Final Touches

We are just nine days away from departing to our first races of the season! This year, we will be starting the Super Tour circuit in Silver Star, BC. I have never been to this area before but have heard amazing things about the trail system, so I am super excited that we get to kick off the race season there. As the days tick by and our first race quickly approaches, there have been many things I have been doing and thinking about to make sure I am all set to go. Below are some of the final touches I have been making.

Recovery & Sleep- At this point in the year, most of our training work is already done. To me, the most important thing from here on out is to be rested for interval/race days and to stay healthy. I tend to air on the side of caution when it comes to my health and recovery. This means that if I’m not feeling 100% or feel like I could be getting sick I will opt out of intervals or take the day off completely. I have also made it a goal of mine to get at least 8.5+ hours of sleep every night which I think is the biggest factor to staying healthy during race season.

(Sarah Goble & I out for a chill recovery ski)

Time Trials- One of the best ways to be ready to race is to practice racing. There is something different about doing a time trial compared to just doing an interval session. Time trials allow you to practice your warmup routine, dial in your feeding, and can help shake out pre-season jitters. Overall, I have found that I am calmer and more confident at my first real races or the season when I have done time trials earlier on. Our team has been doing a variety of time trials over the past month including some on rollerskis and some on snow. We are heading to West Yellowstone this weekend to do a 10k Skate TT and a Classic Sprint with the MSU Ski team. 

(Mariah Bredal and I after our interval session)

Ski Fleet - I have been working on my ski fleet over the past few weeks. This year I have gotten quite a few new skate skis and a few new classic pairs. It is very important that I know my skis well before heading to our first races. I have an excel document where I keep track of each pair of skis and the conditions that they run best in. I am taking my entire ski fleet with me to West Yellowstone this weekend and am going to work with my coach on doing some glide outs and testing to see which pairs are running well.

Believe- This one sounds very cliché but it’s probably the most important for me. At this point in the year, it’s easy to start doubting yourself when you have a slow intensity session or when you see other skiers looking fast. When doubts start to enter my mind, I try to remember all the quality interval sessions I have done and all of the work I’ve put in. Having confidence in my training and believing in my abilities is the most important thing I can do to ensure I’m ready for the race season. 

See you on the trails! Hannah Rudd