Every 4-6 weeks training gets altered and modified in order to help the body grow and stay challenged. Our very first practice was at Mud Pond 6 weeks ago, and for many it was a tough ordeal to get through a distance run…not uncommon after a long season on snow and a spring break. Last week we returned and went farther with way less effort: many commented on how much better that session felt compared to day #1.
That’s what is so great about training at a high level for sport. You see these small gains in a short amount of time, even within an hour-long run. You also see greater progression from season-to-season and year-to-year. When you start measuring your improvement in 4-year Olympic cycles, you know you’ve really arrived!
We’ve added in new twists in many areas this week. For strength we upped our basic circuit routine to a workout I’ve always known as the “Steamboat Session” since it originates from the Nordic Combined training at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. This tough but functional strength is great when you have no gym available. Luckily, when the summer program starts we will have just such a gym! Through a partnership with Dee PT in South Burlington (see Summer Training info) we will have the option for high-quality strength training and supervision throughout the summer. Until then, we will keep building basic strength skills to be ready for the iron-pumping.
We’ve also added some bounding in the past few weeks. At this point repeats have been short and ‘light’ bounding, as opposed to the gut-busting plyometric leaps of late summer and fall. The focus is on learning to float, have snappy movements and good body position. Check out some clips from Saxon Hill below:
The other ingredient added to our training has been rollerskiing. We are starting simple and building in one session per week, at this point mostly all double poling. Last week we did some basic drills, and this week we added in a touch of specific strength with single-stick repeats up some gradual inclines and along the flats of Richmond.
On Saturday we capped our week of training off with a long and low-intensity hike at Bolton. The typical training session at this alpine area usually involves skiing up the access road, hiking the center slope to the wind turbine, or some combination of those two activities. For this session I thought we would start at the lower base lodge and try to do a big loop around the whole area. It worked out as well as I could’ve hoped for. Everyone kept the intensity low, the route was easy to follow (wide ski trails are hard to get lost on) and we made it to each of the three summits and back to the cars in just under 2 hours.
Training week 10, June 1
Week Type: Intensity
Additional workout suggestions:
-Colchester Causeway Races (see Google Doc for registration info)
-Strength session (in addition to Thursday) incorporating pullups, dips, pushups, planks, tucks, step-ups
-1 medium-length easy run (65-75 min)
Notes: This is the first “Intensity” week, but it doesn’t mean race-mode at all. The goal is to introduce some higher workloads, but in a controlled manner. Tuesday we will do some threshold running intervals that are a bit shorter and faster paced than the 2-mile efforts we have been doing, but the focus will still be on pacing work. Expect some tough efforts on Sunday’s bike ride if you plan to summit App Gap, and good luck to those racing the Causeway events in Colchester!
Additional notes and news:
-Summer training registration will be open very soon. For info on what to expect and some new additions to programming, please see the ‘Summer’ section of the Junior pages: SUMMER PROGRAMS
-This upcoming weekend is big for club events. Saturday is the MNC Family Yardsale: please spread the word, find out how you can help out, and sort through some old items for spring cleaning! Donations of all kinds are accepted: ski- or sport-specific and otherwise. Find info on the event, volunteer sign-ups and more on the calendar page: MNC FAMILY YARDSALE
-This Sunday is the summer kick-off bike ride and BBQ at the Solow/Henry residence! A great chance for all involved with MNC to get together and celebrate the start of a big season for skiers! More info on the calendar pages: SUMMER KICK-OFF BBQ
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