Training Log Archive: AliC

Joggering out to Wildwood with Ian on the bike path. Bit chilly, but I maybe overdressed in 3 layers on bottom and 2.5 (vest) on top.

Once through ankle plyos.

And 2 x 15 min tempo. Haven't done in awhile, nice to go that rate. Wildwood had a dusting of snow, making it mildly winter-pretty and mildly treacherous covering ice here and there...

Well, this is too late for this season really, but there's a new video out from the Swedish Wintersports center on strength training for xc skiing. A good set of exercises, the newest thing to me was the idea of doing things with a metronome to get a similar rhythm to double poling (50-70 bpm).

Exercises:
One foot forward lunges
Side lunges (with weight)
Push-ups
Bench pulls
Hanging situps
Russian twist (for abs, w/ medicine ball)
Roll out (abs wheel thingy)

C • Thanks for the video 9

And I decided not to race this weekend. So training times!

Up to Huron Meadows to ski many laps on the little man-made loop. Not crazy exciting, but I skied with Dan for a good 5 laps or so (the guy who is faster than me in the local club), so that was fun, good chatting. He's more of a bike racer that's come into xc skiing in the past 3 years. Then he took off and I did no poles for 4 laps, then 12 speeds over 5 laps then 4 laps of double pole.

Looked at Cristina's maps from Norwegian champs (Vesleseter), the two long maps and the middle. Was hard to read them in the thickest bit of the snow squall that hit mid-workout. Heard on the radio afterwards that the squall caused a multi-car accident on 23 and they actually closed the road for sometime, whoa.

After sandwiches, hot cocoa and some chips, we headed out to a neighboring park to play orienteering! This was Bishop Lake, where I'll be setting a course for this spring for a SMOC meet. The woods were full of crunchy snow, so a bit extra effort to push off, but the veg is way less thick than in green times.

Pretty smooth orienteering, good fun.
1 - A bit thick, but led by contours straight in.
2 - Went left, to second trail after the road, cruised on that, then used contours in from the trail.
3 - Fine, was slightly off on bearing, but noted the little hill of the control, so corrected.
4 - Some hesitation, which really doesn't make sense now, I wasn't sure if I was running at the right saddle or the one just north.
5 - Left of line, more so than I thought, hit little trail junction and contours in from there.
6 - Some climb times!
7 - Good, nice to follow reentrant most of way in.
8 - Forms of things were a bit vague heading in, so I was a bit not confident, but hten there was a little hill in green, so perfect!
9 - A bit left on bearing, then saw open nose.
10- Left of line, noting little marsh on approach.
11 - Again left of line (hm, do I always choose that way?), was psyched it was really a gully!
12 - Fine, was slightly confused by thinking one thing that was a depression was a hill, but figured that out at some point.
13 - Sailed solidly nearly all the way in then slight hesitation on the edge of the circle trying to make sense of the land forms, then I saw the one rock =)
14 - Drifted left, corrected using form-line hill top, dropped straight into another great gully control.
15 - In from the trail, almost choose an earlier (too small) hill top, but continued on to the right one.

C • There is another boulder on... 9

C • That is cool. 3

Scamper cool down.

And off to Wildwood with Ian for some running times! This was a warm up, including a loop back to the car to pick up a bonus layer for me.

Normal running drills.

And intervals with Ian. 3 x (3, 2, 1) with 1 min easy with the set and 3 min between sets. We kept alternating the lead, which was nice. Normal set of dog walkers, not many other runners today.

Problem foot was mostly ok, but bothered me in one interval right after I'd retied my shoe, I guess too tightly.

Motivation - based on past 2 years at WOC, the US would be a Division 3 nation on the women's side, with only 1 start spot in the middle and long. But we're close to Division 2 (top 22 nations) and our ranking in WOC 2012 (21st) is better than in WOC 2011 (25th). So all-in for this WOC and see if we can make it up there! (The relay is important. Also making finals in the middle and long is important. We should prioritize those this year... )

Also, brainstorm on how team selections should work with new system (relevant for year after this one). Brilliant ideas *very* welcome...

Departed swiftly after colloquium to sneak in my workout - a mini-specific strength session, 3 triceps, 4 no poles, 3 single-stick, 4 V2, 3 double pole. And, good news, tricept didn't freak out! Happy about that. Legs still a bit recovering from the race. Maybe it takes longer to recover if you're also recovering from being sick?

And I haven't been doing much running lately, so figured a little jog might keep the legs in we-know-what-running-is shape... =)

Also, see track for how to get 30m of climb in < 2 mi in Toledo.

Yeehaw, RHR back lowish. Plus bought tickets out to SML Champs/Team Trials in May, so psyched to play at Moreau again!!

C • RHR 4

And hey look, days are noticeably longer, I could leave at 5pm and get a full workout in! Just a distance ski, legs are still sore from Sunday's race... Felt good to ski though, a happy duck, even if I'm rxcing in Feb. =)

And abs + back upon return as the chicken broth warmed up for some soup. Some of the abs on the exercise ball.

Alrighty, feeling better... go immune system go!

Zumba!

Dancing back from illness =) Figured it was fine to do, pretty mild exercise, fun, and indoors so not breathing cold winter air. Getting more of the moves down, but sometimes my arms and legs are just not doing what the instructor is... arms were kinda getting tired at points, and legs are a bit sore from Sunday's classic skiing adventures (groin more than hip flexors, actually. Am I skiing wrong???)

C • groin 4

Hm, maybe wasn't quite time to race yet, illness is back in the mix. Boo.