February is the month so many have such a hard time with in four season climates. The winter has been long, with the days short and dark. Skiing, for many of us, is beginning to lose its charm. The anticipation of spring begins to drive the mind crazy. But, the mountain trails are still covered in snow, storms keep sneaking up on us and that darn cold air just won’t warm up. All that seems to be on the mind is biking and running and having a good time. Well Snowbasin Resort in Utah won’t be warm enough to rip the dirt, but how about ripping the snow by way of snow running, snowshoe running, snow biking, and skiing all in one glorious morning? Yes it’s true. Team Unlimited is producing the ultimate winter Xterra World Championship weekend in conjunction with the USSSA National Snowshoe Championship! Trust me it will make you glad winter stayed a little longer.

So here’s what Xterra has to say about the weekend:

The world-renowned XTERRA lifestyle is taking its show to the snow with the inaugural XTERRA Winter World Championship this March 7-9. It’s a 3 day-long, multi-event sports extravaganza at the site of the 2002 Olympic downhill competitions at Snowbasin Resort.

The XTERRA Winter World Championship is a first-of-its-kind, uniquely XTERRA multisport race combining the four disciplines of ski mountaineering (8k), mountain biking (10k), running (5k) and snowshoeing (5k).

The destination at Snowbasin Resort, just 40 miles from Salt Lake City, is epic and well known as home to the downhill competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Other featured events in the 3-day sports extravaganza include the PowerSox U.S. National Snowshoe Championships, citizen snowshoe competitions, a radical snowboard downhill dash-for-cash, ski mountaineering races and XTERRA Kids Zone activities.

Each night in Ogden XTERRA hosts parties with music, videos, great food and good vibes.

Plus, the award-winning TEAM Unlimited TV crew will be filming all the action for a half-hour sports special to air across the country via national syndication.

PARTY THE XTERRA WAY!

THURSDAY
Peddler’s Restaurant on Historic 25th Street
Free coffee and appetizers for all competitors, courtesy of Ogden/Weber Convention and Visitors Bureau

FRIDAY
6pm - XTERRA Kick-off Dinner at Eccles Conference Center
2415 Washington Boulevard
Ogden, Utah 84401-2315
(corner of Washington and 24th)

Great italian-style dinner is only $20 (tickets available at the door).
Program includes pre-race briefing for the XTERRA Winter World Championship and video highlights of Friday’s Ski Mountaineering and Snowboard races.

Registration and Packet Pickup will be available.

After dinner, check out “Adventure Night” at the Foursite Film Festival - next door at Peery’s Egyptian Theater

SATURDAY
8pm - XTERRA Party at Rumors Private Club, ground floor Hotel Ben Lomond

2510 Washington Boulevard (corner 25th St and Washington)

Music and dancing along with video highlights of Saturday’s Winter Multisport event.

$5 entry for XTERRA athletes, friends, family and volunteers.
$10 entry for general public.

Before the party, enjoy dinner on Historic 25th Street. XTERRA competitors will receive a voucher to present for special discounts at participating restaurants.

SUNDAY
6pm - XTERRA After Party at Roosters Brewing Company on Historic 25th Street

Bring your friends and family and celebrate with XTERRA at Roosters.
Highlights of Sunday’s snowshoe racing will be screened…and there’s great food and a wide range of brews to choose from.

If you think you are not ready for the run portions, not to worry. Elite Feet our favorite running site will have you more than covered. Check them out and find fantastic running tips, ideas, and training help along with great reads in general. For the rest of it, stay tuned, we’ll be back soon with help and gear tips to make certain you have the best weekend ever at the Xterra Winter World Championship weekend! Sign up now and we’ll see you there!

Breakfast (EAT SOMETHING!!!):

• Juice as often as you can for part of breakfast or instead of a snack!
• Try a little nut butter or butter on a piece of toast and a piece of fruit.
• Make a fruit smoothie (I like to have peeled frozen bananas in the freezer to add because it makes the smoothie taste creamier) add a little ice and/or water to the fruit in a blender. You can also add a few nuts, etc.
• Try a couple of scrambled eggs with a little bit of cayenne pepper (burns fat and increases metabolism) and salt with a little bit of cheddar cheese shredded on top.
• Oatmeal or another grain cereal is always an option as well. I like it with a little yogurt mixed in.

• PROBARS for sale at REI are also fantastic. They have a lot of calories, but they provide sustained energy and they are a whole food bar. I eat little bits of them at a time throughout the day instead of other snacks. They are by far one of the healthiest bars I have found yet.

Lunch and Dinner Ideas:

• At the beginning of each week or on a day that works, cook a big pot of brown rice or some other grain (try not to get hooked on just one type of grain) such as quinoa, wild rice, etc.
• Cut up several pounds of veggies into sticks or bite size pieces and keep them in containers with 1-2 cups per container (such as baggies or Tupperware bowls, etc.).
• Choose a lean meat such as chicken, or fish and cook and season as you like. Separate into portions about the size of your closed fist (you can keep them all in the same container).
• In the morning before work, you can steam the veggies for a few minutes and put them in the bowl with ½ to 1 cup of the rice and add some sea salt and pepper or a little Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (you can get at wild oats) or soy sauce for flavoring. Put one of the protein portions in with it. Don’t be afraid to add a little cheese or cold pressed olive oil (be brave!) or a few raw nuts or sprinkle of sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
• You can also bring some of the veggies raw or some cut up fruit for snacks.

This makes great easy meals for 1-2 meals of your day. Another meal can be salads. Each week at the grocery store, choose some greens and at least five + other veggies. Try not to get hooked on the same ones (look at the ABC foods list for veggie ideas). Make a big salad each day with these veggies (try also adding a few raisins or grapes or pieces of cut up apple or pear for a sweet twist). For dressing, I like to make my own, but otherwise a vinegar and oil based dressing is typically better than the cream dressings (when I make my own, I often squeeze half a lemon or lime on the salad and add a little olive oil and red or raw apple cider vinegar with a little Braggs Liquid Aminos and stir it all up. I will also add a little sea salt and pepper). I like to sprinkle some chopped raw nuts or seeds on top. It makes a great salad and the possibilities are endless with the veggie combinations. You can add a little meat, egg or fish for more protein if you’d like.

REMEMBER TO DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!

Other ideas to consider would be sautéed veggies/meats of your choice eaten in a tortilla or wrapped in a romaine or other large lettuce leaf.

Cook some pasta and at the end drain most of the water (don’t rinse) and stir in some sliced carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, etc and put the lid on the pan and turn off the heat. You can then add some marinara sauce or a little olive oil and herbs, etc and a little chicken if you want.

Just remember that food doesn’t have to be fancy and complicated to be delicious. Typically the simpler it is, the more nutritious it will be and the easier it will be to get the results you desire.

Call or email me at any time with questions, etc.
Rachel (801) 694-0859 rcanyon1@gmail.com

As I ran my race on the backside of Utah’s famous skiing mountains in Midway, I hardly noticed I was wearing snowshoes. This is good as it meant they were comfortable, light, and didn’t kick cold snow up my backside as I’ve experienced with so many other shoes. Crescent Moon has developed a binding system that is amazing. It is sturdy and flexible and doesn’t ‘freeze up’ when it is cold or covered in snow. This allowed me to focus on running fast rather than worrying about whether my shoes were going to stay put. So the weight factor; these shoes are light (did I mention that?)! Ya, these babies weigh less than 3lbs per pair! That’s awesome. The other thing that helped them stay that way while I was running was the very narrow tail. This along with the small tubing, allowed for very little snow build-up as I ran. So like I said, my 3 lb snowshoes stayed three pounds instead of ending up 6 or 7 pounds as can happen. Also, despite being a fixed crampon snowshoe, I didn’t get snow kick-up. I think this must also have been because of the tapered tail? I don’t know, but I liked it!

Anyway after my experience with these snowshoe wonders, I’ll be hard pressed to ever strap another model on—yes I am sold! Also, I won the race as first women overall! Yeah, Crescent Moon has got snowshoes down right!

Some other cool things about the company: Each pair is made by hand in Boulder, Colorado. Also, if you are striving to be an environmentally friendly citizen, Crescent Moon is green! Another thing I love? The owner of the company is helpful, friendly, and passionate about what he does. So if you only have time to try out one snowshoe, check out www.crescentmoonsnowshoes.com and I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

Often when we think of snowshoeing, heavy bulky old trapper style shoes come to mind. Luckily we live in the amazing technologically advanced world full of modern conveniences, including small lightweight snowshoes perfect for running off-road! When you get a pair of these babies, you can go out on any trail at any time for as much time as you have! If you find a fairly snow packed road or trail, you can typically go further and enjoy the fresh air, solitude, and a chance to initiate the body’s ability to build those lovely endorphins. For those with a more adventurous spirit or perhaps the need to get a killer workout, deeper snow works you harder. You will find that you have to generate a lot more energy to go similar distances than on packed trails. What a great answer to an intensive core workout. Guaranteed you will feel your abs, butt, and hamstrings and perhaps a few muscles you didn’t know, or forgot you had!

One other thought for the type A personality that just can’t get enough racing. Yes my friend, there is such a sport as snowshoe racing! So it is one thing to run with your snowshoes; it’s a whole new ball game when you add the intensity of racing in the mix. Even a 5k race in cold, thin, dry air at altitude will leave you gasping for air and ready for a hot soak and a nap afterwards. So check out www.snowshoeracing.com and you’ll find the answer to a series of races clear across the country sanctioned by the USSSA! Best of all it culminates with a National Championship at the beautiful Snowbasin Mountain Resort in northern Utah. Just in time to start thinking about a spring running season for which you are already in great shape with a great attitude….and perhaps a wish for a little longer snow season?

1. Sports-AM is putting on an awesome 5k race at the Park City Rail Trail.
2. Fresh air, high altitude–it’s why you’re on this site, right?
3. Work off your holiday belly all in one go.
4. Kick-off race for the US National’s series with a chance to win a slot for the championships held in March at Utah’s very own Snowbasin Resort! (While you’re there, you can check out Xterra’s latest brain child, the Xterra winter World Championship)
5. Good place to be away from claustrophobic ski resorts and still get a fantastic workout.

So what are you waiting for? This is going to awesome. Where else do you meet runner’s who hate to ski, skiers who love to run, and snowshoe die-hards who don’t know quite what they’re getting into? I’ll see you there!

Rentals: www.rei.com

Xterra: www.xterraplanet.com

Sports-AM site: www.sports-am.com