TNR 3-23 Wax to Packs

Since the last review a lot has happened. First off the snow is gone. In one of the fastest meltdowns ever our ski season tanked in mid March. While that is not in itself great news at least the warmth we got in return made it bearable. Some modest rain also washed most of the salt down making it reasonable to ride your bikes without wasting the drivetrain to corrosion. A lot more has happened. The first Tuesday Night Ride (TNR) went off tonight with about 8 riders taking advantage of the somewhat warm weather and the earlier than normal Daylight Savings Time. That said it was pretty dark as the group rolled in, a victim of a missed turn and a longer than anticipated roll into to town. All said it was a nice way to kick off the year.

The Dick Lytie Spring Classic Half Marathon and 3 mile is this weekend. This is a tough course that will reward you with nice views and a right to have that big pizza after the race. See http://springclassicrun.blogspot.com/ for more details.

We have a lot of running and bike clinics scheduled this spring. Deb has them listed on our website at http://www.incompetition.com/ or get a complete list by signing up for our email newsletter at http://www.incompetition.com/html/register.psp . Trust me, I’m hilarious there.

I am working on a few things for the skier in you to do this summer. Ski season starts May 1st so be ready but for now some modest base endurance work and getting that Birkie entry in on April 15th is all you need to do. Stay tuned, this is going to be cool…really!

Lastly, Deb and I are going to out of the store the 30th of March through the 8th of April. As part of our tireless search for the best training opportunities for you we are heading to Belize were we will subject ourselves to brilliant sun and azure water. It is a bear we must cross. Have fun while we are gone, get into the training groove and watch for some updates coming soon.

Nice and Crusty March Ski Review and more

March Ski Update, News and more………..

Lots of stuff on our Post Birkie Plate. The breaking news is that Crust Skiing is back. The morning snow has firmed up enough that crust skiing is possible. You want to be off the snow as it warms so get an early start but it is fabulous. Those ungroomed trails, lakes and ponds that were too deep now let you skim over the top. Sweet. Check out http://www.skinnyski.com/ for trail reports but there is a lot of snow in the woods.

Deedra Irwin local junior skier and Wisconsin State Champion is heading to Maine next week for the Junior Olympics. Deedra along with Paul Schommer of Kimberly qualified to go to this high level competition. They could use your help so please read this press release from Phil Nelson and wish them luck at JO’s.

Hello everybody, I hope you have had a great season and guess you did with another year of fine snow. You weren't alone. Our team, the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team, had a great year too. Hopefully many of you saw some of our results in the paper or saw the Athlete of the Week coverage of Deedra Irwin on WBAY. It is this consistent success that led to two of our athletes making the national Junior Olympics representing the Midwest division. Deedra Irwin and Paul Schommer both ran the gauntlet of JO races and state competition to become ranked among the best in their age class in the entire Midwest. We are so excited for them! We hope you are too, as it represents an increase of high end ski activity for our area, and of that we can all be proud. Many of you have supported our team already by attending our races, donating equipment or money. We are asking you to help defray skiers expenses for Junior Olympics taking place at Presque Isle Maine beginning March 8th 2010. We want our skiers to focus on training and doing their absolute best at JO's and are hoping to reduce the families expenses as much as possible. They have worked incredibly hard to make it this far and we believe the community should, and will fully support their efforts.So go online and donate!
http://www.active.com/donate/ANSTFriend or family of Deedra?http://www.active.com/donate/ANST-DeedraFriend or family of Paul?http://www.active.com/donate/ANST-Paul
You can also send checks via me to:Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team918 S. Jackson St.Green Bay WI, 54301

Philip Nelson - Head Coach, Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team

We are looking at the week of 22nd of March for our LAST STONEGRIND before we park the Wintersteiger. It is always good to have them ground, finished and then flooded with a prep wax for summer storage. Want fast skis next year? Take care of them now.

The Birkie is going to open registration April 15th so make it a point to register early. I would bet that over a thousand will register the first day and when the waves fill they fill. Deb discovered the fun of skiing at mid pack this year slicing through the “troughs”. She will have her entry in early this year. Expect wave cutoff changes this year as the condensed field puts more folks into the early waves. See http://www.birkie.com/

In other news we are getting our spring BIKE and RUN Clinic Schedule put together which you can see at http://www.incompetition.com/

Lastly I have lots of thoughts on this year’s race, fitness, training and politics but for now I need everyone to get a couple things ready for summer. A pair of scrap 2X4’s a couple feet long and an old pair of running shoes and some duct tape. A wide web belt and a carabineer would be nice as well. Don’t ask, this is on a need to know basis!

Skiing now is fun. Time it right, don’t use you good skis and have a great spring ski.

Birkie 2010 RL10

I never knew Rod Lundberg but I looked forward to seeing him every year. Rod was a lifelong Hayward Wisconsin resident, athlete and educator but for a group of skiers Rod was a little more than that. Rod was the leader of a group that performed the ski marking for the Elite Wave at the Birkie; you had to go see him before you got to ski in the front.

Ski marking is normally found at high level races but almost never at Citizen events. The racers skis are marked, typically with a stencil, stamp or marker to ensure that the skis you start the race with are the ones you end with. It may sound insignificant but I have been in plenty of races where I would have changed skis had I been able to. For most skiers ski marking now is a sticker that is more ceremonial, something to be applied to your skis as a badge of honor yet at high level races it is part of the protocol that racers know and train for.

At the Birkie being in the Elite Wave means you did the work, proved yourself fast enough and have had some good luck as well before you get to lead the race. The Elite wave is a tenuous start at best. You can only get there by finishing in the top 200 (50 for women) where the underlying current is “what have you done…lately” You are only as good as your last race. Most skiers do not care if they ever get there and realistically it is not that much fun but rather just really hard work. There is one intangible however that for me always made it worth it. I got my skis marked by Rod Lundberg. Rod and his crew used a simple method of marking. They would check your bib number to make sure you belonged there and then with a Sharpie write “RL” and the number of that particular year on the tips of your skis. Rod would say something like “now you are fast” and send you off. There is no way he could have possibly remembered all those skiers from one year to the next but he sure made it seem like he did.

Most skiers will not notice the little writing on the tips of the skis but to those that have been there it means buckets. They know that it is not just given out and that you are the real deal yet it can easily go unnoticed. Rod passed on a few years back but today the marking crew still puts the little “RL” on the skis as if making a link from the present to the past. I hope younger skiers know how important those letters are and they strive to do their best, as they line up for their generation of Birkies.

Birkie Class Finale 2-23-10 Over but the shoutin'

Twenty two weeks have passed since that first night, in a light rain, we bounded up the Bairds Creek Hill. The training is over, the time to ski is upon us. For those that have done the race, well, you know why we go back. For those just getting started try and soak it all in. Few events garner so much loyalty and so much dedication as the Birkie.
Tonight was as we started, a soft workout. I like to watch the chatting going on before we start. This group bonded well and that makes it fun and is its own reward. We have one more thing to do before we wrap up the few remaining weeks of the season: This little ski race from Cable to Hayward Wisconsin.

Things to do these next few days.
· Relax- Your life does not depend on how you do.
· Wax….. and forget it. Spending nervous energy on waxing is counter productive. Believe half of what you hear and do what you know. You can blame me for a slow ski.
· Hydrate- Train to drink and hold water. As the Camp Cramp Champ I know. Drink like a fish.
· Check out http://www.birkie.com/ for updates before you go and any changes that may happen.
· Check out http://www.skinnyski.com/ for wax advise (believe ½) and special events.
· Check your wardrobe. Don’t overdress in a marathon. A sweaty dude is a gross unhappy dude. Lots of folks use “throw” clothes at the start. That pretty much includes all of Jorams wardrobe.
· Have your energy foods before and during the race ready. My favorite, GU (Hammer, Powergel ect) stapled (points OUT) to the inside of my bib. Reach in, tear, consume and enjoy.
· Pack your drop bag with: Ski slides (ties) for after. Dry (lots) clothes including hat, gloves shoes and money for Anglers after the race.
· Take lots of photo’s and get a shirt or two to remind yourself to start training next summer.
· Have a great time, watch out for others and be a great sport, after all there is only one race winner but thousands of others who win something just as good.

Erick Wickum did a great job with all the photos and advise this year. During the course of our workouts, Erick took hundreds of pictures. If you would like to receive pictures of yourself (or me), send a request to Erick at ewha755@yahoo.com with a picture of yourself attached so he does not mix up Joe and Andy again.
Thanks for taking part this year. There is a lot on tap for next season. I have a bunch of neat ideas (insert groan here). There is a good chance the Bay Nordic Kids group will be expanded to include older high school kids. We have two local kids going to Junior Olympics next week and we have some new grooming gear coming to the county next year. Things are happening and we need everyone to keep the momentum going. Lets start with that 30 meter stare as you come up Main Street Saturday.

Birkie Class 2-16-10 Baa Baa Baby

It is not often that an old Ram can herd the lambs to the wolves but Steve is not one to bleat out a complaint as he schooled the young ewes in raw toughness.
What a week. We have great snow, the Olympics started and the Birkie is around the corner. A little quick math shows that if we ski until March 19th we will have our 3rd 100+ day ski season in a row, but we have a lot to do before that happens. Tonight went well. The up-tempo faster pace is just what Dr. Camber called for the week before the Birkie. Here are some thoughts for the final ten days before the Birkie. The need for long OD workouts is over. You either have it now or you don’t but there are things you can do that can greatly help.

A little speed work. A tune up race at 50K pace will get you back up to speed for the Birkie.

Tempo work. 5-15 minute efforts at 50K pace.

Hill efforts focusing on cresting the hill with speed. Rehearse that type of effort so that on race day it is old hat. Keep your workouts modest and your recovery complete.

Wax those skis. Wax and ski, wax and ski. The temps are warm, perfect for flooding the skis with a soft wax followed by a short ski and then another waxing.

Here is what’s coming up:
Tonight (Wed. 3-17) The Birkie Wax Clinic at 6:00pm at In Comp. See http://www.incompetition.com/ for details.
This Saturday the 2-20 Stump Farm 20K and 5K http://ashwaubenonnordic.pbworks.com/Stump-Farm-Open-Ski-Race

Erick Wickum provided this workout link. Don’t do this at home! http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-videos/how-they-train--short-track-speed-skating_270752g110288-uR.html Check out his great photo collage as well. Click to expand.

Lastly some homework: The DOT, as part of their reconstruction of Hwy. 41 is proposing to build a pedestrian/bicycle path near Lombardi Avenue. They will fully fund it but needs approval from Green Bay. This is a real NO-BRAINER (which explains why some councilmen are opposing it) I won’t name names but they rhyme with “yeast” and “fly”. Call or email your councilman. It is easy, go to http://www.ci.green-bay.wi.us/council/ and tell them you strongly support the DOT Bike/Pedestrian Plan for Lombardi Ave. They vote soon and you need to call this week. If you live in District 8 or 12 call Chris Wery or Tom Weber. Twenty calls can make this happen.

OK enough. Good night, good week. Go ski, go wax and we wrap up the whole thing next week. Stay loose and enjoy the snow.

Birkie Class 2-9-10 Hocus Focus

At first blush I thought nobody would come but a little snow does not deter the devoted…or the insane. With 17 days until the Birkie things are coming together in many ways. Our ski conditions are approaching great at a time when we need to be focusing on technical and physical preparations. Physically we have had well over 60 days (in) Green Bay with which you could have skied and more to come. Excitement over the Birkie itself is at an all time high. The 7900 skiers represent a record and the intensity and skill level of the field will also set records. The wave criteria in the future will almost certainly get tougher after this season. There should be great parody in the field as north to south, east to west as everyone has had good snow this year. So what does it all mean?

If you are looking for a good time or place you have a great chance at being in shape to do so but so do 7900 others. Technically most of you are considerably better off than a year ago and sometimes dramatically so. I know that aerobically many of you are at peak shape. So how to tip the scale a little when everyone is looking good?

FOCUS

For those whose only goal is to enjoy the Birkie, finish and have a fun time I say all the power. The sights and SOUNDS of the race are something that frankly I missed for a lot of years. Race aside it is a cool event and being part of this humanity has its own rewards. Focus on the technical sections will keep you from falling, breaking stuff and perhaps not even making it to the finish. That aside, enjoy yourself.
For those that are looking for that special time or wave placement focus has another meaning, especially this year. Focus means minutes or more. Focus can mean a lot of things but I think of these.

Keeping your technique together. More than anything else not letting your skiing deteriorate can save you energy which equals time. Your conditioning may not improve but your technique can.

Focus on your output. Ski within yourself. Going at the ragged edge almost surely means technique breakdown and subsequent efficiency loss.

Focus on those around you. The TACTICAL side of racing is being aware of what’s going on, where you are and how hard to push. Following a guy who looks like he may fall on every hill may dictate expending a little more energy for “insurance”. The Birkie is over at 46km… only it finishes at 52. The last climb to Duffy’s is your last hurrah; a tactical racer knows the course and when to go and when to hold back.

These next two weeks will be time to test your speed. Refine your technique. Figure out what works. Have some fun, do some modest speed work and find a hill and ski it like you want to be seen skiing it. To further get in the mood check out the http://www.wojb.org/listen.htm
podcast during the day and when the starting gun goes off you will be ready to burst forth with the power of ten million butterfly sneezes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYCXsqMfiRw


Good work tonight. Hope your core feels it tomorrow and enjoy the shot of Corey’s arm (dream). May the clench be with you next week as we start our countdown to Cable.

Birkie Class 2-2-10 Pants so tight it hurts

It’s a little early to be calling it a movement but Tyson having his britches hiked up under his armpits has all the indications of a fashion statement in the making and while it certainly was one way to force a clench it is not exactly what I had in mind.

What a “core-iffic” night. I know it’s tough when it gets that quiet. The one third failure rule was in effect tonight as at least a third of the group had to bag some of the efforts early. That is OK; it was destined to be tough. There was noticeable fatigue as the night went on but I am impressed with the output. Our “ V” Crunch was H A R D. I know eight weeks ago the idea of fifty of those never came up. Whew.

With today’s snow the skiing pace has slowed considerably. Gone is the tilled ice base (sort of) and speeds are coming back down to normal and wax jobs may last more than an hour. The good news about the last few weeks is that most skiers have adapted to icy conditions better and will find better control in future ice “events”. I would like you all go back and review this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKhjtRepR_U&NR=1 again. Note that not all skiers are doing the same things and some are virtually lock step together. Slow it down and note the dynamics of these folks. Wow indeed. With BSG coming up and the Birkie closed now is the time to do a few things.

• Start waxing those skis. The last week or so was hard on them. Soak them with some temp appropriate waxes. CH8, Toko Red/Yellow as we will see forecasted temps in the 20’s+.
  


• Double check poles and baskets. We notice a lot of loose or cracked ones lately.
  


• Do some modest speed work. 50 K race pace efforts for 3-5 minutes. It will not be flat out. Remember that 50K pace is not WFO.
  


• Do a little specific strength work like double poling, single sticking. Think about that drag race off the start line and where those poles need to be (in tight).


• 
  Spend a few minutes getting those pole straps adjusted. Not only do they give you more power they really help steer that pole out of harms way (look at that video again).
  
  We only have a few weeks left and we will ramp down a little. Andy chastised me for forgetting the dips but we will make it up. I don’t want to but sometime you have to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0l3QWUXVho
  
  Thanks to Erick for the photo Montage ( and reminding me to do things) Great night, good effort. It seems to be coming together. Well done skiers.