Mansfield Nordic Club

Man, it’s hot out there…

The past week of ‘spring’ training has been mid-summer hot, along with bright sun and blue skies. Always important to remember sunscreen and water for sessions in this heat. Additionally, I think a bit too quick and hilly of a run on Tuesday, combined with the change in weather (it definitely takes time to get acclimated to training in the heat!) led to some tired bodies by this morning’s workout.

It was the first bit of real intensity: a 25 minute continuous run with light bounding on uphill sections and jogging on flats and downhills. At this point in the season I avoid doing intervals with too much “prescription”, so to speak…X times X minutes, X times X repeats, and the like…at this time of year, intervals are natural and take advantage of the terrain and the willingness to focus on technique and pacing.

There were some other great sessions this week, including a hill-laden trail run behind Cochrans ski area (we still found some snow to have a snowball fight with on the slopes) and a sweaty strength session at Dorset Park in South Burlington. The planks and pull-ups are really coming along.

One more! One more!

On Wednesday, Ethan joined me for a mountain bike ride at Saxon Hill: in a very short time the trails have gone from snow to mud to dry dusty sand. The trails were packed with other riders and as we pedaled out of the parking lot we counted 36 cars; a big-time after-work dirt shred if I have ever seen one!

On Friday, Ethan and Amy took me on a tour around the Pleasant Valley area near Underhill. Amazing stuff! I’m sure many a postcard was created thanks to those beautiful mountain vistas.

An awesome day for a ride from Jericho to Cambridge and back

Training for next week is being updated on the team Google Doc. Here is the training plan info:

Training Week 7: May 11
Week Type: Medium
Suggested additional workouts:
-Continue to build running, ideally getting comfortable running upwards of an hour at easy paces.
-Strength on your own should (at least) include pushups, dips, planks, tucks, step-ups and pull-ups if you have a bar.
-Try to get in a dedicated strength-type workout aside from the work we do at scheduled practices
-We will introduce rollerskiing for experienced skiers on one bonus session per week beginning NEXT week (week 8)

Additional note: if you rented rollerskis last season and still have them, please check out THIS POST…we are gathering up the skis to evaluate and potentially make some improvements! Thanks-

Parting shot: Ben Longenjump in mid flight

This week included May 1, about as official as you can get with the start of a new training year in the ski world. The weather has cooperated nicely and it seems like Vermont is drying out from another mud season, though there is still snow on the higher peaks and at the ski areas!

For the upcoming week, practice will take another step forward in terms of total time commitment and duration of activities. We’ve been getting a good amount of running in, and will look to build on that throughout the summer. We will be adding more and more to strength activities, and with trails drying out for mountain biking there is a lot of pressure to shred some dirt.

Somewhere along there in May usually comes the first trips on those little silly-looking 2-wheeled devices known as rollerskis. While the crew was finishing up some circuits a few days ago, the dynamic CVU and MNC duo of Rachel S and Charlie M were spotted rollerskiing around the bike path…more power to them! I will be adding in the first skis of the season as optional practices for experienced members starting the week of the 18th…sharpen those tips!

Connor and Amy monitor the lake temps after a 1.5hr run around Burlington with Coach Adam and Coach Tim

Training this week? Check out the Google Doc (click for link) for updates and info on locations and sessions.

Training plan info:

Week: 6 (5/4 – 5/10)

Type: Easy

Phase: Base Build

Focus (as group and as individuals): Increase duration of endurance activities (running, biking, hiking, etc) and progress to more involved strength training. Take advantage of the nice weather to get out for some longer runs (1hr +) if you have been running consistently and feeling good with our 45-minute runs so far. 

As always, check the Google Doc for updated training schedules. This week:

Week type: Easy/Transition

Suggested additional workouts: Shorter runs (35-45 minutes, easy pace), general strength and core (pushups, dips, planks, etc), general fitness through HS spring sports

Spring report/photos from the past few weeks

Despite some lingering winter weather, we’ve had a great start to some low-key spring training!

Ski training is an endless cycle of preparation: spring gets the body ready for the tough workouts of summer. Big summer sessions get you ready for the intensity of fall. The intensity of fall gives you speed for the winter, and by the time the next spring rolls around you are already focused on the coming winter.

Sometimes it is REALLY easy to think about next winter, especially when you are still skiing! Kai and Will get some nordic action in skiing up the alpine slopes of Bolton last weekend

Our spring sessions have been about introducing regularity into the training schedule…running for more than a jog down the road, lifting and throwing objects heavier than a backpack, and adding more coordination and balance than a sprint to the bus in the morning…with a healthy mix of soccer games and playground antics, of course.

Here’s a few photos of the action:

A full week later (Apr 25) and there was still about 2 ft of snow on top of Camels Hump. For our trip there yesterday Greg and Aidan (pictured) hiked all the way to the summit with sleds and took the fast route back down to some pizza at Papa McKees

Earlier in the week and back down on the lower slopes in the valley, we did some really basic repeats up Honey Hollow road…some cones to run between and with poles added to make it feel more like the real thing…don’t worry, no ski bounding yet!

From the classic (literally; there was no skating yet) 1975 ski manual Caldwell on Competitive Cross Country Skiing: “…over-all, coordinated strength training, which fosters the ability to use muscle groups from various parts of your body in harmonious effort…really separates the sheep from the goats” (p. 86)