7th week No snow again.

Well sometimes, especially as we get older we need to use a bit of common sense and live to ski another day. This is hard to do but with a base of snow around an inch, which was icy in most places it was better to be safe then sorry.
So it was back to ski walking and the 5 step stutter double pole. We are trying to encourage you to do a lot more double poling which requires great timing and core strength. Naturally if your skis are wax too slow or the snow conditions are slow then you may have to diagonal. Do  not arch your back, but be falling forwards as you crunch, drop, and plant your poles.(Float)
At the Birkie there is a lot of herringbone or half herringbone. The tracks are cut up and wiped out by the time some of us ski through. Other times there are so many people around you while climbing, that you need to shorten up your movements.
SWC has some nice small roller coasters off trail and on the multi-use trail.
We talked about remembering to lean forward from the ankles and to plant your poles roughly around your heels, otherwise if the baskets swing further forward you will either be pushing yourself upwards or actually braking.
The question was asked what heart rate should you hold for a 5-6 hour race. This of course will depend on your maximum heart rate and what % of that you can hold. As a rough guideline I will say 75-80%(really just over 85% for me) of max HR at least that is from personal experience but everyone is different and you should lean towards the low side until you know your own body. Of course there are also many other factors that will affect your rate from day to day. Also as we get older our heart rate max will drop as well.
So we must be more efficient in our technique especially as we get older. Never stop learning. :)
In a future class we will learn more about reading the snow, sunshine, wind, humidity, etc., and especially how to use the terrain.
Learning to love hills is a must where you must suck air and suffer.!
Remember what I said in the first class if it hurts too bad suffer, but if it is pain back off, stop, or work around it. There is always another day or another season.
Try to get out and do ski specific training even in these crummy conditions we are having. As i mentioned in class we were very pleased to see how much more fluid that you are moving as a class. Your homework of 5 + hours is starting to show through, well done. If you can possibly get a 3+ hour chunk of skiing in at a time now that would be great.
Remember to have sharp elbows all the time both forward and back as in answer the phone in front and being able to put a pole through the back of bent elbows. You do know what I mean and if not email me.
I have watched the first FIS world Cup races of the year in Ruka Finland, and the techniques I have been teaching you are really close to what is happening again this year.
We need snow to practice, Please remember to do your form of snow dancing!! Smile, be happy, have fun, and see you next week.