Pressure, pressure! Keep the Pressure on!
That's my view as I mindlessly begin writing this post from Jackson, New Hampshire. I'm here for the very official Jackson Biathlon Training Camp, an impromptu two-man training camp based here in the White Mountains. Resurrected biathlon veteran Raleigh Goessling and I raced the UNH Carnival here and stayed for the following week to train at a small grassroots biathlon venue facilitated by Wayne Peterson. We were extremely impressed with Jackson Biathlon (JXB) and what Wayne is doing with the venue and program. JXB's organizers and volunteers have a passion for biathlon and community that will help the venue to become an elite training facility, I believe, and hopefully produce some fast New Hampshire-grown biathletes.
Morning commute to Jackson Biathlon Training Camp.
Jackson Biathlon Training Camp began with the UNH Carnival 10km interval start classic on Friday and 20km mass start freestyle on Saturday. I had been looking forward to contesting a cross-country ski race for quite some time (especially after missing US Nationals) and was excited to put the year's biathlon training toward a different kind of test. And, since my USSA license wasn't renewed until less than 24 hours before the first race, I was simply thankful I got the chance to start.
I had forgotten how hard and painful classic racing is: It sure isn't a shuffle-around-a-golf-course-with-planks-on-your-feet kind of thing, and the effort left my hip flexors and quads feeling some kind of way. I finished 19th, a disappointing result but, training considered, I suppose I should've expected it. Saturday's mass start was what I really had my eye on. The race went out faster than I was expecting - It made sense, considering no one had to stop to shoot a rifle after 3km - and for a short time I struggled to hang on. The struggle was merely mental, however; once my brain realized my body could sustain a faster pace (and therefore greater perceived effort) without the added weight and bulk of a rifle for a full 20km, my mind settled and my skiing smoothed. Heading into the last lap I found myself in a small chase pack (a Utah skier had built a bit of a lead), feeling relaxed, and pondered when to attack. The moment came shortly into the final 5km loop, and I surged to catch the Utah skier. A few minutes later we were on his heels, with only a few small climbs to go. I played the downhill turns aggressive but too risky, and ended up giving up my chance for the win. I wound up 4th. I was pleased with my effort but once again disappointed with my finish and result, including being overtaken in the finishing straight.
The following day, Sunday, marked the beginning of the biathlon portion of the camp. Raleigh and I raced in a mass start time trial with JXB, one of two time trials we completed during the camp (Raleigh kicked my butt in this first one; I got lucky on the range in the other). The second was a 10km sprint and served as the bulk of a high quality workout on Wednesday. The skiing in Jackson was beautiful and the venues in top condition. Unfortunately, the ski-culture in the town seems more geared toward touring and generating income than it is toward cultivating Nordic sport. The exact reason why escapes me. Jackson has everything it needs for a thriving competitive club, one that could compete with the likes of Craftsbury and Stratton. Down the road it would be neat to see JXB and Jackson Touring jointly fill this role and create a NH niche for junior biathletes and Nordic racers.
Hank starts Ethan, Raleigh, and I
JXB TT #1, Sunday Series Mass Start
Photo by Jackson Biathlon
Training days...
Photo by Hank of Jackson Biathlon
I owe thanks to many for making Jackson camp as productive as it was: Uncle Ed and Aunt Bev for generously allowing us to stay in their villa, my 3-year-old cousin Jackson for the pre-race workouts playing burglar vs. police officer chase, Brayton Osgood and Cami Thompson-Graves for wax during the carnival, the Dartmouth D-team for letting me stay with them pre-carnival, Raleigh Goessling for teaching me a thing or two about biathlon, Raleigh's girlfriend Caroline for donating groceries, the JXB and UNH Carnival race volunteers, and Wayne Peterson for his flexibility, delicious moose meat, and making us feel like a part of JXB.
That's a Subaru kind of view. Sue's been busy this winter but doesn't like baths.
In New Hampshire, high-school ski jumping is legit.
Every day is an Optiwax day.
An interjection: I've promised to Raleigh that I will embarrass him every chance I get with sharing his legend: Raleigh is the 2010 Minnesota State Meet Champion; he won in dominating fashion.
In our discussions on ski technique, Raleigh returned my attention to a theme iterated over and over by my coach at Northern Michigan, Sten Fjeldheim: Pressure. A ski without pressure decelerates, while a ski with pressure accelerates, generating momentum. At Jackson Biathlon Training Camp I spent a good amount of time watching FIS and IBU World Cup footage with an eye toward how the best skate skiers in the world generate pressure underfoot: flexed ankle, forward hips, hip-pop V1, knee drive, etc. Keeping the pressure on my skis during all techniques became my technical focus of Jackson Biathlon Training Camp, and I'm excited to keep the momentum rolling into our upcoming trials races.
In skiing or biathlon it is easy to feel under pressure. There's the self-induced pressure to hit that last target; there's the external pressure to perform at your best day-in and day-out; there's the perceived pressure to perform best in a big race. The more we are exposed to the same repetitive pressures, however, the more they become manageable, routine, and even comfortable. With training, we learn to embrace challenge and thrive on the pressure that comes with it. I haven't mastered the art of biathlon nor the pressures that come with it - it's only my first year in the sport - but I know that my only chance in this sport, in this life, is to keep the pressure on. Again and again. So that's what I'm going to do: keep at it, keep the pressure underfoot, and keep pressing on.
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." - Paul, Philippians 3:10-12
