On site training for the US Nationals starts one week from today. Trying to get ready for my first Nationals has me shooting a bit more and trying to become a bit more efficient on my skis. The fitness goal is to not lose anything. The snow is melting and I can make more gains by skiing efficiently than I can though fitness.
The Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire is a fantastic place for a ski racer. The area is filled with former Olympians and National team members with whom I occasionally ski with. Saying I ski with them is grandiose but I do spend time in their midst. Many times these talented athletes has given me pointers and helped make me a faster skier. What I provide them is a marker and pace for their easy day. That's right folks, they ski with me as I force them to slow down and take an easy day. Climbing hills I'm ready to puke and these athletes are chatting away!
Last week it was warm and I was removing a jacket to hang at a returning trail intersection for retrieval at the end of the workout. A woman passed and she skated with an amazing sense of grace and efficiency so I chased after trying to watch and learn. Turns out she is another former Olympian and contemporary speedster. She was also gracious to ski with me and offer a few pointers and demonstrate a few drills to help me overcome a few of the many flaws that plague my technique. What was interesting is she didn't find anything new to add to the "must fix it" list. Either that or she was kind enough not to verbalize it as not to be overwhelming or give me a feeling of hopelessness. What she did tell me were ways to fix or begin to fix a few of the stumbling blocks I have in my form.
My training leading up to the Nats. consists of remaining fit and working on efficiency while skiing and picking up a few more targets on the range. Five seconds per kilometer and one target both prone and offhand will be great. There is one more club race before MN and four days to polish up whatever I can.
The list of "needs improvement" is long but getting shorter every day. Maybe the needs are still there but just like the snow, they are melting away and becoming less and less each day. It is the learning curve I enjoy and I have a lot of knowledge to gain.
I'll post again before I leave and again after the Nationals with a race report.
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