This is week 12 in our yearly training program, this means that it is a recovery week. At the end of every recovery week we will have a time trial, this is an important event because it will give you an indication of your growth and how the training is impacting you.

I found this article by Terry Orlick and I really like what he has to say about Fully Connected Focus. It is an interview with one of his grad students. He describes Fully Connected Focus as being totally connected and enjoying the thing that you are doing, no distractions, just pure focus. So have a look at the article, the first part of the article is a little bla but the interview has some good points that will help with our mental training process.  Check out this link http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca/Journal/Issue15/Fully%20Connected%20Focus.pdf, I am going to involve some Fully Connected Focus drills into our training so stay tuned.

The training program is set up to build you little by little, it should be rare that you feel as though you are totally destroyed after a work out. If you are than your recovery time is going to be longer which will affect the next training. Training also builds over time so if you are missing out on training or you are not doing your own self training you will find that you suffer in team work outs when you do show up. Being successful in a work out is very important to your mental development and your enjoyment of the sport. If you are not able to complete a work out then you don't feel as successful and it is not as fun. We will be focusing on pacing, strength and roller ski technique.

Southern Ontario Training Camp is Aug 25 - 29th in hardwood hills,here is a link to the camp flyer so far this is all of the information available, I will post more when I get it.  http://www.xco.org/hp/temporar/12-08-30_SOD_Campflyer-Final.pdf. If you can please give me an indication if you are going that would be great.

Make sure that you are drinking enough in this heat. Dehydration sucks and it is recognized by low energy, grumpy, easily frustrated, low pee, yellow pee. So if you are lying on the couch drink water and do something productive, if you are fighting with your brothers and sisters have a drink of water and find ways to talk things out, if you are working on a project and it is pissing you off have a drink and find a way to calm down, if your pee is the color of dandelions than have a drink and maybe another, if you have not peed all day have a drink. Remember than people as active as you are need to drink about 3-4 liters of water each day in the heat.  Here is a link to an article on water. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/21/how-drinking-spring-or-filtered-water-can-improve-your-health.aspx

Sunday, July 22nd     

• Activity: Classic time trail Juveniles 6 km Juniors 9 km
  
• Location: P8
  
• When: 8am to 11am Please note the change in time so that we can time trial with Nakkertok
  
• Bring: Classic roller skiing gear (Skate for those that do not have classic gear), watch with a timer, water, snack for after practice

Monday, July 23rd    

• Activity: Running Clinic with Dave McMahon and Lise Meloche we will be focusing on running technique and a short interval work out
  
• Location: Camp fortune
  
• When: 6:00 - 7:30
• Bring: Running gear, watch with a timer water, snack for after practice

Wednesday, July 25th     

• Activity: Strength and Running   
  
• Location: Camp Fortune
  
• When: 6:00 to 7:30
  
• Bring:Running gear, watch with a timer, water, snack for after practice

Sunday, July 29th     

• Activity: Skate distance ski and tempo ski, biathletes no tempo you will be doing combos in biathlon training
  
• Location: P8
  
• When: 9am until 11am only two hours as this is our easy building week
  
• Bring: skate roller skiing gear, watch with a timer, water, snack for after practice