Preparing for Next Years Canadian Birkie

Picture taken during the Ski Tour Canada 2016 World Cup at the relay races in Canmore

At the wrap up party for Birkie students, the Birkie Adult Training Group (BTG) the following question was asked. What are you going to do to prepare for next years Canadian Birkie?

These are some of your answers:
Running
Swimming
Paddling
Lots of Roller Skiing
Bicycling
Hiking, Hiking with ski poles, Walking
Triathlons
Lose some weight
Train four or five times a week.
Do some specific weight training for skiing
Lots of core strength
Bicycle touring
Work on Balance and try some slack-line
Ball exercises
Continue in Martial Arts
Trail Running
Mountain Biking
Roller Blading
Take some Downhill and Nordic Ski Lessons

These exercises are all very good. Staying healthy, outside and uninjured is very important. As a coach I will add a few more that I will be doing. Chase snow. Stay on skis as long as you can in the spring and get on snow, early in the fall.
If you can, go glacier skiing.
Review video of the best skiers in the world.
Do Dry-land Nordic walking, bounding, striding, double poling, offset, stutter step, etc. The hillier the terrain the better.
For those of you who want to be more serious, perhaps consider joining a racing ski club and get a full time coach. Consider doing some other form of summer time racing, to keep mind and body sharp.
Perhaps order some new skis, poles, boots, wax, ski clothing or get your old skis stone ground?
Perhaps the local club needs some volunteer work on the trails?
Consider commuting to work under your own power, run, bike or roller ski, etc. as it will safe you money and time.
Use a heart rate monitor to see if you are going too hard or easy?

Remember that as we age, recovery is not nearly as quick, so train gently but strongly, and figure in lots of rest time.

As always, email me if you have questions. Refer to my summer blog from last year if you want tollok at video clips of the best skiers training.

Be Safe and Have FUN.

The Canadian Birkie 2016 That Never Was

El Nino won this year. There just was not enough snow to hold the race this year.

The students of the Birkie Training Group, BTG, were asked how has the cancelled Birkie affected you?

These are some of their answers:
Many have stopped skiing because of next to no snow, even now. Icy conditions have made it dangerous. Due to quick rise and fall of temperatures during the day you need to pick the best time of day, to ski.

Some of you felt bad for others, who were so disappointed and had put so much time and money in preparing for the race.

Others of you were kind of happy because you had not done all your homework.
Homework is where once a week to 10 days, they need to ski long. (i.e 3-6 hours)

Others have taken up the opportunity to learn ski skating. This has worked out well, as many guys know how to ice skate and have leg muscles that are somewhat able to handle the new sport. For the ladies who like speed and not having to worry about kick wax, ski skating has turned out to be a new adventure.

For others even if the Birkie was cancelled, at least it was a motivator for the winter season to get outside and get fit.

Many went and tried other Loppets that were not cancelled, and learned of new places to ski, throughout the province. It was mentioned that in future years you will not put all your energy towards one race, but will have several other mini goals, as was suggested by the instructors in the first place. The more you are exposed to different snow conditions and trail, the more experienced skier you will be.

A few of you expressed relief that you did not have to worry about what wax to use for the Birkie. Many of you have taken the waxing course taught by Mike, and you felt ready for just about any waxing issue.

Others of you bought new ski equipment as prices were better at the local store, due to the slow season. Zero skis, waxless skis, rock skis and skate skis, were all added to some of your ski gear.

To sum it all up next years Birkie is less then a year away. We can only hope that next year we will have lots of snow! Man made snow should be ready at Gold Bar to cover at least 2.5 km, hopefully.

The next blog is about what kind of training you said will be doing for the coming summer.

                                This picture was taken last winter!! At SWC

#Nordic #Skiing, Going Uphill Part 1

In the decades past we were told that a course was a third flat, a third up, and a third down, and we spent 50% of our time going up. Nowadays with much faster snow, skis and different terrain the percentages have changed. They now say, we spend as much as 70% of our time going uphill. So that means we must spend a lot of time learning how to climb.

There are many ways to climb a hill. A lot of the techniques used, will depend on your fitness levels and your ski abilities.

Let us mention some of the up-hill skills that were used last night. First before any climbing, you went for a warm up ski, WITHOUT your poles, around the lake and you took a cork, and a warmer and colder wax, just in case your wax was off a bit.

We started climbing using the uphill diagonal. I then had you experiment as to where you could ski on the ski trail. There was one set track, unlike in this picture, but there are many other places on a ski trail to ski, when there are a lot of people around you on the trail. Your line will have to change, at times. Do not get stuck behind the person in front, but go around them. Always check your shoulders before you change your line, as someone else maybe coming up fast.

If you need some grip, ski in the pole tracks or go over to the far side of the track. If your grip is a bit grippy, ski in the middle which normally has a hump for the skaters in our neck of the woods. There are many ski lines, and you must practice and learn the best lines for your skis and your technique. Remember that temperature sun, wind, cloud, and many other factors will change the snow conditions quickly. 

Other techniques practised; were the running herringbone, the walking herringbone, the half herringbone in the tracks, double poling uphill, the single kick double pole. If you are really desperate there is always the side step, and taking your skis off and walking if all else fails.
The running diagonal side step will be taught in another class. The hill we used  last night was very easy and the next class will be more difficult.

We also discussed the half herringbone in the track. If the ski out of the track glides, it is a half skate(Marathon skate) and you will be disqualified in a classic race.

Well continue to do the snow dance and see you next class.

Be safe, go ski, have FUN.

#Nordic #Skiing and a review of Double Poling, 2015

As you all know the class started by having everyone bring their rock skis with no kick wax on them.

We then gingerly skied over to an area, for the class, that did not have much leaves or rock showing through. As you all discovered there was a slight uphill one way and a slight downhill the other way.

Some of the exercises that were used included chicken pecking, with your hands held right beside your shoulders, elbows flared, and you fell forwards from the ankles, with the legs held in a bone supported position only about 6 inches (15cm). Hips came forward, with no bend at the waist and butt tucked in, not sticking out.

Next exercise you reached forward with the elbows being bent at 90 degrees or even bent a bit more in front of you. Hands were shoulder width apart, with the elbows outside the hands (chicken wing). Elbows reached forward at least a fist width in front of your stomach. You then fell forward only about a foot (30cm), still like a chicken pecking.

A question was asked, how high do the hands come up? This is sort of determined by speed and the length of the poles, but you see a lot of hands coming up to, at least eye level, nowadays. I also know that for classic, a lot of skiers have poles that come to top of their shoulders now, rather then under the armpit like they use to.

As you fell forward from the ankle joint you tried to stretch the stomach and hip flexors muscles, while also squeezing the cheeks. Imagery of holding a loonie in your butt cheeks, or sucking your belly button to your backbone was also mentioned. The legs were in the bone supported position.

Now the timing of the slight knee drop to load the poles more with your body weight, is the key. **You must load the poles only after the hips  are starting to pass the ankles.  You will feel your weight behind the ankles, over the ankles and then ahead of the ankles. Do not leave your hips behind, they must move forward.

The next exercise was to drive the elbows back behind your trunk. We should be able to stick a pole handle between your back and the bend in the elbow. The finish of the push is still up in the air. I am teaching no elbow extension any more, (no triceps). However elbow extension is ok, but that depends on your tricep strength and snow conditions and if you are following someone, etc. You also feel a stretch in the chest muscles and the chin will be up and pointing ahead.

One other exercise was to float. This occurs as your elbows and body come forwards. I mentioned that perhaps you could think of directing an orchestra or pointing to something ahead of you, with your fingers. Your whole body will be mostly in a relaxed position for just a moment. This time will allow new blood to flush through the body. Also pre-stretching a muscle will allow it to contract stronger. When you come up and float, the rib cage mechanically takes in more air. Breath out forcibly as your poles contact the snow.

If your core is sore you did the double poling right, and if your arms are sore perhaps you need to look at your timing. Your poling motion should be straight forward down and back, no collapsing of the arms or tripodding. Pole baskets should be planted within approximately 6 inches (15cm) of your skis, depending on your shoulder width.

Gravity, core, body weight, and then finally, use muscle, last. Use big muscles first and smaller muscles last.

Try to get in your first 15 hours of easy skiing in the next week or two.
The #CanadianBirkie is not that many weeks away. :)

Go Ski, Have FUN, Be Safe.

#Snow is here, What a difference a day makes for #Nordic #Skiing!

The snow fell and continued to fall here in #yeg. Now the wind is picking up.

Class last night was able to ski. Due to the dangerous winter driving, a lot of the class did not make it. Double poling on a few centimetres of snow was still skiing, though cores of grass turf kept flipping up and tried to stop you. Some of the common denominators that the class worked on, were falling forward onto their poles with hips ahead of ankles, and reaching with 90' bent elbows. Hands at shoulder width apart or a bit more, no tri-podding, and planting the baskets close to your skis were other areas looked at. Once tracks are set we will go over double poling again.

This morning there are at least 12cm of snow, which is great. Now we wait for the groomers to do their awesome deed of trail grooming.

On another note I slept outside in my makeshift tarp, backyard winter camping, still trying to do my part for SNOW DANCING. Since a lot more snow came down after I went to sleep, I awoke and found the weight of the snow was pressing in all around the tarp. The inside of the tarp was covered in frost from my breathing. There was snow sealing all around the bottom, with almost a foot of snow. The rope was being stretched and was sagging. There was next to no room to get in and out.
However I was warm and and comfy. I used my 3 inch Exped air mattress, with a closed one inch cell inside my old Eddie Bauer sleeping bag cover. My 4 decade old bag has been used down to -40C, so I had no problems in that area.
Several decades ago I used to drive, sleep in a snow bank, and then race Nordic skiing as I did not have much money. My hips do not like hard ground anymore, hence the Exped mattress, which I use summer camping all the time.
The inside of the tarp tent is still on grass. My cell phone was almost dead and had to be plugged in, as it was on the cold ground. My Power Monkey would not be charging as there is no sun, if I was in the woods. I have heard that if you put the cell phone on airplane mode, it charges a lot of faster, we will see.
 Fifty feet away is a nice warm house at 17C. Outside it is -7C, and -13C, with the wind chill.
Time for breakfast, when the rest of the household arises. In the old days before a race, I used to eat a can of 40% syrup peaches, a container of cottage cheese, some bread and of course Chocolate Milk.
 I love winter, and I love #Nordic #skiing.

Get out there, Be Safe and Have FUN.

#Nordic #Skiing and still waiting for #SNOW

Snow dancing continues. Winter tarp camping, as a form of snow dancing, is now being done by the instructor! Embrace the winter.

Today’s class once again started with reviewing who did their homework and how much. Many students managed to travel to the snow in the last week, which is a 3 or 4 hour drive away. Lucky them as they rubbed it in, to those of us that did not get to ski. Lol.
Most students are at least doing some of their homework, now. However ski walking is now bumped up to a 3-4 hour chunk of time. The Canadian Birkie maybe 80 days away, but the last week does not count for much training, which just leaves about 70 days.

You are encouraged to go race some Loppets, as this will sharpen the mind, and get you use to being around other people, at speed.

Clothing and what to wear for training and racing was also discussed. NO cotton, and avoid waterproof garments for normal winter skiing. Wicking fabrics underneath, and fleece or Lycra, depending on the situation over top, works well.

The class then had a seat on a picnic bench for those over 5'6", and a lower bench for those under that height. Stomach crunches, with thighs at 90' to floor and you on your back, had everyone doing 4 sets of 20 reps; up, one, two, while twisting. There was a lot of groaning and the coats came off pretty quick.
The importance of double poling and a strong core is so important. Races of up to 90km, with no kick wax, in a classical race, and a time of just over 4 hours tells us the writing is on the wall. Be ready to double pole lots!

After another exercise of partial lifting your partner off the floor, while keeping your legs bent, shoulders over your ankles, and doing rows, it was time to go outside. (3 sets of 10 reps per person)

Review of ski walking, ski bounding, herringbone, and running herringbone finished off the night. 

Length of poles, and steel tips vs carbide tips, are showing some students that perhaps they should do some investing in their poles.

See you all soon, keep doing the snow dance, do your homework, and go chase snow if you can.

HAVE FUN!!
This what I found on the Cross Country Alberta website.

LOPPETS. We are still working on the Loppet Series Calendar for the 2015-2016 series. Be sure to check back soon!  http://www.xcountryab.net/alberta-loppet-series/

  

Nordic Skiing and Flexibility Thoughts

I had a question asked of me in a class not long ago.
What flexibility exercises do I feel are best, as related to Nordic skiing?
As a rule, as I thought about it more, I realized the following general principles. I did a bit of digging into the internet for answers, but did not find anything very useful.

So I will go with my own view and experience.
When stretching, start from the core, then go to the lower body and then to the upper body. Go from bigger muscles to smaller muscles.
I always like to stretch the hip flexors > glutes > hamstrings > quads > back > lats > Achilles > calves > shoulders > triceps > forearms. The order I have listed is pretty well the order I use.

IF the snow conditions are loose and unstable, you need to stretch your sartorius which is not a muscle you will normally think about, unless it cramps and then that can be painful.
If you have been skating, I would definitely stretch your adductor and abductor muscles as well. 

As for how long you should hold a stretch, as a rough guideline I will say 20-30 seconds. Over the last 4 decades, I have seen theories come and go, about the length of time to hold a stretch. The stretch should not hurt, just a slight pull.

I always feel best, if I do my stretching in a hot water whirlpool or hot-springs, o ya. If this is not practical, then go for a ski, and when you are ready to strip your warm up layer of clothes off, then that is time to do your stretching, and not before.

For sure, do not stretch before you are warmed up, and new research indicates that you do not stretch, until after your exercise, as your muscle strength will be decreased. I am still watching this.

I personally like to do the vast majority of my stretching after skiing. It is far better to continue stretching as you get older, then to stop and then start a couple of decades later start again.

THINK SNOW