OH WHAAAT!!! 100th post... That's big.

My last title should be this post’s title.  Except 100^th post IS quite the landmark.

Last update I didn’t quite get all that content in that I wanted, so I’ll add that in at the beginning of this one. 

Expectalysis is the reassessment of my expectations in light of my untimely injury of shin splints and tendonitis in my lower right leg that has plagued me the past 2 months.  Through intensive physio visits, and some serious time off, the leg is finally coming around and I have been able to ski on it the past few days(!!!!).  Perfect timing since the first big race is this weekend. 

Today I did the first fast, full body skiing in over 2 months.  It felt great.  Although I had a great spring and summer of training under my belt, the fall was less than optimal.  Sometimes in life it is necessary to readjust expectations.  To tell you the truth, I’m not entirely sure what to expect this weekend.  Likely not challenging the top guys, but perhaps still expressing decent fitness due to the work I have done on a few pre-existing weaknesses like breathing, core fitness and flexibility.  It should take several weeks to be back on track for where I want to be.

For now I am just extremely pumped to be out skiing normally again. 

After an interesting weekend in Canmore due to an alteration in the sprint course and my plans to double pole it, I have been in Silver Star with CVTC (aka Lee and Camille (and actually a new addition – Emil Svensson from Sweden.  He is crazy speedy)).  Things have been working very smoothly and we are all in race mode. 

Emil and Cheese doing their race prep.  I am trying so hard not to laugh right now.

This weekend will be a good opportunity to see where I am at before the big Olympic sprint qualifiers of the following week in Canmore. 

I am reservedly optimistic. 

One step at a time.

Expectalysis: The Ahh-nold arms edition

Some last minute arrangements have me saddling up the Fit for an epic road trip.  Tomorrow I am leaving Whistler to embark on a very important month of racing that will not see me back in the Weaseltown until January 7th or so (potentially - depending on injury status).

Tomorrow I am heading to Canmore, AB to tag along with the Yellowknife team for Alberta Cup #1, a crazy-competitive classic sprint with all of the top Canadian sprint contenders.  It is the same course that I had success on last year at the Western Canadians where I placed 2nd.  Because of the certainty of double poling the entire course, this is conceivably the only race this month that I will race relatively pain-free with my leg injury.  Everything is up in the air in terms of training, racing and travel schedule for this period.

The leg is actually feeling excellent right now and the past few days have been the best days in over a month.  I have been doing nothing to aggravate it, meaning constantly being in the pool slaying pull buoy, heroic core sessions, the odd upper body strength exercises, respiratory training and the occasional double pole ski workout at the stunning winter wonderland paradise that is the Callaghan Valley.  Giving it some solid time to heal.  And because of this I am riding on some decent upper body fitness.  I am also 4 lbs below my normal weight range; I think my legs are wasting away.

That hut is where I live.  NAAATTTTT - I wish.

It's go time.

(this one's for you, Dougie...)

Sometimes its about intimidation:



Thanks for reading, and you can find Saturday's results on zone4.

PEACE.

How about that ski we did the other day...

We were treated to amazing tracks while in Silver Star from Nov. 11-15.

After a few days of on snow skiing in Silver Star, BC and a very successful hard effort in the RMR & Co. classic sprint TT, it was back to Whistler.

Cheese lovin' life (as always), striding it out at Silver Star

Our first whole day back in town we were greeted by a deluge like no other.  Luckily, said deluge came in the form of a blinding, choking snowstorm at slightly higher elevations (freezing level eventually plunged to engulf the town of Whistler at the bottom of the valley).

Needless to say, winter has come to Whistler.  There is as much snow as there was in January of last year when the World Cups were in town.

A 165cm pole propped against the snowbank.

Now, how about that ski we did the other day...  The first real legit ski in W.  And it was done skating since classic kills the tendonitis in my shin...

What made it great is how the ski brought back fond memories of skiing in Yellowknife.  Such things as:

- I was all alone on the ski and didn't see another soul the whole hour and a half.

- The trail had a few inches of fresh snow (YK is rarely groomed).

- The skis I was using were dogs, imitating the VERY slow conditions of a borderline skate ski day in Yellowknife at a temperature of -25.

- I also froze my butt off, which is a given when training in YK in the winter.  The ski started at 800m, at a temperature around freezing, and ended at 1200m and temp about -5 in a huge blizzard.  I was nearly buried alive.  And slowly became a block of ice on the 30 minute downhill back to Big Brown (team van).

And this was us today on another early season ski in the constant snow storm that is the Callaghan Valley.  Camille took a crazy bail on the bomb back down Main Line, nearly snapping his brand new hole skis.

Look who I bumped into at Creekside Physio today!  My long-time buddy and business partner from YK, Andrew Matthews, who is a full-time snowboarder who bases his training out of Whistler as well.  We are both dealing with injuries at the moment and are both under the watchful eye of legendary Physio, Andree Savoie.  Good times.

Check back soon for updates as we get ready to rock and roll.

T 

Race Schedule

WOW.  Whaaaat a boring title.

So here's the low down...

The season is VERY front heavy, with all of the main focus races (3 of 'em) being completed within 16 days of each other, completed by January 3rd.  Again, I will be focusing on the sprints even though I feel, proportionately, I have improved my distance a lot more this season.  For sprinting I am already close to the top and can challenge the top guys in the country on a good day while my distance remains my lifelong weakness and takes a back seat for the time being.

Here is my first month of racing:

- December 13th: NorAm Skate Sprint; Vernon, BC
- December 19th: Olympic Trials Classic Sprint; Canmore, AB
- December 20th: Olympic Trials Classic Sprint; Canmore, AB (yes, they are having the same race two days in a row)
- January 3rd: World U-23 Championships Trials Skate Sprint; Val Cartier, QC

And that's how the cookie crumbles.

Currently I am nursing some persistent tendonitis that I have been battling for the past month.  This is actually the 2nd bout of it - different spot, same pain.  I am juggling training activities to keep the stress away from it.  Today I treaded water for 15 minutes.  I remember I had to quit swimming back in the day cause I couldn't tread water for 5 minutes and thus couldn't pass AquaQuest 10 or whatever it was...

Snow is happening this week.  I think Whistler is getting like 4 feet this weekend.

Pic du jour:

Striding up Stonebridge road with Lee.  Initial day of tendonitis #2.

Taker easy.

T

Straight Outta P'ton

Recently I have had a nasty case of tendinitis in my right foot.  For the past 2 weeks I have been reduced to a select few training activities: double poling, upper body strength, core exercises, swimming and Spirotiger.  All of which actually fit nicely into the 3 top focuses I discussed in my last post.  Needless to say, I am now a tank at all things upper body.

Today I completed my 4th ~2hr double pole session in a week down in the farmland of Pemberton (just down the hill from Whistler on the opposite side from Squamish).

Pemberton Meadows Road is a fantastic training location.  A 25km road, mostly smooth as a baby's bottom, with the biggest climb being about 1 meter of elevation gain (approaching a bridge).  One day I was there the traffic rate was 6 vehicles per hour.

I have never had a bad day in Pemby.  The scenery is absolutely stunning, with the narrow valley of quaint agriculture chokeholded by abrupt mountain-sides standing guard over this fertile, spud-growing gem of a town.  The views are never boring and you discover some new, comical, relic of an edifice every time on that road.  Today I saw a dilapidated hobbit-sized house, about 6-feet wide, laying in the middle of a field wedged between the bottom ends of two giant, end-to-end redwood logs that had been built into, hollowed out to provide an additional couple feet of habitable space on either side of the structure and with another window pieced into each log.

There's also this shaggy-ass llama that I have a staring match with every time I pass by.

I think there's a lot to be said about long, flat training roads.  The even training stimulus keeps the entire ski challenging, allowing you to be completely immersed in the finer technical aspects of skiing without having to worry about a terrain change or excessive traffic.  I have logged about 150km of focused double-pole cadence, forward lean/reach and core crunch work on this road in the past week.  I have also tried some nostril-only breathing to add in a challenge to the respiratory system (VERY hard) from time to time.

The only downside to rollerskiing in Pemberton is that it's a 30 minute drive from where I live.  Not good.  It's the nearest flat road though, and when my foot was largely immobile it was my only option.

On the opposite side of Pemberton from P. Meadows Road, there is the Duffy Lake Road.  By which I mean the LEGENDARY Duffy Lake Road.  Hailed as the best rollerskiing climb in Canada by some.  12km of brand-spankin' new pavement rising into the heavens.  Some pitches at 15%+.

With these two roads, Pemberton is a legitimate contender for perhaps a top-10 finish for top rollerskiing towns in Canada.

Pemby, baby.  Pemby.

TBD

PS. The foot is nearly recovered and the Pemberton sessions will now become more infrequent as I return to taking advantage of the endless training opportunities found outside my front door in Whistler Spring Creek.

Reflections

When the apprentice becomes the mentor


Returning to Whistler after my Baffin Expedition was a bit nostalgic after such an unforgettable experience.  It took a few days to get back into my groove, both fitness-wise and mind-set-wise.  Once equilibrium had returned to tough daily training, everything was still on track.  Sensations were great, standardized tests had still seen improvement even after a bit of a break.  I was still improving and was in the best shape of my life.

One day I spoke on the phone with my good buddy Alex, previously from YK but now residing in Edmonton and training under the guidance of the great Les Parsons.  Being 5 years younger than I and still with a lot of work to do to become the best in the country (not for lack of motivation or dedication), I had been teaching him everything I knew about skiing: The daily execution of training, recovery strategies, ski technique, interpretation of fitness, awareness of the big picture, etc.  As his mentor for the past few years, I was in for a surprise on that phone convo.

The interesting thing about talking skiing with somebody who's learned everything about skiing from you is that you elaborate on the same topics and are equally innovative about how you go about pursuing skiing fitness.  You can talk forever.  Our talk had to be in my top-3 longest phone conversations of all-time, clocking in at something like 1.5 hours.  The other interesting thing about the conversation is that it was like the going-ons of my mind were transcribed into a dialogue.  It was like talking to myself, haha.  And Alex told me something I'll never forget.  Something I have known for a while but had not quite totally committed to, or believed in.

After hearing a random comment that Les had made about me, Alex got thinking.  First off, I don't know Les at all so it was interesting that he was talking to Alex about me.  He said something about me having talent but being lonely out here in Whistler with only one teammate.  Alex looked way beyond what Les said and gave me the best advice I have heard in a long time.  He said, "Thomsen, you have the potential to be great.  As long as you remain focused and don't get caught up in all of the different philosophies going around, you will be great.  You need to do things 'Thomsen's Way', so that when people talk about a certain kind of training, they say, 'Oh, that's how Thomsen D'Hont trains.'  You need to find out how you get fast and just do it and get fast.  Don't worry about anything else, just about getting fast."

It feels like I always knew that but having it said to me is what hit home.  THAT was a revelation.  Thanks, Alex.  You'll go far, kid.


Like a comfortable Toronto Raptors t-shirt you have owned and worn since you were 5 years old...

I was recently in Yellowknife for a week of hospitality/cultural training for the NWT's Olympic Youth Ambassador program that I am potentially taking part in during the first 10 days of the Olympics.  Over that time I learned cool stuff like blanket toss, dene hand games, jigging, fiddling, dene drumming, and the list goes on.  It was huge fun (when I wasn't cross-eyed with boredom from some of the workshops).

The guy in the blue in the middle of this shot is the real deal.  Rusty from Behchoko was a part of the legendary Rae indoor soccer team that was a huge inspiration to me growing up.  He now lives in Rae and helps kids achieve their dreams in sports, primarily by spiking volleyballs at their faces and laughing at their discomfort like a good Dene does (haha, joking.  But he was saying that that's what happens when the Tlicho play sports - they laugh at others' pain).  He is also badass at pretty much everything in the Tlicho culture.  Handgames included - so intense!  The game is as much intimidation as it is luck and Rusty is both highly skilled and moderately frightening once the caribou-hide drums are a-pounding and the paroxysm of the hand games is underway.  In Behchoko there is huge money in a hand games tourney, like $20,000 for 1st place.  I was complete garbage at hand games.  

The Old Man and I.  Out huntin', shootin' some chickens.

Going back to some of the training activities I would do come fall-time in Yellowknife was somewhat of a nightmare form of deja-vue.  Compared to Whistler, the training in YK is very limited at best.  When I was back, there was zero possibility of rollerskiing/skiing.  There was a fine dusting of snow but not enough to ski and all of the roads in town were covered by a thick layer of aggressive gravel.  This is a VERY common occurrence in Yellowknife.  It had me thinking of how I was able to do it when I was younger.  I was alone all of the time.  Concussion of pole plants.  Scream of semis hurtling past.  Rollerskis chunking over gravel.  Hundreds and hundreds of hours of rollerskiing a 5km section of highway that wasn't rough chip-seal.

I think some of my focus can be attributed to music.  I was always rocking out to my state of the art 1 GB mp3 player and would just keep on truckin'.  I was a pretty focused kid.  YK was all I knew and I made the best of it.

Something awesome about Yellowknife is that it doesn't stink (besides the ski trails that are across from the dump haha) when you're out training.  Whistler smells.  It reeks when you are running through the forest because of all the moisture and rotting vegetation.  The North smells clean and pure.

Training how Thomsen D'Hont trains.

I'm not going to spill the beans too much as this sort of thing is top secret (Riiiiiiight....).  But, I WILL tell you the top-3 focuses on my "Fall Game Plan".

1. As always, the long-term base focus in preparing a structurally-sound “me” in working towards 2014

2. Improving hard breathing through respiratory training

3. Core crunch to whip ("h" emphasis) the double pole.

In talking about my training, the governing theme is keeping it fun.  I am obsessive in nature, so anything repetitive with long-term gains and rewards is always fun no matter if the odd moment is monotonous as heck.  Days like the picture above are the reason why I do this sport.  A day in the life is running around on the top of a mountain for a few hours enjoying the most stunning scenery on Earth.  This day was fun, wasn't it Kajsa??? Haha, "I WANNA BREEEAAAKKK!!!!" - Kajsa Heyes (haha, actually, that was me... my bad!!)

Horstman glacier, Blackcomb.  

Slowly, over time you find out what works for you.  THE best way to make you fit is always a moving target. Understand what is happening, and go with the flow.  Take things as they come.  When things are tough, take them in stride knowing that nearly all setbacks are short-lived.  When things come naturally and easily, push the envelope.  You are a student of the sport, you owe it to yourself to be the most knowledgeable you can be, about yourself and about every aspect of your sport.

I now live in the closest subdivision to WOP.  So the drive there is only 15 minutes.  Consequently, this means I no longer have skiing right out my front door at Lost Lake like I did last year.  But my new location means I live right next to the athlete's village at Cheakamus Crossing and get to explore the area that will be the home of CVTC athletes starting in June 2010.  It's gonna be mint with a great network of trails and sports facilities and having the Cheakamus river right there.  There are also ski trails in the works for the area to connect Whistler/LostLake to WOP (so I've heard).

I am now back in the complete riot of a town that is Whistler.  Where random things happen like a day of off-roading in a sick rental 4x4 Jeep high up on Blackcomb with rich-kid girls from the most prestigious girls-only private school in Vancouver.  And tunes CRANKED.

I am back with a keen focus for the most consistent training possible as Olympic trials approach mid-December.  Any gains from here on in are gravy as I have accomplished a lot up to now.  Just a few final adjustments and I will be ready to rock.  I hope to surprise some people in Canmore.

Catch ya on the flipside.

TD

i2P Baffin Island Expedition: The Akshayuk Pass

I put a lot of thought into how I was going to write this.  Who am I kidding, no I didn't - I always knew exactly what I wanted to get across in this blog update.  I could go on and on with all of the amazing experiences and tales I have from this expedition, but picking and choosing a select few of these would still have this blog update up around the neighbourhood of 10,000 words.  Haha.  Sooo, here is the final blog I wrote for i2P to be posted on Sept. 21st (hopefully):

The most beautiful place on Earth.

"First of all, I can’t say enough about my experience with impossible2Possible on the Baffin Island expedition as a Youth Ambassador.  It was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life! 

I was very inspired from the get-go.  The lineup of guides on the expedition and others involved with the organization were amazing; World class adventurers and everyone very passionate about motivating and inspiring today’s youth.  It was an invaluable experience spending time and learning from the other Youth Ambassadors from across the continent as we faced challenges and hardships both mental and physical together as a team as we crossed the 100km of rugged Arctic landscape.

I learned more over the 2 weeks with i2P than I have ever learned in any 2 weeks in my life; whether it was stories and advice from outstanding athletes and adventurers, practicing media exposure, surviving in a harsh and unforgiving yet stunningly beautiful environment for 9 days, or thought-provoking discussion amongst our youth team and the senior members of the expedition.  It was an incredible learning environment!

I have taken a new perspective on life from my involvement with i2P through meeting and learning from passionate individuals who only hope to inspire others and show that awesomely unimaginable achievements are possible in life.  Being part of this i2P expedition was simply life-changing and I am very fortunate to have been picked as a Youth Ambassador. " 

I am going to leave this update at that and any additional info you want, please visit the i2P site.  And when you see me next I'm glad to go into more detail about the experience!!  Feel free to email too if you want more deets!

The Baffin Expedition site: http://www.impossible2possible.com/world/

The impossible2Possible site: http://www.impossible2possible.com/?v=home

What an amazing organization!!

There was a total of 14 on the expedition.  Here are the 5 of us Youth Ambassadors from across North America.  (left to right) Amanda Cobbs-Russell (Murrieta, California), Sandi Nypaver (Parma Heights, Ohio), Kathleen Merritt (Rankin Inlet, Nunavut), Tamara Banks (Lombardy, Ontario) and I.

There was a lot of bog to trudge through.  Feared by most, fine by me.  Lots of the greatest cross country skiers from Scandinavia did long training sessions loping through bogs.

There was also a lot of sand.  I would say that almost half of the whole hike was on some kind of sandy terrain.  Here we are actually walking on a giant slab of ice insulated by a thick layer of sand.  The actual glacier has receded far up into the valley in the direction from which I took this pic, but there is still a humongous amount of ice left below.  The lake here used to be about 20 feet higher.  Recently a heatwave paired with unusual rainfall swelled the water level to burst through a bank of glacial moraine to devastate the remaining 30 km of valley with unimaginable ferocity.  Think Lord of the Rings when the elves summon that crazy wave that destroys the ring wraiths.  Something like that I would think, haha.  Water-horses and all.  Man that'd be sweet.

Here is some more of that same lake, Glacier Lake, with a smaller pond in the foreground.  It was actually this neon blue colour!

Over the course of the expedition we were constantly blogging and doing interviews via satellite phone.  The blogging was quite amazing, as we typed blogs on Ray's Macbook and the Iridium satellite phone would send the email as a text message (or something like that).

Big thanks to FSC Architects and Engineers who are helping me out big-time for the 2nd year.

Ray Zahab and Bob Cox, the founders of impossible2Possible and two amazing human beings.

This is the day when my blog was titled, "I'm on a Boat."  Haha.  L to R - Bob Cox, TD, Ray Zahab

And this has got to be my favourite photo from the entire expedition (one of the communal photos I got on my ext. HD).  Ray and Bob.  There's a bit of an inside joke to it, but still hilarious.  The expedition took endless hours of organizing.  Even though the whole expedition and everything surrounding it was so monumental, with so many following it and so much media attention, there was still time to have fun.  Actually, that's all we ever did on this trip, haha.  Good times fo sho.