| February 2, 2006
Vol. 6/ No.25 |
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Note: This was a suggestion from
a SkiPost subscriber. Good information that passed by my thought
process.
Thanks!
Justin Easter
RE: drinking and bottle holders
It may seem obvious to us, but maybe you should also point
out:
Leave the belt on the bottle carrier just loose enough so
you can spin the bottle around from the back to the front.
This makes it much easier than trying to reach behind you
to grab the bottle and put it back. Spin the bottle to the
front, take your bottle, get your drink, put the bottle back
in and spin it around on your back again. Sounds long and
time consuming but with a little practice you can do it quickly
and efficiently.
Cheers,
Never thirsty in Colorado
Dear SkiPost,
I am 46 years old and race mainly in shorter distances (15-25
km/10-15 miles) and have a training program of about 5 hours/week.
My question is should I aim few longer session (~3 x 1.5h)
or more numerous short sessions (~6 x 45 min.).
Thanks for the good work,
PS: I really appreciated your answer on drinking bottles with
the ski
pole straps.
I recommend balancing your training to include both short
and long workouts. Above all, focus on high-quality workouts,
no matter what the duration is. On a 5-hour/week plan, that
means you would spend less time doing easy distance. Although
there is a big difference between racing a 50km marathon and
a 15 or 25km race, the preparation for either is similar.
In order to be able to race for 1.5 - 2 hours (25km), you
need to do workouts that are at least that length. In the
weeks and months before long races, try to do one long workout
(2-3 hours) every week or so. These workouts should be fairly
easy, however once in a while it is ok to include some hard
skiing or intervals into a long workout. This will prepare
your body for the stress it undergoes in a long race -- the
stress of repetitive motions for hours at a time.
Conversely, to prepare for the 15km races, you should try
to incorporate some shorter and more intense workouts into
your weekly regime. One hour can be plenty of time to do a
high quality workout. Even with 20 minutes of warmup and 15
minutes of cool-down, you still have time to do a 25 minutes
steady-state workout (pace near threshold), or 3x7 minutes
with 2 minutes rest, or 4x4 minutes with equal recovery. Add
another 15-20 minutes to the length of the workout and you've
got almost endless possibilities.
If you have enough time to do workouts of 1-1.5 hours, I
think those will be more beneficial to you than a 45 minute
workout. However 45 minutes is certainly better than nothing!
So, try to use some variety. One long workout, and two short-
to medium-length workouts each week can still get you into
great shape.
Tim Weston
Subaru Factory Team
http://www.xcacademy.com
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By Rob Whitney
We ARE in the marathon season! It seems as if there is a
race every weekend. Uh, did someone say it’s hard to
keep up? Yes, most of us have 9-5 jobs - this often makes
getting to races so frequently a marathon effort.
Suppose it’s Friday, you’ve just gotten home
from work, and now it’s time to hop in the car and do
the long drive to the race site. The race is, of course, the
next day. It’s all-too-common for working folks, but
I’ll share what helps me deal with the chaos. Usually,
my race itself can be much less stressful than the potentially
hectic travel to the race. We all like bragging rights amongst
our buddies, so let’s aim for our best performances.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I utilize when I am
hurrying to a race and need to stay relaxed and focused on
the race, even if I am stressed to the gills. However, what
works well for me may not work for you. The key for you is
gather information, consider others’ strategies, experiment,
analyze, and then put together your own system that works
for you.
Jet leg is a flying term. How about we use ‘car lag’
for the warriors that drive the haul on Friday evenings in
the dark. Personally, I try not to let it be my central focus.
I do whatever it takes to keep it off my mind: good road tunes,
passengers to share laughs with, or a water bottle for constant
swigs. If long hours, carry a book, take along some work or
study, or call friends on your cell phone to catch up on overdue
correspondence. If all else fails, get some extra sleep…bottom
line, let your friend do the driving!
Once at the crash pad for the night before the race, I try
to go for a quick 10 minute jog. Nothing too ambitious, but
enough to loosen the legs, stretch out, and clear my head
for the night. When you do go to bed try to relax and forget
about everything…. leave your work at work. It’s
race time. Free time. Play time!
I always travel with ear plugs for both in transit and at
the race site. If a snoorer is ruining the night or the neighborhood
high schoolers are throwin’ down, I pop them in.
Pre travel strategy helps immensely. I begin to change sleep
bedtimes and wake-ups a few days ahead. I cut down on hard-to-digest
foods. And, I hydrate lots.
Skis? Let’s go in reverse order. Wax them on Wednesday
or Thursday. Get them done ahead of time, not ten minutes
before packing. Yes, it can be hard to predict the weather,
but just do your best. By waxing one pair warm, and the other
cold, I’m less inclined to go wrong. Keep it simple,
and don’t stress yourself any more than necessary. Others
are in the same situation as you are. If you do think your
skis might not be the best pretend that they are. Assume they
are, or at least lie to your friends and fellow skiers and
psyche them out. (I do…..)
A lot of this is common sense. But, even the veteran racers
deal with these issues. It’s not having the problem,
just how we deal with it. Once again, we have another example
of the fact that preparation for x-c ski races is quite similar
to technique training - takes seasons to master.
Ski on… see you at the Birkie, rested and ready to
go!
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The Subaru B5-TPH is a stylish coupe/wagon/crossover
concept that Subaru stresses is not the next Impreza. Its
main focus is not the exterior styling so much as Subaru's
Turbo Parallel Hybrid (TPH) powertrain, which is linked
to the company's trademark symmetrical four-wheel-drive
system. That's a shame, since the B5-TPH is the best-looking
vehicle to come out of Subaru's studios in some time.
TPH places a thin electric motor generator
between the car's 2.0-liter Miller-cycle flat-four turbo
engine and the automatic transmission. The Miller-cycle
technology, which we last saw in the mid-1990s Mazda Millenia
near-luxury sedan, improves engine efficiency by reducing
pumping losses due to a power stroke that is longer than
the compression stroke. Often, this system makes an engine
unresponsive at low speeds, but with the electric motor,
Subaru claims, standing-start torque is better than even
the turbocharged Impreza WRX's. The generator also acts
as an engine-assist to boost fuel economy. The combined
output is 256 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque.
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Event
Wells Fargo Boulder Mountain Tour
Galena Lodge
Sun Valley, Idaho
Saturday February 4th, 10:00 am
Forecast:
Snow is moving into the area, and will be accumulating by
early afternoon. The track should be firm after a nice cold
night, but keep in mind the snow condition could change if
the snow moves in earlier. Be sure to select a softer ski
over a stiffer one to be ready for such a change.
Ski Selection: Cold snow, medium flex ski
Base Prep: Skate: Clean skis w/ SWIX Base Prep (BP88).
Scrape & brush w/ course bronze (T0158) or NEW fine steel
(T0192). This is very important to “open” up the
base to receive race wax.
Structure: Fine linear grind for cold snow. No need to add
any.
Glide Wax
Race Wax: Iron in a first layer of SWIX LF7 (blue), scrape
and brush w/ SWIX Fine Steel brush. Iron in a layer of HF7.
Scrape & brush as with 1st layer. As a top pure floro
layer use FC1 Turbo or FC7 powder.
Note: The Snow in Sun Valley has been good in the past
few weeks, and there are typical mid-winter conditions (beautiful
sunny skies, warm days... yeah, we should all move here!).
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| Events/Clinics/Announcements |
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Lone Mountain
Ranch
Women's Camps Winter 2005 - 2006
Do you want to improve your downhill control on
all trails? Do you want to progress to the next level in your
skiing? Are you interested in participating in a positive and
supportive learning environment that will boost your confidence?
Are you interested in camaraderie with women who share similar
interests? If so, then join us for our Women's Camp, in the spectacular
setting of Lone Mountain Ranch and Yellowstone National Park.
http://www.lmranch.com/lmr_content/winter/xc/womenscamp.htm
_______________________________________________________
2nd Annual Elk Mountain Engadine
Cross Country Ski Race
Montrose, CO-Make sure to attend the 2nd Annual Engadine
Cross Country Ski race February 25, 2006. The race will be a 5k
race around our property. Registration fee is $40 and it includes
admission to the buffet after the race, plus 2 drinks. For those
not participating in the race, Buffet is $40 and includes 2 drinks
and children under 12 are $20 and it includes two drinks.
For more information please email Elk
Mountain Resort or visit www.elkmountainresort.com
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| Make sure to get rewarded!
Why not let your passion for fun get you free Subaru Factory
Team merchandise? The Subaru Factory Team's enjoy winter-rewards
program is designed to thank you for purchasing our Subaru Factory
Team partner's products. |
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For
more information on Subaru's technically advanced all-wheel
drive vehicles check out
www.subaru.com
"Think.
Feel. Drive." |
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