Mansfield Nordic Club

Aerobic capacity, specific strength, agility, performance mindset, “killer instinct”, teamwork, motivation…there are a lot of puzzle pieces to successful cross country skiing. But often, we can overlook one of the most fundamental components of what we do…movement itself!

Our movement competency forms the foundation for all physical aspects of sport, and luckily for us there is a wealth of knowledge, scholarly work, science, and research on the topic. Is it as dynamic as brutal intervals up a steep mountain road, or as heroic as a lunge across the finish line in February? Certainly not. But we can improve both of those moments (and many more) with a better understanding of how our bodies move in space, how balanced we are, and how strong some fundamental muscle groups are.

We were fortunate to be joined over the last two weeks by Sharon Henry, PT, Ph.D, ATC as well as Coach Sara (now through her 2nd year of PT school) for some athlete screenings. We rented the classroom space of the Jericho Community Center, and had ourselves a miniature clinic. Individual athletes went through several tests, which are detailed below by US Ski and Snowboard. Sharon and Sara made notes and took down some scores, and athletes were able to get some feedback and exercises that targeted weak areas.

As a coach, it was really great for me to see both individual tests as well as overall themes. We’ve already added a few new exercises to the short warmups we do before each ski or run session, and can now make changes to our strength training plan based off info from these sessions.

Here is a link to a video detailing the US Ski and Snowboard assessment, for those interested.

US Ski and Snowboard Movement Screen

Earlier this spring the Juniors prepared their own electrolyte drinks with natural ingredients and lots of mixing. It felt a bit odd because at the time we were wearing coats and long sleeves, and the wind and rain were making outdoor training feel like November.

But by the time this weekend rolled around, we were definitely doing our best to hydrate any way possible!

We began the week with solid rollerski efforts focused on no-pole work and then some lighter intervals (our first day outside of the Allen Brook rollerski network!). Then it was a weekend of two longer, more involved days of adventure.

Focused intervals in Southridge for Kai and Nico

The gang works on their no-pole skiing

With the traffic light and the skies sunny, Saturday was a good “lap of Richmond” where we started on rollerskis and made it down Cochran Road, up into Greystone, and eventually up the dauntingly-steep Wes White Hill. When the pavement turned to dirt, we swapped skis for running shoes at the van and travelled to Huntington on foot. With a right turn on Mayo Road to take us back toward Richmond, it was a nice route that could definitely be expanded into a longer loop later this summer.

Out cruising past the tree farm

Last summer, a small group ventured down to Rochester, VT for a tour of the new Tunnel Ridge trail. It was right after this video came out, so we were excited to experience all these berms (and all this climbing) for ourselves.

We had a particularly hot day for this year’s edition of the Tunnel Ridge ride. The hearty crew of Jonah, Taylor, Lorenzo, June, Kate, and Kristen (and Adam) were in for a lot of sweating, vertical feet, and hordes of flies at the summit. This trail ends up being 3,000 feet of climbing in 15 miles…pretty solid effort in the saddle.

Luckily the river was just barely warm enough for a quick dip after the ride, the ice in the cooler kept some popsicles at least semi-frozen for our return to the van, and Mad Taco was of course open for the weekend crowd.

Jonah prepares his bike at the Ranger Station

Kate at berm 80, or is it 90? Or 100?

This was definitely an example of “type 2 fun” or maybe even a step beyond, as many mentioned being too tired from the climb to even enjoy the incredibly lengthy and flowy descent back down (the treat you’re [supposedly] earning by all that work to get up top). It was definitely more than we probably should’ve tackled in May, but it should be said that uphills were written down on many a goal pyramid this spring for something to work on…so why not go big?

Hot weather is continuing to hit, so this week will be a real test of our preparedness for training each day. We’ll also be looking for/incorporating some unique ways to stay cool while we are moving along outside!

We are officially into the start of the MNC University program! This year the group is led by UVM coach Brandon Herhusky, who some may remember also spent a season training and racing with MNC way back in 2017!

Schools are starting to let out for the summer, so this crew is steadily growing. All told, our signups and first Zoom meeting brough together an amazing group of 15+ collegiate athletes with many NCAA qualifiers, two US Ski Team members, and tons of energy to bring to the club.

Stay tuned for more updates and content from this gang, especially as the group continues to grow with athletes descending on Burlington from New York, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire!

Neighborhood rollin’ on a chilly morning

Aidan and Jax out rolling the roads of Richmond

Coach Dingo following Rose through a corner

Aidan running his 400m test (see Junior blog for reference)

It was a week for a little more speed among the Junior squad, including one of the most quintessential workout on any modern skier’s checklist: double poling up a hill a bunch of times in a row!

We once again stormed the streets of Williston for the first round of DP repeats this season. We tried to expand out thinking beyond just cues for one type of double poling, as there are actually many ways to best utilize the combinations of body position, upper body, lower body, timing, and follow-through to best get through a given section of terrain.

As this technique has evolved, we’ve had to think harder about how to teach and review double poling. Rather than just doing drills on flat ground, we began with drills on a gradual downhill in order to feel what long glide, full follow-through, and really forward-reaching movements felt like.

Next, we went to the steepest hill we could access in the neighborhood, and did several drills and repeats on this hill in order to see the “opposite end of the spectrum” when it comes to tempo, follow through, and usage of the lower body.

Only after this did we then move onto the repeats themselves, up a gradual hill with a bit of undulation. The goal was that by experiencing the extremes of terrain, the skiers would have a range to work with as they honed-in on the most efficient way to tackle this hill.

Wheels were traded for shoes, but the intensity got even higher on Saturday with the first fitness test of the summer: the 3000m run. New this year was a 400m test, but more on that later…

The 3000m test is great because of its simplicity. It also is a test that so many teams do, meaning data points are easy to track and learn from. For many, this was the first “race” since late season ski events like Easterns, JNs, U16s, and Supertour Finals. To that end, one stated goal was to work on not just literal targets like times and splits, but the mental side of things.

During many spring athlete meetings, a common theme was working on race psychology both before and during competition. What better time to engage with this than the first effort of the year? Things got off to a great start with the team all arriving and getting started with warmups on their own, even jumping into our now-routine mini band work for hip activation and stability. Having familiar structured elements to a warmup really helps get the body and mind into the right state to perform.

And then the performance itself was underway! We had a great test, with lots of personal bests for this springtime running of the event.

Men’s group rounding the first lap

After the conclusion of the 3o00m test, everyone did a 400m test (1 lap of the track) which was a new addition from MNC University coach (and UVM coach) Brandon Herhusky.

The goal? Use a formula after-the-fact to get a percentage of 400m lap (fast-twitch) pace relative to 3000m lap pace (slow-twitch). That ratio helps show whether or not a skier can be working on one end or the other…some may have not been too surprised to find they were more slow-twitch! We’ll work on ways to introduce and adapt individual needs accordingly, and it’s always cool to see more data!

MNC skiers and families,

The NENSA Eastern Cup calendar is up! The four race weekends will be held in:

Waterville, ME 

December 16/17, 2023

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Lake Placid, NY

January 20/21, 2024

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Craftsbury, VT

February 3/4, 2024

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Holderness, NH

February 24/25, 2024

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In a change from some past years, we will not be doing Eastern Cup team trips. We’re transitioning back to a more traditional model of coaches lodging and travelling separately from skiers. While we loved getting the chance to go on Eastern Cup adventures as a group, it’s just not feasible for MNC from a financial or logistical point of view right now.

That said, I’d like to share some recommendations of lodging and travel options while we are many months out. Hopefully this helps with planning and booking!

Waterville, Maine weekend

The coaches will be staying in a small AirBnB in Waterville. There are numerous hotel options in this area, with the nicest probably being the Hampton Inn and the Days Inn. Book early to get lodging in Waterville, and if you end up with no options there, Augusta is the next closest large hub for lodging.

Lake Placid weekend

As a hot tourist destination, Lake Placid is full of hotel and rental options. If you aren’t able to book in Lake Placid itself, try a cheaper option in Saranac Lake (an additional 15-20 minutes away) or Keene Valley, which is also close to the race venue (albeit necessitating driving up and down the large Keene hill each day, which can be tricky in bad weather).

Craftsbury weekend

Many MNC athletes may choose to do this weekend as a day-trip, driving up Saturday and Sunday. It’s likely difficult to get lodging right at the Center, but Morrisville has some options for both rentals and hotels (Sunset Motor Inn). I (Adam) have also really liked staying at the Inn by the River in Hardwick. This is only 20-25 minutes from the venue and an overlooked resource in my opinion!

Holderness weekend

Plymouth is the closest location to stay here, as it’s a college town right across the highway from Holderness. However, easy access to I93 means there’s options both north and south of the venue. Thornton, Campton, and Woodstock are all viable options. Often, MNC athletes and coaches have had success at the Days Inn in Campton, NH just an exit or two up the highway.

Jonah, Anders, and Aaron getting ready to cheer for the women’s heats