SKIS, SKIS and MORE SKIS

The beginning of the season not only means its time to race, but it also means its time to “get to know your skis.” Warm skis, cold skis, fine snow skis, klister skis, stiff skis, soft skis, ZR1 grind, Q1 grind, 0+ grind, LJ03 grind and it goes on and on. Those of you familiar with skiing may understand all this jargon, but those of you not as familiar with skiing might wonder what all this means.

Every season I receive two new pairs of classic skis and two new pairs of skate skis. I currently have 16 pairs of skis (I think I counted right). You ask “why so many skis?” Each ski has a different flex and grind, and is better in certain conditions. Generally speaking, colder skis have a finer grind and warmer skis have a courser grind. The fine grind is more suitable for dry, cold snow because the snow crystals are smaller. The course grind allows moisture and water to stream down the grooves of the ski, preventing the skis from having a “sucking” feeling.

With the addition of four pairs of skis, it is important to ski them in a few times during training to get the feel of them and determine what conditions they work best in and how they compare to skis you “know” from previous years. It is best to “test” them against other skis in your fleet to see how much faster or slower they run. The first race in West Yellowstone is usually a great place to do this. Unfortunately, the usual ski trails do not have snow on them and the plateau is not ideal for ski testing, so we are unable to ski on our new skis and test them. Hopefully we will get some good snow in the next few days, not only so we can race, but so we can also “get to know our skis.”

The Sun Valley Ski Team getting ready to hit the trails.

Are You Ready?

It’s that time of year again…several people around the country have witnessed their first snow fall of the season and others have strapped their skis on for the first time…that was me yesterday morning. Snow was in the forecast but I dismissed the possibility of there actually being snow on the ground until I stumbled out of bed and glanced out the window. Sure enough, there was 2 inches of snow blanketing the ground! I was immediately wide awake and excited with the possibility of going for my first ski of the season! Since yesterday, I have enjoyed two great 2 ½ hour skis up near Galena.

First glance out the window

Set tracks

A snowy ski!

Ski number 2

The first snow fall is always a sure sign, and a good reminder, that racing is just around the corner…West Yellowstone races are less than 4 weeks away! Every day I ask myself “what can I do today to better prepare myself for racing in 4 weeks?” I think back to previous years and contemplate what I have done before to prepare for some of my best performances…and this is what I come up with:

1) Train smart- what exactly does this mean? For me, it means to complete each workout as it is meant to be completed…train level 1 when I am supposed to and train level 3 or 4 when I am supposed to. It is also important to go into each workout mentally prepared. Be ready to give your best effort in a hard interval workout, be ready to challenge yourself in a spenst/plyo workout, try your hardest to lift that 50 pound dumbbell during your strength routine.

2) Stay healthy- As the season changes and the air temperature gets colder and colder, wear the appropriate clothing during training. Also remember to bring an extra change of clothes for after the workout. Along with staying warm, it is important to be cautious of how your body is feeling and doing what it takes to escape from getting any kind of bug going around. Remember to wash your hands after going to the gym, take that extra emergen-C, and get that extra hour of sleep.

3) Get appropriate nutrients- this is a big one for me. I don’t know about you, but I always feel much better when I watch what I eat and make a conscious effort to eat a well balanced diet. As an athlete with asthma and a past history of low iron, I limit my intake of dairy, eat more red meat and green leafy vegetables and watch my consumption of teas and coffee during the racing season.

You may or may not be able to relate to these few points, but I have learned from past experience, that these simple tasks make a big difference. Take the extra effort to hone in on one, two or all three aspects as you prepare for this next season. I guarantee you, you’ll notice a difference!

A Sweep for the Cutthroats

This fall I've had the opportunity to help with the Community School Cross-Country Running Team. This past weekend proved to be very exciting as both the boys and girls teams ran their hearts out at the district meet, the qualifying race for the state meet next weekend. Both teams went into the meet not knowing exactly how they would match up against some of their competition. I encouraged each racer to run as hard as they had run in the previous races and assured them that they would not have a problem qualifying. The girls team smoked their competition. They finished with 38 points...the next team had 52! Way to go girls!

The girls team...all smiles before the race.

Bronwen and Morgan leading the pack.

The boys race proved to be a little tighter than the girls race...they were neck and neck with their competitors. We encouraged each racer to either make up ground on the runner in front of them or try to keep the position they were in. After some quick math half way through the race, they were 2 points ahead.

And the boys are off!

The Cutthroats number 1 runner, Sam, on the final stretch.

After some impressive sprint finishes, we were pretty confident that the boys team had secured their qualifying position for state. After waiting 30 minutes for the final results, rumors were circulating that there was a tie between the first and second place teams! The final result was dependent upon the sixth runner. We lucked out because for the first time all season, we actually had a sixth runner...not to mention that it was his first running race ever! Thanks Tanner for running so fast! The boys won by one point!

For the first time in school history, the Cutthroats swept the District meet and qualified a full boys and girls squad to the State Championships! Congratulations Cutthroats and best of luck to you next weekend! Way to go!

The #1 team in the District!

Roadblocks

What makes you strong? Is it the hours of training you put in day after day, the number of squats and push-ups you can do, how hard you can push yourself in an interval, the roadblocks and tough times you encounter throughout your athletic career…?

All of them! If you ask any athlete what makes them strong, I’m sure they would agree that all of those things build you up as an athlete and as an individual. I have learned, through my own personal experience, the impact and importance of experiencing tough times during ones athletic career.

When asked to reflect upon my own roadblock, I was immediately reminded of my senior year at UAA in 2006. After coming off a stellar year of racing and ending my 2005 season with a 2^nd place finish at NCAA’s, I entered the 2006 racing season with results in the 90’s at U.S. Nationals, the worst I had ever finished by far! “What is wrong with me?” That was the first question that came to my mind. “Am I physically out of shape, mentally out of racing, did I do the wrong training?” All these questions swarmed my mind as I struggled to figure out why I was performing so badly. I decided that I had to put my mental thoughts to the test. I went into the next race 110 percent, ready to push my body to its limit. After racing as hard as I could, I finished the race with my worst placing ever in a colligate race; I ended up 23^rd, even after putting in my best effort. I was absolutely distraught and frustrated! Here I was in my senior year, captain of the ski team, feeling the high expectations from myself, coaches and peers to perform as well as I did the year before and I was dead last on the team. I had no excuse or answer as to why I was performing the way I was.

As soon as I got back home, blood tests were performed and soon after, I found out that my iron levels were very low. I was clinically diagnosed as anemic. I had a sense of relief after discovering that there actually was a physiological reason behind my sub-par performances, but I immediately wondered what it was going to take to get me back to where I was racing before. I was informed that there is no "quick-fix" for anemia. It takes three full months for iron stores to return to their full carrying capacity. I figured that if I could at least double the iron level I was currently at by the time NCAA’s rolled around, then I would feel twice as good. Right?

I spent the next couple months taking a substantial amount of iron supplements and was very conscientious of my food intake. The results from the races leading up to NCAA’s were nothing great, but I kept a good, positive head on my shoulders and kept striving for my goal…to get top 10 at NCAA’s.

When NCAA’s finally arrived in March in Steamboat Colorado, I was ready to go! This was it! My classic result wasn’t anything to brag about but I was happy with my performance. I finished just shy of top-10 in the skate race, but I was satisfied because I knew that I had pushed myself as hard as I could.

Whoa! I was filled with relief after the last race of the season. It was finally over! Despite my results, I finished the year knowing that I had tried my best and strangely enough, stronger. I learned the importance of patience, humility and keeping a positive attitude. I don’t ever wish to be in that situation again, but I must admit that I don’t regret what it taught me. I grew as an athlete and as an individual during that time and I did not let it stop be from pursuing my long-term goal of training for the 2010 Olympics…that is where I am today. Since then, each year has been a steady improvement. I remind myself of where I started from and how far I have come. Whenever I encounter a rough spot in my training or in my ski career, I am reminded of the importance of patience and the importance of keeping a positive attitude. With these two qualities, any athlete will only grow stronger and stronger.

Kid's of All Ages!

It’s great! I get to work with kids of all ages…not just 6-10 year olds but 30-50 year olds as well! This past weekend, I had the opportunity to help with a roller-ski clinic for the Idaho Nordic Masters Ski Program. When I was informed that only a hand full of the athletes had been on roller skis this summer, I have to admit, I was a little frightened. Roller skiing is not the easiest task to pick up right away...the balance and coordination takes some getting used too.

I was pleasantly surprised by the effort and skill of these athletes on roller skis for the first time this summer! Wow, they looked better than me the first time I go out for the season. It was fun working with people who have such an eagerness to learn and improve upon their ski technique. At this particular clinic, we focused on poling, both for double-pole classic technique and V2 skate technique. More specifically we focused on getting our hands and hips up at the same time, “tucking our tails,” keeping our arms closer to our body and crunching with our stomachs. Once we practiced our upper body technique, we progressed to mastering our lower body skate technique. We worked on getting a forward lean, pushing off our feet to the side (rather than back), and pushing to each side evenly. So much to think about! While all these tid-bits seemed over-whelming to think about at once, we saw a lot of progress within the 2 hour ski session.

I really enjoy working with the Idaho Nordic Team! They are a fun group of skiers who share the same enthusiasm for skiing as I do. They are a very supportive group of people who are always interested to hear how our summer training is going and eager to hear what our ski results are.

Thank you Idaho Nordic for all your support! Keep up the good, hard work!

Joe Jensen laying it out there at the 2008 World Master Championships

Mixing it up...

Last week I had the opportunity to go on a rafting trip with some of my fellow teammates down the Salmon River. Now, when you think of a rafting trip, you most likely think of sitting in a raft all day floating down a river, throwing in a few paddles here and there. While this was somewhat true, we managed to find several great running trails along the river to keep us on track with our training. A recovery week enabled us to enjoy a week with less volume but it in no way allowed us to sit in the raft all week...especially when our coach was on the trip with us!

After a 4 hour drive, which turned into 7 hours, we finally arrived at the put-in at the North Fork of the Salmon River. Much to my surprise, we managed to fit the gear of 13 paddlers into 3 gear boats!!! I was convinced that there was no way we were going to fit everything, but such was not the case. I learned that you can bring whatever luxuries you desire on a rafting trip...there is always a way to fit more. Who would go rafting without, bochi, horse shoes, a folding lawn chair, or 4 coolers full of gourmet food? These become necessities on a rafting trip!

Yep, all that gear fit in 3 boats!

The first couple days we enjoyed warm sunshine and the freedom to sleep outside without a tent. By day 3 the clouds had caught up to us and we got stuck in a thunderstorm, which lasted all night! The clouds, wind, and cold stuck around for 2 days and we were forced to sleep in our tents and bundle up in the all the clothes we brought with us.

A beautiful, sunny day on the river!

Danielle and I bundled up, the AK way, with our full-body rain suites!

Rain or shine, Mikey, Colin and I always found a way to accomplish our training for the day. There was a great trail along the river that we ran on most days. While it was a pretty well-traveled trail, we had to be very careful of poison ivy! I quickly learned what it looked like and made a cautious effort to dodge and jump over anything that resembled the plant! Luckily, we all came away from the trip unscathed! In addition to running 2-3 hours each day, we managed to do a couple strength workouts on the beach. We got creative and came up with some great exercises that I must admit, made me a little sore.

Running through the woods

We had a great trip, and I would definitely suggest doing rafting trip on your next recovery week. It is a great way to mix up the monotony of training while maintaining good fitness and experiencing a new activity.

Paddles up!

Back to School

It's hard to believe, but its that time of year again! With new school shoes, new notebooks, and new pencils, the Wood River students hit the books at the beginning of the week. They are no longer attending camps, such as the YMCA summer camp that I helped with, rather they are busy with their school work.

I have to admit that the summer flew by. I had a great time helping with the YMCA summer camp and was saddened that it came to an end so fast. I got to know the kids very well, and even got pampered by the end of camp. A few of the girls decided that, as a counselor, I deserved a back message. I had no problems with that!

Getting a back message from Cambria

I won't see the kids on a regular basis, but I hope they come visit me in the Kid's Gym at the YMCA throughout the year. I had a great summer and enjoyed going on field trips, climbing on the rock wall, playing games, and swimming with the kids. I'm already looking forward to next year!

The kids and I in our ITA shirts!