David Chamberlain

Favorite place to train (skiing or dryland)?
My favorite place to train is hands down Grafton Notch State Park right
here in my home state, some good running there and very good roller skiing.

Why do you enjoy being a ski racer?
I really enjoy the ritual of training, and of course the obvious things like
traveling and spending the majority of my day in the outdoors. Sometimes I feel
the tug of having only one shot at making my body as strong as it can be, I
thoroughly appreciate that I am taking advantage of that. I also just get real
excited every time a ski race comes around.

What part of being a ski racer don't you enjoy?
The part of ski racing that I do not enjoy would have to be the bad wax
days.

If you weren't a ski racer, what would you be doing?
As I was graduating from college I came close to applying to grad. schools for
meteorology instead of pursuing a career in skiing. I am glad that I did not,
I don’t want to be a meteorologist anymore.

What is one of you favorite non-skiing accomplishments?
Playing Ave Maria on my cello with a piano playing kid prodigy in front an auditorium
full of high school students. This happened two years ago.

What do you do to pass the time when you are on the road at races and training
camps (read, watch TV, computer games, etc)?
I like to read quite a bit. Drinkin’ coffee with my friend Eli Brown is
another one of my favorites.

What were your best and worst races last season?
My worst race was the only duathalon I have ever done, a Nor/AM in Silverstar.
I really dropped the ball on the skate leg. My best race was probably the 10k
skate at US Nationals, I spent a lot of time working on my skate technique this
past year, I was really pleased with that race.

How do you deal with bad races?
That is something I have had to work on quite a bit, but usually it us something
simple like sitting down after the race and writing out my plan for the next
race. That usually gets me fired up again.

What are your racing goals for the upcoming season?
I would really like to put myself into a position to go to Europe and race World
Cups, and of course race well over there.

How do you feel about the changes in race format over the past few years (sprint
racing, mass starts, skiathalon/duathalon)?
I like the changes in race format, and not just the sprinting. I really like
the idea of the duathalon even though the one duathalon I have done was not
such a good race for me. Since I was a little guy skiing, I have really enjoyed
the mass start competitions, I seem to be able to get myself very excited to
race on those days. I hope there will be more mass starts in the years to come.
They are also very exciting to watch.

What is your take on the issue of doping in cross country ski racing these days?

I try to think about it as little as I possibly can, but of course I get bummed
out by it. Hard to say how deep the problem runs.

What changes will you be making to your training plan for this year?
One of my goals for the season is to keep myself healthy from start to finish,
I have struggled with illness at certain points over the years. Most of my changes
will be centered around keeping myself rested and healthy in the heavy and important
competition periods.

How many time-trials on foot and rollerskis did you do last summer and fall
did you do and how long were they?
I have a very tough 5k running course that I like to do every so often here
in Bethel. It is so tough that on a very good day I can break 21 minutes. My
goal is someday to do it under 20. Also I have a favorite 15k rollerski time
trial course that I like to do a few times in the off season. I would say that
I like to do some sort of time trial every two weeks or so through the late
summer and into the fall, in addition to my interval workouts.

Do you have a favorite interval workout?
I like anything that is long and threshold pace. Three by ten minutes at threshold
is one of my old stand-bys.

What was your most memorable workout(s) last year?
I had a really fun ski in Val di Fiemme, Italy with Andy Newell. It was a perfectly
sunny and warm day up at Passo di Costalunga. Newell, of course, ripped a few
helicopters on the downhills.

If you had to eat lunch at a fast-food restaurant, where would you go and what
would you order?
I would go straight to Subway and order up myself a foot long spicy italian
with a one pass of mustard and one pass of horseradish sauce, all the veggies,
light on the hot peppers. Meal deal of course, and yes I would like those stamps
please.

Can you give us a single piece of advice for aspiring Junior skiers?
I would say the most important thing for a junior skier to do is to develop
a strong work ethic for training and a serious rush for competition. Try not
to get wrapped up in results as a young junior, but start working on putting
in sensible hours of training. It is possible to work on developing a real love
for the day to day grind of training, any junior skier should be trying to discover
that feeling. Most of all, be patient with your own body.

How about some advice for Masters skiers?
The great thing about skiing in New England are the hordes of rabid master skiers.
I think it is just the greatest thing going to local races around New England
and feeling the energy from the crowd of master skiers there. Its like skiing
in a World Cup. I would say keep up the good work with that.