Athlete’s Blog – Page 8 – Silver Sage Center

Did You Know, that Finger Position, Can Shave Seconds?

January 27, 2015/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

Silver Sage sponsored, Ride2Recovery athlete (un-named to protect active duty identity) checks in…

It amazes me how meeting one person that finds out about your past can launch something that just leaves you speechless. That a simple thank you just doesn’t seem to get the job done. I retire officially in five days. During my med board process for my wounds acquired down range, I was sent to a Nurse Care Manager at Beale Air Force Base in California. Next thing I know I am getting an invite to come to San Antonio, Texas for an event put on by the Air Force for injured Air Force members, current and prior. It is called the Wounded Warrior Adaptive Sports and Reconditioning Camp.

This camp is designed to introduce wounded Air Force personnel to adaptive sports for a week, so they can go to the Air Force trials and try to be selected for the Warrior Games. These games place the five service branches (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and then my boys…Special Operations Command, SOCOM) all against each other in an adaptive sports competition. The Warrior Games include…Swimming, Cycling, Track and Field, Wheelchair Basketball, SittingVolleyball, Archery, Air Rifle and pistol. The Air Force is the only service that has had a participant earn gold in every event, earning the title of Super Warrior.

I am not sure if I will participate as of yet, if I will either team up with the Air Force or SOCOM, we’ll see! Nevertheless, this training was so valuable, they broke it down to how the way you hold your fingers when running a sprint can shave off an 100th of a second. It’s crazy, but these coaches are all professionally Certified to train Olympians! They themselves are mostly former Olympians or Olympic coaches! Some of the best training that I have ever received, can’t wait to put it to use back home! Good times…good friends!! GO AIR FORCE!!!

Far West Elite XC Team Raise the Racing Bar at US Nationals

January 14, 2015/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

Silver Sage sponsored and Far West Elite Team member, Emily Blackmer recounts her recent US National race campaign…

Spencer and I spent the first week of January representing the Far West Elite Team at U.S. Nationals, hosted by Michigan Tech University in Houghton, Michigan. Nationals is a four-race series: a 10/15k individual start skate race, a classic sprint, a 20/30k mass start classic race, and a skate sprint. It was quite the week: the daytime temperature averaged about 5 degrees (before wind chill), the thermometer spent a single afternoon in double digits, it snowed over two feet, and I hardly saw a single ray of sunshine.

Racing in these conditions is tough. It’s difficult to warm up before a race, much less stay warm while out there in a race suit; the cold air hurts—and can even damage—your lungs; and cold, accumulating snow is so slow that races take longer than usual, and you have to keep pushing through sections of the course that might otherwise be counted on for recovery.

So, we had to adjust our preparation, tactics and recovery accordingly. First and foremost: layers upon layers upon layers. Most days I wore my down jacket for the first 10 minutes of my ski, because the cold sucks away body heat so quickly that it becomes difficult to get the system going. We also added a few extra minutes onto our race warm up to give time to change into as many dry layers as possible before actually racing: sweat can be dangerous in that weather. While we never ski much during an big block of racing, our training days were even shorter than usual, because the cold is so draining: one day I skied for grand total of 20 minutes. And of course, we ate enormous quantities of food to compensate for the extra calories expended on staying warm.

To add one more complication, we were also racing at low elevation. This can be a pretty big change after training around 7000 feet. On the one hand, you feel like a superstar: “I can recover so quickly after hammering up this hill!” But on the other hand: “My legs HURT.” Racing at altitude, you’re inclined to feel the cardiovascular effort first, and by the time your legs are flooded, it’s often too late to bring the effort back under control. At sea level, the legs will turn to jelly but you can keep pushing the cardiovascular system. Additionally, you can achieve and sustain greater speeds at low altitude, because your body simply doesn’t need to work as hard to go fast. So it’s a mixed bag, coming down from altitude: you can recover more quickly, but you are not accustomed to skiing at the speed or pace that your sea-level competitors are. In a race, this means push hard, push hard again, and then push harder. I was caught off guard in the first races of the week, and I think I just didn’t ski hard enough or fast enough to achieve the results I was looking for. But hopefully, lesson learned – our next big race series is in Vermont, another low elevation venue, and I’m already excited to put this experience to good use!

Life’s too short to not enjoy cross-training!

December 22, 2014/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

I love how Julie says, this time of year, do what you love, mix it up, enjoy those cross-training-endurance days!

I have snowshoed a bunch since the beautiful white stuff has started falling in our area. It’s such a great workout for the lower body. I can really feel it in my quads, glutes, hips, and even in my abs/core. When I snow-shoed last year I experienced sharp pain in my left hip. Not this year! The off-the-bike training from Julie has seriously helped my hip strength and flexibility. I am now able to snowshoe 5 miles including steep ascends, pain-free! And with the constant reminder from Julie to “engage our core”, my abs also get a great workout.

All of this cross-training and off-the-bike fun is not only helping my hip joints and muscle strength now, but it is also creating super fun times with my teammates. That to me is priceless!

The test that changed the way I look at…Well, everything, Part III

December 17, 2014/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

Daryl Hataway’s final installment in his three part series, to read part I, click here, to read part II, click here

My results were pretty cool to read and super eye opening. I efficiently metabolize fats at a heart rate of 122-147, which is amazing to know during our strenuous workouts. Even cooler, I found the speed at which I transfer from burning carbs to burning fat, great for the days I am looking to get a good burn on.

I am sure you are asking, “What good does this do?” TONS!!!! If you are looking to be the most efficient than you have ever been, burning fat, being productive in your workouts, and truly becoming the most effective athlete you can be, this is the true key to fitness and endurance success. There is no pill, no special pink drink, and no ridiculous calorie restrictions…there is the Metabolic Efficiency Test.

Below is a more accurate description of the test results in their entirety:

The heart rate I told you about (122-147) is the sweet spot for my fat burning. The graphs break it down in different ways based on speed or heart rate, or percentage of fat being burned compared to carbs.

If you focus on the blue line, fats, and focus on the area in each graph where that line stays more constant in the middle, that is my key fat burning zone. Where it drops off is where I then start relying more on carbs. So the key is to stay diligent on those prescribed endurance days, so that I am gleaning all of the benefits of developing the capillary and mitochondrial densities, in addition to training the body to become more efficient utilizing its energy stores.

Athletes have varying goals, some to be faster and stronger, some to lose weight or gain weight, all which could be amazingly influenced by the metabolic efficiency test for the following reasons:

1. For those endurance athletes looking for performance, this is key. It is a fallacy to think you can replace the calories you are expending, and often times, in ultra running events, food intake leads to GI distress and proves to be one of the greatest limiters to performance. So if these athletes can better train their bodies, through proper endurance training coupled with proper nutrition, to utilize existing fuels it is advantageous. This type of met efficiency training is best trained in the off-season.

2. For those looking to lose weight, the metabolic efficiency test provides that baseline caloric intake need to keep organs healthy, and the met efficiency provides the sweet spot in fat metabolism. As individuals stay diligent in training in this zone they not only improve fat metabolism, but they will extend this zone out and be able to use fats for energy at higher intensity levels.

The knowledge I received from this test will forever be locked in my brain, nagging (in a good way) at me, telling me where I need to be and how I need to get there. I feel as if I now have the key, the key to absolute success with any of my fitness goals. At this point it is up to me to make the necessary changes and move forward, unlocking my true potential.

Far West Elite XC Team, Early Season Race Report

December 17, 2014/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

December racing has taken the Elite Team across the globe. After the season openers in West Yellowstone, Sabra, Emily and Spencer traveled to Bozeman, MT for a second weekend of SuperTour racing. The Bohart Ranch course is known for its long, steep uphills and technical downhills, a killer combination that quickly made clear who has the best early-season fitness. Our crew is not aiming to peak in the early season, and as a result we are still working into the type of max-effort fitness required to hammer up those big hills. With more hard intensity efforts, in training and in the upcoming races at Auburn Ski Club, our “race shape” will continue to improve – just in time for US Nationals in early January!

Anja didn’t accompany the rest of the group to Bozeman because she went to Europe to race the OPA Cup, which is analogous to the US SuperTour: the leader of the race series qualifies for World Cup starts. Unfortunately, it turns out Europe is pretty low on snow and qualifier races and the first OPA Cups were canceled. Luckily, Anja was able to race a Swiss Cup instead of first OPA Cup and was happy to end up in 3rd place and 1st German.

Patrick Johnson spent Thanksgiving in Canmore, Alberta training and preparing for not only his first races of the season, but also his first biathlon races ever! The 10km sprint and 15km mass start race in Canmore were the largest ever biathlon races in North America, with over 300 competitors. After only missing four targets in the sprint, Patrick ended a very respectable 5th place. He ski time for the mass start was also great, but there is significantly more shooting in a 15km – a disadvantage for a novice biathlete. Excited about the start to his season, Patrick is now in Minnesota racing the IBU Cup trails and hopes to keep improving his shooting!

The test that changed the way I look at……. Well, everything Part II

December 10, 2014/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

This is part II of Daryl Hataway’s three part series depicting his experience with Silver Sage Sports and Fitness Lab’s metabolic efficiency test. Click here to read part I

My running shoes are slipped on and the upcoming process was explained. I was asked about my 10K time, about 48 minutes these days, not my best work, but OK. We were going to be starting the treadmill at 3 MPH and every 4 minutes the speed would be increased by .4 MPH,. A dab of blood would be taken from my ear each time to measure lactate and then the test would be finished when my “respiratory quotient”, RQ, numbers were over .90 for at least two rounds of the 4 minutes. Understanding the process, I stood up, got my ear pricked (didn’t even feel it, nothing to be afraid of, and I am TERRIFIED of needles) and walked onto the treadmill, ready for the testing. I was donned with a sweet oxygen mask and a mouthpiece that fit under my lips, leaving just enough room to drool, which I did a TON of. We adjusted my sweet oxygen helmet, plugged my nose for oxygen exertion consistency, ensuring I was only breathing through my mouth, a dab of blood was taken from my ear to test lactate and we started. We quickly made it through 3 rounds, the third of which was this really awkward run/walk, making me look as if I had one leg longer than the other, but after four minutes we made it to a slow jog and we were off to the races.

Getting used to breathing only through my nose was tough, but I got used to it as I adjusted to each of the speed increases, hopping off each time to get the blood drawn from my ear, again measuring my lactate. The running was easy, at a nice comfortable pace, attainable and not super challenging. The most challenging piece of all of this, beyond the drool like a bull dog, was breathing only through my mouth as the pace increased. The four minute rounds were always the same: blood from ear, increased speed by .4 MPH. As we started to get faster, my numbers would increase, I would near the number that was our goal, settle into my pace, and the number would drop, meaning simply that I would need to run a few more of the 4 minute rounds (and that I am kind of an efficient little machine).

About 45 minutes into the test, my numbers stayed consistently above the goal and we were finished with the test, ending at a 7:30 pace, which was somewhat difficult only breathing through my mouth. We were through, my results were locked into the computer, and Julie politely told me I was a heck of a lot more efficient than I thought I was.

It seemed to end as soon as it began, and it was time for Julie and her team to formulate the numbers for the athlete to understand.

Sugar Bowl Academy Attacks VO2 Testing

December 9, 2014/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

Sugar Bowl Academy Nordic Head Coach, Martin Benes, offers his thoughts on the importance and value of Vo2 testing his athletes…

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to bring our U18 athletes down to the Silver Sage Sports and Fitness Lab for VO2 max testing. While it was certainly fun get VO2 values for our athletes, there is a lot of feedback from these tests that we can use as coaches.

While VO2 max is trainable, more so at this age, we are really interested in a couple of other pieces. The first is the purely mental challenge of pushing yourself hard on a treadmill indoors. One of the great joys of endurance sports is being outside and having the scenery flash by in a blur. The treadmill clearly takes that away, and with no finish lines in sight, it becomes a mental battle to see how long you can stay on; how much steeper can the treadmill get?

For our purposes what we really like to see is efficiency. What that means from an endurance perspective is how close is an athletes’ anaerobic threshold to their VO2 max? The closer those values are, the more efficient our athletes’ “engines” are, and more importantly a good indicator that they are responding well to the training plan. If not, we need to reevaluate what that athlete might need.

We can also glean data from the test results to determine the proper training zones for individuals. This helps us as coaches because we can individualize training zones and plans in order to pinpoint strengths and areas for improvements. While we always want to improve on our weaknesses, we also need to remind ourselves to maintain our strengths. As competitors, our athletes are often seeking out every opportunity to improve. The VO2 testing showed a path to improvement but also reminded us of our strengths.

Our training is on the right track. We saw that with the efficiency of our athletes’ respective “engines” and also with their mental tenacity. With a few months until our major championship event, we still have time to make those small improvements and get even stronger.

Cool Whip or Whip in to Shape

December 5, 2014/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

Below a post by Silver Sage sponsored ProjectHero Veteran and Athlete-Extraordinaire

You’re sitting on the couch, polishing off the last of the pumpkin pie, when you realize you’re out of cool whip! You could lose an ear in some countries for running out of cool whip! Anyway, you drive to the store, on the way you pass a group of cyclists cruising along. You get to the store, take one look at the cool whip and decide you’re going to make a change! You head to a sports store, maybe because you think you can’t afford a bike from a bike shop. You find a pretty decent one on sale and begin your new journey!

After a few weeks of riding, the pain in your thighs, calves, butt, shoulders, arms, neck, are screaming at you to stop doing this! You don’t get it, riding a bicycle shouldn’t be so hard! It’s supposed to make you feel good, right? Here’s the answer, your size 12 feet are in a size 10 sandal with laces tied extremely tight!! You know when you go into a shoe store and the salesman or woman ask you to remove your shoe so they may measure your foot??? Well Sports Fans…it ain’t no different with a bike!

Enter Silver Sage Sports and Fitness Lab bike fitting with Julie Young. I brought in both of my bikes, one road, one time trial. Measure this…pedal, pedal, pedal! Tweak that…pedal, pedal, pedal! Raise this…pedal, pedal, pedal! Almost two hours later, I was sweaty, stiff, out of breath…and had two nearly brand new bikes that fit like gloves! Julie was amazing and this is why, because she cares, loves what she does, is very detail oriented, and knows exactly what she’s doing! Whether you purchase a $500 bike or a $5,000 one, it’s no different than buying a pair of $20 shoes or $200 shoes…they still need to fit right! Go see Julie and get on a bike that fits!!

Keep Spinning…

The test that changed the way I look at……. Well, everything

December 2, 2014/1 Comment/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

Daryl Hataway, Mayberry Athletic Club General Manager and Personal Trainer, provides the first post in a series sharing his experience taking Silver Sage’s metabolic efficiency test….

I recently had the opportunity to have some pretty cool testing done, a Metabolic Efficiency Test at Silver Sage Fitness and Sport Lab. I have written a short, three part series on my experience, why I did it, and why every breathing human interested in bettering themselves as an athlete needs to take this test. I hope you enjoy…

I have never really had the opportunity to have a lot of sport specific testing done, a few sub-max VO2 max tests here and there, but nothing at the elite level. I am talking tubes, breathing masks, electrodes on the chest, plugged nose kind of testing… the stuff used to really hit the nail on the head when it comes to fitness success. Tests that truly give us the key to unlock our true potential for any of our fitness and sport specific goals.

As I strolled into The Silver Sage Fitness and Sports Lab, already nervous as to what my immediate future held, I was greeted by a very sweet front desk girl, politely asking my name and reason for visit. I was asked to fill out the standard, “If we hurt or kill you we aren’t responsible for it” paperwork and I sat down. Clipboard in hand, I went to fill out the typical doctor’s office visit formalities, but as I peered around before the focus kicked in on the paperwork, I noticed something a little different about this doctor’s office. Off to my left, a Trek Speed Concept 9 series Triathlon bike….an (ah hem), $11,000.00 bike…seated next to it, a gentlemen, preparing the same paperwork as I was, looking to figure out how to make the most out of that ridiculously beautiful bicycle and match it’s equally ridiculous efficiency, dressed in cycling shorts and a cycling jersey, clipless shoes already on his feet. A bike, let’s remember, even an expensive one, is only as efficient as its rider, and this rider wanted the same knowledge I was seeking:

How can I better train my body?
How can I choose the right amount of nutrition for that long run or ride?
And most importantly, what is my key fat burning heart rate zone?

I was soon taken to the standard doctor’s office room, weighed, measured, and told to remove my shirt for my ECG clearance. This painless test is a standard for all athletes, essentially making sure the individual has a healthy enough heart for the upcoming test. This part was funny…. New girl + Hairy Italian Daryl = need for a razor and a quick shave so the electrodes will stick. Unfortunately my first test was inconclusive, so our sweet new girl went for some assistance. As she re-entered the room, seasoned veteran in tow, they tested again only to find out that my electrodes are placed incorrectly. The two nurses played a cruel of game of “odds or evens” pulling off the sticky electrodes, jokingly guessing if they got an odd or even amount of my chest hair stuck to the tape, shaved two new places, and re-attached them, this time with a successful reading. Six more pulls of Daryl’s chest hair and I was allowed to get dressed, await my results, and move on to the next stage, the fun part!!

I was escorted into a pretty normal room, normal for what I was testing for. There is a treadmill, a rolling computer desk, a bike trainer and Julie Young. THE Julie Young, a U.S cycling pro with one heck of a cycling resume. She stands there, her gentle demeanor and graceful presence, a gleam in her eye, with the knowledge of years of training and competing. This is not just our average Joe getting me ready for this Metabolic Efficiency test, this is a coach, a competitor and the sweetest cyclist I have ever met.

Measuring Progress: VO2Max Testing

December 1, 2014/in Athlete's Blog /by julieyoung

Far West Elite XC Ski Team member, Spencer Eusden shares his take-aways from Vo2 testing at Silver Sage Sports and Fitness Lab…A few weeks ago I went down to the Silver Sage for their VO₂ Max testing. This test measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use per unit time relative to body weight

I was excited to try this test out again since the last time I had done it was my senior spring of high school (May of 2008). In the 6.5 years since I last measured my VO₂ Max, I’ve logged close to 4,000 hours of training. So I expected to see some level increase in the test score. That being said, after puberty your VO₂ Max tends not change as much with training as it does during puberty. (I had mostly stopped growing when I took the test in May of 2008)

The Results:

Date	VO₂ Max mL/(kg*min)
May, 2008	62.0
November, 2014	67.5

Hard work pays off!!! In my case every 730 hours I trained I increased my VO₂ Max by one point. In reality, high intensity intervals, which we do mostly in the fall to get ready for ski racing, have a much larger impact on an athlete’s VO₂ Max than the sheer number of hours trained. My main training focus this fall was to do lots of quality interval workouts, in order to be ready to race fast once the season started. Historically, I have been slow to reach peak racing shape, not usually until February. These test results showed that I was well on my way to starting the season off well. This was confirmed this past weekend at the first races of the year in West Yellowstone, MT with my two fastest November races ever.

Beyond just testing my VO₂Max, the crew at Silver Sage used the data from my VO₂ Max test to refine my training zones. With their feedback, I changed the ranges of my heart rate zones, which I will hit in different types of intervals. The goal is that these adjustments will help me continue to increase my VO₂ Max and race even faster this winter.

CAPTION Spencer strapped in and ready to for the VO2 Max Test. The test measures the gas composition of exhaled air to calculate the amount of Oxygen used.