[Alain Parent]

Hello Team –

I am back from Whistler along with Paul, Russell, Macx, Julia and Andrew. I hope everyone trained hard while I was gone.

We have the Western Canadians coming up this weekend. Deadline for registration on http://www.zone4.ca is Tuesday (17) evening. Remember that it’s the national categories that applies.

We are in a short cold snap right now; hopefully the forecast is right and we will be out of it by Friday for the first race.

COLD WEATHER COMMENTS:
Please keep in mind:
I don’t recommend skiing a lot when it’s very cold. It’s not worth putting your lungs at risk. It’s ok to ski really easy for 45-60min in classic around -20 if you dress warmly and it’s not too cold. A tight knit scarf/balaclava over your face is also a good idea. Don’t panic that you are missing training. It’s time to chill out, be smart and enjoy the rest! It just means that we will be switching training phases around cold weather (from a volume or intensity to a recovery phase). Of course, it’s still important to continue training, but don’t go crazy trying to cram in junk hours and potentially bad training in the cold.

Here are some considerations for you when it’s cold (-20ish and colder):
– Short Z1 45-60 min classic workouts. Stay away from skating
– Stationary bike/rowing indoors
– Strength in gym
– Core strength at home
– Swimming (training for your next triathlon!)
– 45-60min Z1 runs
– Watching ski videos, updating ilog!!
– The important is to not be outside for more than 1hr when it’s cold and to keep your effort low so your lungs don’t get irritated.
– Don’t train outdoors if it’s -25 of colder

The cold weather study that is often quoted -> Abstract here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8257888?dopt=Abstract

Here’s the plan for this week:

Tuesday (17): Cold weather training as above for 1hr – choose your mode. No team training today. Register for Westerns by 2300 today!

Wednesday (18): We will get together for some indoor training in the gym. BWTC, 1630-1800. We will ski if the temperature is warmer than -18 at 2pm. Plan to bring the appropriate equipment.

Thursday (19): 1630-1745. We will do a short race prep in classic on the Friday race course. We will not ski long (30 to 60min) but dress warmly with something over your mouth. We will finish the workout with some stretching in the bwtc. Make sure you glide wax your classic skis with Swix LF4 wax and check the XC-LC forum and http://www.zone4.ca for information on the Friday race.

Friday to Saturday: Western Canadians. Details here: http://www.albertaworldcup.com/main.php?p=1186

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