| January 26,
2006 Vol. 6/ No.24 |
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Dear SkiPost,
I've been skiing for years, and just last year I finally
got myself one of the newer style sets of ski poles with
velcro wrist straps. They work great for skiing, since they
have a lot more support than the traditional loop style,
but they make grabbing my water bottle a major pain! I remember
reading a recommendation a while back to practice using
your waterbottle on the downhill, but I can't ever manage
to grab my bottle, drink, and get the thing back in its
holster by the time I'm down the hill. This is mostly due
to the limited dexterity I have with my hand fastened into
my ski pole. Any tips? I'm about to the frustration point
of going back to using a camelbak because it doesn't require
much if any dexterity, even though it's heavier.
Thanks!
Hello,
This is a great question with regard to marathon
skiing. When I first joined the team I was used to using
one of the older style bottle holders and bottles. One thing
that these old bottle holders don't do is make it easy for
you to get at your bottle when you are in motion. In that
first season I was given a bottle holder and a new bottle
that had a plastic loop on it. Nathan
Sports makes the bottles and carriers we use
now. These come standard with a bottle that has a nice loop
on it. This will allow you to hook the bottle with one finger,
and then get it into your hands. This, as you mentioned,
requires practice, but will certainly cut down on the dextarity
needed to get the bottle out of the belt.
The second part of that is having a bottle
carrier that positions your bottle in such a way as to make
it easy to get to. The Subaru Factory Team has helped Nathan
design a bottle belt that is insulated (keeps water from
freezing), and is positioned horizontally. This not only
minimizes the bulk of the pack but it also puts the top
of the bottle in a place where you can get at it very easily.
I strongly suggest trying to find different
bottles and carriers before you give up all together on
this system. It is the least intrusive way to carry a bottle
of fuel, and is the best way we have found to have it readily
available during the entire race.
Best of luck,
Justin Easter
Subaru Factory Team
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By Chad Giese
Subaru Factory Team
The heart of the racing season is rapidly approaching and
all of those races that you signed up for months ago are no
longer months away. It is what you have prepared for all summer
and fall and gives you the chance to gain bragging rights
among your buddies or training group. In order to be ready
to toe up to the starting line and push yourself to your potential
there are a few things to pay attention to. First you have
to understand your important training is done, you have put
in the time this summer and fall so don’t try and make
up missed workouts now. Be confident in what you’ve
done and rely on it. Second is preparation. My high school
coach Fletcher Koos would always tell me, “There are
three keys to success: 1) Preparation, 2) Preparation, 3)
Preparation.”
At this point in the season, important aspects to think about
during the weeks surrounding your races are: Pre-race Prep
and Recovery. I am not a dietician, doctor, or athletic trainer,
but I am an experienced racer and have some practical suggestions
that I have used and work well for me. The key for you is
to gather information, experiment, analyze, then put a system
together that works for you.
Pre-race Prep:
1) Feeling sharp: Focus on quality, now is not the time to
put in filler hours. Don’t forget about intensity and
speed, these won’t be max workouts, but will help keep
you in tune with your upper end and max speed.
2) Staying loose: Easy distance skis can be shorter than usually,
but make sure they are still in the week. Massage is also
a good idea to make sure the blood is flowing freely and there
are no major knots.
3) Diet: This is purely a personal thing, but make sure you
eat well the week of a big race. Eat things you know will
sit well in your system the days leading up to the race. For
me, I eliminate beans, nuts, and some dairy which all seem
to give me a sour stomach. I know a lot of racers with iron
guts who can eat anything but be diligent in doing what works
for you.
4) Equipment: I put this last because I feel that this should
be the last thing you think about when preparing for a race.
Try and keep it simple, narrow down your skis options to one
or two pair by the day before. If you keep your skis waxed
and clean then it should be a quick process to get them race
ready. Keep the waxing simple. Don’t fill your wax box
with all brands, the Subaru Factory Team uses Swix waxes and
we have gotten to know them well enough to have fantastic
skis 99% of the time. You can do the same.
Recovery:
1) Diet: The most important thing to do after a race to speed
up recovery is to drink plenty of water or sport drink and
to eat foods loaded with carbohydrates and protein. I know
it is tempting to sit down with your buddies and drink a beer
while telling race stories, but if you are racing the following
weekend, keep it to a minimum and get some quality foods in
quickly. I like recovery drinks or sport drinks along with
energy bars, peanut butter sandwiches, and fruit. Don’t
overlook recovery foods.
2) Rest: Take a couple days off after a long hard race with
some easy recovery workouts of 30 minutes. Light workouts
help flush your muscles of all the byproducts of racing. It
is important to feel like you have your energy back before
you start putting in longer sessions or intensity.
3) Muscle maintenance: If you are sore or tight after a race,
it would be a good idea to incorporate massage and stretching
into your recovery days following the race. This will greatly
speed up the recovery process and get you ready for your next
race.
These are all things that have worked for me allowing me
to rack up 30 starts a season. Give some of these things a
try, but find out what works best for you. Good luck with
the racing season and have fun. The process is as rewarding
as the outcome.
Race on,
Chad
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Tamarack Academy
Thursday Feb 9 - Sunday Feb 12
3 days @ $150/day
This all-inclusive price covers lodging, instruction,
meals, and trail passes. Attendees will enjoy five on-snow
sessions (expect 8-12 hours on snow!) alongside Subaru Factory
Team/XCAcademy.com staff, with extensive technical analysis
and
advice.
We will cover both classic and skate technique,
drills, and training. In the classroom,
we will discuss such topics as ski preparation and maintenance,
training for skiing,
and we'll have a lecture by one of our guest coaches (topic
TBD). We'll also have
Salomon skis and boots available to demo throughout the
weekend.
This camp is an opportunity for skiers to
train alongside, and learn from some of
North America's premier athletes and instructors. What better
way to enjoy winter
than with the Subaru Factory Team and XCAcademy.com staff,
all at one of the
nation's newest and most remarkable ski resorts: Tamarack,
Idaho.
For more information or to receive a complete
academy schedule, please e-mail
Tim Weston at timw@endurance-enterprises.com
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| Event
TDBanknorth Craftsbury Marathon
Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Craftsbury VT
Saturday Januray 28th 25 & 50km Classic
Forecast: Friday night low 21F, Saturday high 36F and sunny!
Base Prep: Clean skis with CH10 or BP088 scrape and brush using Course Bronze
Brush. Clean kick zone with Swix base cleaner and Fiberlene, sand kick zone with
100grit sandpaper
Structure: Medium-fine linear, Can be applied with the Swix Super Riller using the
fine .75mm blade
Glide Wax
Base Race Wax: Apply HFBD7, scrape and brush using Medium Bronze Brush
Race Wax: Apply FC1 with Iron for durability, scrape and brush out using Black
Nylon then Horsehair brushes
Kick Wax
Binder Wax: Apply KR30 klister very thin, iron in and buff with cork
Race Wax: 4-5 thin layers of VR45. If it warms up quickly in the morning, VR50 or VR55 may be necessary.
Notes: Back in action in New England! Course will likely be thin in spots with
some ice tilled up. Klister binder will keep the kick solid for the final uphill finish!
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| Events/Clinics/Announcements |
Rebecca Dussault Clinic Crested Butte -
Saturday, January 28th
2006 Olympian, Rebecca Dussault, will be giving two
FREE clinics this coming weekend in Crested Butte before
she departs for the Olympic Games. Both clinics will be
in the afternoon of Saturday, January 28th.
Classic clinic 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Skate clinic from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.
Meet at the Crested Butte Nordic Center
for one or both clinics.
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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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