.: Ski XCOttawa.ca :: Skiing in Ottawa and Gatineau Park

It's September What Now?
By:  Justin Demers   (2009/09/23)

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This Tuesday night was our last Mooney's Bay workout of the season. Despite being nice and warm, the 30 minutes of continuous intervals turned out to be a sweaty affair with the very high humidity.

What's next you may ask. As in every September when the daylight becomes in short supply, we make the switch to Penguin hill in the Gatineau Park. Part of this has to do with the fact that we decide to train in the morning in a different place and part of it has to do with the type of workout we want to be doing at this time of year.

As September rolls around, we find ourselves starting to train as a team 3 times a week. We up the amount of intervals as well as the intensity. Doing 5 minute uphill bounding intervals requires a long consistently steep enough hill. It helps for ski training that the grade is not consistent the whole way up, but then again it makes it that much tougher mentally.

This brings me to the core of this article, what are you doing right now? Even better, what have you been doing since April. I can portray many admitting shamefully that the training has not followed the original forecasts (we all seem to be economists when it comes to planning long term training, 'could go either way' or 'it's too early to tell'). Whether or not you consider racing this year, the season is far from being lost.

For those who have been active, then the next step is quite simple. Any activity that is not ski specific such as cycling should be scaled back. Commuting is still good and you now have a good excuse to be a fair weather cyclist. Lets face it, there are few people who actually like riding when the temperature hovers above freezing with a good dose of wind, leaves and rain. Start hiking, running and doing some body weight training (push ups, dips, sit ups and so on). That cycling upper body really needs it by now. If you have been doing ski specific training then keep going with maybe a little more intensity and a little less volume if you had been doing quite a bit of it.

For those who have been doing less than they needed, the first step requires that you stop using excuses. I know all too well what the weather was like this summer and I've heard all the other excuses a dozen times. There are a few legitimate ones out there but what really matters is that you get out there and start getting ready before the snow flies. Yes you heard me, the snow is scheduled to come in about 2 months. Start easy and just make sure you are consistently doing something from now on. If you have a good Fall, then you will be ready for January and will enjoy a nice season despite having a little too much fun in the summer.

In the end remember to enjoy yourselves. This pre-season training is meant to make the skiing that much more enjoyable from the start. There are so many activities that can achieve both the preparation and the enjoyment.

 
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