2011/2012 ski season

Welcome back.  Keep skiing.  There will be more info to come following the first official meeting Monday November 7. 

2011-12 Training Plan

This training plan was adapted from one developed for the SISU masters year round group in 2010-11, and is based on a training volume of 300 hours.
300 hours is my start point (base).  We will discuss in further posts and in group meetings strategies to increase hours yet remain faithful to the overall objective- which is to ski races in the MN Skinnyski series. 
Activities
Overdistance- L1 transitioning to L2 by the end of summer.  Saturday pole hikes of 2.0 to 3.5 hours
Speed- pick-ups, not intervals.  10-20 seconds in any workout, several times/wk.
Strength- general (at my age- physical therapy for my rehab of the year) or specific strength (roller skiing and pole hiking).
Plyometrics- explosiveness drills
Roller skiing- easiest option for technique and specific strength.  Key goal is to start early enough to be able to do L2 overdistance workouts in the fall.
Level 1- easy continuous pace, able to carry on a conversation easily
Level 2- still able to converse most of the time, natural intervals without pushing it
Level 3- 10k pace continuous, working hard and focused
Level 4- 1k sprint interval, goal is near max over designated period.
Through experience I have found that 300 hours is the minimum I need to be able to have expectations in races above just completion.   The core of my current ski training regimen is the Saturday WAM-xc group 2-3.5 hours. Thursday Sisu year round, technique and specific strength/ speed 1.5 hours. Depending on the objective of the month I can work in a longer targeted workout on Sunday, and 1-2 shorter sessions during the week.

Period	Hours	Focus	L3/L4	Strength/Plyo
		Base endurance 1
4/25- 5/22/11	21	L1-2 natural intervals, 1short L3 interval/wk	3/1	6/2
5/23- 6/19	23	Technique (balance), strength, volume	4/1	8/2
		Base endurance 2
6/18- 7/17	24	Increase volume L2, longer L3 intervals	5/1	6/2
7/18- 8/14	30	Good base volume with specific strength (roller skiing)	6/2	4/1
8/15- 9/11	22	More roller skiing- specific strength/ intervals.	4/1	4/1
		Pre-competition
9/12- 10/9	25	Rebuild hours/ pole hiking intervals and roller skiing	3/2	4/1
10/10- 11/6	21	Decrease hours, peak L4	2/6	4/1
11/7- 12/4	28	Increase volume and intensity	2/6	4/0
12/5- 1/1/12	20	On snow, decrease intensity, focus on technique and speed	3/4	4/0
		Competition
01/2-01/29	20	Racing, rest, speed, think ahead	1-2/ 3-6	4/0
01/30- 02/26	20	COLL, Mora, Birkie- stay healthy	0/3	0/0
		Recovery phase
March	23	Skiing for fun and
April	23	recovery

Next year's goal

This photo of Matt Liebsch on Main Street in Mora says it all.

Photo by David Owen posted on Skinnyski.com

2011/2012 season

We have had enough ski club members express interest in participating in the Skinnyski race series that I will go ahead and put together a separate email list and some organization and training info. But starting with the basics (I'm going to put out the first 2-3 emails to the general list.)
1) All it takes to participate is the willingness to sign up for one race. Just let me know and I will add you to the list.
2) You don't need to be fast, just determined. The way anyone in our group will score points is by improvement- skiing above your handicap rating.
3) Races in the series change from year to year, so the race info I am including below is for the 2011 series. Based on past series history the only race that I expect to continue exactly as described is the Boulder race. That has been included in the series every year (that I checked) and has always been 31k freestyle. The City of Lakes, Mora and Finlandia are mainstays as well, but have more race options. For example with the COLL, both the 25k classic and 33k freestyle have been series events.
4) To give you a starting point for what to expect and plan for, following is info from the 2011 series. The price included is the first major registration/price increase deadline. With most races you can sign up almost to the last minute with little penalty. It is only the big races with year-round infrastructure where early registration is advisable. I am including this info so that you have an idea what the financial commitment will be. Race changes are usually allowed for a fee (example $15 at the Birkie this year).
a) Twin City Champs 01/01 originally 10k classic at Battle Creek, moved to Green Acres due to conditions. 01/02 fresestyle at Wirth.
$45 to Dec.1.
b) Boulder 01/16 (near Duluth). 31k freestyle. $30 to 12/23.
c) Mayor's challenge 01/23. 15k freestyle at Wirth. Price info uncertain due to online registration configuration, about $30 estimate, probably ok for late registration.
d) Nordic Spirit 25k classic, Spirit Mtn near Duluth 01/30. $30 to Dec. 30.
e) City of Lakes Loppet, 33k freestyle, 02/06. $60 to 07/31, $70 to 11/30.
f) Mora 35k freestyle 02/13. $70 to 09/01.
g) Finlandia (Bemidji) 02/19. 25k pursuit. $45 to 12/1.
5) The first 6 races are generally same-day trips. Bemidji is an overnight. Financial commitment could be as little as $30 + sharing gas.
6) I'm going to make a commitment to ski any pursuits plus the COLL and Mora. This year that would have meant race fees =$220, Bemidji trip $100.
7) My "official" training year starts May 1. Anticipating this type of race schedule I will need to make significant adustments to my training plan. I'll include a general training plan on the blog sometime in March or April, the adaptations I am making and some suggestions for adaptations based on the training interests and needs of others.

Waxing Blues or whites or violets... yes, that's it

I skied the Marine OBrien race Sunday January 30.  The forecast during the week started with a prediction of 5*f or colder at the start.  Temps on the drive over at 8:30 am were about 15*f.
Kick wax recommendation all week (Toko) was white (9-19 range) over base green binder.  I had that on with a couple layers of Blue sandwiched in.  Testing in the track gave me fabulous glide and no kick.  I asked someone in Toko team gear for advice and he claimed to be putting Rode on-- skiers lie about wax. 
I tested Blue and finally settled on violet which degraded my glide a bit, but I had good kick.
This episode is about how to set yourself up so your wax won't suck on race day.
1-  Pay attention to the forecast and how it is trending.
2- Prep your skis early, but save your final wax comitment until late.
Assuming you have one pair of skis--
3- Think about the weather trend, and what is the worst thing that can happen.  In the loppet in years past it has been both much colder than expected and much warmer and wetter than expected.
4- For glide wax- it is usually better to be waxed for colder than forecast.  You can always work in some structure on race morning.  The cheapest temporary way is with the $3 plastic scrapers sold by Toko or swix that have a serated plastic edge.  You can put grooves for a day in the ski that will come out with one or two wax/iron cycles.
5- Kick wax can be trickier.  My Sunday white, blue, violet challenge was simple to solve.  The skis as waxed would have been good down to 0*f, maybe colder.  One reason I use Toko is because "too-soft" wax doesn't ice up and has a fair amount of durability.  One or two cover layers of mint or turquoise would have set me up for the race.  With warmer temps--
a- I got to the race 90 minutes before the start.  That got me a good parking spot, a short line at the indoor toilet, a short line at the registration table, and the time to ski out to a good testing uphill to make my wax trials.
6- For much warmer temps, rain, wet sloppy snow, icy tracks with fresh fluffy snow, and ice turning to slush--all waxing nightmares-
a- know your core wax brand.  For example- with Toko I have two binder choices, base green or klister.  There are reasons to use each as a binder, but mainly I know that I can leave home with either as my binder and still have a chance to adapt with minimal fuss at race start.
b- get there early and bring what you need- a good scraper, cork, rilling tool, the waxes you may need.  If bringing klister I bring it in a ziplock that I can keep inside clothing- to keep it warm without having it leak onto clothing or skin- unless of  course you have missed your bikini wax this week.  For smaller races you can bring a wax bench and maybe a propane torch and hand (non-electric) iron, but for a race like the Loppet, Mora or the Birkie where you will be bussed to the start and from the finish, you need a more compact kit.
7- The biggest thing- get there early.  The days you are most likely to need extra time to adjust your wax are the days that the weather is dragging out the bus system, parking, etc. 

Waxing

For those who saw my wax demo at Jeff's jumbo wax palace-
The first sequence will be the step-by-step complete wax job for skate skis.
The second sequence will include some variations or add-ins that will increase durability and speed.
The third sequence will be the shortened version for when you just want to get out and ski.  This works best when your skis are well cared for.
Equipment- wax bench, iron, scraper and sharpener, groove tool, cleaning brush, stiff nylon hand or roto brush, cheese grater.  I also have and use a razor scraper.  All scraping should be from tip to tail and done very carefully.
1- Brush out the ski with the cleaning brush- these are usually fine bristled metal brushes.  This removes any dirt and old wax.
2- Razor scrape until the scrape is clean.  I only do this once or twice each year before a big race like Mora or the Birkie (not both).
3- Crayon on a soft cleaning wax.  I prefer Toko yellow, my second choice would be Fast wax base prep.  We also had Swix red bulk wax available.  I did not like that as it was too gooey and not my preference.  I hear great reports about Rex Base Oil, but have not tried it yet.
4- Iron and then hot scrape the cleaning wax. 
5- Apply a harder wax (I used Rex Blue for the demo, several of you applied Fastwax Teal which was probably the correct choice), crayoning first if possible then applying wax to the iron as you work your way down the ski.  This method saves wax by the ton.
6- Go to the second ski and repeat steps 1-5. 
7- If you have more skis to wax- your own second pair, or the skis belonging to your spouse- repeat steps 1-5 on each ski you are waxing.
8- After the first ski has cooled (room temperature, not outside unless you want to buy new skis), scrape and brush the ski thoroughly.  It should be glossy when held up to the light.
9- Apply the HF glide wax of the day.  This coat can be reheated after the ski has cooled- you get another "coat" without scraping. 
10- Repeat step 8 and 9 on all the skis you are waxing.  If it is a very hard wax, apply it with the cheese grater.

Sequence 2- add-ins
9a- Scrape and brush the step 9 wax layer and re-apply.  This will give you a top wax coat that has less of the previous softer wax layer mixed in.  You can then reheat the 9a layer as many times as you wish.  I usually apply some of that wax to the iron before I start each new iron pass as the ski should have absorbed some of the wax and it's safer to do so.
11- Rilling- use a rilling tool to apply structure.  No structure was needed today- you want a perfectly flat ski when it is cold.  When it is above about +10f structure helps remove water/suction from under the ski.
12- Pure fluoro- For shorter races I have a Toko block with dedicated application pad that is crayoned and then buffed.  This is a universal.  For colder days I have a Fastwax Green paste wax and similar application pad.  For the longer races you can get pure fluoro.  If you want to take this step, take a $100 bill and a few of it's smaller friends and go to a very good ski shop.  Get their help. 
The low-tech way.  I own only Rex TK-72 fluoro.  I only apply after I am absolutely certain I am waxed right. I have a dedicated cork that is kept in a ziploc with the TK-72. I cork and cork and cork and then do a light brushing with a horsehair brush.  The Toko polishing pad can also be used.

Sequence 3- for most of the time, especially in a winter like this where we have been blessed with continuous cold clean snow.  This will get you out the door with skis that will be great for training.
1- Brush out the ski with the cleaning brush- these are usually fine bristled metal brushes.  This removes any dirt and old wax.
skip steps 2-3-4.
5- Apply a harder wax (I used Rex Blue for the demo, several of you applied Fastwax Teal which was probably the correct choice), crayoning first if possible then applying wax to the iron as you work your way down the ski.  This method saves wax by the ton.
8- After the first ski has cooled (room temperature, not outside unless you want to buy new skis), scrape and brush the ski thoroughly.  It should be glossy when held up to the light.  If it is a very hard wax, apply it with the cheese grater.
Sequence 3 works very well with consistent mid-winter snow.  I adapt my procedures when we start to have transformed snow.  Transformed snow is melted and refrozen.  Those waxing changes are well beyond today's lesson.

How you win a race!

I saw this picture on a Rossignol report (linked from skinnyski).  This is Liz Stephen winning the National 20k.  Notice that on an uphill V1 there is air under both of her skis!