So far this week has been characterized by high intensity work on the erg/skis and some solid steady state rowing in between. Generally, we have been doing the majority of our volume on skis and apart from our weekly ski races, our intense pieces have been on the erg. As long as the numbers are trending downwards on the erg pieces, the training balance is good, but if not, we have to re-evaluate. I have been enjoying the balance between skiing, weight lifting, and erging. If I am able to lift a lot of weight, that is good, if I am performing well on the erg, that is good, but if I am doing those two things and not going fast on skis, it worries me. The speed on skis, in my opinion, is a better indicator of how fast you will be on the water compared to the erg or weights. So, I pay close attention to those three facets of our training and make sure they are in line. At this point in the year, I would be willing to sacrifice the speed on skis in order to build strength, but the fact that I feel like that is happening and I am still moving fast on skis is encouraging. There are plenty of examples of people who have gotten very strong and very fit on the erg and not been able to translate into the boat. I think generally, even though we are not on the water through the winter, our team does a good job of always checking whether it will make the boat go faster. The ski racing is a great check on that. To go fast on skis you must recruit every fibre of your being and put it within an efficient technique in order to yield speed. It is one of the only other endurance sports I know of that requires the same combination of technical savviness and physiological capability. A cyclists technique or a runners technique is far less nuanced than a skiers or a rowers. I am not taking anything away from a cyclist or a runner because, in many ways, thats why they are the most pure physiological specimen around because they can't rely on technique to go faster, they have to do it with more power, more will, and more mental toughness. A rower might not be able to increase boat speed with technique, but he/she can certainly maintain it and prolong it. Same with a skier. It is possible to mask physiological shortcomings with technical prowess. This is the aspect of boat speed that a Physiologist cannot explain. It's what excites me every time I get in a boat. It's why I am writing this blog. The idea that I or anyone can be more than the sum of their parts.
In that same vein, last night's 5k race was a classic race, same technique as the marathon except we didn't have to do the remaining 45 k. Classic skiing is much more akin to running; in fact, the motion is basically the same with the addition of a glide on each stride. Its a far more natural movement than skate skiing. Skate skiing is incredibly dynamic and fast. While classic skiing looks beautiful and aesthetically pleasing when done properly, I enjoy skate skiing better because there are far less excuses. In classic skiing, if you have a bad race or don't achieve the result you were hoping for, it's far too easy to just blame it on your wax. The worst part is that the wax excuse is completely legitimate, so especially for a beginner skier, its very difficult to differentiate between what part of your performance can be attributed to the equipment or your own exertion.
Of course, I only rant about it because I got second in a Classic race last night!
<insert wax excuses here>
I don't think my skis were great, I seem to be dragging quite a bit on the flats/downhills, which is really heartbreaking, but I still had a decent race. I was happy with how hard I pushed myself and the way I skied. But credit where credit is due, my good buddy Kyle was really moving. I led for probably 4k, until he screamed passed me. As I mentioned earlier, classic skiing is more closely related to running and Kyle is very good runner. He and I did well to break away from everyone else in the race, but he really made a strong decisive move to win the race. In my heart of hearts, I feel like I am a strong classic skier and was more than capable of winning that race, but if I am going to have a chance in the future I will need to learn more about how to properly wax these things. Unfortunately for my Classic skiing performance, I don't think I am willing to spend too much time learning the psuedoscience of waxing.
In other news, just read this article about the former Middlebury soccer player who just won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks as the kicker. It might be time to start increasing the weight on my right leg extensions.
http://www.middlebury.edu/newsroom/node/468891
Here is a shot of my kicking days in high school.
In that same vein, last night's 5k race was a classic race, same technique as the marathon except we didn't have to do the remaining 45 k. Classic skiing is much more akin to running; in fact, the motion is basically the same with the addition of a glide on each stride. Its a far more natural movement than skate skiing. Skate skiing is incredibly dynamic and fast. While classic skiing looks beautiful and aesthetically pleasing when done properly, I enjoy skate skiing better because there are far less excuses. In classic skiing, if you have a bad race or don't achieve the result you were hoping for, it's far too easy to just blame it on your wax. The worst part is that the wax excuse is completely legitimate, so especially for a beginner skier, its very difficult to differentiate between what part of your performance can be attributed to the equipment or your own exertion.
Of course, I only rant about it because I got second in a Classic race last night!
<insert wax excuses here>
I don't think my skis were great, I seem to be dragging quite a bit on the flats/downhills, which is really heartbreaking, but I still had a decent race. I was happy with how hard I pushed myself and the way I skied. But credit where credit is due, my good buddy Kyle was really moving. I led for probably 4k, until he screamed passed me. As I mentioned earlier, classic skiing is more closely related to running and Kyle is very good runner. He and I did well to break away from everyone else in the race, but he really made a strong decisive move to win the race. In my heart of hearts, I feel like I am a strong classic skier and was more than capable of winning that race, but if I am going to have a chance in the future I will need to learn more about how to properly wax these things. Unfortunately for my Classic skiing performance, I don't think I am willing to spend too much time learning the psuedoscience of waxing.
In other news, just read this article about the former Middlebury soccer player who just won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks as the kicker. It might be time to start increasing the weight on my right leg extensions.
http://www.middlebury.edu/newsroom/node/468891
Here is a shot of my kicking days in high school.
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