Frozen Thunder!

Pate NeumannOctober 16, 2012
Today I did my first intensity session on snow since the spring. It was a 4 x 6 minute zone 3 classic workout with some sprints at the end. It felt so good to do something fast on snow! The snow is so much more forgiving then rollerskiing on pavement (see video at end of post!).
Frozen Thunder has been open for skiing for a few days now, and people have been coming from all over North America to make use of the early season skiing. The warm weather and rain in Canmore hasn’t been ideal for the integrity of the loop, but the cold temperatures later this week look promising.    
Life in Canmore has been pretty good over the last few weeks. Training has been consistent, with good feedback coming from my body and race efforts. With the opening of Frozen Thunder has also come the realization that the racing season is fast approaching. Over the next few weeks we have some big events in town that will give everyone an idea of where their shape is, heading into November. This coming Saturday we have the annual Spray Drag running race put on by the AWCA team. The race is a 7.5km uphill grunt that requires an extended stay in the pain cave. Devon Kershaw and Ivan Babikov will be racing again this year, along with the AWCA team, so there is no shortage of competition. The following weekend we have the Frozen Thunder Invitational Sprint Race put on by the National Ski Team. Rumor has it that the US Ski Team will be coming up for the race, along with many other Canadians from across the country. It should be one of the most competitive sprint races in Canada this year, (second of course to the December World Cups!).
Below are some video’s from this mornings classic workout.