RUNNING ON WATER

"Basic SnowShoeing Questions Answered"

QUESTION:

Coach Steve,

Do you have any tips for beginners learning technique?

COACH ILG:

Absolutely! In fact, I have a wonderful DVD, "Introduction To Sport Snowshoeing" that clearly and with humor, describes and demonstrates the basics of Sport Snowshoeing. This dvd is available at my Website Catalog at:www.WholisticFitness.com

My Snowshoe DVD is one of three parts of my "Intro to Wholistic Fitness" DVD.

Sport SnowShoe Beginner Tip#1: Just Walk, Jog, or Run!

Most people who are new to the new generation of Sport Snowshoes, do not realize that there is nothing 'extra' movement that you need to do in order to enjoy the many physiologic and even spiritual benefits of "walking on water"! After you step into your SnowShoes (you can just wear running or hiking shoes!), there is no need to accentuate any biomechanics; just get out there onto the beautiful snow and walk, or jog, or, if you want taste a little bit of what a sponsored SnowShoe Racer has to cope with; begin to run in your SnowShoes! PHEWWW! You will IMMEDIATELY sense your heartrate taking off for the stratosphere, so take it easy!

Sport SnowShoe Beginner Tip#2: Arms Drive Your Legs!

The ol' running coach maxim; "Your arms drive your legs," could not ring more true than in Sport SnowShoeing! As you gain proficiency in the action and art of SnowShoeing, you will have to convince your UPPER BODY to drive your lower body! This is because in Sport SnowShoeing, there is a mandatory need for more hip flexion in order to elevate knee lift so that the tip of the snowshoe clears the snow surface. The more powdery the conditions, the more hip flexion is needed, thus, Coach Ilg advises you to, "Reach for the sky, Pard'ner!" The more you drive your arms into the sky, the higher and faster and more efficient will your hip drive become. You will LOVE the effect of Sport SnowShoeing on your upper body! In fact, even as a sponsored rock climber, nordic skier, and bodybuilder...NEVER have my lats (upper/central back muscles), shoulders, biceps, and even forearms been as sore (we say, "well trained" in Wholistic Fitness) than they were after my first World Mountain SnowShoe Championships in Leadville, Colorado!

Your arms drive your legs!" Coach, nearing 10,500' elevation during a training session in the Kachina Peaks, Arizona.

Sport SnowShoe Beginner Tip#3: BREATHE BABY!!!

As a Coach of all types of Outdoor Athletes, I cannot ask my athletes (and myself!)enough, "Where is your Breath?" Sport SnowShoeing is about as full-body a workout as you can find; your logical mind thinks, "Oh hard can this be? I'm just clompin' around in the snow with like Duck Feet on, right?" Wrong. There are many advanced, subtle, and poetically beautiful techniques that seasoned 'Shoer's must learn to apply on the ever changing winter landscapes and variety of snow conditions. Yet, I will share this much with you; ALL of the more advanced techniques of Sport SnowShoeing begin with your ability to Consciously Breathe. Since so much of your musculature and cardiorespiratory systems are being positively 'stressed' during a SnowShoe outing, your body deserves and NEEDS as much oxygenation to her tissues as possible. Conscious and deep breathing instantly produces a more relaxed neurological/muscular state which transfers into a whole host of enjoyable benefits during fitness or daily activities. As my Taoist Teacher, Sensei Kishiyama taught me a long time ago, "Whenever you relax, you will perform better." Never has more sage counsel ever been uttered. In the SideBar below, I have included a very wonderful and basic Breathing Technique that any SnowShoer can benefit from.

SIDEBAR #1: THE CLEANSING BREATH; The Secret Weapon For Athletic Power and Inner Peace

I would like you to experiment with a form of "Pranayama" (that fancy word is a yogi word which refers to the science of mindful breathing) known in this country as, "The Cleansing Breath." A Cleansing Breath is done like this; Inhale deeply through both nostrils. Really try to fill your lungs to the brim with this deep nasal in-breath. For the exhalation, I want you to simply expel the air through your mouth. Why am I coaching you in this "Cleansing Breath" so early in your SnowShoeing 'career'? Well, a few reasons,

1) the Nasal Inhale produces both friction and heat. The friction leads to the development of what yogis term, "pran" or Life Force. And who among us could not do with more Life Force coming into our bodies and minds with each breath, eh? The heat component is important to penetrate cold and shut down oxygenation vessels so that they become more dilated thus delivering a greater amount of oxygenation to your tissues than that of mouth-only breathing.

2) Cleansing Breaths keep your mind connected with your body. It's easy to have our minds wander. Most of my professional work, in fact, is all about bringing more Consciousness to my student's daily life and fitness activities. Enhancing a body/mind communication is vital for a deeper enjoyment of the present moment, and has been showed to be much more healthy than typical over-thinking. For beginners out on the SnowShoes, I suggest using 2 - 3 Cleansing Breaths about every minute or so. You will find that the more effortful the moment, the more quickly do Cleansing Breaths restore a sense of relaxed energy and lower heart rate.

Coach Ilg practices daily the yogic art of "Pranayam" or "breath control." He says, "I don't have time to match the specific training volumes of all the athletes that I compete against in so many sports, however, I can train and develop the common denominator of all sports; Powerful, Conscious Breathing"

Question:

What are some things people should look for when buying/getting fit in snowshoes?

Coach:

Here are a few:

1) Consult an experienced Sport Snowshoer! Learn from those who do! Most mountain shops now carry at least one line of Sport SnowShoes. Go there and speak to someone who actively does Sport SnowShoeing. This will help a lot.

2) Know the kind of terrain and snow consistency of your local outdoor environment. Do you leave in rugged mountains or more gentle rolling hills? How long is your snow season? How much snow does your area usually have in a winter? Are there untracked trails near you or more like snowmobiles on forest roads? Knowing your local conditions will dictate the general category of Sport SnowShoe that best suits your environment. Generally speaking, Sport SnowShoes come in three general categories; BackCountry, Fitness, and Racing.

3) Match the category of SnowShoe with your fitness level and temperament. If you are a large sized person, your SnowShoe will require a larger surface area of "decking." Thus, the floatation capability of a SnowShoe will be a priority. If you are a lean runner that enjoys technically challenging terrain like I do, then a SnowShoe that is light, stable, and has efficient front and rear cleat traction is crucial. Match the SnowShoe with your realistic intention for getting out on them.

My SnowShoe sponsor, ATLAS SNOWSHOES, has a wonderful website that can help beginners understand the technology behind quality snowshoes:

WWW.ATLASSNOWSHOE.COM

Question:

How would you describe the experience of snowshoeing?

Coach:

Oh man! I have written volumes attempting to describe the unspeakable, inner joy that arises from what i call, "Running On Water!" Magical. I think it might have something to do with being immersed in a negative ionic field - not unlike surfing - which affects our cellular vibrancy in deep, perhaps karmic, ways. For a more down to earth attempt to describe the Joy of Snowshoeing, let me end this column with the words from one of my finest Students of High Performance Yoga and Wholistic Fitness; professional (Kenda Tires/Titus Cycles) multi-national title holder of ultra endurance mountain bike racing, Timari Pruis. Tim just sent this to me the other day:

"hey coach! Just wanted to let you know that yesterday marked the official 1st snowshoe venture of the season for me. you were on my mind the whole time as i remembered our adventure last season! I had SOOOOOO much fun yesterday, i can't even explain it! i decided to do a little snowshoeing on the infamous mtn bike trail---the flume trail (it's part of the Tahoe Rim Trail). the entrance to the trail was not as covered as i had hoped (or thought for that matter), but i continued on and figured the snow would get better, and i was right. man, the snow was awesome, and the trail had been slightly trekked out already, but there was pure & untouched snow all around. there were plenty of inclines up the sides of the trail to do little intervals and repeats on, including one that took me to this amazing look-out point that had a view of not only the valley below (Carson City), but of the lake! so amazing! so i ended up trekking around for 2 hours and was BEAT! what a workout! hopefully we will get to shoe again sometime soon together!

love ya!

Timari

RUNNING ON WATER: THE SNOWSHOE WARRIOR Archive

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RUNNING ON WATER: THE SNOWSHOE WARRIOR! Edition 3
	A NEW USSSA COLUMN by COACH STEVE ILG, ryt/uscf/nhca Click Here for Steve's Bio