Posted In: Nordic Skiing: Advanced
Ultimate direction sells some that have a twist lock cap under the bite valve to prevent leakage. I’ve used it in a ski pack with no issues.
They make or made another model in which you pull the bite valve out to unlock it, which did not work very well in my experience. Had to bite so hard to pull it out that I basically destroyed the bite valve.
Ha! Love it!
A big slide at a local water park would be perfect, especially for water jug carries…
Simple:
The Ultimate Direction FK Trekking poles are actually lighter or really close (and they have straps which are essential for really producing thrust). And cheaper. I’ve used em a fair amount and they are super super light. Even carrying them in hand running flats is totally doable for miles.
I did break a tip (ferrule) on one by wedging it in a crevice below some snow. I expected an easy fix by doing the usual ski pole hot water trick, but it seems they use a differemt glue. So, not serviceable really, but UD did send me a brand new PAIR to replace the broken pole. Good on em. Other than that, they seem robust enough for the weight.
Check out the Science of Ultra podcast, the latest episode is an interview with Luke Nelson, mostly about TdG. Great stuff! I too have had a couple of tiring days in the Portneuf Gap…
What about box steps?
I’ve done a couple longer box step workouts. In physics terms, you are still doing work against gravity, so during the up phase, it seems to be more specific to moving uphill. But going back down each step really slows you down and is far from specific.
Would a stair stepper be better because it has no down phase, or worse because you don’t actually do work?
Scott mentioned above that he noticed his resting heart rate dropped upon returning to training following a layoff, which made me think about something I’ve noticed.
After a fairly short layoff (maybe about 1-2 weeks), I notice that my heart rate seems higher than usual for a given (low) intensity. After a few days, it seems to return to the levels that I’m used to seeing during training, or even lower.
For example, I recently had a few days off due to a cold and took about a week of easier recovery after that. (I had been kind of hanging it out there doing big days and racing for a few weeks in a row, so pushing overtraining wasn’t a huge surprise.) As mentioned, upon returning to training, my heart rate was high during workouts, but now, after a fairly big week (for me, ~14hrs, 60miles, 14k’) of mountain running, including a couple of higher intesity interval running and ME workouts (both mostly new territory for me), my heart rate is pretty low again. I’ve even noticed my HR is lower than it has been in the past on the same trails at the same speeds, or even slightly faster (during fully Z1 workouts). Feeling pretty good still, for what it’s worth.
I’ve introduced some intensity recently and I’m maintaining a high easy aerobic volume, similar to what Scott S. described, but I don’t track RHR for the reasons mentioned. Perhaps I digress, just thought I’d add an anecdote. This sounds like it could be a related adaptation?
If you’re posting on here, The Dissect Podcast, with Mark Twight and colleagues, will probably be of interest to you. Reminds me of some of the training conversations/rants with my friends over some coffees. Interesting stuff.
Check out the Feed Zone Cookbook. I believe it’s even recommended in TFTNA. It’s my go to cookbook, with lots of good ideas for training or racing athletes. It’s organized around workouts, with breakfast, apres (recovery/post-workout), dinners, desserts and even portables. There is a whole other Feed Zone portables book. Lots of great ideas in there.
My experience with almost eliminating carbs has been more harm than good IMO. I was tired and couldn’t train very well. Now, I’m not afraid of carbs if I think I need them and pay attention to timing more than anything. I generally won’t eat carbs before a long aerobic workout (just coffee), but I certainly will after. If I’ve had a big weekend or a big day, I’ll eat with recovery in mind, which often means replenishing glycogen via some carbs. That said, I pay attention to proportion and still try not to go carb wild.
As with any other aspect of training, be gradual and mindful. Anything blind or drastic is unlikely to be sustainable.
I have been using the Ambit3 Peak and it is fantastic, with all the features I need and more.
The level of customizability is particularly useful. Heart rate zones can be set easily. Screen data fields can show any number of readings. I’ve even started using an app that calculates a running total of TSS, which can be useful during workouts. Can’t really speak to the level of accuracy, as I don’t use any superaccurate instruments to calibrate, but it seems consistent, which is what matters most.
Movescount is a good service which uploads automatically to TrainingPeaks and Strava. And the videos showing workouts are fun to send to your friends.
Previously, I’ve had a Polar M400 and the Suunto’s battery life is vastly superior. I pretty much always record with maximum accuracy and frequent position points and I still only have to charge it every few days. When recording, it will last hours and hours no problem.
Got the test this morning, it’s exactly the type of test described on this site, just what I was looking for. I don’t think he sees many high-level athletes (he was impressed by my results, which I know to be mediocre), as most of what he does is geared toward a weight-loss context, but he is definitely totally like-minded as far as endurance training philosophy and methodology and was totally on the same page when I explained my goals. I attached a quick chart I made from some data points. I’d love to hear how anyone else interprets the results!
For what it’s worth, I found that the points I’ve been using (based on estimated max HR (which was slightly wrong) and the %’s in TFTNA) are pretty close, maybe a tad conservative perhaps, which is fine. I’ll continue doing what I’m doing, but it will be interesting to see what results a retest shows come March or so! Knowledge is power!
Here’s a better link for the place:
http://bodysmartutah.com
I’ve been thinking of a dry bag for that purpose, but used in the opposite way. Fill with water, insert in pack. I’m not totally sure how reliably watertight it would be. If all else fails, a cheap dry bag would be a good thing to fill with dirt or rocks and protect your pack.
Thanks!
I did find this: http://fitstopphysicaltherapy.com/metabolic-testing/
It sounds like what we’re looking for, but it’s hard to tell for sure. Looks like that might be the product I want in one of those photos. I think I’ll give them a call and try to clarify.
Hello!
I’m curious where these workouts fit into the Bompa Periodization model/verbiage. Having attempted Verkhoshansky and found it to be pretty tough, but clearly well informed (I will continue to refer to it), Bompa’s Periodization Training for Sports was much clearer and I sense that it will form a really great jumping off point going forward.
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