Mansfield Nordic Club

There’s a ton going on this month, and it’ll all be happening rapid-fire as we get closer and closer to the cold weather. The Junior team has been taking advantage of some sunny fall days to put in training from the Range to the Mad River Valley and everywhere in between. Sine the weather has just begun to turn grim, here are some of the sunniest photos from the past week and more.

Charlie and Coach Sara warming up for the infamous Meadowridge Double Pole intervals. Warming up well is a big focus of this summer/fall and we have a good system now for these intervals of some kick doublepole, some short uphill power poling and some quickness and mobility. There are some meticulous notes from intervals in years past here, and the times this season are quite impressive

Ski walking at Mad River Glen. 5×7 minutes with some all-out bounding at the very top summit. Fun to explore a new mountain for this type of workout: Greg led us down ‘Paradise’ which included some slides, falls, jumps and more

Gettin’ sendy at the summit. Those are the White Mtns of NH waaaaay off in the distance!

Getting ready for a beautiful ski in Pleasant Valley with Rick and some of the MNC masters. Charlie, Greg, Andre, Will and I skied for over 2 hours and went 20+ miles!

Reppin’ the Toko gear 20 miles later for some recovery. Greg opted to forego standard chocolate milk in favor of CORE POWER MUSCLE MILK

In the shade on a sunny day we experimented with an important competition: rollerskis vs snow skis. Yes, those are regular winter snow skis seeing some action in September! From L-R: Eliza, Andre, Ben C, Ben L, Chloe, Will, Greg

Came down to a lunge between Ben and Greg!

In the past few days the temps have gotten cold enough to make dressing for training a hard decision. A sure sign of fall! We braved the rain on Tuesday for some DP intervals at the Range, followed by some TOWING! This exercise helps you get your hips forward, build some strength, and just look really tough. We’ll do more and more of this sort of thing as we try to find every ounce of speed and strength heading into the race season. It is definitely a unique drill and also can be a character-builder. Especially in the rain.

Despite the toughness factor, it really is fun…and not just when you’re the one being pulled along! Andre and Will get after it here

Thanks to the indoor facilities at Dee PT, we are able to stay dry at least once per week! This week we had a nearly full crew and tunes blasting full volume for some new exercises. We’re adding the weight, lowering the reps and getting another big burst of strength for the month of October before dropping down to some light, fast strength and exercises that can carry us through the season.

Chloe and Eliza picking the tunez

Andre is ready to take some names this winter. How many J2/U16 guys do you know doing 25lb pullups??

This weekend we head over the Gap once again to join GMVS in a rollerski timetrial in East Warren…stay tuned!

We began training yesterday with some goal-setting and sharing. Learning to set goals, track progress and evaluate performance is far more than just a ski-specific skill, but for skiers at every level various goals are a prime motivator for training, racing and maintaining focus. We used simple ‘goal pyramids’ to outline and visualize multiple goals…the idea is to think about how certain goals build into one another. At the top of the ‘pyramid’ is a big goal that might seem daunting. What part of the process is all about, however, is actively thinking about what leads to the accomplishment of that top goal. Wider elements of the pyramid are building blocks along the way, and they all matter!

I also spoke a bit about the power of intrinsic motivation heading into a tough and challenging part of the season. As a coach I could bark orders for intervals or distances or repetitions and expect complete compliance, but if there’s no personal motivation to accomplish a tough workout other than my wrath everyone might as well drop skiing and jump in with one of the army convoys the next time they go to the Range…that’s not what it’s about! It’s about having the internal drive to seek out new challenges, embrace some seriously difficult training now and then, and also have fun and enjoy the sport. As a coach I want to facilitate that motivation and nurture it, and help skiers embrace what inspires them to push hard and improve.

Fresh off a yoga-class retreat, coach Sara had a great idea to incorporate. After filling out goal sheets for the ‘short term’ (this season), everyone paired up and each partner spent 1 full minute talking about their goals to their teammate. Then the role was switched and the listener became the sharer. Sara also discussed the power of a “1-degree change”…a simple one degree change may not seem like much initially, but over time it creates a big impact!

We came back as a group and each athlete (and each coach) shared 2 goals with the group: one goal that was result or performance-based, and another goal that was not related to a specific race or event. I took down these goals on paper and compiled them here. It’s nice to look at what drives our athletes to succeed and be reminded of why we challenge ourselves with every session. Here’s to the accomplishments and work toward these goals in the coming months!