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The Training Files

(Otherwise known as BBD's TTF)

Okay, welcome to the newest edition to the XC Files. Anyone who has been heavily into some sort of endurance sport should know the satisfying 'I am really hungry' feeling following a good mega training pass or that fatigued sense of achievement after some tough intervals. And if you've been around skiing a while you may know the name Ben Derrick and have heard of his hunger for a good hard session. This section is devoted to the dark training side of cross country skiing and beasts that roam there.

For the Big Benny devotees out there, his latest innovation in preparation for the 98/99 overseas winter... Rollerskiing round the bike paths of Canberra dragging a car tire. Some say just get slower rollerskis, however BBD has convinced the XC files that there is a fundamental difference between skiing on slow skis and dragging a weight. It's just hard to describe that's all.

 

From the Ben Derrick training diary

'9 Hours, a Bottle of Coke and 2 Chocolate Bars'

"At one point... I just got off my bike and lay on the road."


Speed Kills Files

Tim and Geoff's Excellent Adventure

Michal Trnka's Intervals of Fun

 

 

Speed Kills
Tough Sessions

Hit the wall on the mountain bike lately? Spent half a day pool running without a vest? Maybe you've done 20 by three minute lactic intervals up the side of Mt Feathertop?

Send in your latest greatest toughest (or most stupid) training session and be eligible to win a pair of black no frills TAC Speed Kills sunglasses. They're worth a couple of bucks, are ultra cool, what more could you want, do you think we're made of money. If Big Benny Derrick deems your session to be worthy of his approval will be printed in the files and the Speed Kills glasses put in the mail.

Send in your entry to bbderrick@hotmail.com


9 Hours, a Bottle of Coke and 2 Chocolate Bars

The morning dawned as gracefully as an eagle soaring above the earth following the direction of the winds. The sun became a glowing halo over Mt Hotham the giant sentinel of the Victorian High Plains, that brought the promise of a clear, fresh day. A clean start for the world bourne on a ray of light as it illuminated the valleys and shadows after darkness.....

Unfortunately I missed all this by about three hours as I lay in bed at the Wangaratta Ski Club. Eventually I made it to the kitchen for a 'kick start' cup of coffee. About half way through I woke up. Oh my god! Where am I? What time is it? Gee I really think I'd better put some clothing on. Gradually it all started coming back to me. "You're at the ski club, it's daytime and time to do something stupid". I hadn't put in a hard session for about 12 hours and could feel myself starting to lose the 'edge'. I needed something that was going to satiate my hunger - to feed the beast. One thought occurred to me - have bike, have water bottle, will travel far! So I consulted the map in the hall to find the good logging tracks to follow. The maps did appear a bit old. They were yellowy looking things that clearly gave the impression 'not to trusted under any circumstances, whatsoever'. Had maps been invented when these things were penned - or had logs been invented for that matter. I studied them in detail. It all looked so simple. One long track leading from Mt. Hotham to Mt. Beauty. Easy. Caution overcame me at this stage so I threw in a chocolate bar and a few dollars 'just in case'.

The day was really starting to warm as I set out, with a helmet on my head as always. It was going to be a scorcher. The ride to Mt. Loch is probably only about 13km, but it is a steep 13km and served as a warmup for my day in the saddle. One word sums up the ride down Machinery Spur to the East Kiewa River. Braking. Forty five minutes of braking. Not fast braking. Just slow, hard, bumpy braking. Now for the nice cruisy downhill ride into Mt. Beauty.

Everything went well for about the next 30 seconds, then I noticed a track leading off the one I was on. I didn't recall it being on the map, that was still hanging in the hall of the lodge, so I decided to block it from my mind. About 10 intersection later I grew somewhat undecided. Maybe one of them lead to Mt. Beauty via a faster route. A totally plausible possibility as the map was became a distant memory of my foggy past. I went left. The next time I am faced with a similar decision I'm going right. This might avoid having to ride up the ball tearing hill that is probably on the left.

About four and a half hours later I rolled into Mt. Beauty. I looked at my rations - it contained one chocolate bar. One minute later it contained no chocolate bars. Time to hit the bitumen for the ride to Harrietville then back up to Mt. St. Bernard.

It's funny how good you feel after eating chocolate when you train. Good for a very short period of time that is. About 20km from Harrietville I began to feel soooooo tired. The temperature had been rising up to the mid 30's and my speed felt like it was dropping per peddle 30km/hr, 29, 28, 27,...... I eventually hit the wall about five meters from the Harrietville general store door.

One bottle of coke and another chocolate bar later I felt fantastic. I couldn't believe how slow I'd been riding. It was only 20km up to the lodge. I'd be there in no time. The first 10km is solid uphill, the second 10km is just plain uphill! I hit the wall again after 400m. It would be pointless to explain my thoughts for the next 19.6km because I didn't have any. My world consisted of rotating my pedals and wishing there was another gear above 'granny'. At one point, somewhere above the Meg, I got off my bike and just lay on the road. Well I guess technically - in a court of law - it was more towards the edge of the road. I remember looking down at my legs, seeing four of them, deciding that was about the right number before laying out at full stretch. So I suppose my mind was not the practical, calculating organic computer that it should have been.

Two and a half hours later I crawled into the lodge. Nine hours, two chocolate bars and one bottle of coke. Maybe, I thought, tomorrow I'll do something really tough.


XC is the official website of the Skiing Australia Cross Country Committee. It is produced with the assistance of the Australian Sports Commission and the Kangaroo Hoppet. The editor can be contacted via hoppet@netc.net.au.