Get Back Up!!!

The summer is absolutely flying. In and earlier post I mentioned that the most important months for a skiers training is June, July, and August. Well Guess what?? June is GONE!!! It's hard to believe but it's NOW or NEVER! If you have not been training you better get your butt out the door and get something done or you will be toast!!! The R.N.R crew has been hard at work for the past month and I'm starting to noticeevery ones fitness and confidence gaining on the skis. It’s not always easy to tell if the athletes are REALLY pushing themselves or just working hard. There is a big difference!!! But sometimes it is easy, Last week at the end of a hard OD session the kids where doing some uphill sprints working on there speed. I was at the top of the hill watching them come up and giving them some technique advice and some encouragement to keep the peddle down on each one. On the last one I hear a crash and look down to the bottom of the hill just in time to see reed eat it as well!!!! I love/hate to see kids or anyone eat the pavement. On one hand it means they werepushin hard and trying to make the gains necessary to improve there skiing. They were bothOK, and surprisingly psyched about the blood!!! The moral of the story!?!? Push your limits everyday and if you happen to fall get back up and do it again!!!

Busy Busy Busy!!

A lot has happened since the last post, and I apologize for not posting sooner but as the title states I have been super busy racing, training, and coaching. Last weekend the senior team was in race mode !! Marty, Chad, and I raced in the Thursday night GVCC bike race. Since Chad and I knew we were racing the next two days we talked about sitting in the pack and then trying to make something happen in the uphill sprint finish. But as usual we were not able to sit in the pack and worked to push the pace the entire race. A three man break got away and chad and I lead the group to try to catch them. We were unable to catch them but were able to put the pack in a world of hurt that lead to me being able to win the field sprint and taking 4th overall. Chad got a calf cramp on the last lap and was relegated to soft peddle to the finish. On Friday night we all raced in the festival on the green 5k in Honeoye Falls. I really wanted to do this race because I had won it last year and it would be a good benchmark to measure my fitness. The raced started out slowly and at 2 miles I was with the leaders I did not catch the mile mark on the way out but at 2 miles I was at 11:35 and knew I needed to make a move because if it came down to a sprint I would be toast. I was able to step on it pretty good and ended up winning by about 20 seconds (17:18) . I was happy with my time after doing the bike race the night before. Marty was next 5th overall (18:34) Chad 6th (18:52) Steve 19th (21:56). results are posted here.

http://www.yellowjacketracing.com/FestivallontheGreenOverallResults2009.htm

After the race everyone was tired but looking forward to the biathlon race the next day! The biathlon race also went well despite the fact that Marty and I were both DQ'ed for a closed bolt infraction. Chad ended up 3rd overall and Steve also had a great race. Adam came out to race and was able to take home the lone victory for RNR in his age group!! For race results visit.

http://www.westernnybiathlon.com/

Overall it was a great weekend of racing! Only two more weeks until summer biathlon nationals so it's time to keep the peddle down and get to work!!!

Race Weekend !!!

Race Weekend !!!

It was a big weekend for most of the crew as the team spread out across the state to contest several different races and to show everyone why Nordic skiers are considered some of the best athletes in the world.

Chad and I stayed local and raced the Power Bar 9 mile trail race on the familiar trails of Mendon Ponds Park. This is the second time I have done this race. The last time I raced it was in 2005!! In 05’ I was just getting back in to training after returning home from college and taking a year off to student teach and coach in Virginia. In 05’ on the same course I ran 1:02:01 this year I ran 57:35 I’m pleased to see that I was able to run faster especially considering that racing 9 miles doubled my avg weekly mileage! Chad also was able to step it up in a big way over his 2005 result. In 05’ Chad ran the 4.5 mile course in 33:40 this year he ran the 9 mile course in 59:11. Chad is also running around 10-15 miles per week so I would say our 2^nd, and 3^rd place overall result was a good effort!!! My avg HR was 183 with a max of 192 and if I remember correctly Chad had an avg of 178 and a max of 191 !!!

Adam and Reed also stayed local and mixed it up jumping in the Pittsford Triathlon. Reed was 3^rd in his age group and Adam was 4^th. Looking at the ages Reed was a man amongst boys considering he is only 13 yrs old and competing in the 19 and under age group!?!?! MAN-CHILD !!!!

Amanda also was able to “Throw Down” at the state qualifier in the 3000 meters. She came in to the meet with a seed time of 10:38 and was able to rally and run 10:14 taking the win in Division I . Amanda has been dealing with some injuries so I know it was a big win for her!!! We will all be cheering for her this weekend as she travels to Syracuse to compete at the State Meet!!

Steve also was in action this weekend at the Keuka Lake Triathlon. He was able to take the win in his age group and finished 15^th overall. Not to bad for the old guy!!!!

Marty tried to bring the wrath of R.N.R to New England but was un-able to locate the 5k in downtown Boston and missed the race. (They were Lucky)!!!

Overall it was a great weekend for R.N.R proving that we not only know how to ski but we are can run, swim, bike and even get lost!!!

Here is a picture of Steve on top of the podium!!!

Where are YOU at ???

We did our first baseline test of the year on Wednesday. It was not only a chance to get some information on everyone but it was also a chance to remind ourselves what it feels like to hurt. The test also provided the opportunity to fight those mental battles that are so common in Nordic Skiing providing that line that needs to be crossed to be good, to be great, to be a skier!!!

The test consisted of a mile run on rolling terrain (give or take a few meters) followed shortly after by the following strength test Dips, Sit-Ups, Push-Ups, Step-Ups, and Pull Ups in that order. The protocol for the test was that each athlete would do as many repetitions as they could in 1-min get a 1-min rest and then as many repetitions as they could in 1-min again! This not only test overall strength but muscle recovery and muscle endurance. The title of the post is Where are you at?? Well here are the results so you know where your at!

Name Mile Time Dips Sit-Ups Push-Ups Step-Ups Pull-Ups
A.S 5:56 31/15 30/32 29/16 63/40 7
R.L 5:36 49/35 43/40 30/15 48/52 6
D.H 6:27 50/30 40/40 38/17 44/48 8
S.Z 6:22 57/32 50/33 40/25 45/48 15
J.H 5:20 52/35 49/43 36/19 38/42 13
C.D 5:46 88/62 70/58 60/35 49/52 18
D.D 6:08 67/36 55/36 41/17 52/44 9
M.M 5:39 61/40 68/49 42/25 34/39 9

K.D 7:02 34/24 49/46 35/24 42/41 6
A.C 6:42 26/8 53/50 27/25 46/50 5

Here is a picture of Chad, He posted some of the top performances during the test! He was not kidding about using his Iron Gym!! As you can tell we are all about getting back to the basics. You don't need a gym membership to do pull-ups all you need is a branch, swing-set or in our case a 2x6 beam! Don't make excuses!

Get Out and Get After It!!!

June, July and August

 

The summer is the most important time of year for a Nordic skier. I’m going to quote my high school coach and in my opinion one of the very best coaches in the country HF-L’s Bernie Gardner.

 

 “There are three things that determine how successful a high school athlete will be the following year June, July and August!!!”  

 

I cannot agree more with Bernie. June, July and August is when the biggest gains are to be made for the high school athlete and in most cases elite athletes as well. The day’s are long, energy is high and it seems a lot easier to get out of bed and go train.  It is also the only time of year that the high school athlete is actually able to train!!  They are not running four events twice a week at a track meet or playing three games a week (A major problem with our development in the US in my opinion!!)  The athletes are able to get some quality hours under there belt and build a base that will hopefully be able to carry them through the intervals and races that the season will bring.

 

With that being said I’m excited to say that the R.N.R summer program is filling up fast!! I think there are 2-3 spots left!! This summer’s group will feature familiar faces and some exciting new additions! Only 10 day’s until we get going! I’m ready to rock and roll and I think the athletes are as well. Some of them won’t be able to start on June 1^st but that’s not a bad thing because a delayed start means that they are killing it on the track and advancing through the gauntlet of championship races that make up the road to the NY State meet at CNS! Good Luck to them!

 

Another bit of information that I would like to pass along to you is the opportunity to join two former New York State Skiers at there camp in Vermont. Tim Weston (Fairport) and Justin Beckwith are the coaches at GMVS and are heading up a couple of camps this year on campus. Justin and Tim are both great guys and are exceptional coaches! Both coach for the New England JO team and Justin was the head coach for this years US Ski Team J1 Scando Trip!! You can see a brochure at:

 

 http://www.gmvs.org/gmvs/pdf/nordic_summer_brochure2.pdf

 

 

If you have any questions about the camp you can visit the GMVS blog or e-mail me and I can help you out.

 

Get out the door and MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!

2009 Summer Program!!!!!

I want to take this opportunity to introduce you and invite you to become a part of Rochester Nordic Racing.  Rochester Nordic Racing is committed to improving the state of cross-country ski racing in the Mid-Atlantic Division amongst J2-U23 athletes. Cross-country ski racing is no longer a winter-only sport. Consistent, year-round training is a major step towards reaching our goal of developing the best junior racers in the country. Rochester Nordic Racing will work in conjunction with local and regional programs to help support the aspirations of junior skiers in the Mid-Atlantic Division.

This year the summer program will be open to 12 athletes.  Selection will be based on 2008-09 results. Due to the nature of the program prior roller-skiing experience is a must!! Their will be other options throughout the summer for beginners level skiers! Stay tuned! 

E-mail or phone contact must be made with me prior to Sunday May 31^st for those who wish to be a part of the program.

For more information, and registration documents please visit.

www.rochesternordicracing.com