I can’t remember if I wrote about this once before, but I’ll do it now anyway…

After translating a certain couple of articles, I was reminded about how I wish nordic skiing included more striding and dependence on cardio capacity than on strength.

One article was about the width of the tracks, and how making them narrower would allow easier weight transfer and double-pole kicking and striding up more hills. Skiers are becoming double pole monsters instead, which isn’t really as much skiing as the other graceful and cardio-centric techniques.

The other article, one I just put up, is about how Frode Lillifjell (2007 American 50K Champ and former APU Coach) has been training his Team Trøndelag for more aerobic capacity along with Oddvar Brå.

Now, I’m one skier that will favor a classic hill climb over a traditional trail race because I tend to do well using more motor and less technique. I’m also not the sharpest nail in the box when it comes to top-level skiing. But, when I watch those old race videos I feel like we are missing something.

Watch the ones right before they started skating, when they are sprinting and sprinting and sprinting – in diagonal striding technique – to the finish line. Then you start to see some crazy V1 skating over 50K, then you start to see this slow morph into big upper bodies and crunching and hammering on top of your poles that we are teaching skiers today.

It’s kind of like how snowboards brought on this whole mega-fat powder ski trend we are in now. Those powder skis don’t make better alpine skiers, they make you perform well in that powder niche, and they make it fun. Skiing hard-ass bumps in heavy and stiff skis is what makes you a better alpine skier.

After a certain special Christmas a couple of years ago with a three-hour ski in to the Serenity Falls cabin with a few friends, I realized what the beauty of a long, hard classic ski was like. I got into a good rhythm, found a little better technique, and hammered them both all the way to the cabin. It never got old, it never got tiring…unlike a boring-ass double pole and double pole kick will do. I gladly did it the same. The technique is good, so keep it around.

How much of the old style do we want to lose in favor of hulky sprinter bodies? How much to we want to remember and bring back? How about never slipping once in a race? How about unmatchable capacity? Personally, I’d like to get in a competitive race where I can just stride my way to winning, and the double poles are saved for the downhills.

Maybe that’s why I bought some randonnee racing skis.

Big Capasity is the Secret To Team Trøndelag
Narrower Track Will Give Better Technique

July 18th.

Here’s my (known) competition this year. Am I totally insane?
 http://www.adn.com/running/story/868942….

 http://akrunning.blogspot.com/

 http://www.ultrarunning.com/ultra/featur…

 http://www.alaskapacific.edu/oncampus/no…

It was nice to hang with some real athletes in Bozeman this weekend. I actually hit the hay at 9:45 one night instead of going to the bar with the coaches. What the hell is wrong with me?

In some ways winning seems impossible, and on the same token failing but beating the old record seems like a great consolation. On the other hand I don’t want to get third and beat the old record, I want to be fitter than I’ve ever been in my life and I want to WIN. All this comes in waves.

What a concept – putting yourself in a position to chase something with no real reason to follow through. There’s no one telling you to do it, and plenty of people who will still think you’re cool even if you bail. What a trip.

In the past three weeks, I have done things that you can only imagine. Try though. By now you know me better than I know myself. Sorry. Cliffhanger.

RIGHT NOW

I’m back in Bozeman to see a friend race his first collegiate race. He killed it, I’m psyched for him. A quick stop in West Yellowstone is always a nice way to break up the drive from Jackson, and the trails are always in excellent shape.

In reality, I don’t have much to report on the last month. I didn’t go to Anchorage, I haven’t done any races, the snow pack in Jackson Hole has totally utterly absolutely sucked ultra donkey, and I’ve spent too much time chasing girls to think about my abs. I know, I don’t have a clue how those aren’t related either.

I’m supposed to be writing up the MSU invite, but I’m too fried from training the last two days to dream up an angle. Count them – TWO DAYS. I’m (relatively) out of shape and skied 115 minutes at West Yellowstone with hard threshold work yesterday. I skied all day and watched the collegiate race at Bohart today, then skied until I couldn’t ski any more.

ASPIRE TO THIS:

I skied so hard that I made it 10 minutes from the venue before I crawling like a dying ferret into my back seat to pass out 10 minutes from the venue. I woke in a sweaty feverish hypo-glycemic and continuously freaked way the hell out until the waiter brought me a pint of root beer to pound like a leprechaun, no ice.

Whatever.

I’ve done a lot of talking about training, and thinking…and stuff…and working touchy-feely attitude to get myself in line. Now it’s all about the hours and cutting the bullshit. The proof is in the pudding. The piss is in the pitcher. Time to bring the hammer.

July 18th