Birkie Class Dec.29 The Last Naught

It was Christmas crazy as we tried to combine our normal skiing with a class and the added insanity of our Christmas rain/snow/sleet weather. Despite the weird precipitation the trails are looking pretty good. Most trails are at least good ski ready and the temps are forecasted to be comfortable so there is no real reason not to get out there.
Erick Wickum has a bunch of photo's up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/incomp/?saved=1 and I have a few videos and photos for next week’s homework assignment. Some you may know but check these out:
http://www2.swgc.mun.ca/~knicol/skating%20errors.htm is a good drill tape from Keith Nichols along with http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brGZlZkCwyk that you should know already. http://www.universalsports.com/photos/galleryid=382831.html#spotlight+xc+skier+julija+tchepalova Photo number 11 is a great image of what it’s about. Julija is a good skier to emulate, great focus. As always http://www.skinnyski.com/ for all your trail reports and http://www.incompetition.com/ for some updates on upcoming wax clinics, Bay Nordic Youth Skiing and some lessons as well.
Tonight’s class went well although we definitely need some improvement technically when tired. There is a strong association between what we do and skiing. Time to reiterate: Skiing is like acting. You do it over and over until it is automatic, just make sure it is perfect as well.
Thanks for coming on time. We get more done and it is safer to be indoors when Tyson comes screaming in at the last second. I got a photo just as I jumped out the way the other day. Have fun skiing this week. Get in some hours and carpool when possible. Lakewood is as close to the Birkie Trail as it gets so take advantage of it. See you next Tue. at 5:57pm in the year 2010.
Oh, and spend some time with the mirror, it pays.

Birkie Class 12-22-09 Saturday Night Gun Show

Scotty tells me with some authority that we are going harder than last year. Normally I dismiss that kind of talk as a bad case of sissyrolis but as a recent Ironman finisher I take Scott seriously. It may not change anything but I feel your pain….a little. The efforts are strong but you must believe me when I say that it is more about technique and less about brute force. I know that some find that a little hard to believe especially after witnessing the All American Gun Show last night but trust me, if an old fart like me can do it, anyone can. Note Steves HRM strip. How he inflates that graph I'll never know. It almost seems likes he is working hard.
As homework this week your first job is to go back to last weeks post and review the Keith Nichols video, that is always a good watch. Then before you go skiing look at this video of some specific strength double poling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2KzZ_v_4_8
Double poling a little every day is technically dynamic and will build the explosive strength we need for skiing all in a “skiciphic” manner. Double poling also lets you focus on other things than guiding the ski and lets your “balance muscles” recover somewhat. This is good to do in the last Km or so of a workout. Another part of your homework is to get that 1st or 2nd OD workout of the year in. OD means overdistance and is a great time to refine technique and perfect your strokes. OD does not mean stop and chat, drink or look at your map for a couple minutes every 10k’s. Keep it easy, stay focused and keep going. Don’t train to take breaks; your body will come to expect them. (I know, what a slave driver)
Erick Wickum once again has some great shots at http://www.flickr.com/photos/incomp/?saved=1 and then go and pump the guns up with a little http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtCKtHoGHRU .
Have a great Christmas, drive careful and be ready to go next Tue. as we have our last class of 2009 at 5:56PM.

We will start some testing next week but expect it may take several weeks to get it all in.

Birkie Class Dec. 15th Let them Eat Cake

Week two and all went well……..save the creaky joints this morning. For some the night was a shock and for others a piece of cake. Personally I like chocolate but it will have to do.

I think that our focus on some technical fundamentals will pay off. I am absolutely certain that what you look like in class, on a hill or skiing is the same. A technical mistake made in class will be repeated on snow and while the motor is important they [motors] are a dime a dozen and it is technical efficiency that separates good from average skiers. So, the good and bad news? There are lots of mistakes being made [bad] but that means we also have lots of ways to improve [positive affirmation].

I have a lot of links to go to and things to look at. Consider it part of your homework in addition to the “meet the mirror” sessions you will all be doing with glee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brGZlZkCwyk a great drill video for all levels.
http://baynordic.blogspot.com/ Bay Nordic Youth Group photos and more (really cool for kids)
http://www.universalsports.com/photos/galleryid=377686.html#world+cup+davos+sprints World Cup shots. Look for compression, POOF and the forward shin angle.
http://www.skinnyski.com/ for trail reports and more

With the advancing cold weather the evil blue and green waxes are coming out. These are cold temp with high temp application methods. Cold waxes work great and are vital to skiing but are probably the root cause of most of the base damage we see. Make sure you “pre-wax” your skis with a softer warmer wax before using the cold stuff. This lubricates the base and will help minimize damage. As always move the iron fast and scrape little and brush more. We have some wax clinics scheduled see http://www.incompetition/ for details

The night went well. We are scheduled to start Lactate Testing in the next week but it will take several weeks to get it all done. We will do one at a time and you will miss a few minutes of class…..be sure it’s during dips.
The efforts will become more consistent as we work through some technical issues and get more fluid. Please note that we start at 5:57pm (5:45pm for any doctors in the group). Have fun skiing and do your mirror work. Check out the smile on Ingred, that's worth a thousand dips.

Birkie Class Dec.8 2009 Soft FOG

The start of the 2010 Birkie Season has begun. Our Birkie Class Soft Start went well with the seasoned veterans’ getting right back in the groove and all the newcomers doing well in their first session.

As you may have gleaned we have a bunch of Acronyms to deal with. The Ernst POOF Theory (Push Off Outside of Foot) is an advanced concept but goes hand and hand with the thought that you must lengthen your stride to ski faster/more efficiently. [Remember there are only two ways to increase speed; lengthen stride or turn over faster]. We have a basic knowledge of the “Big Three” ski strokes, V1, V2 Alternate (V2A) and V2 and what they look like. Dynamic Balance, the ability to balance and the strengthening it takes to achieve it are things we will spend a lot of time with. Next week we will ramp up efforts (yes already) but it will be in steps and as before we will work technique before power.

Erick Wickum taught me one thing last night, I suck at photography. His shots look great and you can see some of them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/incomp/ and he linked in a YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvqAoG5OFoI The only issue is his lens makes me look fat which he needs to address. As you look at the images be aware of the actual speed at which you ski. Slapping at the poles or sharp jerky motions is just not real world. Think big push, long stride. What we did are things you can do at home. Practice in front of a window or mirror. Practice perfect because practice makes permanent. DOMS [Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness] peaks 24-48 hours after a workout but don’t call me, as Board Chairman of FOG Racing (Fat Old Guys) I get it worse than anyone.

Couple more notes:
Birkie Class Starts at 5:57pm with a magic word not to be repeated after 6:00pm.
Snow reports are flooding in to http://www.skinnyski.com/ , be sure and add your own.
Expect trails to be soft the first few days. Ski easy and get your legs underneath you. Get those skis waxed for some colder snow. CH6 or Toko Red should be alright for now. The County Parks phone number is 448-4466 to give them a little prodding about the shelter and grooming. The soft start went well and I think it pays to step back and think about some concepts and targets. Now go ski and practice some as well. Good work and we’ll see you next week.
ME

Hillbounding 12-1 Let 'er go down

For the twenty skiers who enjoyed the last bounding session of the year it was bittersweet, the toughest of the tough workouts are over but the camaraderie and fitness gleaned from going up that hill will hopefully continue. Here are some numbers: In the eleven weeks we met the group averaged 22 people who climbed the hill over 600 collective times and the average person spent over 45 minutes above their anaerobic threshold (red zone). Now the focus must shift to snow and establishing some early season contact with skiing and then some specific strength, skill and speed work. What that means is that you need to find snow and do some early and easy skiing to get acclimated and then as the year progresses incorporate more specific workouts into your week. The upcoming Birkie Class http://www.incompetition.com/html/eventRegister.psp is an example of a ski specific strength workout and for most skiers is enough to maintain a positive strength conditioning level.

A few more notes: The snow is coming with the UP getting it's first taste. Check http://www.skinnyski.com/ for trail reports. http://www.dartfish.tv/Player.aspx?CR=p1490c6378m63702 has some great world cup videos and from Yellowstone's ski week. When you get out on snow be sure to look at our new Yellowstone Rollers http://www.yellowstonetrack.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=49. We have two new ones for the county which will dramatically improve early and light snow grooming.

I think that this year was the best ever for hillbounding. The quality of the efforts was great. Make no mistake these are hard efforts and compares favorably to other skier groups both technically and physically. Thinking ahead to next year we might add a few technique days on Saturday mornings and give the technical side of bounding even greater importance.

Lastly thanks to Steve P. for his HRM strips (be sure to expand it). I model the workouts a lot based on his hard numbers. Note today's strip showed a killing shot at minute 35......I wish I could remember what it was so that we could duplicate it!

Well done this year, get out the wax gear and as you get on snow remember its all downhill from here.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyDYTNw4QAE.

PS: The World Cup opener last weekend 15km CLASSIC. Top 5 in 10 seconds! Whew.

Men's 15K1. Petter Northug, Norway, 35:22.22. Maxim Vylegzhanin, Russia, 35:23.43. Alexander Legkov, Russia, 35:30.14. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH, 35:32.35. Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Norway, 35:32.7

That is a great 10km Skate time for most skiers.

Men's 15K1. Petter Northug, Norway, 35:22.22. Maxim Vylegzhanin, Russia, 35:23.43. Alexander Legkov, Russia, 35:30.14. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH, 35:32.35. Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Norway, 35:32.7