SNOW

ME the Prophet of SNOW

incomp — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:17:00 GMT

I could feel it in my bones. Like a hound on a hot trail I knew it would snow. Snow it did with the 1st Dec. 1st snow since 1990 (big snow that is). The snow compressed and firmed up. They have either rolled or groomed most local trails with further grooming as the snow dries out.

That all said we will not have our 11th bound of the season this Tue. the 4th. I know everyone would rather bound than ski...............not. A few quick facts:

We had 10 sessions.
We collectively did (conservative estimate) 5000+ reps up that hill.
We had a maximum of 30 athletes.
We had a low temp of 17 degrees.
We had at least 4 nights of rain.
We could smell the wacky tabaccy from the Disk Golfers at least 3 times.

With the snow on the ground it is important to get on it. The 1st few days should be spent smoothing out and refining technique. IF the snow is good it may be beneficial to do a few surges where you ski hard until you see technique breakdown. Probably a minute or two. Tempo skis and Pace workouts will come after a few hundred K's on snow. LSD (Long, Slow Distance) is the current order of the day.

Now is the time to scrape skis. Get them waxed with a 20 degree (ish) wax like CH7 or Toko Red and get using them. I would probably hold off on the good skis until you are sure of the trails.

You all did good. The efforts were outstanding and the improvement dramatic ( I was concerned at 1st). You have been rewarded with snow so get out there and enjoy it.

Thanks

Mark

30/30 Thuddy

incomp — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:01:00 GMT

Did you ever notice how sounds get muffled when it's cold. 30 skiers did 30 reps (30/30) (sounds like thuddy) in the cold [17 degrees], calm air. I was gauging effort by watching the water vapor clouds everyone put out against the uphill light. Cool. Despite a protracted warm-up caused by the cold, things heated up quite nicely and we advanced the physical side of the workout by quite a lot. The light desiccated snow on the ground appeared like dust under the bright lights and provided a modicum of "glide" for our flat sliding feet. Rope work was very solid as folks are getting the hang of work/recovery cycles (I hope).

Strong points:

Physical effort was good. Very solid output.
Technique was 90% improved over early season.
Ski-ciphic flexibility is vastly improved.
Specific strength seems stronger with greater fluidity.

Weak links:

Arm control is both creative and still soft. Much more work need on PPP (proper pole posture)
Not "rushing" the stroke. Take advantage of long glide.
Breath training can be enhanced. Skiing is much easier when you breathe (imagine that)

The light snow and forecasted cold with more snow may put next week, our last scheduled session in jeopardy. The amount of snow we had last night was about as much as we can handle. I will send out a go/no go email next week Monday or call here Monday/Tue for updates. I checked the ice at Barkhausen this morning and it was mostly solid. The water levels are very low making the "channel" more clearly defined and large sections of exposed bottom. The shallow water will probably freeze to the bottom in places making it safe to ski as soon as we get some snow on it. As always with ice: Never go out deeper than you are willing to fall in! I will keep an eye on it. Well done this week. Cold crummy weather makes training hard so get a pal to motivate you and get out there in this critical lead-up to the on snow season. I,m thinking Saturday morning speed work if we can get on snow soon. Stay tuned for updates on that.

THINK SNOW

LOG ON TO BOUNDING

incomp — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:02:00 GMT

Despite wet at times weather and a brisk south wind 20 spirited bounders carried on and carried [ME] up the hill in a fast paced and informative session.

Most people improved as they went along and seemed unaffected by the wet. When you are putting out a lot of heat it takes a lot of water to make it seem cold. Be thankful we don't do these in July like we did in the young [and stupid] years.

Some notes:

The pole dragging we did seemed to show almost instant improvement in everyone's pole plant.
Shin angle, the angle that the shin intersects the hill, is improved. That is fundamental. Now we work on "tipping over".
Balance drills [like in a mirror] sound goofy but they do work. Balance is not inherent, it is learned. That is why babies cannot walk. Already there is improvement within the group but there is room to improve. Treat that as a positive. If there was no room for improvement you would just be like me, old!
Find mental tricks to keep your focus. Hillbounding is never easy, excellent technique will make it better.

Back in the day (bear with me) we trained as a group and there was guy who was technically better than me (or anyone) and I would always try to match him stride for stride, be it rollerskiing or bounding. It never worked. I finally realized that to be able to keep up with him I had to be more efficient for me and not to try to match strides but rather find ways to hold my own. It did happen but is was my being "tired of being tired" that forced the issue. Being exhausted came be a great teacher and that's why bounding is such an important workout. Easy to say.....hard to do.

First Climb is at 5:30 next Tue. Good workout.

Pulling the train, the Sole Train choo choo

incomp — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:11:00 GMT

Pulling the train.

Hoooeeee. Twenty-nine stout skiers got the chance to enhance [nice] their hip flexors Tuesday night and discover what it felt like to be a beast of burden. The night went by fast with near ideal conditions [51 degrees and no rain] and an up-tempo punctuated by on the fly technique work.

For some it was a breakthrough night as their technique made some significant gains. Pole control remains the strong “weak” link, as there was plenty of misguided poling to go around. That said, click on www.skinnyski.com and look at the GO Training segment midway down the homepage. In particular look at the TT photo’s number 18-19-20-26-41 as good examples of where the poles should be. Note that hill bounding should be better as we get awesome pole “bite”. [Ex-UWGB skier Jo Jo Winters is featured]

Couple Notes:

· There were some long-ish poles out there. Armpit height is plenty.

· I noted a lot of “resting tucks” on the top. The Ernst 50/50 rule is; Practice ½ the time correctly and you get it wrong 50% of the time.

· There still was not a lot of forceful breathing out there. Train the muscles that facilitate breathing as well as the motor.

· Forward posture is coming along. Don’t be afraid to push the limits.

I think it was a good night. The duration and intensity compared to week one is pretty darned good. As always it is a brutal workout. Gear up mentally to get the most out of it. Well done.

Next week we start at 5:26pm. Note we only cancel for snow-covered ground. No snow, we go.

Thar she Blows

incomp — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:29:00 GMT

Tee shirts to parkas. What a difference a week makes. The 34 degree temps combined with a 25 knot wind that rivaled a summer evening on Ellsmere Island (go look it up). The twenty [20] athletes that came were treated to, as Dan "dances with shorts" Statz said, "a shock to the system".

Just when you started getting use to this "system" along comes this new thing of more resistance and higher reps, huh? Like everything in athletics as you improve you can actually decondition even if you are working out. As you acclimate to a workout it gets easier and as a result you need to introduce new stress if you want to improve.

WHY YOU ASK? It certainly felt hard before. Stress and recovery stimulate the body to adapt. The adaptation desired is better fitness and hopefully the training involved will stress you and ultimately raise your fitness level. As you get better at anything the amount of stress goes down and occasionally it is desirable to shake it up and trick your body into a response that will raise your fitness level. The beauty of a terribly hard workout is that you continue to gain benefits from it, sometimes for days or even weeks after completion. Your body elevates itself to respond to stress and can and will stay in a heightened state until the recovery is complete. The body anticipates more stress and goes into a conservation mode, speeding recovery. Brilliant in a way.

And now the notes:

When cold and when tired there seemed to develop some interesting technical "innovations" . Going hard or going flat out is NO excuse for letting your technique slide. Remember, training is simply acting. Rehearse diligently and you get an Oscar.
The goal of "paired training" is to improve your efficiency by being better technically than your partner. An example would be two skiers knowing 2 k's out that it will come down to a sprint. The skier who can maintain pace and yet conserve more energy is most likely to win. In cycling, the sprint is almost always won by someone who is not in the lead with a kilo to go. Having a partner that you can use as a benchmark will allow you to improve your own efficiency. Whew!
Motivation: It takes strong motivation do even do these workouts. Hard conditions with conditioned partners make it harder. The dividend will come with the snow.

There was a question posed about the predominance of classical drills. One reason is that it is easier to get up a hill straight than laterally but the real answer is that there is very little difference technically between skating and classical. Huh you say? The elements of SKIING are balance, power, aerobics and timing. They are not discipline exclusive. Case in point: Virtually any technically proficient (not a real lot) classical skiers can skate, skate well in fact, yet I know many technically skilled skate skiers who cannot classic to save their lives. Whatever mistakes you make classical skiing will probably be made skating but not as obviously. Remember, even I sound good in the shower!

Good night. I hope everyone came away more than just cold and tired. It was a good workout. We go again Tue at 5:28pm under the lights.

Push Pull and Drag

incomp — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:15:00 GMT

Push Pull and Drag

The last bounding session of November went out like a Lamb chasing a Lion. The temps were near 60 degrees for the 29 skiers taking in 29 reps and a monster Lactate Interval. Tee shirts and lace weather to be sure with colder stuff predicted later this week. Enjoy while we can.

Quick note: See the www.xcskiwinn.org site for info on the Ashwaubenon Trail Run coming up in two weeks. Great course, great fun and great SOUP!

We noticed a lot of newbies last night and with them (and some vets as well) some interesting [read that as needs work] technical styles. Arms in particular showed some creative ideas that may be useful in a Drunken Monkey Look-alike Contest but for skiing………………..? My arms got longer last night after being pulled up that hill. Like being pulled by a bunch of wild horses ye haw.

With arms it is important to remember these rules.

Arms must reach out but remain flexed yet rigid.
Hands should be at shoulder width [only].
Hands must imitate the angle you want the pole to be at. Poles only work when in the ground and pushing back.
The compression of the upper body initiates the poling sequence. A forceful and rapid expulsion of air from the lungs allows for a better pole effort. BREATH! ---- HARD!

Speaking of breathing, I noticed a lot of folks doing what I call shallow breathing that is short, rapid and low volume breaths. Even during the LI there was less than optimum breathing going on. Remember: Even a simple thing like breathing becomes difficult when you are going hard. You have to train for that as well. Yea I know, "just when I thought I had this technique stuff down pat now I have to breathe as well".

All in all it was a good solid effort. The LI was particularly hard and next week we will have a very special twist in that regard. Never forget that these ARE tough workouts and yes they can suck at times but they also achieve a lot in short amount of time. Being in a big group makes it easier. This is a workout you do not want to do on your own. Good effort.

Next week we go at 5:28pm. Bring Halloween candy to burn off.

Wet Bikini's

incomp — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:59:00 GMT

Tuesday nights have been damp affairs and last night was no exception. The weather was great, 62 degrees and damp soft grass..............until............the heavens opened up with 6 reps to go. Sometimes it is even more fun in the rain[1] but with Dr. Simons running off silly about a little 'ol lightning we did a hasty Lactate interval and beat it home. The 17 bounders got in a faster paced effort with the Mark Ernst Perceived Exertion Scale (MEPES) a little on the hard side. Aside from the rain and my new hernia repair (my bikini modeling days are over) we had a good solid effort.

A few notes:

Take advantage of the wet grass. It has a natural glide that dry surfaces do not.
Next week we to incorporate proper foot and arm angles. I would see one or the other but not always both.
Foot stance. Starting each stroke from an unbalanced dynamic position. Not a comfortable position.
Expect to see a new and dynamic triceps drill. Love is too strong a word for this.

The good news was the reps while slightly lower (26) where at good intensity and at a much faster pace. faster efforts place a greater emphasis on rate of recovery. Rate of recovery is probably the best determiner of fitness an athlete can have as well as a indicator of the end of an effective workout. Bounding at these intensities can produce effort that is difficult to duplicate [and dangerous] on rollerskis and hard to do by yourself while running or biking.

We start at 5:27pm next week. Bring Dry Clothes.

[1] Caldwell on Cross Country was wrong.

Bounding by the numbers

incomp — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:29:00 GMT

Week four dawned 20 degrees colder than the weekend. The wind was brisk at 18 knots. 15 skiers joined in the fun. We did 31 collective reps up the hill. Many had heart rates into the 85^th percentile. Jeff spent $500 entering next years Ironman and Chris had 0 horsies to crack and I have 36 hours until a hernia repair.

Some notes on technique:

There is good improvement in regards to "holding a flat ski [foot] but we now need to add extension to get more length into every stride. This is [unexpected] more evident while doing lateral skate work.
The last 30 seconds of a lactate interval could use more focus on technique. How you look doing these is almost always what you really look like when skiing, skiing tired. Think of it like climbing *** Hill. There is no downhill after the climb. You are gassed but you need to keep skiing. It would be a shame to keep up to someone for 40 klicks only to have them disappear on you because you could not hold it together. It is trainable but that is both mental and physical.
We will have to work the arms with a slower tempo / higher power rate next week. It is about simulating the poling imputs involved. Speed , power, timing and control.

The group is looking better. I have every reason to expect everyone to ski well this year. Make sure you bring a friend. This much fun should be shared by all. I will try to link some photos onto the www.xcskiwinn.org/community/snow/default.aspx site some time today. Always fun if not a little revealing.

Age over Beauty

incomp — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:49:00 GMT

Cooler yet nice conditions greeted the group last night, our 1^st under the lights. The "soft" start got hardened a little last night and a little was added to the upper body elements. We worked on (and will continue to) MAINTAINING A FLAT SKI (FOOT). The results were very obvious and in some cases immediate. Jeff M. had a breakthrough workout and I now expect him to finish in the top 10 at the Birkie*.

We got a little taste of a longer Lactate Interval. These are all out efforts designed to go beyond your Anaerobic Threshold (AT) and then recover quickly. They really are Technique Intervals in that we do them to maintain efficient technique even when you are running out of energy i.e. the top of a climb. I have often said it is not the person who gets up a hill the fastest but rather the one who goes over the top the quickest. These are very important, take them seriously….however unpleasant they are.

Technically things are coming along. My only concern is a clear and present weakness in the strength of certain youthful members after being schooled by the Silver Fox in Upper Body 101.

We start at 5:29 PM next week 4. It has to start cooling off soon so dress right. Good effort at 24 reps. We go for 30 soon.

* It could happen!

American Birkebeiner Accelerating Drive
to Meet $65,000 Challenge Grant by October 15
by Leslie Hamp

HAYWARD, Wis., October 2, 2007 – In a fast and furious attempt to raise $65,000 to meet a challenge issued to the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF), Executive Director Ned Zuelsdorff today announced donations are nearly one-third of the way toward the goal.

"As of October 2, donations stand at $20,797, and our goal is to raise the full $65,000. When matched by John and Leslie Taylor and family, the $65,000 turns into $130,000. It’s a fabulous opportunity that we just can’t let slip by, especially during the 35th anniversary of the event."

John and Leslie Taylor, athletes from Madison, Wis., have strong ties to the Birkie. John has been supportive of the international ski race that annually pulls 9,000 skiers, including his wife Leslie, to northern Wisconsin and the Birkie Trail. Leslie has completed 13 Birkies.

The Taylors issued the 30-day challenge, which began on September 15 and runs through October 15, 2007, as a way to support the event that annually attracts 7,000 skiers to the 51 kilometer American Birkiebeiner and 23 kilometer Kortelopet and another 2,000 skiers to shorter races and events for youth, families, and recreational skiers.

"Coming during the 35th anniversary year is perfect timing to honor the vision of Tony Wise in creating this international event that inspires people from around the world to live fit, healthy lives," Zuelsdorff said. "Raising the matching funds will positively impact trail development and grooming for years to come. It will further improve the event for both classic and skate skiers."

Funds will allow completion of the Birkie Classic Trail segment to the High Point food station in 2007 and to Highway OO in 2008. Funds will also allow the purchase of a second, large grooming machine to assure quality grooming through the winter and for American Birkebeiner ski races and events.

"This challenge grant will benefit both skate and classic skiers, " Zuelsdorff said. "A new Pisten Bully will allow us to provide the best grooming possible for all skiers, and expansion of the new Classic Trail will reduce congestion for skaters and striders alike."

Zuelsdorff said it’s easy to donate to the Birkie Challenge Fund.

Donors can contribute online at www.birkie.com or send a check for their donation to the ABSF at PO Box 911, Hayward, WI 54843. The check should be made out to "ABSF Trail Fund." The ABSF is a non-profit organization, and donations are tax deductible.

"Meeting this challenge will be a fantastic tribute to Tony Wise and a recognition of all the skiers, sponsors, volunteers and businesses who have driven the event for 35 years," Zuelsdorff said. "I encourage skiers and supporters to mail or drop their donation off at the Birkie office today."

To view donations to date, log on daily to www.birkie.com where a thermometer graphic illustrates every dollar donated to the ABSF Trail Fund.

To learn more about North America’s largest and most prestigious cross country ski race and the matching challenge grant, log on to http://www.birkie.com, email birkie@birkie.com or call 715/634-5025.

Birkie 2008 is sponsored by Subaru, State Bank of Drummond, Cable Chamber of Commerce, Johnson Bank, Sawyer County Record and Superior Publishing, and other businesses throughout the region and country.

About the Birkie: Celebrating its 35th year, the American Birkebeiner (1-800-USA-BRKE; www.birkie.com), February 21-23, 2008, is the largest and most prestigious cross country ski marathon in North America. Spanning 51 kilometers from Cable to Hayward, the Birkie is part of the Worldloppet series of 14 international races, part of the American Ski Marathon series of 14 races, and part of the lives of citizen skiers from around the world. Sponsors of Birkie 2008 include Subaru, State Bank of Drummond, Cable Chamber of Commerce, Johnson Bank, Sawyer County Record and Superior Publishing, and other businesses throughout the region and country. Find out more at http://www.birkie.com or call 715/634-5025.

Barefoot girls and Bounding, a fine mix

incomp — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:58:00 GMT

"barefoot girls sitting on the hood of a Dodge, drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain"

Bruce nailed that one. A soft rain and mist that made for almost perfect conditions tempered the warm humid conditions. The turf was soft and the grass had almost the perfect glide. No one was complaining about the weather, that said I expect to hear some griping about arm and hip flexor soreness. The return of the rope was greeted with great enthusiasm by all. We engaged both upper and lower body muscle groups with such a simple thing as a rope and only a fraction of the trash talking we normally get.

There are some points that we need to address.

Hand placement and angles. We need to "act out" the pole plant. Too many look like the queen waving to her subjects.
Lower shin angles. Everyone can improve on that score. An acute angle places the body in weight forward posture without the need to bend at the waist.
Rotating forward around the hips. This is the big technical glitch for the majority of skiers. The art of keeping your glide going by rolling over your ski (foot) is a tough one to master but gets you extra glide and propels you into the next stroke. Much more to come on this.

Our 1^st soft Lactate Interval was greeted warmly. Although only a couple minutes long it once again proves that when in the red zone……your brain is not the boss.

I am impressed with the general conditioning level out there. I think that if we focus the conditioning with proper skills training we can really get somewhere this season.

WE GO AT 5:30PM NEXT WEEK UNDER THE LIGHTS. Bring water, dry clothes and cameras and a margarita for Dr.Chris, the Pony Whisperer.

Hillbounding Returns in 2007

incomp — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:20:00 GMT

Their baaaaaaaaaack. Yes the 2007 Hillbounding season has started again. Tue. night was warm and humid as we did our 1st "soft" start ever. Jeff M. was right in that we are a week early this year. It all went well and the relaxed pace made for a relatively easy night. We will slowly ramp up the efforts as we go. It is expected that we see more and more folks as the college and high school kids start coming.

Remember that we start at 5:30pm. We were a little tardy this week. I would rather use natural light than the fake stuff. We will work the rope next week and be a little faster between reps. Bring a camera if you like and as always, your soreness is nature's way of saying not to get out of shape in the first place.

2007 Hillbounding

incomp — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:22:00 GMT

Remember that we start at 5:30pm. We were a little tardy this week. I would rather use natural light than the fake stuff. We will work the rope next week and be a little faster between reps. Bring a camera if you like, and as always, your soreness is nature's way of saying not to get out of shape in the first place.

Snow is WHEN you find it.

incomp — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:51:00 GMT

Snow, to paraphrase John Caldwell, is not always where you find it but rather when you find it. Now that our nice December snowstorm has finally arrived, it finally is time to go ski. The good news is multifold. We have lots of snow over a hard base. We have more daylight to ski and temp’s are pretty moderate. The race season is winding down and it is now a good time to just go out, relax and ski. Waxing? I would try a sloppy coat of something warm and then forget about it. Technique? You bet. Now is a great time to try some of those things you never took the time for. If your V2 is lousy what a great time it is to work on that. Those "corner chat’s" with friends are just the ticket to pad your training log. I always believe that as long as you have skis on your feet your training counts.

Some Birkie notes: It was a real eye opener this year. Going there knowing I was not going to ski was weird enough (I did not even bring skis as not to tempt fate) but having a non-timed race/tour/ski festival was a first for me. I was feeling very different being above the start as the honorary starter. I did not know about that one (Mr. Oblivious). I also appreciated the XC armbands although (Mr. O) again it took me a while to figure out that as well! It was neat to see the waves leave, almost all but the Elite folks were smiling and relaxed. I guess I picked a good year to be a part of the other side of the Birkie. The event has been taking on a different complexion for me the past few years anyway. I expect it to be much more fun next year, no matter how slow I ski.

Thanks for all the how do’s at the Birkie. It is always nice to get together as skiers at our own right of passage. Now get out and ski.

Feeling better

incomp — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:34:00 GMT

........Now I remember.....I'm radioactive. I was not quite sure what I was forgetting as I left the PET scan "trailer" (a semi trailer with the PET scanner in it) but it sure was different than the first one I had back in July. Back then the 2 mg's of Ativan they gave me "softened" my memory of it. I was told the radioactive isotope they gave me only has a half life of 90 minutes which was very comforting.

These scans (CT-MRI-PET) are starting to get a little routine, as routine as getting stuffed headfirst into a barrel for 35 minutes can be. Deb got our meeting with Jules my oncologist pushed up to the same day. I was getting a little wound tight with all the waiting.

The good news: Things are looking greatly improved. When you compare past films to yesterday's it is like night and day. The areas of interest are either clear or very reduced and possibly gone. Jules cautions me that I still have not passed the test of time (I'm still working on my ACT's) and I am scheduled for another PET in April but for now, I am going to enjoy the moment.

The bad news: The CT portion of the PET showed a broken rib possibly from coughing or three boys that like to jump on Dad. I remember some pain but not much worse than a 12 inch dagger in my back. Actually it was a surprise to me. The other bad news is that I have Muehrcke Lines. It is a tragic situation where small lines form on your fingernails as a by-product of the Chemo...........my hand modeling days are over!

I have no illusion that this may not be over. More Chemo or surgery is still a distinct possibility but there is now good hope. I have always questioned whether you survive cancer or just peacefully co-exist. I'll call it a draw for now and get on with life. I have had countless folks tell me that they are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. I am convinced that having so many people pulling for you made all the difference. There will always be doubts but having the positive wishes from all of you certainly made getting this far possible. I would just ask you keep on doing the same for me........and for those others that go through this..... and for the ones that don't make it.

Thanks

Mark

Skiing Solo with Friends

incomp — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:57:00 GMT

A friend of mine, Joanne Schmidt, from Walla Walla Washington sent me a print the other day that I think XC skiers might like. Joanne is a very good skier (classic is her forte) who is a member of the Methow Valley Ski Club (see link). She is from my generation and grew up racing in Wisconsin when not to busy becoming a doctor. Methow Valley has had to endure meters of snow this season making for soft conditions occasionally. I feel so bad for them.......boo hoo.

The painting's artist donates some of his fees to the Methow Club, a pretty nice thing to do. I think this painting exemplifies why we ski. I'll think of it on those long solo skis in the future.

See http://www.mvsta.com for the MVSTA site. see how the other half lives. I see a Midwest training camp in the future.

http://www.mvsta.com/images/art_skiing_solo.jpg Skiing Solo with Friends