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I recently joined a small but hardy group of RMR skiers on a 2 week trip out East for the two NorAm stops at Nakkertok (Quebec side of Ottawa river), and at Mt. Orford (1 hr drive east of Montreal).

The trip was notable for its fantastic weather and for giving me the opportunity to practice my extremely neglected french skills. I really enjoyed skiing at both sites, but Mt. Orford stood out as a true gem especially with it being my first time to the area. Orford boasts 50 km of diverse trails that wind along lakes and swamps and through the bright hardwood forests of the region.

Cruising along lakeside at Orford

Andy Shields of my past team, NDC Thunder Bay, striding it out on the big 10 km race loop

Easterns 30 km at Nakkertok

I had a lot of fun racing out East. The course profiles suited me a little more than other places in Canada (not so much climbing), and it was nice that it was a lower elevation than other sites like Canmore. I especially enjoyed the 30 km pursuit start classic race at Nakkertok, a race in which I was able to find a good rhythm for long sections despite skiing solo for a lot of the race. At Orford I was stoked to race a single lap distance race - a rarity in NorAm action. It was a nice change to focus solely on different sections of a long loop, rather than focusing on the pacing of each individual lap. The second day at Orford was another memorable day as racers focused more on wind brief layering strategy than pacing strategy. Fresh snow and -26 windchill for a 20 km skate mass start added an element of difficulty that played into my strengths garnered from being born and raised in Yellowknife, NT, Canada's city with the coldest spring, coldest winter, coldest year-round, driest winter, most extreme wind chill, longest snow cover season, most cold days (-20 or less), most deep snow cover days (10 cm or more), most high wind chill days (-30 or less), most hot and cold days, sunniest spring and sunniest summer. Although I am highly adapted to those conditions, I found myself lacking motivation in the early stages of the race. Perhaps that was a good thing, as I had a lot left on the last lap to catch and pass a half dozen skiers.

I was encouraged by how well I was able to recover from 3 back to back days of racing at Eastern Canadian Champs at Nakkertok, especially with a 30 km race capping off the weekend. This year so far has been a struggle in recovering from races, something I went into in depth in my last blog post. Although I wasn't satisfied by my racing fitness on this trip, it was nice to see that my ability to recover is coming around post-mono.

A big shout-out to Luke and the RMR for a great trip out East.

I am now back in Whistler for a long period of much needed training. There is a lot of work to be done to get to the level that I want to be at. To kick start my training period, I recently woke up at 4:30 am and skied up Whistler mountain. Although this didn't improve much other than my granny-skating, it was an unbelievably beautiful ski. To watch the brightening colours transition into a sunrise over the Spearhead range was a truly magical and breathtaking experience.

Looking down the musical bumps, watching the sunrise over the Spearhead range in Whistler, BC.

Fresh tracks

T

Easily yankered in NorAm weekends

Having pursued a full year commitment to skiing for many years in a row now, I've now achieved a body awareness where I can pinpoint a single event that proves to be more of a setback than anticipated. A single misstep by training too hard when I should be resting, or racing when I am tired, has the potential to put me in a slump. Coming into this racing season while at the same time recovering from mono, I knew I would have to be cautious. My coach and mentor, Andrew (who is also a MD), has been particularly helpful in my return to health and has helped me in recognizing the mysterious effects of the mono virus on athletes.

I felt fantastic in some of the early racing this year, showing that I could return to fitness quickly after mono. Recovering from a race was a completely different story. I could digest one weekly hard effort, but racing twice in Rossland (1.6 km skate sprint and 15 km skate mass start) was a bit too much of a beating and would qualify as one of those aforementioned missteps. I was lethargic for 2 weeks. Luckily I had a month-long break before hitting the start line again with home course advantage at the Whistler Olympic Park NorAm.

Skate sprint at Westerns.

Training leading up to the NorAm proceeded swimmingly. I got to ski loops with Olympic and World Champion, Adam Van Koeverden (fit dude), and I felt strong. The adjective "swimmingly" is particularly accurate because from the time I returned to Whistler on December 28th until January 10th I didn't see the sun once. Whistler greened up beneath the constant deluge and WOP even had trail closures due to flooding.

A week before my skate sprint target race, I sprained my ankle in training and was sidelined for a few days R.I.C.E.-ing for all I was worth. I came to in time to tolerate lacing up my skate boots, but was apprehensive with the driving blizzard that befell WOP the morning of the sprint day. After a few days of brilliant sun and hard/fast conditions, the sprint course that was already of seemingly near-marathon proportions was turned into soggy porridge and thus extra challenging. The equivalent of a rubberized running track becoming muskeg. Being a more power-oriented skier, I tried the best I could to ski light and smooth overtop of the mush, but instead was bogged down. I couldn't deal with the increased load on the legs and finished the day dismally.

The following day was the 15 km classic individual start. With a cloudless sky and cool temps overnight, the deep powder was transformed into beautiful classic tracks. I was optimistic for the day, but in the end, it was another underperformance. Not that it wasn't hard fought... I felt smooth and well-paced the first lap, but the previous day's punishing course caught up with me after 5 km.

A few days of rest later, it was off to Canmore yet again for Western Canadian Championships. Having had an awesome mini-tour performance at Westerns last year (and being aggregate U-23 champion!), I was stoked for the multi-race format. Yet again, my body wasn't performing to the level that I urged it. I had a decent 10 km individual classic on a wicked hard course, and felt not bad on the sprint day, but after two weekends in a row of sluggish racing, I nixed the final 15 km skate pursuit (the race I was most looking forward to! grrr) with hopes of regrouping for a trip out east in February for Eastern Champs in Ottawa and a NorAm weekend at Mt. Orford, QC.

10 km classic action in Canmore.

Something has been off the last few weeks. I am now back in Whistler to fix it. I have a pretty good idea of what is wrong. My focus is now on racing at lower altitude in the East.

Weird luck at Rossland NorAm, and Christmas at Osprey

The last stop on the racing circuit before Christmas was the Rossland NorAm, which consisted of two skate races, a 1.6 km sprint on the Saturday and a 15 km mass start on the Sunday. An interesting note from the weekend is that I received better CPL points on the distance day than on the sprint day. Also of note, in the overall CPL ranking list for the year ending December 20th, 2011, my overall distance points were the closest they have ever been to my sprint points. Where the gap has historically been close to a full 10 points, I have managed to improve my distance racing to the point where the difference is a little over 2 points (I broke 90 distance CPL for the first time in my life and also dropped below 93 sprint CPL). I guess my distance focus over the last few years is starting to pay off and is turning me into a better overall skier.

Placing-wise I was better in the sprint than in the distance, but sensations were much better in the 15 km skate.

Luck, however, also played a big part in both of my races.

On the Saturday, I knew from the start that I would be hard pressed to compete with the top guys on the day. I was simply outclassed. I could see the opportunities in my quarter final, but had no extra gear to capitalize on them. Luckily, I made up a spot as the 2nd fastest skier in my quarter went down mid-way through the course. I also made another pass near the end to claim 3rd, a result that I had to be happy with on the day considering how I was skiing.

The race completely levelled me, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open till 8:30 that night.

I'm in the left of the shot. Jess (#1) was unstoppable on the day, skiing away with a clear victory.

Morning of the 15 km mass start: Ooohh boy, this is gonna be ugly... I guess I will give it a shot in warm-up and see if things improve... (during the recovery from mono a 2 x 3.5 minute race day has similar draining effects to racing a 50 km.) Warming up, however, things turned right around. I started to have a good feeling on my skis. The full hour of warming up had transformed me and I was ready to give it a crack. Luck, however, had other plans for me. With 5 minutes to go before the start, I found out that there had been a mix-up and my race skis hadn't been waxed and were sitting in the garage at home. After testing a 220-lb recreational skier's skis and a junior's race skis, I had the good fortune of testing a pair of CVTC's wax testing skis. They proved to be the quickest over my make-shift 10 meter ski testing area, so off I sprinted to be the last skier in the start grid, getting my skis and poles on with only 30 seconds to spare before the start gun.

The adrenaline from the ski-scare did me wonders off the gun, as I was able to settle into position quickly and conserve energy away from the mayhem of the jostling masses in pursuit. To my astonishment, the CVTC test skis I had hastily grabbed proved to be among the top skis on the day, better than anyone I skied with, anyway. I skied through the first 3.7 km lap in 10th place, right with the leaders. Even though I skied a pretty comfortably fast first lap, the pace was unsustainable. Attaining that next level of fitness doesn't seem far off, and I am excited to see where I am at in a few years' time.

The rest of the race was a matter of catching rides behind skiers when I could, drafting and conserving on the downhills and skiing controlled on the uphills. Having just a little more energy to attack on the final lap would have made it the perfect race for me. A fixable detail.

Immediately after the 15 km skate, it was off to the Heyes' cabin at Osprey Lake for 10 days of winter holiday festivities.

Successful Christmas tree hunt with our guide, Rob.

Classy Christmas eve dinner with 19th century silver ware at Nat Brown's cabin.

Lovin' Nat's 7.2 km trail system that was groomed especially for us. 

The evident cougar activity in the area had me on high alert when skiing solo (sunglasses on the back of your head, anyone?).

The trail system has incredible history, with numerous National teams having trained in the area as well as Olympic champions such as Thomas Wassberg (who is said to have been hyperactive, constantly moving and on the go for 12 hours a day, whether it be training or cutting wood and digging ditches for hours on end).

Nat's ranch consists of numerous cabins and structures on a large and narrow parcel of land abutted by a creek on one side and a towering ridge on the other. Adam van Koeverden asked me today why I don't base my training out of here (my initial thought is the cougar infestation).

Another of Princeton's hidden gem's: China Ridge ski trails. Located only 10 minutes from downtown Princeton, the trails are perched 500 meters above the town on rolling, varied terrain with sweeping vistas.

Controlling the variables

All pics from Jesse Winter (www.jessewinterphotography.com)

After a disappointing sprint qualifier in Canmore last Saturday at Alberta Cup #1, where I placed 12th, I regrouped and had a career best 10th place (3rd Canadian senior) qualifier at the Sovereign Lake NorAm sprint the following Saturday (Dec. 10th - results).

Transitioning from chicken-run to double pole in Saturday's classic prelim.

No doubt, going from a 12th place finish in a lower-key western Canadian race in a race that I normally excel at, to placing 10th at the premier North American race circuit, in an event I normally struggle at, in less than a week, is no small feat.

In AB Cup, where a number of variables negatively affected my performance, I made sure to control these same variables for the next weekend.

Leading up to the first NorAm, I made sure I had proper preparation by:

- rising early all week to be prepared for the early race day wake up call (and being asleep at 9:00 the night before)
- spending an extra few days at altitude in Silver Star to acclimatize to the elevation (Thanks to the Sellars)
- going back to basics by writing out a detailed race plan (complete with a new breathing strategy that helped a lot)
- completing key training sessions and feel-good sessions on course

Having everything come together on race day, it is nice to see it produce a good result. However, being 8 seconds out of the top spot in Canada, there is a lot of work to be done. World Cup qualifying rounds are pretty much never 8 seconds for top-30.

Heats didn't go quite as well as the qualifier. I think more aggression is needed next time. 

I am now in Rossland, BC, for the second stop on the NorAm circuit, and a skate-ski-only weekend, with a sprint and 15 km mass start. Having a few weeks of break from racing after this weekend, I am even planning on racing both Saturday and Sunday.

Enough blogging, it's time to dust off the old skate equipment and dial in Saturday's course.

Season Opener: Alberta Cup 1/2

Just got the season underway on the weekend. After a week of suffering the effects of altitude in Canmore for the first time in a long time, I managed to pull off a decent result on the weekend. In hindsight, I am glad I spent a full week in Canmore in preparation for the weekend, cause boy, was I sucking wind up there.

The first day of the skate sprint/classic distance race weekend, I slogged through a pretty dismal qualifier, posting the 12th fastest time in the exact event/location that I have placed 2nd (2006 as a Junior against Seniors) and 4th (last year) in qualifying. With a 6 hour break before heat action got underway, I had time to regroup and refocus. I bounced back for a great afternoon of racing, managing to benefit from the lucky loser rule in the first ever timed heats in Canada. Made it to the final! After not much rest after the semi, toeing the line for the final I was still a little gassed, and tried in vain to hang on to the stiff pace led out by two of Canada's Olympians, Brent McMurtry and Phil Widmer. I skied in for a 6th, and a successful first day of heat skiing for the year.

A-final action. I am trailing on the far left of the shot. (Photo cred: Angus Cockney) 

I won't go into much detail about Sunday's race. When you start warming up for a race at 8:20 am and finish cooling down for a race at 4:30 pm the day before, you're bound to have some lingering fatigue. Sunday's 9 km race was a good fit for me, but 3 km in it was evident it wasn't going to be my best performance.

Photo cred: Angus Cockney

I am now in Silver Star, where my coach, Andrew, and his wife, Ginny, have generously offered me their condo for a few days of preparation leading into this weekends NorAm sprint race. With races taking longer than normal to recover from, post-mono, I have opted out of the distance event this weekend to ensure good energy for the following weekend of NorAms in Rossland.

I am excited to try my hand in this weekend's tough field.

Organic Food Sponsor!

I am pleased to announce that inspirEarth Organics from Pemberton, BC is now sponsoring me by supplying me with fresh/seasonal/local/organic produce on a weekly basis.

Initially, on a whim, I signed up with inspirEarth for their weekly food subscription ($20/week intro food box) at their booth at the Whistler farmer's market, and enjoyed a few awesome months of figuring out how to cook and prepare veggies and fruit I had never seen before (lemon cucumber, anyone?). Shortly after signing up for the weekly food box, I had the pleasure of meeting Peter Gorski, the young guy behind InspirEarth who runs the farm and distribution operations. Soon after that, I even got to go down to Pemby for a tour of the farm, led by Peter's assistant, Sharon, and had a great time seeing the beautiful riverside property and it's agricultural bounty, and the methods by which the property is cultivated.

Having recently developed a passion for the sustainable, local, organic food movement, and after a few conversations with Peter, I felt that my values were closely aligned with those of inspirEarth, thus sparking the idea that a partnership between us could be a great win-win.

I am ecstatic to spread the good word of inspirEarth among my friends in Whistler, and I am even more stoked to be eating an almost entirely organic diet for the first time in my life (organic veggies and wild meat from my dad up North? Decent.).

The benefits of local organic farming are extensive. A few off the top of my head:

- the food is grown near where I live, cutting down on fuel consumption for transport (ain't no blueberry from Chile)
- fertilizer for inspirEarth is manure from the horses at the farm next door.
- no pesticides/herbicides, meaning no harmful residues contaminate the harvest
- gut flora health benefits from organic soil residues on produce
- polyculture growing methods (more than one species on a plot) means increased yields and a hardier crop that is resistant to pests and diseases
- other intangible benefits, like sense of community (at farmer's markets, shoppers have 10 times more conversations than at supermarkets)

I am still learning a lot about agricultural practices (especially since I come from a place where there is virtually no agriculture within about 1000 km), and am looking forward to spending some time volunteering at the farm come spring time and the end of my ski season.

The contents of a weekly winter (read: not much fruit...cause it's seasonal) package: bunch of apples, cabbage, red onions, beets, carrots, acorn squash, kale, garlic, big dirt-covered potatoes, etc.

 For sponsor recognition, my girlfriend, Kajsa (she is sponsored too - we share the food pkg), and I tweet or Facebook photos of things we make with inspirEarth goodies. Here we have beet/chocolate muffins (more like cupcakes if you ask me - so sweet) that Kajsa baked. 

 At the farm.

 Purple kale bunch. Having never eaten kale before, I am now a fiend for it. Chopped finely for a salad or sautéed, it's become a star in my books. Kale is so robust that it continues to grow in the winter under the snow.

 Nothing to see here, just a giant zucchini. 

 For winter growing, inspirEarth put up a great big greenhouse this summer. 

Thanks inspirEarth! I am looking forward to a great partnership this season.

Thomsen

Can I survive a distance race?

The answer is yes. 

Yesterday I put my post-mono fitness to the test in a 10 km time trial with the CVTC and BC ski teams. The purpose of the test was to determine whether I could endure the rigours of prolonged high output and to make a call as to how many distance races I want to start in December (I can still pull off decent sprints despite poor fitness). Saturday's mashed potatoes 5 km course was the epitome of "rigour," and is a condition that I, as a power skier, struggle in. Nonetheless, despite course conditions and still being on the recovery from mono, I finished 6 seconds from the top, a performance benchmark similar to how I was racing last year. 

This is an extremely encouraging and relieving result. It means I can virtually vault headlong into the race season this December. 

With a solid dump of snow last week, the roller skis were put away (mid-snow storm, in fact, as I was caught 3 km away from home with 3 cm of snow on the road!) and it is now full-on winter mode. 

Skiing at the Whistler Olympic Park has been great this week. Thanks to the CVTC and BC Ski Team for inviting me to participate! 

At 9 km, about to put 9 seconds on my 30-second start quarry.

Stay tuned for my first race that is taking place December 3rd! It is an Alberta Cup skate sprint tune-up race in Canmore, AB, where I will rejoin the NWT Ski Team and my Yellowknife Ski Club crew. I am improving by the week, so it should be an exciting season opener!

Thomsen