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Archive for October, 2008

Burch Hill; My New Best Friend

Friday, October 24th, 2008

The Top

Back to Burch Hill, one of the numerous attractions in the Finger Lakes Hill Park. This is an awesome hill that is about at the limit of what someone can ski down without too much recovery(7min up, 4min down) It is 0.81miles long with over 400 vertical the first 1/2 mile is around 12-14% grade. The kicker is that when you area skiing down it ends at a T stop sign right before you run into to Canadice Lake. When you are cruising down this steep hill into a stop sign at around 20mph it is quite disconcerting.(Brake not optional)

Even when one is on a pair of V2 Aero150’s with speed reducers on full and a brake to modulate top speed.

The view as you near the bottom.

The Botttom

Approaching

Fast

Tomorrow long Tour; Sun more Misery on Gannette Hill(another close friend)

Locked and loaded

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Updated Field Report Oct: Operation Improbable

Monday, October 20th, 2008

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% Body Composition, Some Insight

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

DXA Full Body Scan Image

What is the optimal percent body composition that an elite athlete should maintain?  What is healthy?  What is unhealthy?  What are the benefits of being a being a lean mean skiing machine? Does it make a difference anyway?  Who the heck cares?……. Well this  is one subject that many skiers are engaged by. When Lance Armstrong was in Tour form he was reportedly approximately 4-5% body Fat. If one looks at many other elite professional cyclists some look too thin M Rasmussen is a prime example. I’ve seen pictures of him that anybody could say he just doesn’t look right. Lance looked fit and skinny when he was at peak form though. Cross country skiers are the thoroughbreds of  High Performance athletes they go for a morning run in the middle of the ski season and are the greatest cross trainers of all athletes. Pro cyclists avoid stairs, and avoid any upper body exercise petrified of gaining one gram of non-specific muscle.

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Cold & Flu Season:When Sick Conserve Fitness

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

When one contracts a viral illness it is always a bummer. Unfortunately even with all precautions known to man, people contract viral illnesses. Yes you might be planning a last preseason intensity, volume, or strength block. Number one do not panic, hyperventilate or ignore symptoms and carry on till toast. Take a step back, try and ascertain if there is an obvious reason why you are sick. Some examples would be over training, stress from work, relationships etc, huge life changes, lack of sleep. For example I am getting over viral thing now, last week I did a race drove 5 hrs after and did not sleep well for a couple of nights due to muscle tension in upper back. Oh well, must carry on.

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Columbus Day Lake Placid

Monday, October 13th, 2008

Being in the Army we had  a four day weekend,  starting Thursday after work till Monday, not bad. Friday am went to Montreal to pick up some kayaks for the kids. On the way back drank some brackish water from a water bottle started feeling pretty bad after that. Roller skied a couple of hours easy but felt pretty bad by end of workout. Sat am I had arranged for a shuttle down from the summit of Whiteface toll road. Being the optimist that I am. I started  up in the early am with a pack warmed up well and tried to  do a 5 mile time trial,made it at a good pace about a half mile.  It was a beautiful morning and I enjoyed the ski even though what was planned was not possible. In the afternoon there was  White water kayaking with my son and his friend. I was spent and did not want to swim in a cold river.

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Situation Update: Operation Improbable

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
  • Situation: 40+ Year old former World Class athlete slowly evolves a Walter Mitty like mid life crisis to return to Elite athlete status. Currently resides in Western New York State in the Greater Rochester area. Now has a more than Amazing Wife, and four young over exuberant children. Must work long arduous hours in a challenging profession. Has different priorities from previous life as an elite athlete, used to be only Athletics. Now it is 1. Family 2. Profession 3. Retirement 4. becoming a World Class Athlete. Said athlete lives in an area where there is not a cross country center or a biathlon range. There are few other elite nordic athletes to train with. Even Snow to ski on in immediate area is intermittent. Regardless said athlete carries on with Operation. Takes advantage of coaching from National Guard Program when at camps and National Development Coach intermittently. Said Athlete forms a core team consisting of Personal Coach, Trainer, Physiologist, Adversary, Nutritionist, and team Doctor.(all himself)
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Data Used not just for Data’s Sake

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again then expecting a different result” to quote Albert Einstein. I’ve definitely been guilty of that over the years. Last year I didn’t start roller skiing Labor Day.(partly due to a partial tear of a ulnar collateral ligament) instead I cycled close to 6,000 miles. This summer I have barely biked yet have managed to roller ski about 2,600 miles. Spent some time dry firing and done some roller ski combo training(shooting for biathlon combined with roller skiing.) trying to improve improve my shooting performance this upcoming winter.

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Whiteface Mtn Race 2008

Monday, October 6th, 2008


This weekend travelled from Boston to Lake Placid primarily to contest the NYSEF sponsored race to the Castle at Whiteface Mt as one can see there was snow at the top of the Mt.

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Lake Placid Biathlon Roller Loop

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

This year the Olympic Region Development Authority (ORDA) in concert with the USOC and USBA finally built a Biathlon Venue where one can roller ski and shoot.  It is an awesome start to a world class summer training facility. Currently there is about a 2km roller loop with a 4 point protected biathlon range. The approach to the range is after a 1km challenging uphill. All who have used it are quite pleased. In the near future there are plans to improve the pavement in a few key places and add an extension to the loop. It is definitely  a great place to train.

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Whiteface Mtn

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

Last fall using an old pair of V2 skis by JENEX I skated to victory in the first Roller ski race up Whiteface. I was disappointed that we only started from the toll booth, which is 3 miles from the beginning of the toll road.  Most of the US Nordic Ski Team was there, I was expecting to finish respectably in the top 10. Anyway this Spring and Summer I have increased specificity and sheer volume of training to the point of more is not better.

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