Tune-up Races

[Thomsen]

Just completed my first weekend of racing at Alberta Cup in preparation for the following months of more important races that are qualifiers for World Cup and a Europe trip.

Day 1, Sprint day:

Got up at 6:40 am for a 9:00 am qualifier. Had a good warm-up, but the quality of my prelim was hampered by a few factors: nervousness for the first race, a poor choice of skis, and the fact that I was still sleepy having come from BC time. I placed 12th in a quality, but not deep, field of just under 30 skiers. I was 12 seconds out of top spot (2:10 for 1.1km), a far cry from what I am normally capable of. I was a little discouraged after the qualifier, but was able to refocus for the heats in the afternoon. Heat 1 went smoothly. I latched on to the eventual race winner and we skied in comfortably to move on to Heat 2. Heat 2 was tough, and I placed 4th of 6, but luckily the races were timed and our heat was way faster than the other semi, so I moved on to the A-Final (top 2 in each heat move on, then next 2 fastest times out of the heats). I was pretty stoked to make it into the A-final of 6 skiers, since it was of similar quality to a NorAm sprint final, with 2 Olympians toeing the line. Not having enough recovery time between the Semi and the Final, I was a little gassed off the get-go. I was off the back from the beginning and skied in for a 6th place on the day. I was very pleased to have improved from 12th to 6th on the day, a good indicator of my progress since contracting mono this summer.

Also of note, was my breathing during the race. I warmed up with spiro, so breathing was ready to rock off the gun. Being at altitude in Canmore (racing at 1400m), the demand on the respiratory system is high. On the day, I was breathing every pole. Andrew and I have spoken at length about trying to coordinate breathing every 2nd pole due to my ability to almost breathe 6L on the spirotiger, but the all out nature of sprint racing seems to place a higher demand on the respiratory system. For me to breathe a lot, I need to breathe fast with smaller volumes. Andrew and I also spoke about the energy demands of breathing itself, and the fact that in the finishing stretch, maybe you want to reduce the energy consumption of breathing, in order to increase the energy available for the final push to the line. I also played with this in the race, and noticed that it is possibly beneficial.

Day 2, 9km individual classic:

I won't go into too much detail about today, since it wasn't a great performance by any means. After a full day of racing yesterday, I was pretty tired out on course. 1st place skied it in 22 minutes, and I did 24:40. Lots of room for improvement, and I think on a good day I could be much closer to the top.


On to Silver Star next week for the first NorAms of the season.

Thomsen

[Andrew]

Great review Thomsen. I caught the results on the Zone4 website. As you mentioned, the semi was probably the best race on the day for you, and I am interested to talk more about whether the time improvement was a result of a change in pacing, or simply the motivation of racing with the top guys. As expected, after that effort, and your recent mono, the recovery time did not allow for a similar performance in the final. That is something we will work on in the coming weeks and months, as you continue to fend off the return of mono.

One last note...were the coaches there able to help take your splits, or measure your cadence in any of the heats or finals? We still need more information regarding the ACTUAL demands that you place on yourself in competition. There is a large difference between the 85rpm we think you attain in your events, with the possibility that it might reach as high as 95 in a race situation.

Enjoy the rest and recovery, and we will look forward to watching you race at Silverstar nest Saturday. Post as much detail as you can about start times etc., so that the BPR crew can come out in force to cheer you on.

[Thomsen]

The semi was definitely the fastest heat for me. In order to move on to the final, you had to be in the top spots. After a not-so-competitive Quarter, the best skiers from that round were funnelled into the Semi, everyone gunning for the line off the start. It was simply a much more competitive heat than the Quarter. The Final was even more competitive, but I hadn't yet recovered from the Semi.

I didn't get any splits on the day, but it was evident from skiing with the competition that I lag in the finishing stretch. I can make moves anywhere else out on course on demand, but I lack the jam at the end. I am pretty certain that my cadence doesn't reach 95 yet. Definitely closer to the 85. I have difficulty keeping it high in the finish.

Heat racing on Saturday should be around 12 noon. Will confirm once I know.

[GinnySellars]

Thanks for your report Thomsen. It is really great to get a peak into your sport at such a high level. Good for you staying focussed heat after heat, and also being able to identify strengths and weaknesses afterward.

[Thomsen]

Hey everyone, tomorrow I start my qualifier at 9 am and heats start at 11:30 am. Hope to hear some cheering out there!

[Andrew]

We will be there!!!
Meet at the old ski hut on the little knoll at 9:00am to watch Thomsen CRUSH IT!!!

[Thomsen]

Thanks to the BPR crew who came out to cheer me on today!

Today I employed a breathing technique, that Andrew and I had surmised might work, to great success to finish 3rd senior man in Canada in the qualifier! Every time I would hit a downhill/rest section on the course today, I would focus on over-breathing. By over-breathing, I was able to blow off any excess CO2 that may have accumulated, allowing me to ski the next work portion without seizing up! I have skied the course here many, many times, and today was by far my best result in a qualifier here in Silver Star. Sensations included - by far the best feeling.

I am excited to practice this tool more in the coming weeks!

[kiwichris]

Great news Thomsen - I think I could hear the cheering from Lake Country.

What a great result - enjoy it and build on it for the rest of the season!!

Chris

[Andrew]

I was impressed with how dramatic Thomsen reported the difference in breathing sensation, as we were really only just trying some ideas for the first time. The result in preliminaries was fantastic for Thomsen, and he cap aced himself well to finish strongly over the long tough course.

The quarter-finals looked a little less stellar, and I am looking forward to talking more about how he felt. It looked like he was resigned to not have the same kind of success as he had first thing in the morning, but still fought hard. He had a few sketchy moments making contact with another skier, which seemed to throw off his rhythm, and he never really got into the position he needed to make it through the the semis.

It looks like a crew of us will all be skiing again tomorrow afternoon if anyone would like to join us. Should be a VERY EASY training day, so the focus will be on balance and breathing.

On another note...the Kelowna crew looked era teat today, and It was great to have Marin out for the first ski of the year. She made it look smooth and easy. The Captain was in good form again. The last time I saw him, he was heading to the pool for more training. Showing the young guns how real athletes make progress. Great work everyone!

I have been recovering all afternoon in front of the TV, and caught a glimpse of my shattered body lying supine on the tarmac in Kona during the Ironman broadcast. Another reminder of the training that is needed for 2013.