Due to the adverse weather conditions, we are canceling this Tuesday's regularly scheduled activity. It is our intent to regroup next week for another fun outing.
Have a safe day!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Time for Technique - Take 2 (recap)
Two words for this recap - tempting and waxing. Let me expound.
It is always tempting to hole up on cold nights and say to yourself, "it is far too cold outside for any reasonable person to be outside." When has reason been a driving force for Minnesotan athletes? Well, as you skiers, runners, and snowshoers know, it doesn't take long to warm up even in the coolest weather once you get moving. Last weekend's snowshoing event in the midst of near-arctic temperatures should inspire all of us to get outside.
Next, don't be lax about the wax. I haven't waxed my skis since I was out for weekend skiing a few weeks back during high 20s low 30s temps. I knew better, but didn't make the time to properly wax my skis. Last night was proof enough to me that wax can make a huge difference in ski performance. Make sure your wax is reasonably fresh and appropriate for the conditions (temperature, snow type, and humidity). FastWax has a great site to help, but our local ski shops can also give advice.
For those of you who didn't attend, you missed out. Chris T showed up this go around and provided some excellent ski technique tips, including V1/V2/V2 Alternate along with the pole timing. We hope to incorporate more technique drills in the next few weeks while the ski season holds. Our next get-together will be held at Snowflake which has a much better flat staging area for completing drills. It was a great asset to have Chris around and we hope he is able to make future Tuesday gatherings.
Last, the trails were freshly groomed. It is a rare day in Duluth to be one of the first to navigate freshly groomed trails and that is exactly what the conditions were like. The hard-packed snow of last week was no more, which was great for control. Like last week, the course felt relatively open in spite of the fact that plenty of cars were present in the upper lot. We are truly blessed to have so many trails in Duluth. We completed (2) full loops on the lit section.
Next week is a definite maybe, so please email (goodcleanfun@kenwoodlaundromat.com) me if you are inclined to attend so we are able to ascertain numbers and make a qualified assessment. Also, I'll plan on taking pictures without my lobster mitts to hopefully yield better results!
It is always tempting to hole up on cold nights and say to yourself, "it is far too cold outside for any reasonable person to be outside." When has reason been a driving force for Minnesotan athletes? Well, as you skiers, runners, and snowshoers know, it doesn't take long to warm up even in the coolest weather once you get moving. Last weekend's snowshoing event in the midst of near-arctic temperatures should inspire all of us to get outside.Next, don't be lax about the wax. I haven't waxed my skis since I was out for weekend skiing a few weeks back during high 20s low 30s temps. I knew better, but didn't make the time to properly wax my skis. Last night was proof enough to me that wax can make a huge difference in ski performance. Make sure your wax is reasonably fresh and appropriate for the conditions (temperature, snow type, and humidity). FastWax has a great site to help, but our local ski shops can also give advice.
For those of you who didn't attend, you missed out. Chris T showed up this go around and provided some excellent ski technique tips, including V1/V2/V2 Alternate along with the pole timing. We hope to incorporate more technique drills in the next few weeks while the ski season holds. Our next get-together will be held at Snowflake which has a much better flat staging area for completing drills. It was a great asset to have Chris around and we hope he is able to make future Tuesday gatherings.Last, the trails were freshly groomed. It is a rare day in Duluth to be one of the first to navigate freshly groomed trails and that is exactly what the conditions were like. The hard-packed snow of last week was no more, which was great for control. Like last week, the course felt relatively open in spite of the fact that plenty of cars were present in the upper lot. We are truly blessed to have so many trails in Duluth. We completed (2) full loops on the lit section.
Next week is a definite maybe, so please email (goodcleanfun@kenwoodlaundromat.com) me if you are inclined to attend so we are able to ascertain numbers and make a qualified assessment. Also, I'll plan on taking pictures without my lobster mitts to hopefully yield better results!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Time for Technique - Take 2
Date: Tuesday, January 22 (6:00PM)
Meet Location: Lester Park's Lower Parking Lot (just up from Superior St)
Activity: Skate Skiing
Weather: TBD (updated forecast)
Gear Req'd: Skate skiing gear, headlamp, Great MN Ski Pass
Trail Conditions: TBD (see most recent report)
Objective & Plan: Technique - we will spend roughly 30 minutes working on different aspects of skate skiing. The balance of the time will be putting those techniques into action.
Some of the Drills & Discussion we may include are:
Meet Location: Lester Park's Lower Parking Lot (just up from Superior St)
Activity: Skate Skiing
Weather: TBD (updated forecast)
Gear Req'd: Skate skiing gear, headlamp, Great MN Ski Pass
Trail Conditions: TBD (see most recent report)
Objective & Plan: Technique - we will spend roughly 30 minutes working on different aspects of skate skiing. The balance of the time will be putting those techniques into action.
Some of the Drills & Discussion we may include are:
- V1, V2, and V2 Alternate - what does each look like
- No poles alignment drills
- No poles gliding drills
- Dry-land exercises, including bounding and plyometrics
- Obstacle course for improving close proximity directional changes
- Skiers "catch" - tossing objects between each other while skiing
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Time for Technique (recap)
It was a nice night to be out at Lester. I knew that two regulars were not going to be in attendance due to illness.
I got in a short loop prior to the technique session. Several people showed up for the Duluth X Country Ski clubs technique session, some for classic help and many for skating. With most of the group just entering into skiing, the small showing of coaches, and being the lone "fun run" attender, I decided to just get some time in skiing.
I went over every lit loop at least once. It has been several years since I was last on Lester, so I couldn't remember what to expect. It is a gorgeous course. The entire trail was really packed down, which made for fast conditions and a little less control. I was pleased to find that there were no bare spots on the trail. Fair warning though, there was one section on the outermost loop that had some rough ice at the bottom of a dip. Also, it wouldn't hurt to bring a headlamp if you wanted to do more than the lit section or simply to supplement a few short stretches where the lights are out.
The trails were decent all the way down to the parking lot where I indicated we would be meeting. If conditions stay the same or we get any snow at all, I would recommend meeting in this lower parking lot because it was nearly empty whereas the upper parking area was jammed full. Even so, the trails didn't seems a bit crowded.
To sum up the night - great temps and conditions, though technique will wait for another night! Make sure to check out the map below and check back next week!
I got in a short loop prior to the technique session. Several people showed up for the Duluth X Country Ski clubs technique session, some for classic help and many for skating. With most of the group just entering into skiing, the small showing of coaches, and being the lone "fun run" attender, I decided to just get some time in skiing.
I went over every lit loop at least once. It has been several years since I was last on Lester, so I couldn't remember what to expect. It is a gorgeous course. The entire trail was really packed down, which made for fast conditions and a little less control. I was pleased to find that there were no bare spots on the trail. Fair warning though, there was one section on the outermost loop that had some rough ice at the bottom of a dip. Also, it wouldn't hurt to bring a headlamp if you wanted to do more than the lit section or simply to supplement a few short stretches where the lights are out.
The trails were decent all the way down to the parking lot where I indicated we would be meeting. If conditions stay the same or we get any snow at all, I would recommend meeting in this lower parking lot because it was nearly empty whereas the upper parking area was jammed full. Even so, the trails didn't seems a bit crowded.
To sum up the night - great temps and conditions, though technique will wait for another night! Make sure to check out the map below and check back next week!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Time for Technique
Date: Tuesday, January 15 (6:00PM)
Meet Location: Lester Park Parking Lot (just up from Superior St)
Activity: Skate Skiing
Weather: Mid teens, some wind, possible snow (updated forecast)
Gear Req'd: Skate skiing gear and Great MN Ski Pass
Trail Conditions: Unknown...reports vary (see most recent report)
Objective & Plan: Technique - we will spend half the time working on different aspects of skate skiing. We will also make sure we do at least one loop on the lit section.
We will try to bring a GPS and camera this go around to try to dress up the recap.
Meet Location: Lester Park Parking Lot (just up from Superior St)
Activity: Skate Skiing
Weather: Mid teens, some wind, possible snow (updated forecast)
Gear Req'd: Skate skiing gear and Great MN Ski Pass
Trail Conditions: Unknown...reports vary (see most recent report)
Objective & Plan: Technique - we will spend half the time working on different aspects of skate skiing. We will also make sure we do at least one loop on the lit section.
We will try to bring a GPS and camera this go around to try to dress up the recap.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Welcome to 2008 (Recap)
Right at the beginning, I need to apologize for a bit of cutting & pasting for this activity. In the last post, I wrote up all the details, but accidentally left the date the same. If anyone did not attend because of this error, I ask for your forgiveness.
On the flip side, had anyone else shown up, my heart may have actually erupted from my chest for the additional repeat. For those of you who are afraid to show up after reading this recap, do not fear, we will not drop anyone, but you will certainly be challenged!
As much as I love cross country skiing, it was fantastic to be out stomping the trails again. Could it really have been nearly a month since I went running? However long it has been, this was an unbeatable night to get back out there.
Hartley's trails were well packed and temperatures hovered around freezing, so pretty warm for this time of the year. All of us had some form of substantial traction. Ice Bugs, spikes, and YakTrax made it difficult to assess how slippery it could have been on the trails, but no one lost footing. If you plan to do any trail running this winter, make sure you have the right equipment (this is my shameless plug for stopping in at the Duluth Running Co, which carries most or all of this equipment). A twisted ankle or a bad fall can take you out for an entire season, having the right equipment and being reasonably careful are especially important this season.
So, how hard did we work? Each of us admitted that we were all pushing our limits, but I couldn't hear anyone else's heavy breathing over my own pulse and gasping. There was one serious hill we stopped at the top to retie shoes. Clint suggested we do the traditional repeats. To be perfectly honest, I hoped we'd get another shoe to tie at top on the repeats, but no genuine article. At the top of the last repeat, I also expected to get a short breather, but Clint decided to plod along once he reached the top. Note to self - lead the last repeat next time. I was tempted to joke with the others that we should find a nice down hill next time to do repeats (yes, that would be equivalent to uphill repeats), but never got close enough while I had breath.
My heart rate average was 159 with a max of 176. I'm fairly fit. The superman of tonight's group had the average heart rate of 145 and broke 170 for his max. This guy, unlike me, has a real difficult time of getting his heart rate up.
In a nutshell, it was a challenging, but rewarding run with good conditions and even better group composition. Make sure to join us next week as we will be posting correct dates and do not intend to have any off weeks for a while. I hope to remember a camera one of these times too!
On the flip side, had anyone else shown up, my heart may have actually erupted from my chest for the additional repeat. For those of you who are afraid to show up after reading this recap, do not fear, we will not drop anyone, but you will certainly be challenged!
As much as I love cross country skiing, it was fantastic to be out stomping the trails again. Could it really have been nearly a month since I went running? However long it has been, this was an unbeatable night to get back out there.
Hartley's trails were well packed and temperatures hovered around freezing, so pretty warm for this time of the year. All of us had some form of substantial traction. Ice Bugs, spikes, and YakTrax made it difficult to assess how slippery it could have been on the trails, but no one lost footing. If you plan to do any trail running this winter, make sure you have the right equipment (this is my shameless plug for stopping in at the Duluth Running Co, which carries most or all of this equipment). A twisted ankle or a bad fall can take you out for an entire season, having the right equipment and being reasonably careful are especially important this season.
So, how hard did we work? Each of us admitted that we were all pushing our limits, but I couldn't hear anyone else's heavy breathing over my own pulse and gasping. There was one serious hill we stopped at the top to retie shoes. Clint suggested we do the traditional repeats. To be perfectly honest, I hoped we'd get another shoe to tie at top on the repeats, but no genuine article. At the top of the last repeat, I also expected to get a short breather, but Clint decided to plod along once he reached the top. Note to self - lead the last repeat next time. I was tempted to joke with the others that we should find a nice down hill next time to do repeats (yes, that would be equivalent to uphill repeats), but never got close enough while I had breath.
My heart rate average was 159 with a max of 176. I'm fairly fit. The superman of tonight's group had the average heart rate of 145 and broke 170 for his max. This guy, unlike me, has a real difficult time of getting his heart rate up.
In a nutshell, it was a challenging, but rewarding run with good conditions and even better group composition. Make sure to join us next week as we will be posting correct dates and do not intend to have any off weeks for a while. I hope to remember a camera one of these times too!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Welcome to 2008
*** CHANGE OF VENUE & ACTIVITY ***
Date: Tuesday, January 8 (6:00PM)
Meet Location: Hartley Nature Center Parking Lot
Activity: Trail Running
Weather: Low 20's and some wind (updated forecast link)
Gear Req'd: Head lamp and trail shoes required; Yak Trax, spikes, or Icebugs recommended
Trail Conditions: unknown, but presumably packed snow and somewhat to very icy
Special Notes: Our intent had been to focus on skate skiing technique. Based on the recent warmup, subsequent cooldown, and lack of snow, conditions will be less than ideal for skiing. Best wishes to those who are participating in the Boulder Lake ski race next weekend.
Date: Tuesday, January 8 (6:00PM)
Meet Location: Hartley Nature Center Parking Lot
Activity: Trail Running
Weather: Low 20's and some wind (updated forecast link)
Gear Req'd: Head lamp and trail shoes required; Yak Trax, spikes, or Icebugs recommended
Trail Conditions: unknown, but presumably packed snow and somewhat to very icy
Special Notes: Our intent had been to focus on skate skiing technique. Based on the recent warmup, subsequent cooldown, and lack of snow, conditions will be less than ideal for skiing. Best wishes to those who are participating in the Boulder Lake ski race next weekend.
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