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• benjaminlannin 11:30 pm on March 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Season Review: How awesome is skiing? 

  By Benjamin Lannin

  As 50 degree temps and rain are threatening my area trails it seems a good time to reflect on the ski season that was.  With great snow all winter, I write this remembrance with a huge smile.  As late as November I still was not sure I would be able to ski at all.  To have skied from Thanksgiving till mid March, with my dieing knee feeling even better, I count it blessing upon blessing.  While my results took a step back, after 7 months of basically no lower body training, having so much fun out racing and mixing it up, its been nothing but a blast.  Here are a few tid-bits from a season of marathon racing.  1)  Toko Blue over Moly with Jetstream Blue top coat always results in fast skis for the duration.  Simple combo, no magic, but I’ve used it even just above freezing, never disappointed (great Nordic Ultratune grinds never hurt this combo either).  2) Dress your support crew as if they were going on an arctic exploration to avoid bitter people waiting at the finish.  3) The chicken soup at the Birkie finish does not taste nearly as good if you have not just banged for 50k.  4) Racing with a smile makes you feel faster (even if your not).  Thanks so much to Team CXC, Salomon, and Toko for helping me glide through another snow filled winter!  How awesome is skiing?

  

  Pit Crew

  

  Spring skiing with the Sugarbear, nothing better

  benjaminlannin and Dave Knoop are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Dave Knoop 12:00 pm on March 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Ben,
    Sisu 45k in Ironwood good times eh?

    Dave

  • benjaminlannin 12:27 pm on March 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Dave,
    An awesome day! Wish we could be getting snow now like it came down then.
    benjamin

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• benjaminlannin 7:23 pm on December 25, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Happy Birthday Jesus! 

  By Benjamin Lannin

  On a recovery day what better way to spend it than with family giving thanks to The One through whom all good things come.  Hope every one out there is having an awesome Christmas, recovering mentally and physically, as race season goes into full swing.  We have had great snow in Traverse, just hope it survives the warm up that is on the horizon.  My prays go out to all who have suffered through any of my blogs.  May you have rocket fast boards and a tail wind in all your races in the new year.

  

  Greetings from the sauna

  

  Chrstmas carb load

  

  Merry Christmas!

   

  Alec Steward, Charlie Lannin, benjaminlannin, and 1 other are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Eric Egeland 7:06 am on December 28, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Benjamin: Greetings from a fellow, believer and skier from AK! As for me and our house we do serve , follow and worship Jesus. Awesome post! And nice pics! Have you ever heard of Fridtjof Nansen? An early 20 Cen Norwegian Ski Monster. As I read Ps 47 this AM and skied through some lonely classic trails I was reminded of his words; “Better to be outdoors skiing and thinking of God then in church and thinking about skiing” If going to Sr. Nationals; ski hard and pray harder!

    • benjaminlannin 1:11 pm on December 28, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for the positive comment. To see to other side of the comment coin see the comment on fasterskier.com Thanks again benjamin

  • Charlie Lannin 2:07 pm on December 28, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Word!

  • Alec Steward 6:16 pm on December 28, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Thanks, Benjamin, for your Christ-centered Christmas greetings! The vast majority of the nordic community is focused on OD workouts every Sunday morning – which is great, for training purposes – but leaves us sorely wanting for fellowship at church and the opportunity to learn about and draw near to our Creator. Praise God for the gift of His Son 2000 years ago!

• benjaminlannin 1:10 pm on November 29, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Wes Yelly word life 

  By Benjamin Lannin

  I just returned from two awesome weeks in West Yellowstone with Team CXC.  Every time I get the opportunity hang and ski with the CXC crew I’m in total awe.  These cats are true professional bangers from every angle.  Being able to watch their technique and how methodically they train is always inspirational, stoking the fire inside.  Two weeks on snow was a true blessing as it always takes me lots of time to balance and ride a flat ski again.   Thanks so much to the coaches and team for letting me lurk about and try to absorb as much as I could.  Thanks to CXC, Salomon, and Toko for all the support and making this magical time happen.  Special thanks to Santi for rooming with my sloppiness for two weeks.  Thanks to Coach K for the company on our epic journey out.  And ten-thousand thank yous to my family for letting me go to fantasy ski camp.  To the CXC players I’m praying for all your seasons to go above your expectations and I’ll see y’all at the Birkie.

  

  Tad warming up for the win

  

  B Gregg with the eye of the tigger

  

  All the expos cool new gear

  

  "I want to see mountains again Gandalf!"

  

  The Jeep is officially deflowered

   
   

• benjaminlannin 6:06 pm on October 12, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Strange World 2.0, or Necrotic Training 

  By Benjamin Lannin

  Just a brief update on fall training and some of the strange things I’ve been doing to work around my knee.  My boy Nick Murray got me into surfskiing which is great core, cardio, super tippy,  fast and tons of fun to boot.  For those not in the know, a surfski is a 19′ open top boat with a pedal controlled rudder.  The last two weeks I’ve had a huge smile on my dome as I’ve been able to skate rollerski again and my knee is diggin it.  This is thanks in part to a stylish new knee brace that off loads pressure from the bad side of my knee.  Also new Marwe rubbers (thanks Finn SISU) feel like sticks of butter underfoot, smoooooth!  Finally to help lighten the stress on my knee I’ve been forgoing Ming’s Garden General’s Chicken in hopes to start the season around 10-15 lbs lighter than last.  Hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather and colors as much as myself.

  

  Surfski

  

  Our house on fire with autumn

  

  
   

• benjaminlannin 8:59 pm on August 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Pb-ville (Top of the Rockies Holmes) 

  By Benjamin Lannin

  Me and my family had the privilege of attending a wedding in Leadville CO. Spending the week camping and chillin.  I was hoping to get a lot of L-1 in the books but seeing as it became difficult to keep my heart rate down at 10,200′  it ended up that I got in lots of L-3 but what-evs.  All I could fit in the Jeep was my road bike and rollerskis so I missed out on some of the great Mt. bike trails.  I guess this leaves reason to visit again next summer.  The mineral belt trail that goes around town was perfect for rollerskiing and I hear is impeccably groomed in the winter as well.  Pb-ville also seems to be roadbike mecca as well, seeing more bikes than I did cars around town.  In all it was a great week with special thanks to Jena and Drew who took us in as our tent was less than H2O proof  in full on down pour.

  

  view from the tent

  

  La Familia

  

  Pb morning Heavy Man!

  

  The dudes are road-trippin

  

  Congrats Jena and Drew
   

• benjaminlannin 11:06 pm on July 2, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Double pole to infinity 

  By Benjamin Lannin

  This post was supposed to be about setting my P.R. at this years 25K Grand Rapids River Bank Run by 6 minutes.  I was going to thank the fine coaches at CXC for their awesome training program,  as well as Salomon for their shoes that fit like a glove.  But this post is much less sunshiny as a seismic shift has taken place in my life and my training.  If anyone out their read my last fasterskier post I spoke of hope that I would not need surgery on my troubled knee.  After my most recent MRI I would see a surgical repair as a blessing.  The MRI showed avascular necrosis of the end of the femur that makes up the knee-joint.  My ortho doc feels that I had contused the bone and then relentlessly abused it setting up a cycle of inflammation that stopped blood flow in to the femur end.  So to help it heal I can’t place load bearing stress on knee for three months.  This means no running, no skate rollerskiing, no lower body weights, no bounding, no jumping, no fun.  Gone to are all the summer running and mtn. bike races I had planned.  What I can do is double pole (Thank God), bike in a light gear, aqua jog (whatever the heck that is), and upper body weights.  At first this news was devastating but I’ve channeled this energy into being insanely motivated to double pole my self into the best shape of my life.  The hope now is that by resting my knee it will heal and I will be able to hit it full-bore and hang up my eye patch no longer being a peg legged skier.

  

  double pole till you puke