Weekend Wrap-Up and Muskoka Loppet

Hi Team,

Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend - I saw lots of determination and positivity go into those races, even in some pretty snowy weather! It was great to see how everyone's technique is coming along, and to hear your race analysis afterwards.

I was really impressed with how everyone approached their races today - it was a tough course, and not everyone had felt their best the day before. Even so, everyone I talked to beforehand was excited for the race and looking at it as another opportunity to go hard and try your hardest - a mindset that is not always easy if you had a tough race the day before!

In case anyone didn't to get to see their results after the race, they are posted here: http://zone4.ca/results.asp?id=9435&cat=all. Time of day has not been posted, but placing for today's race (independent of the pursuit) can be found on the right-hand side.

For those who have trouble staying warm before races (especially when the weather is really cold), here are some tips:

1) Change your base layer. It can make a big different to change your shirt under your race suit after warm up, so that you're not starting the race in a sweaty shirt. Changing hat and gloves is often really helpful too!

2) Wear a hat. When it's really cold out, wearing a hat helps to retain more body heat. If you like to race in a headband that's fine, but consider doing your warm-up in a hat first to keep warm.

3) Keep moving at the start. Doing short jogs and dynamic stretches (like leg swings) while you're in the start area can really help keep you warm, and keep the blood flowing and muscles loose.

4) Wear a big jacket. When you're in the starting line-up or waiting to go into the start area, wearing a big jacket around your shoulders is a good way to keep a bit of extra warmth in. You can just button it at the top instead of putting it on fully, that way you can take it off quickly when your number is called.

Here is a link to some of podium photos from today - they are from my phone so may not be the best quality, but again feel free to use any and all of the photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bGV4XRv5jVnSKrXW6

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For those who are looking for another race opportunity, the Muskoka Loppet is next weekend at Arrowhead in Huntsville. This is NOT an SOD race, but it's a really fun local race, and a great opportunity to practice your double pole!

Registration prices go up after tonight, and registration closes this Thursday, January 23rd. The race notice can be found here: http://arrowheadnordic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Notice-of-Race-2020.pdf

The next SOD race will be at Mono Nordic the weekend after, on February 1st (more on that soon).

Thanks again to those who came out to race this weekend - you should all be really proud of your efforts out there - I'm proud to be coaching such an awesome team!

North Bay O'Cup

Hi Team,

So sorry that I wasn't able to make it out to the Sounder last weekend - I hope that everyone had fun!

I will be at the North Bay O'Cup this weekend. For those that are going, the race notice can be found here: https://27167809-319569386783119776.preview.editmysite.com/uploads/2/7/1/6/27167809/nbnsc_o_cup_3_race_notice_final.pdf

Course maps, schedules, etc. can be found here: http://www.northbaynordic.ca/ocup3.html

I believe that most of you have a couple races under your belt now. I suggest reflecting on your past races before North Bay this weekend, and thinking about what you have done well so far, as well as what you would like to improve on throughout the rest of the season. How will you remember this things in your race?

If anyone has questions about the courses, please let me know! I'm originally from North Bay, and I spend many hours skiing the trails when I was younger. Most of the courses at the Nordic start off hilly and the end with some nice downhills or false flats down - important to keep in mind when you are making a race plan! On courses like this I like to mentally move the finish line to the top of the last big hill or hard stretch, and try to use almost all of my energy by the time I get to that point, then recover on the downhills enough to have one last sprint to the finish line.

Here is a link to some of the photos from the Midland race: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GaoGTvgKKnaMaPFc7

As well, here are a couple of photos from the Winter Camp!: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PGsJFep9QVYBDouk9

Please feel free to download and use any and all of the photos - sorry for the delay in getting them posted!

Hope you see you out this weekend,

Coach Madi

Winter Camp Recap and Midland SOD Race

Hi Team,

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the camp last weekend, I was super impressed with everyone's downhill skills!

For anyone who wasn't able to attend the camp, here's a quick recap of what we talked about:

1) Goal Setting

• There are 4 'tires' that represent four types of goals an athlete can make. In order to perform at your best, you need air in all of your tires.
• The 4 tires, along with some examples, are: 
• Mental - do you find yourself getting discouraged or distracted in races? Are you really nervous before race starts? 
• Physical - do you feel like you're in good racing shape?
• Tactical - are you confident on downhills and around corners? how smooth are your transitions? 
• Technical - are your hips forward? are your ankles bent? do you ski relaxed?

• In order to set good goals, we talked about using the SMART goal setting technique:

• S - specific. Specific goals are better than vague ones, because it's easier to now when you have reached your goal. For example, 'keep my hips forward in one skate' is a better goal that 'improve my technique'.
• M - measurable. Your goals should be measurable, so that you can see improvement. For instance, making a goal of drinking a full water bottle to keep hydrated after a race would be better that saying 'I want to drink more water'.
• A - attainable. Your goal should be something that you can achieve! That being said, a goal that is challenging for you is often better than one that would be really easy. A challenging goal is more motivating, and also leaves you with a greater sense of accomplishment.
• R - relevant. Your goals should be relevant to your sport. While getting a new PB in the 100m is not a bad goal, if you are setting goals for skiing this is not particularly relevant.
• T - timely. Goals are best when they have deadlines. Deadlines can be short-term, long-term, or in between. Technique generally takes time to change, and so setting this goal for the end of a season is probably better than for the next race. 

Goals can be made in any of the four tires, in the short term or in the long term. If you have any questions about how to set good goals, or what kind of goals would be best for you, please feel free to send me an email, or talk to your coach! 

2) Race Plans

We talked a bit about race prep and visualization at the camp as well. 

Visualization can be a really useful tool when you are getting ready for your races, especially the night before after you have skied the course. 

The best visualization happens when you use all of your senses - Can you smell the air? Can you feel the snow under your feet? Can you hear the announcer, and your coaches cheering you on? Can you feel fatigue in your muscles, or adrenaline in your body? Can you see the course ahead of you, and feel yourself gliding along? 

The more details that you can add in, the more realistic your visualizations will be, making your race day feel more familiar, which can also help you to feel more in control. You can use visualization for before the race, or during the race, or both! 

With practice, your visualizations of the race course should take about as much time as the actual race would to complete. 

I personally like to draw out the race course the night before, marking out uphills, downhills, and my strategies for each. 

If you are someone who often forgets their race plan when they are in the zone, try telling your coach or someone who will be out cheering a few points that they can remind you of as you pass. Another option is to try adding visual cues to the race course. You can buy coloured ribbon 'tape' from the dollar store or hardware store, and wrap a little around trees during your pre-ski at points in the course that you want to remind yourself of something in your plan (sounds weird, but it works!)

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The Midland Ski Race is back on for tomorrow - start lists can be found here: 

https://zone4.ca/race/2020-01-05/88874c68/results/

If anyone would like to register last minute, same-day registrations are permitted, but please note it is cash only.

I will be at the start line at 9am for those who would like to do a group pre-ski. If anyone has questions about race plans, warm ups, or anything else, please let me know! 

As well, good luck to everyone racing in Thunder Bay on your last race tomorrow, and congratulations on some great racing so far! Don't forget to smile, even up those big hills!