September 14th, 2008
I got home from the second week of training camp in Torsby feeling quite tired. It wasn’t easy training in the tunnel twice a day but we were only there for a week so we tried to take advantage of it. We started testing new skis right away and I was happy with my selection, which are a full ten centimeters longer than my skis from last year, giving us a better pool to choose from. We had 4-5 hours of training each day which we did as some combination of skating, classic, rollerskiing, running, and biking. We were able to train with Kati Wilhelm and Andrea Henkel, who were staying with us, and did a time trial with them on Friday. While we did train twice a day in the tunnel on some days, we were able to break the monotony of the long sessions with combos, which force you to maintain your focus on each and every lap.
I spent some time doing slow fire shooting drills, playing one “game” in which Per hand loaded single shots for me and I had to guess the direction (using numbers around a clock) and the ring number of each shot. Each correct answer earned a point (one for direction, one for number) and we continued until I reached 20 points, which took about twice that many shots. We made some adjustments to the fit and weight distribution on my rifle as well—even a few millimeters of change in length or tens of grams added or removed can make a difference.
After two days at home to unpack and repack, I moved into the OTC in Lake Placid. It was a low week of training (only three days’ worth) but each one had some form of intensity. Since intensity combos are my priority right now, we wasted no time in moving all training to the new shooting range in the Kodak Sports Park (by the ski jumps). The four-point range was recently finished and sits above the parking lot at the top of a steep hill. It is hands down the most challenging range I have ever shot. It is only reached after a three-minute climb from the ski jumping complex and there is simply no space at the top to “ski easy” and relax before shooting. This means shooting at a heart rate of 180BPM, which is higher than in a race! It is still excellent practice for race situations. After one day each of technique-specific strength, level 4/5 combos, and level 3/4 combos with strength or double poling in the afternoons, I’m looking forward to a couple of days off before starting next week’s intensity block.
The shooting range in the ski tunnel
The ski tunnel in Torsby
