Reader Comment Follow-up

Following my Analysis Paralysis piece after the Jackson skimo race, there were a couple of comments from readers which, I think, warrant further discussion. Interestingly, each comment represents differing sides to an argument regarding pacing during these events. Of course, my treatment of these differing points of view will ultimately lead to me disagreeing with one. I mean no offense in doing so and since commenters are mostly anonymous here, there should be no real harm done.

After flogging myself for 3 hours and then downloading the data to Movescount, I was able to see the consequences of my pacing choices during the event. After discussing the data with a few thinkers on the topic I came to the conclusion that if I had started out slightly slower, at or, perhaps, below threshold, I may have been able to sustain a higher overall pace for the duration of the event. This may have led to a higher placing. Instead of doing that, I went out too hard, burned through a good chunk of my nitro (carbs) and simply slowed down.

Fly and Die!

One reader proposed that this is just how it goes in skimo racing. He argued that you have to go out hard, maybe "too hard", establish your place in the pecking order and hang on to the end. Certainly in the past this is what I have done. On more than one occasion I have experienced the pitfalls of such a strategy. At the Targhee race a few years ago, I stood on the starting line relatively unprepared due to a last minute decision to race with a friend. I had a decent level of fitness which allowed me to climb with some of the best but I dug WAY deep to do so. It was a team event so I was further motivated by not wanting to let my partner down. Talk about burning through some nitro. I cratered so bad on the last climb that we went from second place in the hunt for first to a dismal fourth in the course of 10 minutes! It was soul crushing. I could hardly stand during the final descent.

Contrast this with the following year at the same race. I showed up fully prepared with a solid slug of training under my belt. I also had a different partner. This time it was he who was slightly less prepared than I. Not that he was slow by any means but his pace allowed me to climb very much within myself. I was never on the rivet. I was able to gradually increase my pace during the course of the event as he rallied near the end and we actually won. Truth be told, we won due to the leaders going off course minutes from the finish but we were stalking them the whole time. Different pacing, different result.

My other experience with this phenomenon occurred at the Powder Keg a few years ago. I buried it on the first climb and slotted into fourth place, trading blows with the guy in third. I moved into third at one point but a binding glitch saw me slip back to fourth. I stayed within 20 seconds of third for the last few climbs but had absolutely no punch to close it. I remember feeling very empty and simply could not rally to go for the kill. 

Two of these were examples of the "fly and hold on" style of racing. I think the relative success of this racing tact is born from fields of relatively thin competition. You can simply get away with more when the field is not so deep. In contrast, the sport is growing and the Jackson event saw the deepest field ever in North America. There is simply less room for error, whether it be pacing or technical. It was crazy to see two large lead packs throughout the whole race. There was no one ten or fifteen minutes out in front like in past years. These guys were trading blows the whole time. Even from where I was sitting in the middle of the pack, there were four of us pressuring each other. It was awesome!

Eat to Win

As the other commenter pointed out from his personal experience, sensible pacing allowed him to move through his less thoughtful competitors over the course of the race. Attention to nutrition during the event also pays huge dividends by sparing muscle glycogen and allowing the nitro to last longer. His point about early feeding is no joke. You simply HAVE to make time to get it down. Otherwise, you will pay dearly. The longer the event, the more critical this aspect of race strategy becomes.

I also agree with him that there are plenty of opportunities to pass in skimo events. I have never been held up by anyone who was unwilling to step off the skin track to let me pass. On groomers, this is a non-issue and on descents it's a free-for-all.

There is little merit in comparing skimo racing with bicycle racing. The energy expenditure during each sport couldn't be more different. Peak power output in skiing is significantly less compared to cycling and steady state output is higher in skiing. With cycling, you can dig yourself into a hole for a short period of time and then recover while hiding in the pack or when the pace inevitably slows. No such luck in skimo racing. Dig yourself a hole and you will probably never come out. Feeding is also easier in road cycling with ample opportunities to get down what you need. It rarely costs you any position. Take time to feed in a ski race and three guys might go sliding by you as you choke on your food. 

So, the Bozeman Skin to Win event at Bridger Bowl is a week from this Saturday. It will be another opportunity to continue the "research". I plan on easing into the first climb and getting some carbs down early. I'll let you know how it goes. - Brian  

Comments

[Van]

This isn't really super pertinent to this post, but...Brian, how effective is ski mountaineering for base-building when it comes to cycling? I'm a novice competitive cyclist, and an avid skier. I don't think I can sacrifice my ski time or energy to sit inside on a trainer while I could be out skiing the gnar, even, or especially, in the spring. Obviously, the motions are different, and every sport requires specific training, but how well does the one translate to the other?

[brian]

Hey Van,

Sorry for the delay in answering. I was traveling to Bozo for a race.

Great question and one dear to my heart since I love to ski and love to race my bike. You know, last year was not great here in J-Hole skiing-wise mid-winter and I really wanted to focus on the bike. So, I rode alot in the cold and did not ski too much after January. I felt dedicated but, honestly, did not feel like my cycling performance was all that much better compared to when I skied more.

I've been skimo training a ton this year and I'm counting on it for part of my cycling preparation. Now, I'm not going to kid you and say it crosses over because it doesn't....much. I think for base fitness and staying light skiing is great, particularly if you do some Z4 work along with general touring. You could even do the high end stuff on a trainer twice a week for 45 minutes and have some good foundation for the cycling season.

Although it goes against cycling dogma, I think you can develop some cycling-specific strength on the bike doing heavy resistance intervals early on and use skiing for your base work and transition to bike LSD later. This may be the compromise you are seeking.