Nov. 30 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
First Time Trials on Snow
11.18.2011
Well The start of the actual race season is upon us here. Alaska has been blessed some some great early season snow up in Hatcher Pass and over the last few weeks, here in town. The best part is that we didnt only just get enough to ski, we got dumped on! The skiing has been fantastic in town and has allowed for some great training. The early snow has also allowed for some really quality time trials. We have had 2 really solid distance TT's so far and 1 sprint TT in soft snow.
Our first classic TT was up in Hatchers on a cold morning (8 degrees). The course has a lot of climbing and the conditions were fairly nice with a little bit of snowfall overnight. As usual for Hatchers, I was the first go on course followed 30 seconds later by my arch nemesis and training partner Mark. Although it was colder than anyone had planned, i was surprised by how well the body was moving for the first TT. I was able to gauge where Mark was in comparison on a few sections of the course, but was otherwise just trying to go as hard as i could to find time anywhere i could. In the end after 12ish kilometers of racing, Mark had the better of me by 5 seconds (and close to 2 minutes up on third). I was pleased with the first TT race of the season and was more motivated to get the season underway.
Last week we had a double TT with a classic sprint TT and a skate 10k. The sprint TT went well enough and although i was 5 seconds from the winner of the prelim, the rounds went well. My speed is still coming back and improving each week.
The Skate TT went a little better. The course was a two lap huge climb course. Boding in my favor, i enjoyed the hard climb and definitely went into the red zone. I was unravelling pretty bad over the last kilometer, but managed a win by 3 seconds over Mark. We were 45 seconds up on third. We have some good skiers on our team and Mark and I are looking well. This really gets us fired up for the season coming up.
Well The start of the actual race season is upon us here. Alaska has been blessed some some great early season snow up in Hatcher Pass and over the last few weeks, here in town. The best part is that we didnt only just get enough to ski, we got dumped on! The skiing has been fantastic in town and has allowed for some great training. The early snow has also allowed for some really quality time trials. We have had 2 really solid distance TT's so far and 1 sprint TT in soft snow.
Our first classic TT was up in Hatchers on a cold morning (8 degrees). The course has a lot of climbing and the conditions were fairly nice with a little bit of snowfall overnight. As usual for Hatchers, I was the first go on course followed 30 seconds later by my arch nemesis and training partner Mark. Although it was colder than anyone had planned, i was surprised by how well the body was moving for the first TT. I was able to gauge where Mark was in comparison on a few sections of the course, but was otherwise just trying to go as hard as i could to find time anywhere i could. In the end after 12ish kilometers of racing, Mark had the better of me by 5 seconds (and close to 2 minutes up on third). I was pleased with the first TT race of the season and was more motivated to get the season underway.
Last week we had a double TT with a classic sprint TT and a skate 10k. The sprint TT went well enough and although i was 5 seconds from the winner of the prelim, the rounds went well. My speed is still coming back and improving each week.
The Skate TT went a little better. The course was a two lap huge climb course. Boding in my favor, i enjoyed the hard climb and definitely went into the red zone. I was unravelling pretty bad over the last kilometer, but managed a win by 3 seconds over Mark. We were 45 seconds up on third. We have some good skiers on our team and Mark and I are looking well. This really gets us fired up for the season coming up.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Start of the Fall.
Hey All,
Its been a while since my last post and I will be remedying this now that things are gearing towards racing season. Training and work have really taken there toll on my day. I am wishing that there was at least 3 more hours every day when im driving home at 9pm from all the days activities and still having to get some dinner going. It generally doesnt get much easier as you get older in the athlete world, but never stops being rewarding.
Training has been going very well this summer to say the least. Taking into account the whole "Total Training Load"philosophy, I have felt much less of the typical demotivation that comes with lots of training. Ive been working a lot and trying to train effectively at the same time. This in addition to trying to maintain a fairly non-existant social life, i've had to dial a few things back and as im seeing now, the benefits have been positive. Although I still feel tired on a regular basis, I dont find myself in the "eternal hole of sticky tar" feeling. Ive done quite a few training sessions by myself this summer and for the most part have been on my own schedule. Mark has been pretty consistant with the team schedule with glacier camps and such and makes a good gauge for me to compare my own fitness. Our workouts as of recently have been good for me to see where my body is at compared to the rest of the team as well. My fitness has been in a really good place and although slightly out of sync with the team, im doing better than i thought in the different categories of training.
My goal this season is to prepare the best i can for US nationals in Rumford, ME in January and wont sidestep the fact that my priority is to be on the podium. Seeming as this is also a year with no major championships such as Olympics or World Championships, I have planned to stay home for most of the early season. This is a significant difference from the typical 6-7 weeks on the road. I am excited to actually be home for some holiday seasons this year! This wil also allow me to maintain a very structured training program preparing me to race at my best for US Nationals. Im excited.
One new thing I would like to try and incorporate into my blog this season is suggestions for training. I have found myself at work being asked a plethora of training related questions from a variety of customers. These questions allow me to answer and at the same time analyze my own training. So if there are any questions out there from my few extremely bored readers out there in regards to anything training related. I would love to approach the ideas and discuss them.
In the mean time, everybody get out and be active and have fun.
BK
Its been a while since my last post and I will be remedying this now that things are gearing towards racing season. Training and work have really taken there toll on my day. I am wishing that there was at least 3 more hours every day when im driving home at 9pm from all the days activities and still having to get some dinner going. It generally doesnt get much easier as you get older in the athlete world, but never stops being rewarding.
Training has been going very well this summer to say the least. Taking into account the whole "Total Training Load"philosophy, I have felt much less of the typical demotivation that comes with lots of training. Ive been working a lot and trying to train effectively at the same time. This in addition to trying to maintain a fairly non-existant social life, i've had to dial a few things back and as im seeing now, the benefits have been positive. Although I still feel tired on a regular basis, I dont find myself in the "eternal hole of sticky tar" feeling. Ive done quite a few training sessions by myself this summer and for the most part have been on my own schedule. Mark has been pretty consistant with the team schedule with glacier camps and such and makes a good gauge for me to compare my own fitness. Our workouts as of recently have been good for me to see where my body is at compared to the rest of the team as well. My fitness has been in a really good place and although slightly out of sync with the team, im doing better than i thought in the different categories of training.
My goal this season is to prepare the best i can for US nationals in Rumford, ME in January and wont sidestep the fact that my priority is to be on the podium. Seeming as this is also a year with no major championships such as Olympics or World Championships, I have planned to stay home for most of the early season. This is a significant difference from the typical 6-7 weeks on the road. I am excited to actually be home for some holiday seasons this year! This wil also allow me to maintain a very structured training program preparing me to race at my best for US Nationals. Im excited.
One new thing I would like to try and incorporate into my blog this season is suggestions for training. I have found myself at work being asked a plethora of training related questions from a variety of customers. These questions allow me to answer and at the same time analyze my own training. So if there are any questions out there from my few extremely bored readers out there in regards to anything training related. I would love to approach the ideas and discuss them.
In the mean time, everybody get out and be active and have fun.
BK
Monday, August 29, 2011
Lost Lake
8/29/2011
This was my first time running in the Lost Lake race in Seward, AK. I have always wanted to run it, but there have been numerous things that have kept me from it. This grueling, but beautiful 15.5 miler was simply unreal. The weather was warm and cloudy at the start of the race. There had been some recent rains, so the majority of the first climbing 5 miles was interspersed with thick mud and general wetness. I was confident that i could stay with the lead through the climbing section of this race, but very quickly after the start I found myself running a little hot, and i dont mean good looking. Knowing that i havent done as much running as these other guys in front of me (Jerry Ross (2:24 Marathon), Brandon Newbould (2:25 marathon) and Eric Strabel (2 time Crow pass champion)) I had to make sure i had some legs for the running sections. I held back just enough to keep my effort in that comfortable hard feeling. At the top of the climb, I had found myself pulling back Brandon and Eric who had run away from me a couple miles earlier. I pressed the first part of the rolling ridgeline right after the climb and i brought Brandon to within 15 seconds. I held that for about a mile.... until Brandon found his legs again. Each mile after the climb was faster for me and i was feeling better and stronger as the miles clicked away, but unfortunately i also watched the more seasoned runners gain valuable seconds on me with each mile. Apart from the start, I only saw Jerry just before the descent on a very long gradual climb... well out in front. I was running just over 5 minute pace for the last four descent miles, but still managed to lose some time on those guys. I finished in 4th about 1.5 minutes behind Eric and about 5 minutes behind Jerry. I felt like a hero and couldnt have raced better for where my fitness is at for running. My hat goes off to the three in front of me for really throwing down some great times in what ended up being an extremely wet and muddy race. I have no more races for the summer season and from here on out its going to focused on preparing for Nationals.
Brent
This was my first time running in the Lost Lake race in Seward, AK. I have always wanted to run it, but there have been numerous things that have kept me from it. This grueling, but beautiful 15.5 miler was simply unreal. The weather was warm and cloudy at the start of the race. There had been some recent rains, so the majority of the first climbing 5 miles was interspersed with thick mud and general wetness. I was confident that i could stay with the lead through the climbing section of this race, but very quickly after the start I found myself running a little hot, and i dont mean good looking. Knowing that i havent done as much running as these other guys in front of me (Jerry Ross (2:24 Marathon), Brandon Newbould (2:25 marathon) and Eric Strabel (2 time Crow pass champion)) I had to make sure i had some legs for the running sections. I held back just enough to keep my effort in that comfortable hard feeling. At the top of the climb, I had found myself pulling back Brandon and Eric who had run away from me a couple miles earlier. I pressed the first part of the rolling ridgeline right after the climb and i brought Brandon to within 15 seconds. I held that for about a mile.... until Brandon found his legs again. Each mile after the climb was faster for me and i was feeling better and stronger as the miles clicked away, but unfortunately i also watched the more seasoned runners gain valuable seconds on me with each mile. Apart from the start, I only saw Jerry just before the descent on a very long gradual climb... well out in front. I was running just over 5 minute pace for the last four descent miles, but still managed to lose some time on those guys. I finished in 4th about 1.5 minutes behind Eric and about 5 minutes behind Jerry. I felt like a hero and couldnt have raced better for where my fitness is at for running. My hat goes off to the three in front of me for really throwing down some great times in what ended up being an extremely wet and muddy race. I have no more races for the summer season and from here on out its going to focused on preparing for Nationals.
Brent
Sunday, August 7, 2011
More than just a race
August 7, 2011
I cant help it at this time of year now to think about last years endeavor at the Trans-Alpine run. I am asked quite frequently if i am planning on going back this year or if I have other grand races of equal magnitude coming up. I want to go back. This year though, I will leave it to Patrick and Harlow.
Harlow Robinson and Patrick Conway will be Alaskas new tough guys at the TAR this year and I will watch and read with great anticipation on the sidelines here at home. They are keeping up a blog to describe their approach and race so as to provide insight as to the mental and physical strain they will be put through. I enjoy rereading the stage summaries that Brandon wrote last year and comparing it to Pat and Harlow's pre race posts, they seem to be in the same mindset we were at this time. Although i will venture to say that between Brandon and I, Harlow and Patrick are well informed about what to expect. I still laugh a bit at how ignorant i was beforehand.
What i like best about reading these pre-race post from Patrick and Harlow is the sense of understanding between the two. This isn't the type of race that you can do with just anyone. In this race, you are only as good as your teammate. You have to function as one, and to do that you must trust each other. Harlow apparently gave Patrick the option of choosing another teammate when Harlow's knee went off the deep end, but Patrick was seemingly unwilling to do the race with anyone else. This to me is the sign of a team that will prosper in this race.
I grew up with Brandon and spent a lot of miles getting to know him. He has been one of my greatest friends, but i was surprised at the end of the TAR how much more i learned about him. I am not talking about the simple things like how he likes his hamburger layered, Im talking about the will power within. The TAR is one of the most grueling and tough races i will ever do. I learned a lot about myself too.
By the tail end of the race, I found myself pulling adrenaline and guts out of somewhere within that i didnt know existed. My mind would shut off and pure determination would take over. It was as if the world around me disappeared and all that was left was the thin band of packed down gravel in front of me. Its a surreal feeling to be at, but i think that it the the feeling that the best athletes in the world learn to embrace. Perhaps Ive only skimmed the outside of that realm, but it was having my teammate there that I was able to find that determination. Your teammate in a race like this the most important choice you can make in my opinion. Unless you are able to work as one unit, the race is unlikely to go in your favor. I have a feeling that Patrick and Harlow will experience something similar to Brandon and I, an awakening within.
We had a classic time trial a little over a week ago now that happened to go better than expected. I have been staying very consistant with my training here in town, but cant help but feel like I should be up on the glacier putting in the 25-30 hours of on snow time and having the in depth technique work. I occasionally feel like my fitness is not as fine tuned as the others. I think this is only natural. So when it came time to time trial, I was unsure as to how it would go. Apparently I had missed out on the conversation the day before when the mens team had decided to take the pace out hot and push the double pole section (the race consisting of a 8k rolling double pole section followed by a 3k uphill climb). The first part of the double pole section was pancake flat and I fell in line and was relaxed. That feeling was very short lived as the paced ramped up and I found myself at my breaking point trying to hang on. With about half a kilometer to go before the climb, the pace seemed to ease just enough for me to catch my breathe. Lars and I had done some killer intervals up this hill about a month earlier and I was really psyched after words. I thought about this as we started into the climb. My legs felt strong enough and i decided to set a solid L4 pace up the hill. I went to the front and Mark immediately latched on. Just past the 1k mark on the hill, the Marks pole plants behind me seem to fade. I kept the tempo high and by the 2k mark, I glanced back and saw nobody there. The pace i set was a little faster than i should have gone as the last kilometer saw me unravel. I dialed back just enough to keep my form together, but im not sure there was any part of me that wasn't loaded with lactic acid. I crossed the finish line and immediately fell into my poles gasping for air. Mark came charging in about 25 seconds behind me and soon after him Erik Bjornsen, one of our new juniors to the team. My goal was to be sub 29 minutes on the course and i felt the effort was worthy of that at the vary least, but my concept of time when working out has never been fantastic. Marks first word to me were surprising. "I think that a new record dude". Last year, Mark set a blistering pace on the time trial to win in 28:13. Unknown to me, but apparently to others, Lars Flora skied to a sub 28 minute a few years back. My first inclination was that he was talking about my personal best, which was 28:33. I would have been stoked with that. Marks next words were even more surprising; "That was like 27:30 or something". I couldn't wrap my head around that. The effort was a huge personal best. I just went hard. Shut off my brain and attempted a pace i wasn't comfortable with. FUN
You can read it at http://teamchugach.blogspot.com/.
I cant help it at this time of year now to think about last years endeavor at the Trans-Alpine run. I am asked quite frequently if i am planning on going back this year or if I have other grand races of equal magnitude coming up. I want to go back. This year though, I will leave it to Patrick and Harlow.
Harlow Robinson and Patrick Conway will be Alaskas new tough guys at the TAR this year and I will watch and read with great anticipation on the sidelines here at home. They are keeping up a blog to describe their approach and race so as to provide insight as to the mental and physical strain they will be put through. I enjoy rereading the stage summaries that Brandon wrote last year and comparing it to Pat and Harlow's pre race posts, they seem to be in the same mindset we were at this time. Although i will venture to say that between Brandon and I, Harlow and Patrick are well informed about what to expect. I still laugh a bit at how ignorant i was beforehand.
What i like best about reading these pre-race post from Patrick and Harlow is the sense of understanding between the two. This isn't the type of race that you can do with just anyone. In this race, you are only as good as your teammate. You have to function as one, and to do that you must trust each other. Harlow apparently gave Patrick the option of choosing another teammate when Harlow's knee went off the deep end, but Patrick was seemingly unwilling to do the race with anyone else. This to me is the sign of a team that will prosper in this race.
I grew up with Brandon and spent a lot of miles getting to know him. He has been one of my greatest friends, but i was surprised at the end of the TAR how much more i learned about him. I am not talking about the simple things like how he likes his hamburger layered, Im talking about the will power within. The TAR is one of the most grueling and tough races i will ever do. I learned a lot about myself too.
By the tail end of the race, I found myself pulling adrenaline and guts out of somewhere within that i didnt know existed. My mind would shut off and pure determination would take over. It was as if the world around me disappeared and all that was left was the thin band of packed down gravel in front of me. Its a surreal feeling to be at, but i think that it the the feeling that the best athletes in the world learn to embrace. Perhaps Ive only skimmed the outside of that realm, but it was having my teammate there that I was able to find that determination. Your teammate in a race like this the most important choice you can make in my opinion. Unless you are able to work as one unit, the race is unlikely to go in your favor. I have a feeling that Patrick and Harlow will experience something similar to Brandon and I, an awakening within.
We had a classic time trial a little over a week ago now that happened to go better than expected. I have been staying very consistant with my training here in town, but cant help but feel like I should be up on the glacier putting in the 25-30 hours of on snow time and having the in depth technique work. I occasionally feel like my fitness is not as fine tuned as the others. I think this is only natural. So when it came time to time trial, I was unsure as to how it would go. Apparently I had missed out on the conversation the day before when the mens team had decided to take the pace out hot and push the double pole section (the race consisting of a 8k rolling double pole section followed by a 3k uphill climb). The first part of the double pole section was pancake flat and I fell in line and was relaxed. That feeling was very short lived as the paced ramped up and I found myself at my breaking point trying to hang on. With about half a kilometer to go before the climb, the pace seemed to ease just enough for me to catch my breathe. Lars and I had done some killer intervals up this hill about a month earlier and I was really psyched after words. I thought about this as we started into the climb. My legs felt strong enough and i decided to set a solid L4 pace up the hill. I went to the front and Mark immediately latched on. Just past the 1k mark on the hill, the Marks pole plants behind me seem to fade. I kept the tempo high and by the 2k mark, I glanced back and saw nobody there. The pace i set was a little faster than i should have gone as the last kilometer saw me unravel. I dialed back just enough to keep my form together, but im not sure there was any part of me that wasn't loaded with lactic acid. I crossed the finish line and immediately fell into my poles gasping for air. Mark came charging in about 25 seconds behind me and soon after him Erik Bjornsen, one of our new juniors to the team. My goal was to be sub 29 minutes on the course and i felt the effort was worthy of that at the vary least, but my concept of time when working out has never been fantastic. Marks first word to me were surprising. "I think that a new record dude". Last year, Mark set a blistering pace on the time trial to win in 28:13. Unknown to me, but apparently to others, Lars Flora skied to a sub 28 minute a few years back. My first inclination was that he was talking about my personal best, which was 28:33. I would have been stoked with that. Marks next words were even more surprising; "That was like 27:30 or something". I couldn't wrap my head around that. The effort was a huge personal best. I just went hard. Shut off my brain and attempted a pace i wasn't comfortable with. FUN
You can read it at http://teamchugach.blogspot.com/.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Real Season Start..... Mt. Marathon
7-8-2011
Ok, so it has definitely been a while since my last post and i hope to remedy the situation with more updates on what going on in my training and racing world. Lets start with a brief synopsis of what has happened over the last couple of months.
After a fairly mediocre end of the ski season in Sun Valley, my focus and motivation were lost. I took a couple of weeks off to simply try and get rested and feel ready to train again. I started my training again full time about week before the Heart run. I raced the Heart run and ran a solid 15:26 or so. Not too bad. I came back a week later for another road 5k in Palmer and raced to a second place finish in 15:36, which also garnered me about 300 bucks in cash. I just beat out my training partner Mark. Next was Brian Gregg's wedding (one of my former UAA teammates and very good friend on the race circuit). On a dare by the great Rob Whitney, myself and a few others from the wedding party found ourselves at an ultramarathon race nearby the day after the wedding (not a great time to choose to race by the way). We all signed up for the 25k race which is considered the whoosy event in the ultra races, but whatever. I was able to fend off a formidable ski and trail racer by about a minute and a half for the win, although i wont mention that the first female was not far off... oh crap. I had a good week of training and finished it off with my first ever Ski To Sea race. What a blast that was! Because it was early in the season, this was one of the harder 6k races i have done. I finished a solid third in the nordic leg (first leg) and set a good momentum for our team which eventually finished 9th.
This brings us to about a month ago. At this point in the year here in Alaska, Mt. Marathon is what is on everybody's minds. Bird Ridge is usually the first race to gauge the mountain runners fitness for the upcoming Mt. Marathon race and notably the most prestigious race in Alaska. I get swallowed up in this because i love mountain running and like most others in the mountain races, I want to win. This typically takes my mind away from ski training just a bit to focus on getting faster in the mountains. I also use these races for motivation as well. A good time and effort up either Bird or Mt. Marathon can keep me fired up for a while.
The race up Bird was solid with the formidable Rob Whitney coming back onto the scene and setting the third fastest time ever up the hill. I finished in third about a minute back and about thirty behind Mark. It was a slightly disappointing and really good race at the same time. It was my second fastest time up the mountain, but was still a minute back. Oh well. Mt. Marathon is a different race.
Mt Marathon was a good day for me. I had a really solid uphill time and downhill time. Eric Strabel was the man of the day at the end as he surpassed me just before the bottom of the mountain and held his small margin to the finish. I broke 45 minutes on the course which is a huge PR for me. I felt good about the race and I am now motivated for next year.
So here we are up to speed. For now the mountain running scene goes on the back burner. I am ready to do some good ski training now and see if I can find my way back onto the podium this year!
Ok, so it has definitely been a while since my last post and i hope to remedy the situation with more updates on what going on in my training and racing world. Lets start with a brief synopsis of what has happened over the last couple of months.
After a fairly mediocre end of the ski season in Sun Valley, my focus and motivation were lost. I took a couple of weeks off to simply try and get rested and feel ready to train again. I started my training again full time about week before the Heart run. I raced the Heart run and ran a solid 15:26 or so. Not too bad. I came back a week later for another road 5k in Palmer and raced to a second place finish in 15:36, which also garnered me about 300 bucks in cash. I just beat out my training partner Mark. Next was Brian Gregg's wedding (one of my former UAA teammates and very good friend on the race circuit). On a dare by the great Rob Whitney, myself and a few others from the wedding party found ourselves at an ultramarathon race nearby the day after the wedding (not a great time to choose to race by the way). We all signed up for the 25k race which is considered the whoosy event in the ultra races, but whatever. I was able to fend off a formidable ski and trail racer by about a minute and a half for the win, although i wont mention that the first female was not far off... oh crap. I had a good week of training and finished it off with my first ever Ski To Sea race. What a blast that was! Because it was early in the season, this was one of the harder 6k races i have done. I finished a solid third in the nordic leg (first leg) and set a good momentum for our team which eventually finished 9th.
This brings us to about a month ago. At this point in the year here in Alaska, Mt. Marathon is what is on everybody's minds. Bird Ridge is usually the first race to gauge the mountain runners fitness for the upcoming Mt. Marathon race and notably the most prestigious race in Alaska. I get swallowed up in this because i love mountain running and like most others in the mountain races, I want to win. This typically takes my mind away from ski training just a bit to focus on getting faster in the mountains. I also use these races for motivation as well. A good time and effort up either Bird or Mt. Marathon can keep me fired up for a while.
The race up Bird was solid with the formidable Rob Whitney coming back onto the scene and setting the third fastest time ever up the hill. I finished in third about a minute back and about thirty behind Mark. It was a slightly disappointing and really good race at the same time. It was my second fastest time up the mountain, but was still a minute back. Oh well. Mt. Marathon is a different race.
Mt Marathon was a good day for me. I had a really solid uphill time and downhill time. Eric Strabel was the man of the day at the end as he surpassed me just before the bottom of the mountain and held his small margin to the finish. I broke 45 minutes on the course which is a huge PR for me. I felt good about the race and I am now motivated for next year.
So here we are up to speed. For now the mountain running scene goes on the back burner. I am ready to do some good ski training now and see if I can find my way back onto the podium this year!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tahoe Debacle
March 22, 2011
So I'm sitting here in Sun Valley trying to figure out where my fitness really is for the tail end of the season and why i just spent 5 days in Reno/Tahoe without doing a race. I havent raced in about a month which worries me some, but its not like i havent tried. Racing is the best way to keep yourself fit for racing. Learned tactics and pacing comes from racing as well as self assessment. I have had plenty of races this season, but im getting really anxious to find out where my fitness is at.
Like many of you know, I support myself through my skiing. I have had the fortune of some local Soldotna sponsors helping me out this year, but for the most part i still maintain a full time job whenever i am at home. If i dont have to be on the road, i will be working. Paying off that credit card is a priority and i will do things as cost efficiently as possible. This leads me to the Tahoe trip. There were scheduled Supertour races to take place in Tahoe followed by the Gold Rush, a ski marathon thats been around for a while. Mark and I bought tickets a few weeks ago knowing that this supertour sprint would be a good to fire up the body and get a few extra days at altitude before the Sun Valley Supertour Finals. Unfortunately we were informed on the 10th that the supertour was cancelled. I didnt mind too much at first as i saw the opportunity to work a few extra days. To my frustration though, to change the ticket was going to be more expensive than the round trip ticket that mark and I purchased a few weeks ago. This means that i would have to work everyday before leaving (had I left a week later) to almost compensate for the change in ticket price. We really didn't have a choice but to go down and hang out in Reno for a few days. I am a little ticked off that the airlines cant help make better adjustments in scenarios like mine. At any rate, Mark and I made the best of it and went down for a training camp. I had planned on racing the Gold Rush simply to get in a race before spring nationals, but with some 6ft of snow in 2 days, the race was cancelled for the first time in its 31 year history.
I still havent had the chance to race. I was sick for the tour of anchorage, Tahoe sprints are cancelled, Gold Rush is cancelled. Racing for me just doesnt seem to be aligning. I will be very curious to see how this 50k national championship goes on Saturday. I sure would like to end this season well and on a positive note. Wish me luck.
Brent
So I'm sitting here in Sun Valley trying to figure out where my fitness really is for the tail end of the season and why i just spent 5 days in Reno/Tahoe without doing a race. I havent raced in about a month which worries me some, but its not like i havent tried. Racing is the best way to keep yourself fit for racing. Learned tactics and pacing comes from racing as well as self assessment. I have had plenty of races this season, but im getting really anxious to find out where my fitness is at.
Like many of you know, I support myself through my skiing. I have had the fortune of some local Soldotna sponsors helping me out this year, but for the most part i still maintain a full time job whenever i am at home. If i dont have to be on the road, i will be working. Paying off that credit card is a priority and i will do things as cost efficiently as possible. This leads me to the Tahoe trip. There were scheduled Supertour races to take place in Tahoe followed by the Gold Rush, a ski marathon thats been around for a while. Mark and I bought tickets a few weeks ago knowing that this supertour sprint would be a good to fire up the body and get a few extra days at altitude before the Sun Valley Supertour Finals. Unfortunately we were informed on the 10th that the supertour was cancelled. I didnt mind too much at first as i saw the opportunity to work a few extra days. To my frustration though, to change the ticket was going to be more expensive than the round trip ticket that mark and I purchased a few weeks ago. This means that i would have to work everyday before leaving (had I left a week later) to almost compensate for the change in ticket price. We really didn't have a choice but to go down and hang out in Reno for a few days. I am a little ticked off that the airlines cant help make better adjustments in scenarios like mine. At any rate, Mark and I made the best of it and went down for a training camp. I had planned on racing the Gold Rush simply to get in a race before spring nationals, but with some 6ft of snow in 2 days, the race was cancelled for the first time in its 31 year history.
I still havent had the chance to race. I was sick for the tour of anchorage, Tahoe sprints are cancelled, Gold Rush is cancelled. Racing for me just doesnt seem to be aligning. I will be very curious to see how this 50k national championship goes on Saturday. I sure would like to end this season well and on a positive note. Wish me luck.
Brent
Monday, February 28, 2011
Heart Rate Training
Feb. 28, 2011
Curiosity as struck me to a small extent as recently i have had many people coming into the store having questions about heart rate monitors and how to go about using them. From my background as an athlete I can look at training from two separate perspectives; that of pace and that of effort.
Most runners use a pace oriented system so that they can where there times are in comparison to previous workouts or races. Its an efficient system for runners, especially for track, because it allows you to compare yourself to others fairly accurately. Many runners achieve great speeds and success using this system. This was the system i was accustomed to in high school and was comfortable with. Everyone became equals for the workout and everyone was to hit the stated time. The trouble with that method for me at this point now is that not everyone responds to training the same way and therefore the effort levels for that certain workout can be scattered throughout the group depending on how each of the individuals were feeling that particular day. Come race day, not everyone comes to the line in prime condition and although a group can all run the same workouts and run the target times, they will not finish the race in the same manner. This is of course looking strictly at fitness and taking mentality of racing out of it. There is never just one training plan out there though, so coaches adapt plans to fit the respective athletes over time. The hard part to this method is applying it to beginners in the sport, say a person 40 lbs overweight and looking to drops some pounds and train for a marathon. We have an amazing amount of these types of people.
Let take 200 45 year old individual males for example, all being slightly overweight and all at beginner fitness levels and split them randomly into two separate training groups.One group follows a pace oriented method and the other a HR oriented method. Let give them 12 weeks of structured training gearing toward a 10k race at the end. We will start with them all running a 10k to get a baseline control time for each individual. The goal is to find out which training method, pace vs. HR, concludes with the highest percentage of improvement throughout the group.
Lets look at the pace controlled group first. What we would find is that the effort levels of these individuals will be varied for a certain target pace. Although these individuals are of similar fitness background, their body compositions are different from each other. So again with a similar training plan followed over a time period of 12 weeks, we would see fairly different responses from all 100 individuals come the 10k at the end of the test period. At the start of each workout, we will have variances in fatigue levels with the variances becoming greater at the end of each day. On the day of the final 10k, we would see some individuals reach their max potential for the given test period, we would have some individuals perform well compared to the control 10k from the beginning of the test, and some that perform simply "ok" comparatively due to high fatigue levels. With the training in general though, i would expect most of the individuals to improve in time.
So now we look at the group focused on HR. Lets say we have the Max HR of each individual. With each workout, instead of pace the group is told to stay at a certain percentage of their max HR. At the conclusion of each day. We will see variances in workout times, but similar fatigue levels. This creates less variance among the individuals throughout the 12 week test period. Given an effective training plan, many more individuals from the HR group will toe the line feeling less overall fatigue and allow for much better performances. The end result being more individuals improving a greater percentage time-wise. I would assume with certainty that the HR based training group would provide the greater improvement percentage.
Just to be clear though, both methods of training are effective and I am simply applying the two to a specific demographic. The increased curiosity of people towards HR based training might mean that more people are seeing the benefits that this type of training can create for individuals. I was simply inspired to write a comparison. There is so much more that goes into comparing the two training methods, but i wanted to compare the foundations of both in a simple way. Ok.... im done.
Curiosity as struck me to a small extent as recently i have had many people coming into the store having questions about heart rate monitors and how to go about using them. From my background as an athlete I can look at training from two separate perspectives; that of pace and that of effort.
Most runners use a pace oriented system so that they can where there times are in comparison to previous workouts or races. Its an efficient system for runners, especially for track, because it allows you to compare yourself to others fairly accurately. Many runners achieve great speeds and success using this system. This was the system i was accustomed to in high school and was comfortable with. Everyone became equals for the workout and everyone was to hit the stated time. The trouble with that method for me at this point now is that not everyone responds to training the same way and therefore the effort levels for that certain workout can be scattered throughout the group depending on how each of the individuals were feeling that particular day. Come race day, not everyone comes to the line in prime condition and although a group can all run the same workouts and run the target times, they will not finish the race in the same manner. This is of course looking strictly at fitness and taking mentality of racing out of it. There is never just one training plan out there though, so coaches adapt plans to fit the respective athletes over time. The hard part to this method is applying it to beginners in the sport, say a person 40 lbs overweight and looking to drops some pounds and train for a marathon. We have an amazing amount of these types of people.
Let take 200 45 year old individual males for example, all being slightly overweight and all at beginner fitness levels and split them randomly into two separate training groups.One group follows a pace oriented method and the other a HR oriented method. Let give them 12 weeks of structured training gearing toward a 10k race at the end. We will start with them all running a 10k to get a baseline control time for each individual. The goal is to find out which training method, pace vs. HR, concludes with the highest percentage of improvement throughout the group.
Lets look at the pace controlled group first. What we would find is that the effort levels of these individuals will be varied for a certain target pace. Although these individuals are of similar fitness background, their body compositions are different from each other. So again with a similar training plan followed over a time period of 12 weeks, we would see fairly different responses from all 100 individuals come the 10k at the end of the test period. At the start of each workout, we will have variances in fatigue levels with the variances becoming greater at the end of each day. On the day of the final 10k, we would see some individuals reach their max potential for the given test period, we would have some individuals perform well compared to the control 10k from the beginning of the test, and some that perform simply "ok" comparatively due to high fatigue levels. With the training in general though, i would expect most of the individuals to improve in time.
So now we look at the group focused on HR. Lets say we have the Max HR of each individual. With each workout, instead of pace the group is told to stay at a certain percentage of their max HR. At the conclusion of each day. We will see variances in workout times, but similar fatigue levels. This creates less variance among the individuals throughout the 12 week test period. Given an effective training plan, many more individuals from the HR group will toe the line feeling less overall fatigue and allow for much better performances. The end result being more individuals improving a greater percentage time-wise. I would assume with certainty that the HR based training group would provide the greater improvement percentage.
Just to be clear though, both methods of training are effective and I am simply applying the two to a specific demographic. The increased curiosity of people towards HR based training might mean that more people are seeing the benefits that this type of training can create for individuals. I was simply inspired to write a comparison. There is so much more that goes into comparing the two training methods, but i wanted to compare the foundations of both in a simple way. Ok.... im done.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sven 30k
Feb. 22, 2011
So it has definitely been a couple of weeks since my last post which described the questionable Pias classic for me. Its has a been a few weeks since and things are starting to get put back together. I was contemplating not racing the Sven earlier in the week because with all things considered, I wasn't sure if i could get my head completely in the game. Trying to regain balance in life is not an easy thing to accomplish at times and at this level of skiing it only provides more frustration if you cant get your head in the game and compete. I had had some pretty solid workouts over the past week and a half and for the most part was prepared, so in the end, i decided to race.
Race day was about as good as it could get weather wise with temps hovering in the low teens and the snow being firm and cold. The snow wasnt particularly fast, but it is what it is. The start was as usual for an Anchorage cup race, fast, fun, and congested for the first couple of kilometers, but as the hills presented themselves, a group of about 5 of us broke away. At around the 16k mark as we exited the flatter terrain part of the single loop 30k, i made a long strong move heading into the hills than widdled us down to four. The snow being as it was, cold with sharp crystaline flakes, it was difficult to really break away. The line between going a solid level 3 pace and a pressing Level 4 pace was fairly thin. The four of us all tried at one point or another to crack one or more of the four skiers up front, but almost all ended realization that it was becoming almost impossible to ski away. Dylan Watts perhaps made the most aggressive move with about 4k to go giving himself a sold 30m cushion, but with one of the biggest climbs on the course still ahead, it may have been a touch early. We reeled him back in about half a kilometer later as we entered into the last 3k. With James Southam leading, I was getting frustrated with the more pedestrian-like pace he was setting, but like i said before, trying to ski away would have been nearly impossible. I decided to hold the second position knowing that it would eventually come to a sprint finish of some sort. Mark Iverson sat behind me and behind him recovering from his last attempt at breaking the field, Dylan Watts. The order stayed the same for the next couple of kilometers as we entered into the stadium. We ramped up our speed for the last 600m or so and i remained in second position. As we reentered the bottom side of the stadium and into the home stretch and went for it. James started off in the middle of the stretch and i veered to the right side to see if i could manage to get by him there. He ended up veering right and any momentum i had, if i could call it that, was done. Mark had moved up to my left side and was coming on strong. My legs were throbbing with lactic acid and i could not build anymore speed. Dylan, hanging in right behind Mark, eased up to my left and although i tried my very best, Dylan got me by a boot at the line. Someone had to be fourth. I had fun with the race and am glad that I raced.
I still have some good racing coming up in March and Im looking forward to it. Every day seems to be better and a little more balanced. I am about to give my two cents again in regards to my life as an athlete, so if your bored by this, feel free to to pick up a more intriguing piece of literature.... such as an Archie comic or the Horoscopes.
Balancing your life as an athlete is one of the more difficult things i deal with regularly. When you set tough goals for yourself as an athlete, it is easy to become single minded and to let most everything else become a second priority in your life. This has basically been my life for many years and it can get complicated. I have sacrificed or ignored a great many things in my life to avoid complicating my "quest for glory" and although they may or may not have been the best things to do, they were the paths I took. Thats life and you learn from things as you go. Hindsight is always 20/20, so its always good to look back and gather what useful information you can and apply it forward.
For me, I am happy being a skier and a racer. It frustrates me to all levels, but in the end, i want nothing more than to be on the starting line waiting to see who has more guts. There are things though that i feel I must sacrifice from the single minded only one top priority way of thinking to help balance my life better and create a much more even keel for myself. There are many cool things I still need to partake in during my mid-late twenties that i have been avoiding and that i should do without fear of how it affects my ski training. There are some things I can simply not be lazy about and get done as they are presented. Adapting is key in life and sometimes those adaptations are hard, but generally, they are always worth it in the end.
So it has definitely been a couple of weeks since my last post which described the questionable Pias classic for me. Its has a been a few weeks since and things are starting to get put back together. I was contemplating not racing the Sven earlier in the week because with all things considered, I wasn't sure if i could get my head completely in the game. Trying to regain balance in life is not an easy thing to accomplish at times and at this level of skiing it only provides more frustration if you cant get your head in the game and compete. I had had some pretty solid workouts over the past week and a half and for the most part was prepared, so in the end, i decided to race.
Race day was about as good as it could get weather wise with temps hovering in the low teens and the snow being firm and cold. The snow wasnt particularly fast, but it is what it is. The start was as usual for an Anchorage cup race, fast, fun, and congested for the first couple of kilometers, but as the hills presented themselves, a group of about 5 of us broke away. At around the 16k mark as we exited the flatter terrain part of the single loop 30k, i made a long strong move heading into the hills than widdled us down to four. The snow being as it was, cold with sharp crystaline flakes, it was difficult to really break away. The line between going a solid level 3 pace and a pressing Level 4 pace was fairly thin. The four of us all tried at one point or another to crack one or more of the four skiers up front, but almost all ended realization that it was becoming almost impossible to ski away. Dylan Watts perhaps made the most aggressive move with about 4k to go giving himself a sold 30m cushion, but with one of the biggest climbs on the course still ahead, it may have been a touch early. We reeled him back in about half a kilometer later as we entered into the last 3k. With James Southam leading, I was getting frustrated with the more pedestrian-like pace he was setting, but like i said before, trying to ski away would have been nearly impossible. I decided to hold the second position knowing that it would eventually come to a sprint finish of some sort. Mark Iverson sat behind me and behind him recovering from his last attempt at breaking the field, Dylan Watts. The order stayed the same for the next couple of kilometers as we entered into the stadium. We ramped up our speed for the last 600m or so and i remained in second position. As we reentered the bottom side of the stadium and into the home stretch and went for it. James started off in the middle of the stretch and i veered to the right side to see if i could manage to get by him there. He ended up veering right and any momentum i had, if i could call it that, was done. Mark had moved up to my left side and was coming on strong. My legs were throbbing with lactic acid and i could not build anymore speed. Dylan, hanging in right behind Mark, eased up to my left and although i tried my very best, Dylan got me by a boot at the line. Someone had to be fourth. I had fun with the race and am glad that I raced.
I still have some good racing coming up in March and Im looking forward to it. Every day seems to be better and a little more balanced. I am about to give my two cents again in regards to my life as an athlete, so if your bored by this, feel free to to pick up a more intriguing piece of literature.... such as an Archie comic or the Horoscopes.
Balancing your life as an athlete is one of the more difficult things i deal with regularly. When you set tough goals for yourself as an athlete, it is easy to become single minded and to let most everything else become a second priority in your life. This has basically been my life for many years and it can get complicated. I have sacrificed or ignored a great many things in my life to avoid complicating my "quest for glory" and although they may or may not have been the best things to do, they were the paths I took. Thats life and you learn from things as you go. Hindsight is always 20/20, so its always good to look back and gather what useful information you can and apply it forward.
For me, I am happy being a skier and a racer. It frustrates me to all levels, but in the end, i want nothing more than to be on the starting line waiting to see who has more guts. There are things though that i feel I must sacrifice from the single minded only one top priority way of thinking to help balance my life better and create a much more even keel for myself. There are many cool things I still need to partake in during my mid-late twenties that i have been avoiding and that i should do without fear of how it affects my ski training. There are some things I can simply not be lazy about and get done as they are presented. Adapting is key in life and sometimes those adaptations are hard, but generally, they are always worth it in the end.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Pia's Classic or not to Pia's Classic
Jan. 31, 2011
Did Pia's classic happen, was I there, people told me I was. I guess I do vaguely recall putting on my skis to do something and I do for some reason have some of that post race body ache going on. I will trust those that say i was there because all the signs point to that. I experienced the epidemy of not having ones head in the game. I was never there. I started and crossed the finish line, but in between those lines is 1:17:11 seconds of a blankness consciously. Where was I?
Reality really bites sometimes and that can be the understatement of the century for some. Questioning whether or not you filed for the PFD when it comes around to October and finding out that you had forgotten due to a busy life is one possible example. I have to admit that I have luckily avoided many great mishaps, but im still young and will most likely run into things of that nature that will make me furious and kick myself over and over again. Hopefully I will be on top of things enough that i'm older and wise enough to deal with things in an educated and mature manner. I'm not there yet. I'm still young and have so many of life's misfortunes slapping me in the face seeing if I will come back for more. Whether it be financial, social, or relationship issues, there are many new things that a young person will face and not quite know how to handle it. I still over-think many issues and try to find the best solution. Most of the time things work out in your favor and sometimes they don't. You learn from both and you adapt.
Life can keep you guessing all the time. I live on a fine line between being homeless and qualifying for major world competitions in skiing. Its a pretty drastic line, but there are many out there that understand. At this point in my career as an athlete, I question all the things around me and how they affect my skiing, and how my skiing affects them. Its hard to convince myself sometimes that this is still the lifestyle I really enjoy. My yearning to be "normal" can sometimes overwhelm me. This affect me from time to time. "Stress" I do believe is what they call this. My life is surrounded by it, some of it caused by my own doings, some of it simply life acting naturally.
Pia's was one of those rare times when my mind is so intensely lost and confused with an issue that I hardly remember being there at all. Its strange to think that something could occupy ones mind so much to eliminate a conscious event almost altogether. This was nothing like Mt. Marathon a couple years ago where there is still a shuttering black hole in my memory, because I can still vaguely remember myself skiing fairly hard. Like Mt. Marathon though, I think you can train your brain in ways that it can function without you actually being there to control it. Weird.
In the end I finished third, but I wasn't there. I was dealing with an issue I could have taken care of a long time ago and am now finding it to be more difficult than I ever imagined it would. Pretty dramatic huh? Thats life though. It can sometimes throw some punches that you will take straight in the face and feel. My "well duh" advice to anybody out there, especially to those that still have many years in front of them, is to deal with the issues as they come at you. Don't put them aside and hope to sort them out later. It sounds like pretty "well duh" advice and its meant to be, but you would be surprised how many people including myself so this and take the hypothetical stiff jab to the face. This isn't the first time I've had something break me down, so obviously I didn't learn the times before. Some words can't be said often enough. On the brighter side of it, you learn valuable lessons with each new "punch in the face".
This post has become way to philosophical and as I read through it for errors, I can almost visualize my mother telling me these exact words in a lecture form. I have to say that I prefer the longer drawn out explanations to the age old "If you fall off the horse, get back up", "A winner never quits", or as Rocky Balboa put it " Its not about how many hits you take, its how many hits you can take and still keep fighting back". I like the Rocky quote, but i still lump it into the lame inspirational quotes category. Perhaps i will leave you all with a lame inspirational quote of my own. "LIFE.... its tough......but its far from death... cheer up!"
Did Pia's classic happen, was I there, people told me I was. I guess I do vaguely recall putting on my skis to do something and I do for some reason have some of that post race body ache going on. I will trust those that say i was there because all the signs point to that. I experienced the epidemy of not having ones head in the game. I was never there. I started and crossed the finish line, but in between those lines is 1:17:11 seconds of a blankness consciously. Where was I?
Reality really bites sometimes and that can be the understatement of the century for some. Questioning whether or not you filed for the PFD when it comes around to October and finding out that you had forgotten due to a busy life is one possible example. I have to admit that I have luckily avoided many great mishaps, but im still young and will most likely run into things of that nature that will make me furious and kick myself over and over again. Hopefully I will be on top of things enough that i'm older and wise enough to deal with things in an educated and mature manner. I'm not there yet. I'm still young and have so many of life's misfortunes slapping me in the face seeing if I will come back for more. Whether it be financial, social, or relationship issues, there are many new things that a young person will face and not quite know how to handle it. I still over-think many issues and try to find the best solution. Most of the time things work out in your favor and sometimes they don't. You learn from both and you adapt.
Life can keep you guessing all the time. I live on a fine line between being homeless and qualifying for major world competitions in skiing. Its a pretty drastic line, but there are many out there that understand. At this point in my career as an athlete, I question all the things around me and how they affect my skiing, and how my skiing affects them. Its hard to convince myself sometimes that this is still the lifestyle I really enjoy. My yearning to be "normal" can sometimes overwhelm me. This affect me from time to time. "Stress" I do believe is what they call this. My life is surrounded by it, some of it caused by my own doings, some of it simply life acting naturally.
Pia's was one of those rare times when my mind is so intensely lost and confused with an issue that I hardly remember being there at all. Its strange to think that something could occupy ones mind so much to eliminate a conscious event almost altogether. This was nothing like Mt. Marathon a couple years ago where there is still a shuttering black hole in my memory, because I can still vaguely remember myself skiing fairly hard. Like Mt. Marathon though, I think you can train your brain in ways that it can function without you actually being there to control it. Weird.
In the end I finished third, but I wasn't there. I was dealing with an issue I could have taken care of a long time ago and am now finding it to be more difficult than I ever imagined it would. Pretty dramatic huh? Thats life though. It can sometimes throw some punches that you will take straight in the face and feel. My "well duh" advice to anybody out there, especially to those that still have many years in front of them, is to deal with the issues as they come at you. Don't put them aside and hope to sort them out later. It sounds like pretty "well duh" advice and its meant to be, but you would be surprised how many people including myself so this and take the hypothetical stiff jab to the face. This isn't the first time I've had something break me down, so obviously I didn't learn the times before. Some words can't be said often enough. On the brighter side of it, you learn valuable lessons with each new "punch in the face".
This post has become way to philosophical and as I read through it for errors, I can almost visualize my mother telling me these exact words in a lecture form. I have to say that I prefer the longer drawn out explanations to the age old "If you fall off the horse, get back up", "A winner never quits", or as Rocky Balboa put it " Its not about how many hits you take, its how many hits you can take and still keep fighting back". I like the Rocky quote, but i still lump it into the lame inspirational quotes category. Perhaps i will leave you all with a lame inspirational quote of my own. "LIFE.... its tough......but its far from death... cheer up!"
Monday, January 24, 2011
Soldotna Besh Cups
Jan. 24, 2011
I would first like to thank all the volunteers out there on Saturday and Sunday at the Soldotna Besh Cup races. The races went off with very few if any mishaps which is uncommon for ski races. I guess it helps when the weather is perfectly ideal for the sprint races and apart from a little wind in the stadium, wonderful distance race weather. It has been a really long time since I have had a chance to race on my home trails and I was excited afterwards to have done so well. For me typically being on a professional racing circuit, Besh Cup races can generally be thought of as milder more relaxed races with little competition at the elite level. This was not the case this weekend. Most of the APU elite squad was home this weekend and most everyone decided to come down and throw down in Soldotna. With some of the best skiers in the country present, these races were every bit as intense as many of my Supertour races. Some of these racers have stood on the podium in national caliber races already this season.
The sprint race was pretty exciting for me. Bill Holt has been talking about the new sprint course for a while and was very excited to see it put to the test. Being only 1k long, it was basically a full throttle no holds bar type of race. As fast as you can possibly go for roughly 2 minutes. Our typical sprints on the national circuit average about 3:45. Nonetheless though, my legs flooded with lactic burn as I awkwardly tried to sprint herringbone up the steep sugary climbs. The mens A final was a good group of athletes and made for a tough final heat. Mark Iverson was strong out of the start and i latched right on. The second steep climb proved to be the decisive climb over the day for most heats and was true to form in the final as well. Mark made a superior push over the top that gained the crucial 5 meters over me and allowed him the comfortable victory over me. I wanted the victory on my home trails, but Mark just had the extra umph that it took to win. I was glad to come in second, but the fire burned a little hotter for the next days race, a 10k skate.
It was a bit chillier than the sprint day, but the conditions were hard and fast for the distance race. I had a good start position that was about a minute and a half behind Mark and would allow me to have splits off of him if i were to get any. Mark along with Patrick Johnson (who started right after me) are two very good skaters and I had to be on form if i was going to try and bring home a win. To break Patrick, I went out fairly strong and focused on quick relaxed movements. For the terrain, there is a lot of working sections and it can be very easy to bog down and lose speed. By 4k I had caught the two men starting in front of me and one of our APU jr coaches gave me a split that i was 5 seconds up on Mark. Nice, but there is still 6k to go. At about the 6k mark, my legs were starting to feel very heavy from going out so hard, but again I was focusing on keeping things moving quick. Mark is a strong skier and every second counts. The last couple of big climbs were excruciating. There is little rest on the course to clear lactate and by the last 2k, everything was hurting and making smooth movements was getting very difficult. I powered up over the last big climb and couldn't help but hunch over and tuck skate a little to gain even a little composure back. We finished with a long drag uphill that i was able to cover fairly well and hold the speed into the final downhill into the finish. Mark was standing there looking at his watch and I knew it from his look that it would be close. He said that it looked like it would be within seconds.
The cool down was slow and and it took a while for me to get the looseness in my muscles again. I was going to be bummed if i came out a couple of seconds back from Mark. Mark and I talk a lot of crap to each other (in a friendly way) and i know I wouldn't hear the end of it if i couldn't beat him on my home trails. Thankfully though, the results came out and it was I that got the better of him by 11 seconds. My first win on my home trails in a long time and a good motivator for the second half of the season coming up. Congratulations to all the racers out there this weekend for a job well done. I was a joy to remember what it was like for me 13 years ago doing some of my first Besh Cup races. Good luck to all the young racers out there with the rest of the season!
I would first like to thank all the volunteers out there on Saturday and Sunday at the Soldotna Besh Cup races. The races went off with very few if any mishaps which is uncommon for ski races. I guess it helps when the weather is perfectly ideal for the sprint races and apart from a little wind in the stadium, wonderful distance race weather. It has been a really long time since I have had a chance to race on my home trails and I was excited afterwards to have done so well. For me typically being on a professional racing circuit, Besh Cup races can generally be thought of as milder more relaxed races with little competition at the elite level. This was not the case this weekend. Most of the APU elite squad was home this weekend and most everyone decided to come down and throw down in Soldotna. With some of the best skiers in the country present, these races were every bit as intense as many of my Supertour races. Some of these racers have stood on the podium in national caliber races already this season.
The sprint race was pretty exciting for me. Bill Holt has been talking about the new sprint course for a while and was very excited to see it put to the test. Being only 1k long, it was basically a full throttle no holds bar type of race. As fast as you can possibly go for roughly 2 minutes. Our typical sprints on the national circuit average about 3:45. Nonetheless though, my legs flooded with lactic burn as I awkwardly tried to sprint herringbone up the steep sugary climbs. The mens A final was a good group of athletes and made for a tough final heat. Mark Iverson was strong out of the start and i latched right on. The second steep climb proved to be the decisive climb over the day for most heats and was true to form in the final as well. Mark made a superior push over the top that gained the crucial 5 meters over me and allowed him the comfortable victory over me. I wanted the victory on my home trails, but Mark just had the extra umph that it took to win. I was glad to come in second, but the fire burned a little hotter for the next days race, a 10k skate.
It was a bit chillier than the sprint day, but the conditions were hard and fast for the distance race. I had a good start position that was about a minute and a half behind Mark and would allow me to have splits off of him if i were to get any. Mark along with Patrick Johnson (who started right after me) are two very good skaters and I had to be on form if i was going to try and bring home a win. To break Patrick, I went out fairly strong and focused on quick relaxed movements. For the terrain, there is a lot of working sections and it can be very easy to bog down and lose speed. By 4k I had caught the two men starting in front of me and one of our APU jr coaches gave me a split that i was 5 seconds up on Mark. Nice, but there is still 6k to go. At about the 6k mark, my legs were starting to feel very heavy from going out so hard, but again I was focusing on keeping things moving quick. Mark is a strong skier and every second counts. The last couple of big climbs were excruciating. There is little rest on the course to clear lactate and by the last 2k, everything was hurting and making smooth movements was getting very difficult. I powered up over the last big climb and couldn't help but hunch over and tuck skate a little to gain even a little composure back. We finished with a long drag uphill that i was able to cover fairly well and hold the speed into the final downhill into the finish. Mark was standing there looking at his watch and I knew it from his look that it would be close. He said that it looked like it would be within seconds.
The cool down was slow and and it took a while for me to get the looseness in my muscles again. I was going to be bummed if i came out a couple of seconds back from Mark. Mark and I talk a lot of crap to each other (in a friendly way) and i know I wouldn't hear the end of it if i couldn't beat him on my home trails. Thankfully though, the results came out and it was I that got the better of him by 11 seconds. My first win on my home trails in a long time and a good motivator for the second half of the season coming up. Congratulations to all the racers out there this weekend for a job well done. I was a joy to remember what it was like for me 13 years ago doing some of my first Besh Cup races. Good luck to all the young racers out there with the rest of the season!
Friday, January 14, 2011
End of Nationals and Lake Placid Races
Dec. 14th, 2011
Ok so its definitely been a while since my last post. Believe it or not, we stay pretty occupied on the road. Out of the last two months, i have spent 6 days at home. Its starting to wear me down and I'm glad some time at home is in sight. Well picking up where i left off, we have had a 30k individual skate race, a skate sprint, and here at Lake Placid, a 10k classic.
Lets begin with the 30k. I was a little upset over the 15k classic due to numerous reasons as i had stated in my last post, but i was rejuvenated when my sweet voiced girlfriend tells me, "Its just F**king skiing." It made me laugh to hear any profanity out of her voice because it just doesn't fit. Her words were right on though. It is only skiing and i do this because it is fun. It get more complicated at this level in some respects, but bottom line is that I'm out there to enjoy myself. These words echoed in my mind as i left the starting gate and it helped me relax into a rhythm pretty quick. As i headed out on my third lap (of 11) an Anchorage skier skiing for Dartmouth Eric Packer (having a great season so far) started out of the gates and i latched onto him. Having fresh clean skis, I had to work a bit that first lap with him to stay with him, but he settled into a great pace that i was more than happy to move with.
Heading out onto my fifth lap, the ever so famous Andy Liebner left the gates and immediately passed Packer and myself down the long downhill section. To our surprise We caught back up to him halfway up through the climbs and from there we skied together for the next 5 laps. It was fun to ski with Andy again. I cant really remember the last time i did outside of doing the team sprint at US Nationals when they were in Houghton, MI one year. Andy is one of the guys I got into this business with and its always a pleasure to hang out whenever i get the chance, even if its during the race. At any rate, in the end i finished in 14th place about 2 minutes out. Not fantastic for me, but still a solid finish.
I don't have much to say about the skate sprint other than "holy crap that was fast". The course was hard and fast and was high speed from start to finish. I qualified 19th and headed into the Quarter finals. Similar to Rossland, BC though, we were all bunched together coming into the high speed downhill finish and everyones foot was within a ski length of first. Who happened to be the last foot across the line......Me. I still had a good time though and the high speed racing made for high adrenaline action!
Overall, I qualify my performances here as mediocre. I had no races that were great and none that were terrible. Just some solid performances. I still have yet to find the US results i had before the Mt. Marathon incident, but considering i had only 6 weeks after Trans-Alps to prepare for the race season, I'm pretty happy with it.
After so much racing and time on the road, there is always a breaking point. I'm pretty sure I found mine today during the 10k classic here in Lake Placid, NY. The skis were good, the course was tough, The muscles... taking a day off i guess. I skied well, but with very little power. The effect, a good looking racer, that doesnt finish well. I was a good minute and fifteen seconds out of the win in 22nd place. I was glad to see that i was not the only elite racer feeling the wear and tear though. I had the company of a few other podium racers back on the results list. I think it about time for a good rest period and let the body come back. Time to go home.
Ok so its definitely been a while since my last post. Believe it or not, we stay pretty occupied on the road. Out of the last two months, i have spent 6 days at home. Its starting to wear me down and I'm glad some time at home is in sight. Well picking up where i left off, we have had a 30k individual skate race, a skate sprint, and here at Lake Placid, a 10k classic.
Lets begin with the 30k. I was a little upset over the 15k classic due to numerous reasons as i had stated in my last post, but i was rejuvenated when my sweet voiced girlfriend tells me, "Its just F**king skiing." It made me laugh to hear any profanity out of her voice because it just doesn't fit. Her words were right on though. It is only skiing and i do this because it is fun. It get more complicated at this level in some respects, but bottom line is that I'm out there to enjoy myself. These words echoed in my mind as i left the starting gate and it helped me relax into a rhythm pretty quick. As i headed out on my third lap (of 11) an Anchorage skier skiing for Dartmouth Eric Packer (having a great season so far) started out of the gates and i latched onto him. Having fresh clean skis, I had to work a bit that first lap with him to stay with him, but he settled into a great pace that i was more than happy to move with.
Heading out onto my fifth lap, the ever so famous Andy Liebner left the gates and immediately passed Packer and myself down the long downhill section. To our surprise We caught back up to him halfway up through the climbs and from there we skied together for the next 5 laps. It was fun to ski with Andy again. I cant really remember the last time i did outside of doing the team sprint at US Nationals when they were in Houghton, MI one year. Andy is one of the guys I got into this business with and its always a pleasure to hang out whenever i get the chance, even if its during the race. At any rate, in the end i finished in 14th place about 2 minutes out. Not fantastic for me, but still a solid finish.
I don't have much to say about the skate sprint other than "holy crap that was fast". The course was hard and fast and was high speed from start to finish. I qualified 19th and headed into the Quarter finals. Similar to Rossland, BC though, we were all bunched together coming into the high speed downhill finish and everyones foot was within a ski length of first. Who happened to be the last foot across the line......Me. I still had a good time though and the high speed racing made for high adrenaline action!
Overall, I qualify my performances here as mediocre. I had no races that were great and none that were terrible. Just some solid performances. I still have yet to find the US results i had before the Mt. Marathon incident, but considering i had only 6 weeks after Trans-Alps to prepare for the race season, I'm pretty happy with it.
After so much racing and time on the road, there is always a breaking point. I'm pretty sure I found mine today during the 10k classic here in Lake Placid, NY. The skis were good, the course was tough, The muscles... taking a day off i guess. I skied well, but with very little power. The effect, a good looking racer, that doesnt finish well. I was a good minute and fifteen seconds out of the win in 22nd place. I was glad to see that i was not the only elite racer feeling the wear and tear though. I had the company of a few other podium racers back on the results list. I think it about time for a good rest period and let the body come back. Time to go home.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
First Two Races: Classic Sprint and 15k Classic
Dec. 5, 2011
Classic Sprint:
The classic sprint went pretty well for ol' Brent. On a fast striders course, I was pretty comfortable and the Prelim went pretty well. They had done a lot of work on the course and was in pretty good shape considering we were on mostly dirt the day before. For a 1.4k, the prelim was pretty tight result-wise. Lars took the top spot with myself in 11th less that 4 seconds behind. The Quarterfinal placed me with Lars and a few other more "sprinter" type folks. Lars took the pace out hard and fast and we had a hard time keeping the pace through the first half. I pulled some time back through the second uphill and got myself in second position. The double pole section was long and in the end, i was simply a ski length too slow and ended up third in my heat. Thankfully, I made the LL (Lucky Loser) position and moved on as one of the two fastest third place finishers.
This was my first time in the semifinals in a national championship. My previous attempts have come close, but something always seems to happen. But the semi final went really well. I had a really strong heat and it was tight all the way to the finish. The top three move on and unfortunately i finished fourth of the 4 of us that broke away. I was now relegated to the B final. This B final did not go well for two reasons; My time between finishing the second semi-final and the B final was only ten minutes. I did not have enough time to run my skis over to get touched up and cleaned up. The other reason was simply because I had nothing left in the tank. I burned the last of my sprint fuel in the Semi trying to qualify. I still had fun and the 12th place finish overall was a really solid sprint finish for me.
15K Classic
After a couple days of rest, i was feeling pretty good this morning. We had 6 laps of a 2.5k loop today and the course was in my opinion a little meager as far as climbs. But it is what it is. We had some ski confusion this morning just before the race start and i ended up a little tense afterwards. There were two pairs boards put out for me when i was told there would be only one. Having a relatively small wax staff for 25 athletes can create this once in a while. Waxing was a little tricky which made for quick turnaround from getting the skis, testing the skis, and getting to the start. I got my skis about 8 minutes to start and had just enough time to make one quick pass on the nearest uphill. The kick was adequate and because the coaches looked a little overwhelmed and I really didn't have time anyhow, I just jogged to the start. I felt good and the first lap went pretty well. Clean skis are fast skis and therefore for most people today apart from being fresh in the body, the first lap was the fastest.
I was a little frustrated through the middle of the race though, because this is when i realized that my boards were not breaking really well at high speeds. During the first third of the course we have one good sized uphill followed by a long downhill where you hold a tuck for a good minute and 15 seconds or so. I was losing a lot of ground through this section and i think it was due to the difference in snow used. The top side of the course was mostly man-made snow from the snow guns and the lower part was more trucked in snow. My skis were fine on the upper part of the course, but it was frustrating to be losing 10 seconds or so to other athletes purely off of ski setups. I heard many athletes had the opposite problem, having fast skis down low and slow skis up high. Oh well. I just get frustrated when the equipment makes the heavy difference and not the fitness of the athlete. I still managed to stay in the top twenty and was in the company of many other top athletes dealing with the same frustrations. Such is ski racing though. I am happy with the effort today nonetheless and look forward to tomorrows 30k. 12 laps of the same course and with a mass start should bring some wild surprises! Hope everyone is well.
Classic Sprint:
The classic sprint went pretty well for ol' Brent. On a fast striders course, I was pretty comfortable and the Prelim went pretty well. They had done a lot of work on the course and was in pretty good shape considering we were on mostly dirt the day before. For a 1.4k, the prelim was pretty tight result-wise. Lars took the top spot with myself in 11th less that 4 seconds behind. The Quarterfinal placed me with Lars and a few other more "sprinter" type folks. Lars took the pace out hard and fast and we had a hard time keeping the pace through the first half. I pulled some time back through the second uphill and got myself in second position. The double pole section was long and in the end, i was simply a ski length too slow and ended up third in my heat. Thankfully, I made the LL (Lucky Loser) position and moved on as one of the two fastest third place finishers.
This was my first time in the semifinals in a national championship. My previous attempts have come close, but something always seems to happen. But the semi final went really well. I had a really strong heat and it was tight all the way to the finish. The top three move on and unfortunately i finished fourth of the 4 of us that broke away. I was now relegated to the B final. This B final did not go well for two reasons; My time between finishing the second semi-final and the B final was only ten minutes. I did not have enough time to run my skis over to get touched up and cleaned up. The other reason was simply because I had nothing left in the tank. I burned the last of my sprint fuel in the Semi trying to qualify. I still had fun and the 12th place finish overall was a really solid sprint finish for me.
15K Classic
After a couple days of rest, i was feeling pretty good this morning. We had 6 laps of a 2.5k loop today and the course was in my opinion a little meager as far as climbs. But it is what it is. We had some ski confusion this morning just before the race start and i ended up a little tense afterwards. There were two pairs boards put out for me when i was told there would be only one. Having a relatively small wax staff for 25 athletes can create this once in a while. Waxing was a little tricky which made for quick turnaround from getting the skis, testing the skis, and getting to the start. I got my skis about 8 minutes to start and had just enough time to make one quick pass on the nearest uphill. The kick was adequate and because the coaches looked a little overwhelmed and I really didn't have time anyhow, I just jogged to the start. I felt good and the first lap went pretty well. Clean skis are fast skis and therefore for most people today apart from being fresh in the body, the first lap was the fastest.
I was a little frustrated through the middle of the race though, because this is when i realized that my boards were not breaking really well at high speeds. During the first third of the course we have one good sized uphill followed by a long downhill where you hold a tuck for a good minute and 15 seconds or so. I was losing a lot of ground through this section and i think it was due to the difference in snow used. The top side of the course was mostly man-made snow from the snow guns and the lower part was more trucked in snow. My skis were fine on the upper part of the course, but it was frustrating to be losing 10 seconds or so to other athletes purely off of ski setups. I heard many athletes had the opposite problem, having fast skis down low and slow skis up high. Oh well. I just get frustrated when the equipment makes the heavy difference and not the fitness of the athlete. I still managed to stay in the top twenty and was in the company of many other top athletes dealing with the same frustrations. Such is ski racing though. I am happy with the effort today nonetheless and look forward to tomorrows 30k. 12 laps of the same course and with a mass start should bring some wild surprises! Hope everyone is well.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
XC SKI NATIONALS!!!.............Maybe
Jan 1, 2011
Happy new year everybody! Start it off right and go out for a ski and drink hot chocolate afterwards. Well We made it here to Rumford, ME and the journey, well, let say things could have gone better. To begin, lets go to the Continental Airlines check in counter in Anchorage. The customer service there was downright appalling. We are skiers and we have ski bags. We ended up holding up many customers due to novice attendants at the counter and them just plain out being rude. Many of us have been through the ringer at least once before with our ski bags and are pretty good at keeping our cool. As skiers we are pretty good about knowing the baggage rules and skis do not count as extra baggage, but not according to these attendants. In the end the baggage fees ranged from $60-210, with myself being at the $100 category. The lady looks at me and says, "you better be checking the over-length baggage button, those are definitely longer than 157cm." Rather than fight it, because we have already pissed these people off apparently, I just paid the extra baggage fee and went through security.
Now to the flight. I am 6' tall and am generally pretty uncomfortable when it comes to coach seating, but with this Continental airlplane, even with my butt all the was to the back, my knees were still touching the seat in front of me. This seating arrangement was noticeably more cramped than the traditional Alaska flight out of Anchorage. There was no moving because not only was i in the middle seat, but the plane was packed to the gills. Ok, so with that aside, I was happy with seeing each seat had its own video set mounted on the back of the seat in front. Maybe we will get a movie! Nope, and my screen controllers were broken, so i watched a preview for "The Gardians of Gahoole" for a good three hours. Best part was that i got the same seat from Seattle to Newark. I tried to take a deep breath and relax. Ive been through worse things.
The puddle jumper from Newark to Portland, ME felt like a luxury flight and things were looking better. We made a slightly comical hour and a half trip from the airport to our spread out destinations around Rumford. We had some toll booth lady that asked if our coach intended to slide his credit card through her cleavage and I about lost it. The boys final destination was a large cabin a little over an hour from the venue. The distance from the venue was the first thing in question. The few boys that arrived earlier were quick to fill us in on other important notes such as no TV and no Internet. Hmmm ok, but still tolerable, we have all been camping before. As we checked the place out, we find that for nine guys, we have one shower. Most of our drawers had blessings of mouse turds and there was a note on the fridge warning of the unsafe drinking water. To top the whole matter off, the house is not insulated. We are here for a national championship and the last thing we need are worries. We were quick to pack up and get the hell out the next morning ready to take anything else at that point.
After a few calls, we arrived at a fairly nice place only 20 minutes from the venue, with a "pure artesian well" and internet. We are happy to have solved most of the issues in less than 24 hours. Keep in mind, through all of this, most of us had been up for quite some time with the redeye flight and driving so we were all a little on the stressed side. But nonetheless a not-quite-so-usual travel day for Brent.
The course conditions are deteriorating pretty fast with the warm New England weather we are dealing with and if the weather does not improve, our races may be a little on the questionable side. As johnnyklister.com stated,"skiing conditions are variable, we have most good groomed dirt with a few snowy sections in there, but ya know, just try and avoid em'". It seems a little bleak, but as I have seen in the past, the races always seem to go off and the snow will always seem to make itself available. The volunteers are incredible in these parts and I have no doubt of their abilities. Should be a good nationals. Hope all is well at home.
Brent
Happy new year everybody! Start it off right and go out for a ski and drink hot chocolate afterwards. Well We made it here to Rumford, ME and the journey, well, let say things could have gone better. To begin, lets go to the Continental Airlines check in counter in Anchorage. The customer service there was downright appalling. We are skiers and we have ski bags. We ended up holding up many customers due to novice attendants at the counter and them just plain out being rude. Many of us have been through the ringer at least once before with our ski bags and are pretty good at keeping our cool. As skiers we are pretty good about knowing the baggage rules and skis do not count as extra baggage, but not according to these attendants. In the end the baggage fees ranged from $60-210, with myself being at the $100 category. The lady looks at me and says, "you better be checking the over-length baggage button, those are definitely longer than 157cm." Rather than fight it, because we have already pissed these people off apparently, I just paid the extra baggage fee and went through security.
Now to the flight. I am 6' tall and am generally pretty uncomfortable when it comes to coach seating, but with this Continental airlplane, even with my butt all the was to the back, my knees were still touching the seat in front of me. This seating arrangement was noticeably more cramped than the traditional Alaska flight out of Anchorage. There was no moving because not only was i in the middle seat, but the plane was packed to the gills. Ok, so with that aside, I was happy with seeing each seat had its own video set mounted on the back of the seat in front. Maybe we will get a movie! Nope, and my screen controllers were broken, so i watched a preview for "The Gardians of Gahoole" for a good three hours. Best part was that i got the same seat from Seattle to Newark. I tried to take a deep breath and relax. Ive been through worse things.
The puddle jumper from Newark to Portland, ME felt like a luxury flight and things were looking better. We made a slightly comical hour and a half trip from the airport to our spread out destinations around Rumford. We had some toll booth lady that asked if our coach intended to slide his credit card through her cleavage and I about lost it. The boys final destination was a large cabin a little over an hour from the venue. The distance from the venue was the first thing in question. The few boys that arrived earlier were quick to fill us in on other important notes such as no TV and no Internet. Hmmm ok, but still tolerable, we have all been camping before. As we checked the place out, we find that for nine guys, we have one shower. Most of our drawers had blessings of mouse turds and there was a note on the fridge warning of the unsafe drinking water. To top the whole matter off, the house is not insulated. We are here for a national championship and the last thing we need are worries. We were quick to pack up and get the hell out the next morning ready to take anything else at that point.
After a few calls, we arrived at a fairly nice place only 20 minutes from the venue, with a "pure artesian well" and internet. We are happy to have solved most of the issues in less than 24 hours. Keep in mind, through all of this, most of us had been up for quite some time with the redeye flight and driving so we were all a little on the stressed side. But nonetheless a not-quite-so-usual travel day for Brent.
The course conditions are deteriorating pretty fast with the warm New England weather we are dealing with and if the weather does not improve, our races may be a little on the questionable side. As johnnyklister.com stated,"skiing conditions are variable, we have most good groomed dirt with a few snowy sections in there, but ya know, just try and avoid em'". It seems a little bleak, but as I have seen in the past, the races always seem to go off and the snow will always seem to make itself available. The volunteers are incredible in these parts and I have no doubt of their abilities. Should be a good nationals. Hope all is well at home.
Brent
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