our first intensity in the cold, but I am adjusted pretty well now. I love running in the snow! Everything looks so clean and in the forest it muffles the sound of your footsteps its just beautiful.

Obviously I would have liked an extra few weeks for rollerskiing, but this weather isn't so bad for training, in fact I rather like it a lot- it means the season is coming up and that means an opportunity to chase my dreams!

have a great day!
Brooke

Kind of funny

This is a photo from the Calgary race (Ambulance Chasers Charity Run) we did last weekend...

Canmore Challenge Update

The Canmore Challenge chewed me up and spit me out. The course trashed my legs and my ego! There is nothing more humbling then getting you but kicked by nature and happily paying $40.00 to get it kicked!

The race went well I did what I could with what I had on that day. The women took the race out hard and from less then five seconds in I was racing for survival. At one point I forgot I was racing and just had "up and over" running through my head. I didn't have anything in the tank for a speedy finish as I had hoped, but I was happy with the almost puking, just want to lie down and sleep feeling after- that was the point afterall! I am still recovering...apparently I'm getting old!

This race was also the qualifier for the World mountain running championships and although it is tempting to hop on that plane for an Italian holiday I think staying here and staying focused on skiing is the best thing. Mountain running will be there next year and the year after!

We have a mellow week this week! and then testing week next week. The race I did on Saturday served as a "prep" for our V02 Max test which is running and although I gave it my all on Saturday I will have to get myself in a whole different zone for the V02 test.

off to work!
Brooke

Trail Racing Season!

(K-Country/Delta lodge 5 peaks 2008)

Trail racing is my favorite sport next to sking. I love everything about it! The only time I don't love it is when I am on my own and there are "Bear in Area" signs-this is usually the time I start sprinting and an easy workout turns into a race.

This weekend is the Canmore Challenge weekend. I have never actually raced in the Canmore Challenge! I have done a few 5 peaks races and a Zugga Invitational (also a cult fav!).

I haven't been running too much this spring as I am trying to work on my weaknesses which is mostly anything to do with upperbody strength. So I've been hanging out in the gym and then dragging myself around the pavement with my arms. Some one actually commented on my shoulders so I must be getting stronger! However, as most runners know, too much muscle is not a good thing and I have this terrible fear that I now "run like a nordic skier".

Running like a Nordic skier isn't a bad thing...it just means you don't look as pretty when you run. Finesse and flow are replaced by power and not as much efficiency.

That all said I am so excited to race! The Canmore Course is relentless and it definetly allows you to find your limits (and push past them). The key is to stay relaxed enough climbing that you can focus on the downhill and rooty section- you don't want to be so smashed at the top of a climb that you can't put it in full throttle for the descent!

Good luck to everyone racing! It looks like we are going to have a nice dry course!

ciao!
Brooke