Establish a good relationship with your coach

A few weeks ago, I watched over a house in Vermont while its owners went on vacation. Dusty, a young, golden-haired collie who was brought all the way from the Plains in a cattle truck, came with the house, as did a few other miscellaneous pets. I had stayed in the house many times before, so I knew what to expect. Each time that I would go out to train, Dusty would bark and attack the door, begging to come along.

One day, I brought him with me.

The workout was an easy hike up a nearby mountain along a dirt road and path. Only five minutes into our two-hour trip, Dusty gallantly led the way. I wasn't sure what to think of it. I had seen him run around before, but his short little legs seemed ill suited to anything of duration. I warned him to take it easy - no one else was around to hear our conversation. Yet, still, he set a fast pace.

Fifteen minutes later, Dusty trailed twenty feet behind me, his tongue suggesting that he would have rather stayed at home to chase the cat than be on a death march up this dirt road. Streams of cold water from the Green Mountains lined both sides of the road. Visibly thirsty, among other deplorable thoughts, I stopped frequently to give him time to drink from them. But each time I stopped, he kept on walking past me, too proud to take a break. When we reached a river, knowing the truth of his thirst, I picked him up and we both waded into it.

Over the next two hours, Dusty would continue to follow twenty feet behind me. Sometimes he would trail further back, but then see me disappear around the corner, fear that he would have no way home, and come sprinting up to me. It happened over and over again.

The final hour, the distance extended to thirty feet, and I had to start vocally encouraging him to stay nearby. His ears perked up every time he heard me shouting from further up the trail. I wonder what would have happened if I had left him to his own internal motivation.

Two and a half hours later, having reached the summit and returned, I was done. However tired, thirsty, hungry, dirty, and wet Dusty was, he wanted to make it clear that he could keep going. As I changed clothes and ate, he stared at me and walked around me in circles, trying to lead me back up the mountain.

When we came home, he was too tired to eat, did without his evening chase of the cat, and collapsed deep into sleep on the floor.

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Many of you are starting to train with a ski coach for the first time this summer. Learn from Dusty's lessons.

A good relationship begins with mutual respect and continues because of constant, honest communication. When you first meet your coach, tell him or her what you have done for training in the past - be honest! - and what your goals are in the future.

If you are placed in a beginner's group, it's probably because that is appropriate for your current skills and fitness. It doesn't mean that you will be there forever. Don't bark as Dusty did at the door to train with an Olympian. You'll only end up - quickly - overtrained and discouraged.

Be honest about your limits. If your coach has prescribed an easy workout, and you have to go race pace to keep up with the group, let your coach know. The foundation of endurance sports - like cross-country skiing and biathlon - is in this long and easy training. In fact, it is more the duration that matters, not the intensity, during these workouts! Go the right pace! Don't be too proud to slow down.

Don't allow misunderstandings remain quiet. If the training is not workout for you - in your opinion - or you have a problem with your coach or teammates, bring it to the attention of your coach when it first upsets you.

Ask questions! Be that annoying kid who always raises his or her hand. I was. It probably kept my coaches doing a double take when they saw my name on their caller ID every time I called. But because they answered the calls and questions, I have learned so much that, today, I am able to plan my own training and share it with others.

Involve your parents. To keep them involved - and to help foster a supportive environment around you - ask your coach if there are any masters or adult training programs around. (There are plenty in the Twin Cities.) Introduce your coach and parents to one another. Talk about your training with your family. It will help them understand that on some days you'll look pretty tired - especially after the hill bounding workouts!

Find your own motivation. It will take many years - it took me ten years of intense training to become an Olympian! - for you to reach just the beginning of your potential. You had better have an inner drive that keeps you motivated through the challenging times as well as times of success. Love skiing. Love training. Look forward to it - until you reach the point where you can't wait to do it, so you start training in the afternoon!

And, of course, don't be too proud to stop and take a drink of water.

About the author... Brian Olsen, 22, grew up just a few miles from Hyland Lake Park in Bloomington, Minnesota. He trained with the Minnesota Valley Ski Club and Minnesota Biathlon before moving East to work with the Maine Winter Sports Center. This past season, he was a 2006 Olympian. He now competes for Team Soldier Hollow in Heber City, Utah. Madshus and Marwe are among his sponsors. More information can be found on his website, www.frozenbullet.com.