When I was reflecting on the mid-semester camp, I started to think more broadly about the training up to this point. Foremost, it’s hard to believe that mid-semester has already come and gone. Although official training has only been going for a few weeks, we’re already in the most important training period of the year. While summer training provides a necessary foundation, it’s the increased intensity and specificity of the fall that leads to capacity gains. In the end, the quality of fall training determines success in the winter.
This may also be the period when it’s most difficult to stay motivated. Particularly for college students, it’s easy to get worn down and lose focus. And this doesn’t just apply to practice; success is facilitated by what you do outside of training. As academic demands ratchet up, sleep is shortchanged and stress accumulates. The racing season may seem a long way off, but the first races are little more than a month away. That’s why I was so pleased with the mid-semester camp. If I had to sum it up in one word: “productive.”
Mid-semester break is a fantastic chance to focus on training. Thus, when Ethan and I were planning this fall, we saw this vacation as an opportunity. A key to success is periodization, and a camp would provide a culmination to the first training cycle. The decision was sealed when the generosity of alumni Ruth and Joe McWilliams made the Catamount Lodge available for our use. Not only did this give us the flexibility to schedule the workouts at the ideal times (i.e. not 6:30am!), but it ensured a degree of focus.
Focus is one of the implicit benefits of camps. When the daily schedule is limited to training, eating, homework, and sleeping, it suddenly becomes possible to absorb a much greater training load. It is my opinion that people underestimate the stress associated with the little stuff at school; walking to the dining halls; heading to the library; rushing to class, et cetera. The many stresses of being a student-athlete do add up. Each of the tasks may be small, but the total effect can undermine training. One way this often manifests itself is chronic illness.
As coaches we try to balance training with the everyday stress of college. It might be possible to schedule 15 hours of practice during a normal week, but very few athletes would benefit. In contrast, a 15-20 hour week is totally possible at training camp. Furthermore, despite the physical exhaustion of camp, the simplicity provides a mental reprieve. Unlike school, where you’re pulled in a hundred different directions, at camp there is time for reflection and relaxation. After the recovery week, I hope that the team will return to training both physically and mentally refreshed.
But enough of training philosophy!
I really started to get excited about camp during the day on Wednesday. Ethan and I went shopping for food, hitting up the Freihofer’s and the P&C, and it felt like the season was finally getting underway. The obscene amount of food reminded me of past training camps and I got downright motivated. Dryland training has its rewards, but at times it can feel unconnected to the racing season. Camps serve as a reminder of both why we are training and what it takes to be successful. The training lifestyle can also have a salubrious effect on the mental state, and I was looking forward to that as well. Returning to campus loaded down with shopping bags, things already seemed quieter. Everything was aligned for a successful camp.
After doing a short workout on Thursday morning, camp really got underway when we loaded up the vans at 1:30pm. One of the interesting characteristics of this camp was that most of the boysopted to go home and train on their own. While it would have been great to have the whole team together, it was interesting to see how the underclassmen dealt with a new challenge. I believe that a bit of trepidation can be healthy, and the nervous energy may actually have helped to focus the group. Stopping at the apple orchard before heading to the Catamount Lodge was also a nice diversion. The huge bag of apples (to which, I admit, I did not contribute) ended up providing a lot of cheap deliciousness. Not only did we have great apples (made more delicious by the liberal application of caramel), but the team produced a nuanced applesauce (surprisingly good in oatmeal, btw) and a delicious cobbler. This type of industry appeals to my sensibility; it reminds me of the slightly less delicious Norwegian potato rotation (boiled, scalloped, fried, mashed).
Now, my initial expectations for the Catamount Lodge were pretty low. I had expected the place to be a drafty cabin, so I when we arrived I was blown away. As it turns out, it’s a beautiful building, comfortably furnished. Apart from the lack of high speed internet, it provided all the comforts of home (and, at least in my case, a few comforts that home doesn’t provide). The team even managed to tune in to, …ahem, Grey’s anatomy. It’s a tough life sometimes!
There are a series of trails at the Catamount Lodge and this was the location of our first workout. After unloading, we headed out and, perhaps not surprisingly, followed the signs that were simply labeled “Mountain .” We had planned a long ski-walking session at medium intensity, but this workout probably ended up being closer to a race effort; the combination of fallen trees and mud made it difficult to keep the intensity down. As the workout progressed the trail deteriorated, getting more and more slippery. It was pretty much impossible to ski-walk by the end. However, I thought that the adversity added a dimension to the workout. Becoming a good skier involves learning to be successful in poor conditions. Training in soft conditions also helps develop a powerful kick. At the end of the workout, people were pretty exhausted. I think everyone was relieved that we didn’t need to get back into the van.
Friday morning we had another intensity session on the schedule: bounding and ski-walking at the Snowbowl. Most of the time we don’t have back-to-back hard sessions, but it’s important to start getting used to carnival style racing efforts. After a short warm-up, we started with some short (15 sec) ski-walking and worked into 10 second all-out bounding. Ethan demonstrated ski-walking and emphasized the importance of “forward fall.” It may seem pedantic, but this is probably the area where everyone can make significant gains. The hope is that by emphasizing this immediately prior to intensity the specificity will improve. And specificity will pay dividends when the snow flies. Even though this is my third year as a coach, I still feel like this area of my technique is improving.
The heart of the session was a set of five ski-walking intervals. We used a 5-6 minute loop that had a number of distinct sections. People seemed to put in a really solid effort. The icing on the cake was 2x7x15seconds bounding, with 15 seconds rest. These “over-threshold” workouts develop the ability to recover and are a great way to prepare for mass-start racing.
After a few hours of downtime, the team headed out for an easy skate. This was a chance for us coaches to violate some traffic rules and get some video footage. Although tricky to accomplish, it is helpful to capture several “technique cycles” from the same perspective (in this case, the profile). After dinner, we plugged into the TV and did some technique analysis. While it can be difficult to use video in a productive fashion, I was pleased with the footage that we got. The ability to look at technique in slow motion can isolate problem areas. (Again) We emphasized forward fall and skiing dynamically. Even though some people are struggling, the fact that everyone is trying new things is encouraging. It’s only by getting out of the comfort zone that one can improve.
Saturday morning we mounted up and headed to Ampersand, a mountain on the edge of the Adirondacks. The hike only took a little over an hour and the view was absolutely spectacular. I am hard pressed to think of a hike that has a similar effort to reward ratio. This was a bit shorter than originally planned, but ended up being about the right length. In the afternoon, we did specific strength, with an emphasis on double poling. Again, people really seemed to try to push the limits in terms of comfort. Despite being tired, the focus in this workout was really excellent.
The culmination of the camp was Sunday’s overdistance ski. The weather was magnificent, and there wasn’t much traffic. This is one of the few times we’ll train 3+ hours and everyone pushed their limits. Kyle and Kristen, who both managed to make it all the way back to campus, deserve special recognition. This was a memorable workout and I hope everyone realized their “Dana fantasies” when they got back.
Overall, I was exceedingly happy with the mid-semester camp. Each workout had a clear purpose, and everyone executed. The group stayed focused and I firmly believe that everyone will see meaningful gains if they keep it up. In each area—technique, capacity, endurance, explosiveness—the group achieved the objectives I had privately set. The camp was also a reminder of what it takes to be successful; that’s the kind of dedication and determination that high level skiers possess.
If people can preserve the momentum of the mid-semester training, the ski season will almost certainly be a success. If you need any motivation, just check the forecast: There’s snow in the air!
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