BUILDING MOMENTUM
Bryan Cook and Garrott Kuzzy descend the last mile of a 44 mile skate in the Upper Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains
AUGUST CAMP
August 24, 2009
August starts the downward push towards the ski season. Training increases and specificity transitions from an emphasis on general training to primarily ski specific training.
We had a particularly good camp in Ironwood with effective training, comfortable lodging (thanks Bob and Debbie – Wolverine Village) and well prepared meals (thanks Bill Pierce, Bob and Debbie). None the less, the most important aspect, in my opinion, was the attitude and focus during training sessions. The focus was there but so too was the joking afterwards. The athletes demeanor displayed both urgency in their training at hand, but also indicated they are remaining mentally fresh and loose. August is a taxing month of training and can be mentally challenging, but it was good to see the physical progress and positive attitude of the team.
It is critical to build up momentum and carry that into fall instead of perceiving August as an uphill trek to maintain motivation and focus. Many multi-sport skiers are scaling down their summer race season and starting to dust off their rollerskis. The athletes on CXC Team Vertical Limit have logged many miles on their rollerskis and any anxious novelty of putting away the winter boards to trade them in for wheeled ones has long past.
CXC Jr Program & CXC Team Vertical Limit athletes head out for a scenic distance classic ski
Men ski up a steep grade during skate intervals
Igor strikes a balance between fun and fitness atop the Presque Isle River
A scenic overlook of one of the waterfalls on the Black River during a distance run.
Remaining focused in training needs to be balanced with simply getting in physical fitness. This balance is analogous to the difference between urgency and patience. The goal is to remain focused and purposeful in training, but not so focused that training becomes tense – both physically and mentally.
The dynamic balance between these rivaling mindsets often shifts throughout the year. Race season brings a high level of focus and urgency and it is during this time that we need to emphasize patience – step back, take a breath and then hit the start line relaxed but ready.
The contrary is true during this time of the year. Dryland training can become old-hat. Many miles have been logged and the novelty of dryland training has worn off. This time of the year requires more attention on focus and urgency, for it is during the summer months that provide us the greatest opportunity to address our weaknesses and make our greatest gains. This requires not only hours and repetition, but the focus to execute and correct weaknesses. Find training methods to fuel your motivation, for example select training venues with great scenery. End your work on a beach, so you can look forward to a cool dip after a hot summer training session. In short, be creative, so training is something you look forward to.
Jessie Diggins ski walks up Powderhorn Mountain
Bryan Cook completes a classic sprint interval
It’s safe to assume eighty percent of the athletes’ total training is distance training this time of the year. Approximately sixty percent of that distance training is ski specific or rollerskiing for the most part. Stride length and stride frequency are individual, but a good ball-park estimation is forty ski strokes per minute while skiing at an easy pace. That means there are at least 9,500 strokes that an athlete has an opportunity to engrain efficient technique or not. It is critical to maintain focus on items other that 9,500 repetitions so monotony doesn’t creep in. The goal of keeping training mentally and physically fresh is the responsibility of both the athlete and coach. A training plan should include variety and progressive overload, so training stimulus changes. An athlete and coach also need to identify if the athlete has the patience, persistence and physical acuity to efficiently maintain 9,500 quality ski strokes. Most can not. Therefore other less specific modes of training may be selected or maybe a combination ski then run workout is appropriate.
Kelly and Maria sprinting up the last hill in a sprint interval session
Find methods to keep the spark ignited in your training. Work on one or two technical aspects while distance skiing. Play around with force output, stride frequency, body position, V2 up the hill, focus on the transitions or work on downhills. Try to master a drill that you have not fully mastered. In short, challenge yourself while logging all those hours. To improve skill requires additional concentration. New skills require a focus on only one or two elements or else the body and mind are overloaded. Work on one or two items for a short duration and then simply enjoy the opportunity to be outdoors skiing for a while. Go ahead and return to that drill you were momentarily working on after the brain and body have had a little recovery. A continuous distance workout can then become segmented into many different pieces and hence variety is built into the continuous training session.
Audrey toughs it out doing skate intervals up a 15% grade with one pole. Rehabilitation can be looked at as a time to sit back and rest or an opportunity to focus more attention in other important areas.)
There exists challenging times when it’s simply difficult to get out the door to train. An athlete needs to listen to those signs, because they may be warnings that added recovery is necessary. On the other hand, it might simply be that the day is less than optimal or you would prefer to spend your time elsewhere. Maybe it’s raining, warm or you’d rather be out on the boat enjoying the beautiful day. This time of the year requires a little more self motivation and mental toughness. The time to hold back will be during the race season, but this time of the year requires a little more personal push.
Nordic Walking is HUGE in Europe with some 8 million Europeans reported to be walking in the cities (with special removable rubber Nordic Walking Tips/Paws on), out in the country and up in the mountains.
Cross country skiers know that one-piece poles are safer, lighter and much more durable than twist-lock and/or flip-lock adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles. One-piece poles that are sized correctly improve posture and help to reduce the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back.
Utilizing xc poles that have been cut down to the correct height is a green way to go – keeping old poles out of the landfill and providing an inexpensive way to get folks fired up about Nordic Walking.
Perfect length poles help us to automatically walk with a super straight back – better walking posture is biomechanically a good thing. This improved walking posture when combined with the unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action of walking with poles radically reduces the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Walking is low impact and yet provides a highly effective workout – burning more calories and working more muscle groups than regular walking.
The best Nordic Walking Straps are the fingerless glove type straps patented by the Salomon Ski Company. All of the poles at http://WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and The American Nordic Walking System are equipped these comfortable straps patented by the Salomon Ski Company. All poles also come with removable rubber tips/paws for pavement and other hard surfaces plus durable carbide metal tips for trails, the beach, snow and ice.
Nordic Walking Poles are not just for skiers deprived of snow during the summer! Nordic Walking Poles are helping individuals with balance issues, knee issues or new knees, hip issues or new hips, back issues (including those with rods in their back), weight issues, multiple sclerosis (MS), parkinson’s (PD), neuropathy, arthritis, bursitis, scoliosis, lumbar stenosis, fibromyalgia, post polio, osteoporosis, stroke recovery, cancer recovery and other limitations to walking. Nordic Walking poles are helping thousands of Americans get off the couch, successfully get outside, start walking safely and effectively launch much needed walking campaigns.
If you have poles – hit the trail. If you need poles be sure to avoid cheap twist-lock and flip-lock poles that can’t hold up to Nordic Running, hill bounding and ski walking.
If you have a family member that isn’t getting out and walking daily please consider Nordic Walking Poles – even if the use a cane or walker. When hosting Nordic Walking Clinics and donating real Nordic Walking Poles to the Wounded Warriors program we found that poles that are sized correctly are a huge improvement over their canes and walkers 100% of the time!
Walking with poles is the best – when we can’t find snow for our skinny skis!