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Saturday, February 7, 2009  

Anna Hogg in New Hampshire [again thanks to Jan Wood for the reporting]

To all those wondering how Anna Hogg is getting on way over in New Hampshire, USA, have a read of this! Nice photo too. Go Anna! We knew you could do it!! Anna has been in the States just over a month and is attending Alexei's High School about 1 1/2 hours nor/east of Boston. She is skiing really well considering her time off skis, and has met up with Ben Koons and Nick Brown (old coach from Snow Farm). Dad John and brother Mark will join Anna for about a week shortly. Below are a few comments from Anna's mother Jennifer...

Hi Jan

She had a successful day today coming first in an away skate race with a field of about 50 competitors so she was pretty excited!

If anyone's interested in seeing Alexei's school it's www.kua.org & if you go to Athletics & then click on Team Pages, scroll down & choose Nordic skiing & Highlights. There are excerpts written by students on the day's races etc, some of which are quite amusing such as the entry of 10/1/09.

Regards

Jennifer Connolly

posted by Nordic NZ  # 4:46 PM

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Sunday, February 1, 2009  

From Jan of the Wanaka Nordic Ski Club introducing a letter from Andy Pohl

Hi everyone!

Maybe you have been wondering what all our mad keen skiers are doing overseas, while we bask in the somewhat limited sunshine here. Well I have a few reports in, so will feed them to you over the next few days. Since Andy has written a small book on his escapades, I will let you digest this first - grab a cup of coffee while you're about it - it makes very good reading! This is followed by an email and pics from Alastair who is with Andy in France for the Jnr World Champs. Let's wish Andy well with an email or two. He is relishing speaking English again after being on his own in Switzerland for a while. Enjoy!

Jan W

Dear friends, family supporters etc,

I am sorry I have taken so long to produce this report however I hope it keeps you updated to what I have been up to this winter. I am currently in France ready to rock out in the World Junior championships.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying a nice summer.

See you soon
Andy Pohl

Update 1:
Progress!
I apologize for waiting so long before getting around to writing an update on what I have been doing and how things are going for me over here in Canada and Europe.

I arrived in Canmore at the start of October to experience the tail end of a Canadian summer. My first two weeks were beautiful with temperatures in the mid to high twenties and the sun always seemed to be shining. This made my job of teaching mountain biking really enjoyable. I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to go out and ride my bike for 8 hours a day. I was happy to be back and training with my fantastic ski team The Rocky Mountain Racers.

Training however wasn’t going so well. I managed to dig myself into a little bit of a hole, due to the fact I was trying to train my normal 16 to 18 hours a week on top of the 8hours of Mountain biking I was doing at work. I was performing really badly in early season roller ski time trials due to the overtraining and also the fact that I have quite possibly the world’s slowest pair of classic roller skis. This led me questioning what I was even doing here and whether I wanted to race this season or not.

Things started to change when I raced in the Alberta Provincial Cross Country running Championships. Here I shocked everyone including myself at outrunning the Canadian Cross Country ski team and finishing 6th in my category. I had never really been in such a large competitive running field before. There were over 150 starters on the start line All capable of running good times. It was great to always have someone to run with and people to catch.

I returned to Canmore where the weather was starting to change. The daily temperature was starting to drop to around 4-5deg each day and the leaves were changing into fantastic autumn colours. This was starting to make roller skiing difficult with ice starting to form on the roads as the ground began to freeze. We got our first dump of snow which naturally didn’t last but caused the town to gravel the roads making roller skiing even more difficult. This combined with shortening daylight hours caused me to have a fairly large crash which destroyed one of my favourite skiing jackets and a pair of pants (as well as a large amount of my skin). I was starting to get down, and frustrated because I was still struggling to find some form in time trials.

After two weeks of frustrating roller ski training in the challenging conditions snow finally arrived at Lake Louise. Things started to change. I was offered some sponsorship from Rossignol which I gladly accepted. I had fantastic new skis to test and some good snow to test on. I was travelling the 1.5hour drive up to Lake Louise one every single day off I had which led to some very busy weeks. I was starting to turn things around and my body felt stronger every day. Unfortunately because of having to work I wasn’t getting as much on snow time as any of my competitors so I made sure every single on snow session was top quality.

The first early races were held in Golden BC at the Kicking Horse resort. There was a night sprint on the Saturday Night and a distance classic on the Sunday. The night sprint went well for me. Not normally being a sprinter, in fact I normally dread having to do any distance less than 10km, I wasn’t sure how I was going to go in these races. The course was brutally short: a 150m flat section around a corner 50m straight up a wall then a hairpin, 50m straight back down the wall, a very tricky high speed corner and then a very short finishing straight. Qualifying was one lap and the finals were 2 laps. My qualifying lap went well, I actually managed to hold my technique and I mastered the tricky corner to qualify second fastest in my age group (there were only 3 people but beating 1 person is a victory for me in sprinting). Qualifying times varied from 47sec to about 52sec so it was a very short sprint!!!! Finals came around and I was looking forward to it. The atmosphere was super cool with a good sized crowd flashing strobe and disco lights lighting up the course, and loud rock music being played. On the start line I felt good and was looking forward to seeing what I had. The gun went and I took off. My skate technique felt strong, I was right in the pack and everyone was fighting for the lead. I got through the first lap still right there and all 3 of us hit the bottom of the wall at the same time. I accelerated first and got a small gap, however, I started to seize up about 10m from the top of the climb and that is exactly when the other 2 guys went for it. I got passed and couldn’t get past on the way to the finish. 3rd place or last depending on how you look at it, however I was happy that I was right in the mix of things in a sprint race.

Sunday rolled around and I was super amped for my first distance race of the season. It was a classic race 10km around a fairly flat course with very little snow on it. The competition was good though, most of the Canadian national team were their and the field represented some of the best Nor-Am fields in the country. On the start line I felt strong and confident. I was the first starter in my age group with my competitors’ starting behind me. I took off and felt strong for the first 400m. Then I hit the first and only climb on the course, I really wanted to attack this as climbing is usually my strong point of Classic skiing. However when I started going up I was slipping, lots. My technique was far too rushed, I needed to stay controlled but I wanted to go fast!!!!. After only ½ a lap I got passed for the first time. This was a huge mental blow as I normally beat the person who passed me. From that moment on I was trying to play catch-up however my tempo was just speeding up and my technique was simply falling to pieces. I was passed again meaning I was over 1min behind!!!! Not a good start to the season, I crossed the line furious at myself and wondering why this race had gone so badly. I had one week to turn it around before I left for Sovereign Lakes and Whistler.

When we got back from Golden snow had started to arrive in Canmore and we had the normal 600m early snow loop groomed and ready to ski. This certainly improved the quality of my training. I was able to get back into my normal winter habits of getting up early in the morning (about 6am every morning) skiing before work, working from 9am to 5 or 6pm training after work, getting home about 8:30pm cooking dinner and going to bed ready to do it all again the next day. I was still asking my self the big questions, why did my race go so bad? Was I racing slower from last season? In all honesty I didn’t quite feel ready for the first Nor-Am, my classic technique still didn’t fell right and I wasn’t sure how I could turn things around, but I decided to go after talking to my coach John Jaques who luckily still had full confidence in me.

When we arrived in Silverstar there wasn’t really much snow, as we had expected, the track was littered with rocks and it looked like the interval start classic (which was meant to be my big race) would be changed to a skate race. Any way I was fully concentrating on Saturdays sprint race. Our team was lucky to have the support of Jacques Victo from Rossignol, who really helped me ‘learn’ my skis which in turn helped me to focus on the sprint race. By the time I woke up on Saturday morning I had managed to change my mind set into a positive one. My goal was to qualify and take things from there. My qualification round went well. Thanks to John I had a good solid plan and I followed this to the letter. I never realised how important to know every single inch of a sprint course was. I knew the perfect line around each corner, exactly when to change skating techniques, I knew exactly how many offset (v1) strides to take up the steep climb etc. I skied my plan and I skied strongly and in control. I made my goal, I qualified for my first ever Nor-Am sprint (I qualified in last place but still I qualified). The thought of racing in the heats made me extremely excited. When I lined up on the start line I felt confident I could make it through to the next round. The gun went and I took off. Unfortunally I had a little wobble in the starting straight and that is all it takes. I got behind the lead group and had to fight to catch them the whole way. I almost got back on when going over the steepest climb but not quite, I didn’t make it through but I learnt a lot, I can sprint!!!!

Sunday’s race was where I was going to put those demons from Golden to rest. I woke up feeling good, my ski testing went well, I was confident with my ski selection which is always a good sign for me and I felt like I had something in me when I got to the start line. I had a few goals for this race, I wanted to finish in the top ten juniors, and be professional in everything I did from how I got up in the morning to how I went to bed in the evening. I had a fairly early start time due to my poor performances in Golden however I had a mission. The starter started counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, I went. I skied strong out of the gate and by the end of the first climb I had caught the 3 athletes in front of me. My plan for the race was to focus on the transitions, at the bottom of climbs and powering over the top. It worked I was skiing strong and well and my skis were rocket fast thanks to our super waxing crew (thank you very much John, John, Dan and Valentine. I crossed the line tired but not dead, I was a little disappointed, I knew I had had a good race because of those who I had passed however I felt like I still had a lot left in the tank and I was hungry for more. I ended up 7th Junior, 130ish FIS points. A pretty good start, I thought I had those demons buried, I was doing the right thing, and I was good at it.

The Whistler races had been moved to Sovereign lakes due to a lack of snow at the Olympic venue. This meant another week in Silver Star. Unfortunately due to loss of accommodation deposits etc this was a considerable financial burden as I am on a really tight budget. Because of this the race organisers changed the 20km pursuit into a 20km mass start skate and the 15km individual skate to a 15km individual classic. The races were also at strange times, the pursuit was late in the day and the Classic race was at night. This could have potentially messed up with my preparation however I didn’t let it bother me, John explained to us that this was a chance for us to get a leg up on the competition as we were going to be better prepared! After a few rest like days (where it simply dumped snow), enjoying the fantastic trails Silverstar and Sovereign Lake have to offer I was ready for my first mass start test. Again my seeding was terrible. I had to start right at the back of the pack where I really should have been further forward. Oh well I was just going to have to show the seeders that bib 59 can finish in the top 30! The gun went and I took off. I was feeling good the sun was shining there was lots of snow and it was going to be a good race. Naturally out of the start I got stuck behind people and was using up a lot of energy fighting, trying to find ways past others. It wasn’t until about ½ way through my first lap that I managed to get into a good position. It wasn’t where I wanted to be, I had missed the lead and chase packs and was in no-mans land at the back of the chase pack. I would have to do what is fast becoming one of my favourite pass times, fishing. I started to cast out my line, embed my hook into the racer in fornt and reel him in, pass him and then get hold of the second. I kept steadily progressing up the field until I was finally in a group of skiers who I was able to really race. It was a good group of 3 skiers, an American, Gerrad Garnier form the Banff Ski Runners and I. With 2.5km to go I felt the pace slow just a fraction, I decided it was time to go and I sprinted past and up a climb out of the stadium. With 1.5km to go I looked over my shoulder, I had a small gap about 10m, I was really going to have to fight to try and maintain it. On the final brutal climb into the stadium, I lost my small gap and got passed as the other 2 made their attacks. I was fighting to stay in contact but I was hurting a lot, the fighting in the early laps was starting to make an impact. I couldn’t hold on and I was gutted that I out raced by these two. But it was a really good race and I learnt a tonne. Next mass start I am just going to relax a little more early on, I can always make up time later when others are tired. 6th junior 170ish FIS points, lesson learnt, getting closer to that podium.

I choose to sit out the classic sprint; I was never really going to be competitive in a race which is eventually won by people double poling on Skate skis. I am simply not strong enough something which I am continually working on. I was looking forward to and the one I was going to finally get on that elusive podium. It was at night, 5pm it was dark, it was cold (-16) but I wasn’t letting that bother me just opportunities for me to get a leg up on my competitors. Testing was frustrating me as there wasn’t many places to test, the course wasn’t groomed until the last minute and it was snowing lots this combined with the fact that I was freezing was all infuriating me. “Just keep it under control” I kept telling myself. This is your race just stay relaxed. I finally found a pair of skis but I wasn’t confident about my selection however it was time to go. I almost missed my start trying to stay warm. I got there and the count down started immediately “2, 1, go.” I was off but my mind wasn’t right. Up the first climb I was slipping a lot, Why? I kept asking myself. Every lap I was trying to speed up my technique on the hills trying to fight and make it count. In all reality I should have been relaxing far more. Using strong powerful kicks off straight legs rather than rushing trying to kick off bent legs. I had a disappointing finish; it seemed those demons were still there a little, I need to work harder to control them. I didn’t complete any of my goals, I was outside the top 10 juniors, and I hadn’t been professional at all. I had a lot to think about on the drive back to Canmore.

Arriving in Canmore was like walking into a deep freeze, actually about 5x colder. A common household freezer is about -5degC. Canmore was -30degC when we arrived. It stayed this way for almost 10 days making training very difficult. When it finally got above -20deg I started to focus on my Classic technique. Thanks to John’s help one simple tip fixed it: treat every kick as if it were $100000. Ahhh finally I had found the secret, you win classic races not by turning your legs over faster than the competitors but by having stronger kicks and longer glide. What had I been telling all of my skiing pupils for the last 2 years duh? With this in mind training was really going well. I was a classic star, and couldn’t wait to put it to use. In a club pursuit time trial I cemented this in my mind. I didn’t rush my start and went past everyone on the 2nd classic lap. Finally I had it nailed, I couldn’t wait to race.

The format for the Canmore Nor-Am which doubled as the Canadian selection races for the World Junior ski champs, World Senior ski champs and Whistler world cups, was a very tough one. 4 races in 5 days, 2 distance races 2 sprint races. I choose to sit out the first skate sprint and concentrate on the pursuit and the individual skate. In true Canmore style it was below the FIS minimum temperature to race on Friday (I swear this only happens on race day  ) so the Pursuit got moved to Monday. Saturday was the skate sprint which I didn’t race but Congratulations to my RMR teammates who cleaned up in their categories; Dash, Mike and Scotty fantastic work!! Sunday rolled around and I was ready. My testing went well, I found the right ski, and I couldn’t wait to go and race. I had a much better seeding this time, I actually had people to get splits from which was fantastic. I stood on the start line with similar goals to Sovereign lakes, except I was gunning to try and get less than 100 FIS points. I took off out of the start and started powering up Canmore’s tough climbs. I got my first split after only about 2min of racing and I was in 1st place by over 7sec. “Wow did I take off too fast” I though to myself. I slowed down and focused on my technique, attack the bottom of the climb, relax, Smash over the top of the climb, relax again. I had chosen to race in the Open men category for both this race and the pursuit. I was getting splits for open men and I was doing well, at my 2nd split I was 3rd 14sec off the lead, “ok perfect” I thought. 3rd split 3rd 12sec off the lead “good”. I was hurting a lot and finally felt like I was giving it all. My final split on my last lap was 3rd 14sec off the lead; it was at this point that I started attacking. I really went for it with every tiny bit of energy I had, thinking of every one of those 14secs. I sprinted across the line in what to me finally felt like satisfaction. I had nothing left, not one tiny little ounce of energy, I had given it everything I had!!. My result was good, I was 25th overall 123FIS points my time would have been good enough for 7th Junior. I was extremely happy with this result. All of the Canadians had brought the A game to this race and I had replied.

Monday was the pursuit, which as I had entered open men because I was chasing good FIS points. It was 30km long, 15km classic 15km skate on Canmore tough unforgiving trails. I woke up feeling tired. My body hurt from the day before, I could barley even bend down to tie up my laces as my quads hurt so much. Any way I was determined to race and I was looking forward to it. I found my fastest pair of classic skis and my best skaters (thanks a lot to Cathy and John for letting me use the Yellow rockets.) I went to the start grid confident and ready to make it count. My classic leg was great. I was skiing really well, looking like a pro long glide treating every kick as if it were my last. My heart rate was good well below my lactate threshold (the point at which your legs start producing lactic acid,) I was taking feeds every lap and feeling good. I crept my way up the field coming into the transition in 18th place, and still feeling really good. My transition was smooth and I got out there on my skaters ready to continue the good work. I was being closely followed by another skier who accidentally stood on my pole on the first major climb of the skate leg. Unfortunately this caused the handle of my pole to rip off and I was left with only one pole. This is racing and it happens, I had to keep fighting with only one pole for about 800m of steady uphill climb until Karl from XC Ottawa was able to help me out with a spare pole. I hadn’t lost too much time and I was ready to get it back. My body however had other ideas. After another couple of km’s I knew I was in trouble. My body was running out of energy and fast! With two laps to go I was simply getting tired. I think my body simply ran out of blood sugar. I was cramping up on downhills and getting passed like I was standing still. I held on but only just to finish in 23rd place with FIS points of well over 200points. “What went wrong?” I asked my self, I made sure I didn’t go out too hard, I was in control and my heart rates were where they were meant to be. Was it loosing a pole? Or didn’t I drink right? I simply ran out of energy. It felt like exactly what happened in the Merino Muster except I thought I was smarter this time, drinking far more regularly and controlling my heart rates better. After consulting with John we came up with the idea that is was simply nutrition, my body ran out of Carbs to burn, and it didn’t have anything else to burn up. I simply eat more, lots more before big long races.

I didn’t have much time to reflect on the Canmore races because it was time to pack and get ready for Europe. The plan was to head over to Switzerland, stay in a hotel in the small town of Disentis for a few days to adjust to European life. Move in with the Australian team when they arrive on the 18th. Race in the Swiss championships with the support of the Aussis, travel to Chamonix and Praz de Lys meet with Alistair and Anne and then race in the World Junior Championships before heading back to Canmore to finish up the season.

My trip over was stressful as I am sure any European adventure is. Trains are a fantastic way to travel around but difficult when you have over 100 pounds of gear, one ski bag and don’t speak fantastic German or French. Thanks to the help of a few Swiss army boys (carrying machine guns) who were a great help in running my ski bag between platforms and also great fun to chat to (they really enjoyed practicing their English). I made it to Disentis and checked into my hotel. I was determined to adjust to the local time so even though I was shattered I headed out to the trails.
The Trails here are fantastic. Some really gnarly descents where if you miss the corner you have a very big cliff to fall down!! The snow is really hard to kick wax for. It varies in temperature from +5deg at one trail head to -5deg at the other! Das Controller (I think he is the groomer and maintains the trails) is also a hilarious person to speak to. He thinks minen Clasicsh Langlauf ist sehr Gut etc etc. Every morning when I go skiing he is there to talk to me. Explaining waxing for 0degC conditions is far, far above my level of German language knowledge but he doesn’t seem to mind. This morning he wanted me to sign his Skis!!! (Man I am becoming famous quickly).
My very limited knowledge of German has made life here rather difficult and tiring, but tonight I am moving in with the Australian’s and am looking forward to finally speaking English with someone.
I hope everyone is well and enjoying the nice New Zealand Summer. I apologize that this report is extremely long however I hope you enjoyed it. I will try to keep you more regularly updated in the future.
Thanks for everyone’s support. If you want to contact me at all, please don’t hesitate to email: NZXCCS@gmail.com

Andy Pohl

Power over the top, Elbows up, be Pro!!!

Gutted at loosing the final sprint

Langlauf aus Schwiez, Toll!!

Quarry Lake: Canmore

-33.9 = Cold

posted by Nordic NZ  # 11:08 PM

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