What’s on my to do list in preparation for the Åre Extreme Challenge in 8 days?

1.   Organize Coast to Coast presentation at ÅEC

Thanks to Holiday Club and my sponsors I’ll be giving a 75 minute slide show about multisport racing around the world, including Coast to Coast in New Zealand. I have some new material to show, so hopefully it’ll be worth it for those of you who have seen my past presentations.

Thursday, 26 June, 18.00 to 19.15, Holiday Club (after registration closes).  Entry is free. Click on .jpg below for more details in Swedish.

 

2.   Put together GoPro Film on ÅEC

Last Friday I spent the day creating a short film with Johannes Poignant. I’ll be posting this soon for those of you who want to know why I love ÅEC, how I prepare for the race, and how you can perform better on race day. Coming soon to my vimeo page. 

 

3.   A few last hard training sessions

Last weekend I had some great “long and hard” training in Åre. Here are a few pics

 

But now it’s time for some ”short and hard” training.

Yesterday I did 12 times “30 second” sprints with a bungy cord around my kayak (creates increasing resistance with speed and thus builds strength). You just need an old hose, a bungy cord, and some carrbiners.

 

4.   Review my training data

I like to look back at the data I’ve collected from my Suunto GPS/HR watch (on funbeat and Movescount) to see what works and what doesn’t, and to think about how well I have recovered from  different sessions. This is helpful  when planning my training for the next race.

Check out this graph from Sunday’s paddle – a (nearly) perfect correlation between speed (blue line) and heart rate (white line). How did that happen?!

I had to think about this, but I think I know why. This was the day after a hard session so my heart wasn’t pumping as hard. My heart rate only rose when I had some adrenaline or excitement to get it going (rapids!).  When I paddled hard in the moving water/rapids (to simulate paddling an un-stable boat at race speed), my hear rate rose.  Then I really took it easy on the flat water. I guess my easy heart rate was directly proportional to my ‘easy’ flat paddling.

 

5.   Rest!

I’ve done all the physical training I can to succeed in this race and hopefully it’s good enough to give me a chance against the boys from Haglöfs and the host of other top competitors. The most important thing now is to rest both body and the mind. I need to have explosive power, endurance, and desire to crush this course on the 28th. I don’t want to make the mistake of over-training– which is something I’m prone to doing.
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6.   Organize gear

Thanks to my sponsors, I’ve received some new pieces of gear: some GoPro camera attachments, more nutrition from Squeezy and Paleo Crunch, a fresh pair of Inov8 190s for the race, and some new clothes from Woolpower. Great to have this support.

These will go on early Saturday morning and remain on until Huså.

 

A nice delivery of ”stink-proof” wool clothing … and a good-looking door mat

 

7.   Check gear and do race planning 

Since I can’t improve my physical fitness in the next 8 days, I’m focusing on race preparation. This could save me a minute or two, which could be the difference in this race. For example:

–      check kayak (rudder lines about to tear?)

–      fix kayak seat (it started to tear! see picture below)

–      patch kayak skirt (don’t want it to leak)

–      sand paper kayak bottom (make it smooth and fast)

–      fix hydration system for run and bike (cut hose to right length, attach ‘bendable’ wire)

–      fix shoe laces (must avoid the “lost it in the swamp” excuse)

–      create a “race plan” (nutrition intake, support crew logistics, gear list etc).

–      practice transitions

 

My seat split because I was pushing so hard with me feet against the pedals when paddling through the rapids. I gotta glue that back and use some better duct tape…

 

That’s it for now, time to rest…

Scott

PS Jari Palonen just started a new thread on Facebook asking for people to post pictures from the good old days of ÅEC.  He’s got some good ones … I went back and found this picture. I’m third in line with the white surfski. This year I’ll be in the boat just ahead of me, which I purchased from Johan (second in line). Maybe next year I’ll buy the UFO from Jens and become first in line?