The time has come for the first round of dryland testing for Juniors. Our tests include a 1km uphill double pole test, a 3000m track run, the Bolton uphill run test, and a strength test (which may-or-may-not be obsolete by modern biomechanical and functional movement standards).
Why test? And why in May, when we’re so far away from race season?
The goal is to measure improvement and development…and make sure that we keep in touch with “race mode” even if our main comparisons are with individual progress rather than the rank of skiers on the team.
The first round of tests can be brutal, because it’s the longest span of time we go in the year without a race. For anyone not doing track, the last race effort was likely in mid-March. Having a mental and physical break from racing is critical, and it’s why I often am cautioning athletes to be very careful if jumping right from ski racing into a busy track season: track races put a lot of demand on the body and mind right as the full weight of the ski racing season comes crashing down and the need for a more relaxed season is most pronounced. That being said, we’ve obviously got some phenomenal runners out there crushing the spring track season!
Ironically, the testing week started out in the totally opposite way: a workout with no times, no data, and no photos. It was a “NO STRAVA DAY” in which I brought out the SDC (Strava Device Container) and collected all of the instruments of GPS tomfoolery. The only watch for the workout was the one I brought with me: a $4 watch from the department store that didn’t even have the time-of-day right, but had a working stopwatch. Team members bore witness as I turned my phone off and put it into a ziplock baggie (it was raining) to carry in the running vest along with way…its purpose was strictly for safety reasons in the event of an emergency.
Strava is fun and I use it myself, although I’ve tried to cut back a bit. The issue is when any athlete gets compulsive about workouts and data…in the best cases, Strava acts as a social media distraction. In the worst cases, the quest for the minutiae can suck all the joy out of sport. So the hope is to implement a few days here and there when we focus on just being out doing what we love, and maybe discovering NEW things to love about training. For anyone interested, here are a few “discussion piece” articles I sent out to the team after our low-tech trail run.
- We don’t want to be at our best in May, and the times and feelings were a good motivator that gives targets to shoot for throughout the dryland season
- Mentally, this was the first race in a long time. It was like ripping off the Band-Aid for what it takes to be in the psychological sweet spot balancing nerves/excitement/pacing/positivity/energy
- Maybe most importantly, we’re coming off what was without a doubt our best season as a ski club. After a season full of highs and great results, it’s easy to get in a rhythm of expecting greatness at every turn. The thing is, you ALWAYS have to work for great things, and can never take them for granted! So in the best way possible, this is a reminder that nothing comes easy.
Kate and Elsa in the DP test, with chasers behind
Some have tried (and not all have succeeded) rollerskiing down Greystone. In a group, we stick to walking!
The 3000m run Saturday morning was hot and humid, but much like a cold or rainy winter race you can’t just call it off because conditions aren’t perfect. With some times that clearly show we’ve been running more than rollerskiing this spring (as is the intent) there’s a lot of confidence that it won’t take much more rollerski work to bring down the DP test times when we next hit that hill!
Jonah followed closely by Taylor, Emma, and Anders in the 3k
A reminder that I’m trying to upload more photos of training sessions to our Flickr page where folks can view and download them, as well as see even more of what our training looks like!
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