Training Log Archive: igoup

Last ski from Breckinridge. First morning with sun and so could see the mountains tops. Fresh groomed snow. Very nice. Tired though. In addition to leg fatigue I didn't sleep well and so I feel pretty trashed. In any case, my technique continues to improve and I certainly do enjoy it.

* Get weight out on to skis.
* Rotate hips to face skis.
* When in doubt, get low.
* Pole handles up near my ears.
* Need to work on balance, particularly on my left side.
* Need to work on hip flexibility.
* Need to move to a place where I can ski without spending hundreds of dollars to find snow.

Frisco Nordic Center first tracks. Skis were gliding well and it felt good. Buzz Saw was not yet groomed and that was just as well. I stayed on blue trails (Crown, Olympia, RV, Frisco) and worked on good technique. Warmer today too. Very nice.

Breck. Same loop as yesterday afternoon. Like this morning, I was getting much better glide today and moving quicker. Needed far fewer rests along the way too. Thus, I can't figure out how we were only 1 min faster. Snowing the whole time -- probably 3 cm just while we were out. About 25F and I was fine with 1 shirt and my Saloman jacket.

Really happy with today's skiing. I'm not sure if the snow was faster or my wax just agreed with it better but being able to zip along was a lot of fun.

Decided to go down to Frisco Nordic Center. Just after I paid I turned around and did a double-triple take. It was Sharron Crawford with controls in her hands! RMOC just happened to be having a ski-O today and so I did my first ski-O today! It completely slipped my mind to see what RMOC might be up to this weeknd.

Relatively easy nav because Frisco's trail network isn't too crazy. However, the snow last night made the short cuts a little challenging. A couple of places the wind had covered over the short cuts so I had to figure it out on my own and that was not easy. My skis were a good 2-3 ft under the surface. I fell once and those who came after me would have found the mark of a psychotic snow-angel due to my flailing around in the power. Very fun way to get in 12km. Very lucky for me because ski-O is not likely going to be on the NTOA calendar anytime soon. Thanks much to Sharron and RMOC for the hospitality!

Back at Breck with Pat. Add in the Shock Hill loop which was a fun black trail. Nice up and downs. I was skiing better than yesterday both in technique and my lungs. Have to keep remembering to get low. When in doubt, get low. Work on kicking around the fast turns. On the climbs I was doing a better job of getting my hips rotating as I shift my weight from ski to ski.

Breckinridge Nordic Center. Low teens in the morning, not sunny. Started on a green trail (Troll Forest), then a blue trail (Beaver Meadow), then up up up to Glutimus Maximus, etc. Kind of a grind. Steep in places and 3-6 inches of snow. It was nice to do it but I do not think I will do it again. 3000m of altitude meant lots of breaks as well. I was actually out 2:36.

Pat hung up his downhill skis and joined me for loops of Troll and Beaver Meadow. The latter is fun. Little ups and downs and lots of turns at speed. Pretty tired from the morning though. Also, the altitude is still 3000m; I thought it might go down over the course of the day.

PP ladder = 250/90s + 500/3:00 + 750/4:30 + 1000/6 + 750/4:30 + 500/3:00+250

dist: pace, SR, watts
250: 1:44.8, 33.2, 304
500: 1:43.8, 33.0, 313
750: 1:43.7, 32.8, 314
1000: 1:46.3, 32.5, 291
750: 1:46.0, 32.9, 294
500: 1:44.4, 33.9, 308
250: 1:43.7, 34.7, 314

Well this wasn't good. Much slower than in Dec. I have had a restless couple of nights and a few days of aggravation so perhaps that is the cause. I've certainly been working hard so maybe my legs are tired. But this is slow even for tired legs. Oh well.

Run with Karl at Norbuk. Really nice evening: nice sunset at 58F. Moving better than last week but, as usual, my stride is super short.