We had the same time-trial last year but there was a 10km and a 5km race. I didn’t right the times down but I believe Graham Egan (Midd) won the 10km for men Kate Barton (Midd) for women and Lucas Milliken (Burke) won the 5km.

This years results were

Sam Tarling (Burke) 16:20

Walt Shepard (Bowdoin) 16:21

Lucas Milliken (Burke) 16:25

Coleman Hatton (Bowdoin) 17:18

Tom Reagon (UNH) 17:24

Nate Niles (Maine Coast) 18:14

Nat Herz (Bowdoin) 18:28

Thanks to Ben Niles for the Timing!

We will most likely be doing this TT again next year, so if you are in the area join in.  Half the Burke Nordic team will be heading to Anchorage tomorrow while the younger kids will be staying at Burke for some good training for the next Eastern Cup.

Some Burke skiers are entering their first seasons as J1’s and others are headed with high hopes for the US Nationals in Anchorage, so every chance there is to get in a start and work a course is fun and valuable. Thanks from all of us up on the shoulder of Burke Mountain to the organizers, volunteers, groomers, and other wizards at Great Glen, Bolton Valley, and Craftsbury for providing first class season openers! A super way to start the year and we are grateful!

Burke Mountain Academy

Nordic Ski Team

Our fall started with a tough academic block at school and then a camp in Keene, NY in October. We did Lactate/Vo2 Max testing at UNH and returned to school for another intense academic period. On the 20th of November we drove up to Stoneham, QC and have been here since. We are training at Foret Montmorerency where there was a 500m loop of man-made snow. Four days in, it snowed! It has been snowing since then and we have many many kilometers to ski on. Happy Thanksgiving!

The wind had eased and the crew from the lodge had been out and laid in some beautiful tracks. Most of it was perfect given that the cover was still not deep. Tricky classic wax…it took me a minute or two…don’t let anyone tell you that old minds don’t slow down…to realise the remark ” Man, my arms are tired!” was directed at my choice of kick wax and was not a compliment. I’d gone about a K before a little voice said “Hey! …smart — punk …wax your own damn skis…grumble grumble,” slip, slip, clog. Actually I did have pretty good luck with both of my trial waxes which this trip were a Ski-go Yellow, and Start Moly. Not too bad either one.

Skating firmed up and was fast and good for the afternoon session. Folks are showing up from all over New England and we all might pull together a time trial over the weekend. TG day is “OFF” for the Burkies. It has been a good week for us so far, and we are grateful to the crew at Laval University’s facility at Foret Montmorency. Great spot to ski!

the old fish

It was a near thing. When we arrived this morning and I was busily setting up the wax bench, one of our French speakers came running out ot tell me we were being told “Non.” Understandable. The loop is indeed…short. It won’t tolerate too many people and give anyone quality, and much of the cost had been borne by the University so wanting to save it for guests of the lodge was reasonable. We gently persevered with our cause and as we waited in came the cancellation from UVM! We were in. Thanks, Paul! Hope it is great over in NY.

Skiing is good. Both skating and classic tracks are well groomed and hard. No rocks. Flat enough to keep a nice gentle pace and work on getting back to the game. The crew at the Foret have done a great job with very little resoursce. It won’t take much snow to open up a lot more terrain but for now, were here and we’re skiing. “You can’t always get want you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find…”. We may get dizzy but we’ve got what we need.

the old fish 

The Athlete’s Dilemma

As a training Nordic skier, the eating habits of my fellow peers are fairly consistent. The general consensus of athletes in our sport is similar to that of many other athletes: eat a lot. Through my travels and experiences with many different teams, clubs and groups of skiers there is often a level of ignorance regarding food that derives from an all-out fight for calories. Athletes often seek the cheapest means of feeding themselves when, in fact, it is athletes who should be the most scrupulous about what enters their systems.

Perhaps it is unfair to pool all athletes in a respective group that might not feed themselves properly. I know many adult athletes, my parents included, that consider healthy meals a top priority. Striving for the organic, these people are willing to pay the extra dollar for their wellbeing. Most of my peers however, do not share my parents’, and often, their parents’ willingness, to spend their money on the healthier alternative, insisting in their travels that Subway and Quiznos are the best they can afford. These same kids however, will not hesitate to insist on a new pair of skis, poles, boots, or even gloves, and sunglasses to keep up with the latest innovations and trends. Again, it is a question of priority. In Michael Pollan’s novel, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, he argues the issue of priority in American’s eating habits. Pollan argues that the cost of locally grown, organic food is built into the necessary price. And that, the true price of the cheap, grain-fed meat you buy at the supermarket is masked in the cost to the environment, to the meat itself, and to our health.

For some people, reading Pollan’s book gave them the impression that they now know the truth, and will no longer eat meat. Here is where the athlete’s dilemma comes into play. Meat is an essential part of an athlete’s, and certainly a skier’s, diet. Meat provides the protein and iron needed to successfully build, break down, and rebuild muscle, as we do every time we race or train. Supplements can only go so far and it is essential to receive the natural nutrients that only meat can provide. Now, when I am travelling for skiing, with my team or on a select team trip, we clearly cannot afford to feed everyone on fillet mignon, and in some places like Alaska and Colorado, where racing often takes us, local produce is almost impossible to find. While Pollan would have American’s search for the farms, or the local-produce grocery stores, I would have athletes search for an organic label, at least. The price will be a complaint of course, but the possible prevention of drastic affects to our health, and our environment, are worth it, especially when we indulge in a sport that is so thoroughly reliant on an environmental phenomenon such as snow.

There have been many instances when I have caught myself thinking, and even saying aloud, “I am an athlete, I don’t care what I eat, as long as there’s a lot of it.” The conflict of quantity and quality is one of the athlete’s most challenging conundrums. Do I eat four frozen DiGiorno Pizzas, or do I eat the sliver of Atlantic salmon? Fortunately, there are healthy, calorie-loaded (and filling) alternatives. To solve this issue I think the easiest way is to combine three simple, and except for the meat, relatively cheap food groups. Pasta or rice, provide excellent sources of carbohydrates and calories, included in a meal of organic chicken, beef, or fish, (Pollan’s preference; locally grown or caught) with of course, some veggies. Vegetables, a food product I spent most of my life avoiding and discrediting with the notion that “I burn more calories eating them than I get from them.” As proposed in jest by Burke Alum, Paul Smith, are still healthy, vitamin and antioxidant-laden additives to make a simple meal healthier and tastier. I have seen so many ski trip meals ruined by copious amounts of whatever is the cheapest in the Supermarket. It is time to make a smarter, regrettably, yet responsibly more expensive effort towards our wellbeing.

Athletes, especially young ones, need to make a stand for their health, and their world. What goes into the body is increasingly more important with the amount of physical activity one experiences daily. As so much of athletes’ time is spent training, it becomes that much more important to eat responsibly. One would not want to fill a sports car up with anything less than the premium fuel, the same holds true for our bodies.

I felt good all this past week and took two rest days, but I logged a lot of hours on the bike and some very easy rollerskis. By yesterday I felt ready to do some hard work. Overseen by our coach, Pete, my teammate Lucas Milliken and I did 3×8 minutes at L3 up a long, fairly steep hill. I felt great, but my heart rate was about five beats higher than I wanted it to be. Lucas was in the 172-176 range and I was around 174-179 but the last 200 meters (the steepest pitch) I raised it up to 181 every time.

I am pleased with how the intervals went. It was a good indicator that even though I feel 100%, I am not quite there yet. Today is an off-day and then I will be taking it somewhat easy this week with a lot of strength before the Burke Camp in Keene, NY.

           At Junior Nationals last March, Alex Schulz, Chase Marston and I had the idea to group up with similar minded individuals at some point over the summer to train.  When the time rolled around, I sent out word that I would hold a 4-5 day training camp at my home on the coast of Maine.  Chase, Alex and some other friends arrived earlier this week and crashed in my basement.

            The company was much appreciated by everyone, I think, and we worked hard together. In our level 4 intervals on Saturday, it was a small reminder what it is like to go fast.  That is what group training can do, fast skiers working together to get faster.  A group can do that more effectively than an individual.  When one athlete is not feeling so great, the rest of the group is there to help them get back on it.

            We sweated through a grueling plyometric workout, fought through a coastal thunderstorm while rollerskiing, conquered the L4 double pole intervals, and had some fun enjoying the perks of the ocean.  Here are some photos to recapture some of our work.

n1

Road Rash Tally:

We are very sure of foot, no crashes here.

I am living with my cousin’s family in Tignes which is a town in the Alpes just over the border from Italy.  It’s at 2000Meters so I can’t expect any summer weather up here.  But that’s okay - from what I’ve  heard, it’s been so hot in New England so I don’t think I’m missing out on anything spectacular — but I am a little disconnected from the rest of the world - so I could be wrong.

Anyway, there are tons of trails for hiking here and steep mountain roads for rollerskiing, so I will be able to keep myself busy.  Since only my cousin speaks english, I am forced to speak French which has been a little difficult, but it is getting much easier faster than I expected.  By the end of these next couple weeks I believe my ‘fr-anglais’ > français.  YAY!

 I will add some photos as soon as I can (hopefully) get ahold of a camera.

à bientot,

Corinne