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From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.

Tag: Speeds

Wednesday Workout: Getting Adaptable with NSCF-FXC
The NSCF-FXC crew points toward home (some 7,000 kilometers away) at 2017 Junior Nationals this past March in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo: Peter Leonard)

The following workout comes from Alasdair Tutt, interim coach for the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks/Fairbanks XC (commonly known as NSCF-FXC). Tutt recognizes that while training in central Alaska has its perks (like reliable snow), it can also be tough for skiers to excel outside of their familiar environment (like on significantly warmer snow). This is true for anyone racing in variable climates and at both high and low elevations across North America. So for NSCF-FXC, the goal is to get develop speediness for races in the lower 48.

***

Training in Fairbanks, Alaska, may have many advantages: skiable snow for six months a year, tough homologated loops at Birch Hill and the endless wilderness to explore regardless of the season. However, it presents many challenges for the 33 junior athletes who are part of our summer Comp Team when they compete out of town in temperatures often >30 degrees warmer than the average Fairbanks day.

(From left to right) NSCF-FXC skiers Ben Keener, Ari Endestad and Ti Donaldson work on diagonal striding during a summer workout near Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: Alasdair Tutt)

This workout is designed to counteract the effect of always skiing on slow snow and steep terrain at Birch Hill mid-winter so the athletes can be competitive in faster conditions at the U.S. Cross Country Championships (a.k.a. Senior Nationals) or Junior Nationals. It can be completed skating, bounding, double poling, or diagonal striding. We have primarily focused on using it to improve diagonal striding this summer.

We have no problem getting our skiers to be strong or have a high-aerobic capacity, but we often struggle to further develop the neuromuscular capacity of our skiers once the snow hits the ground. This can also be true when our athletes compete in high-school cross-country running, as their training can become pretty monotonous and low volume unless they make a considerable effort to add their own ski training on top of the running. This workout is applicable to all athletes though, as I believe all junior athletes need to first develop their capacity to go fast before learning to use that speed over a longer distance.
The workout: Alaska-Specific (Speed) Training
- Warmup: Preparation and Mobility
  
  Our warmup is typically 20-30 minutes long consisting of about 10 minutes easy skiing to our start point, followed by 10-15 minutes of mobility and preparation exercises specific to the technique being performed on the day (we do this workout skating, double poling and striding depending on the goals of the team as a whole from last year)
- Intervals: 2-3 sets of 3-5 x 150-250 meters at 2-3 k pace, and 50-80 m at 400 m pace over a course with two separate hills — not so steep as to lose full range of motion, but to challenge the athletes’ balance a little. Then, take a short recovery to return to the start of the next interval.
  
  The course should cover around 150-250 m for the longer interval and 50-80 m for the shorter one on a gradual hill that is typically able to either be climbed in double pole or diagonal striding to induce a high speed.
  
  First do the ~200m interval at a speed similar to how you would a hill in a 2-3 k event, then after a short recovery, complete the ~60 m interval at a speed just below that of an all out sprint (about 400 m pace). The idea being to have a repeated sprint stimulus and a clear difference in pace between the short and long speeds, without exhausting their capacity in one set.
- Recovery: About 4-6 minutes active recovery between sets.
  
  Between the longer and shorter sprint, just a rolling recovery back to the base of the hill repeated 3-5 times. Between each set there is a 4-6 minutes of active recovery with a chance to grab a drink or watch some video of technique.
- Cool down: 30-45 minutes of easy rollerskiing back to the starting location.
Technique Notes: We are looking for full extension through the arms to the back, a pendulum arm swing to return and a relaxed body position with hips over the heel when gliding on a ski during these intervals, as it quite easy to get into a posture with limited range of motion through the shoulders or a “back-seat” body position with little glide and a late kick when mostly skiing on green hardwax. As always when striding on classic rollerskis, we are careful to emphasize an early initiation of power with the lower body and a quick weight transfer from the center of mass over the gliding ski.

NSCF-FXC skier Jenna DiFolco (r) leads Mackenzie Parrott (l) and Zoe Ratzlaff (c) during a diagonal-striding workout near Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo: Alasdair Tutt)

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Have a workout you want to share? Email info@fasterskier.com with the subject line: Wednesday Workout.
July 26, 2017
Wednesday Workout: Intervals on Flatter Terrain with Charlotte Kalla
Charlotte Kalla of Sweden skiing to a monster win in the 10 k skate at 2015 World Championships on home turf in Falun, Sweden. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus.com)

Fresh off an interview with Nordic Nation, Sweden’s 29-year-old Charlotte Kalla offered up a Wednesday Workout for those looking for technical sharpness and speed on flatter terrain. Here’s the workout straight from the combined 17-time world champ and Olympic medalist.

“This time of year I take the opportunity to work on keeping my speed up also on flatter terrain,” Kalla wrote in an email. “I usually go interval training uphill during summer and fall. It is simple to just move yourself up to the top of the hill by roller skis and you know you will have a higher heart rate just by getting there. When I do intervals in flatter terrain I have to be more focused on my technique and to keep the speed up. It is important to be able to keep up the speed during competition also on the flat.”
The workout:
- Warmup: 20 minutes easy skiing
- 10 minutes of intervals (85-90% of max heart rate). After that, easy skiing for 2 1/2 minutes. Repeat 5 times and focus on having a good technique and keeping up the speed.
- Cool down: 20 minutes slow skiing
The video below provided by Kalla was taken on May 24 when indeed she worked on speed and technique in flatter terrain.
May 31, 2017
Wednesday Workout: Over & Under Marathon Prep with Holly Brooks
Holly Brooks skiing up “Wall Street” near the top of Spencer Loop-Hillside trails, which some racers may remember from the 30/50 k at SuperTour Spring Series last March. (Courtesy photo)

This week’s workout comes from U.S. Olympian Holly Brooks, who’s about to embark on the four-month FIS Marathon Cup/Worldloppet series with a goal of finishing in the overall top three. While she’s done marathons before — including the American Birkebeiner (which she won in 2012) and Switzerland’s Engadin twice — this will be the former U.S. Ski Team member’s first season exclusively focusing on uber-long distance races.

***

This season I’m preparing to compete in the FIS World Loppet Marathon Cup. I will compete in eight races as short as 42k (La Sgambeda – Italy & Engadin – Switzerland) and as long as 70k (Marcialonga – Italy). This is a notable change from the World Cup circuit which includes lots of sprints, prologues, and 10ks. The regular Wold Cup has one 30k per year (Holmenkollen) and a second 30k at Championships. Consequently, I don’t have a ton of marathon experience and I’ve certainly never kicked off the season with a 2 hour race!
Holly Brooks post workout Tuesday on the Girdwood trails just south of Anchorage, Alaska. (Courtesy photo)

One of my go-to workouts is quick and simple: Over & Under, L3 pace workout with surges

The purpose of this workout is raise aerobic threshold and build the capacity to respond to surges in speed. All of the marathons I will compete in this year are mass start format. Thus, I need to be comfortable going fast and going fast for long period of time. Often these races come down to a break in the middle (when someone sprints to break the pack) or they may end up in a 10-30 person sprint at the end for the victory. The ability to make or respond to a surge is critical for this style of racing. Hence the “over (speeds) and under (L3) title to this workout.

How it’s done:
1. Warm up easy (25 – 40 minutes) and make the warm up progressive. Keep the pace low & save your juice for the interval! This workout can be done on snow, roller skis, or even foot with poles – choose your method based on what you’ve got.
2. 1 hour L3, threshold, or “fast distance” pace. The idea is to keep the majority of the workout aerobic… think 30-50k race pace. Well above distance pace and below hard race pace. Pick some technique goals to focus on for the session. One thing I like to think about early season are transitions. There is lots of time to be gained or lost in the twists and turns of ski courses. After a summer of roller skiing on street terrain actual ski courses are more dynamic and complicated. Don’t be complacent!
3. Adding intermittent speeds ranging from 10-30 seconds are a fun way to mix up this workout and good practice for mass start formats. The best way to do this is with other people, taking turns “attacking” the group at choice places. (Rather than the predictability of a speed every five minutes keep the format open.) In a race you never know when some one’s going to make a move – you just need to be ready to respond. It’s fun to replicate that in this workout if you have a comparable training group.
4. Fun additions – wax your skis (if you’re skiing!) …. cause good boards for a good workout make a difference. Wear a race suit – because you’ll feel faster, I promise. There is nothing worse than attempting a fast high quality workout in old, baggy fleece! Bring a snack – good recovery foods are key and near the end of this workout your stomach may start to grumble.
The APU women training Tuesday in Girdwood, Alaska. (Photo: Kikkan Randall)

Today I skied 20k in this format and next week I’ll ski a 30k pace workout. We’ve had snow skiing in Anchorage for about a week now and it’s good to make the transition from fall training to full on, winter snow-skiing gradually. (Tired shins & balancing muscles!) I’m not doing any 2-hour/50k threshold workouts because the recovery time takes too long to maintain a productive training load.

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Yesterday morning [on Oct. 28], the APU team drove south to Girdwood to take advantage of near World Cup conditions on their 5k loop. The trails are wide enough for 2.5 skaters, groomed immaculately, and are homologated for high level competition. (Meaning they are hard and have hills!) Thanks so much to the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club for putting so much time and energy into their trail system. Access to snow and good trails is huge for those of us that have important early season races!
Good luck & happy training,
Cheers,
Holly

@brooksha1

http://hollyskis.blogspot.com/
October 29, 2014
Wednesday Workout: Lactate Clearance with the AWCA

AWCA skiers get ready for a skate prologue test, which doubled as a lactate clearance workout, this fall in Canmore, Alberta. (Courtesy photo)

This Wednesday Workout it brought to you by Stefan Kuhn, 2010 Canadian Olympian and assistant men’s coach at the Alberta World Cup Academy in Canmore, Alberta. The workout: lactate clearance, which he has his athletes do in the fall three to four times before the race season. The goal: measure each individual’s ability to clear lactate, their mental toughness, physical fitness and overall speed.

AWCA skiers after a recent hill-climb running workout near Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Stefan Kuhn/AWCA)

“This is a fun workout and it’s super simple to do, but it really makes you have to dig deep, which is why I like to do it around this time of year,” Kuhn explains in an email. “The shape of the athletes is at high level and you can really go for a hard effort to build some lactate and try to survive through the workout the best you can.”

But don’t go crazy. Kuhn warns his athletes that they need to be mindful how hard they’re pushing from the start of the workout so that they make it to the finish.

“It’s a speed-focused intensity with an understanding you have to repeat it many times over,” he notes. “I know I loved it when I was an athlete.”

So what’s the point of so much pain? It helps you deal with lactic-acid buildup, that burning sensation one might feel in their legs or arms that causes them to slow down.

“As cross country is a lactate-tolerable sport, it is important to learn to try to flush it best you can and to race with it in your system,” Kuhn explains.

An extended and diligent warmup and cool-down are key. So let’s get to it:

The Workout: Lactate Clearance

Warmup: 30-45 minutes

15 intervals of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off

15-minute break: easy running or skiing, keep the body moving

(Repeat first set) 15 x 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off

Lactate readings (if available. Wear a heart-rate monitor during workout if not): Kuhn measures his athletes’ lactate levels at the end of the workout because there isn’t enough time in between.

“I look at lactate clearance and you also get to see a lot by watching the athlete,” he explains. “If they have speed at the end or are they dying hard. I also watch the heart rates, which is a great way to monitor how they are doing. Do they get close to their max, and how much does it drop on the rest parts of the interval?”

Cool-down: 30 minutes to an hour

October 9, 2013
Wednesday Workout: Kaeding Says Speeds Not Just For Sprinters

Stratton Mountain School T2 skiers (l-r) Eric Packer, Andy Newell and Ben Saxton battle during a speed workout in Vermont. (Photo: Gus Kaeding)

Welcome to Wednesday Workout, where we round up training ideas on a weekly basis. This week, Gus Kaeding, head coach of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team provides some ideas for coaches and athletes looking to spice up their training plan and see improvement in multiple areas.

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Many skiers and coaches associate speeds with sprinting. That’s true, to an extent, but I believe this workout has additional benefits. With the rapid change in pace, a skier can learn technique, tactics and acquire neuromuscular adaptations, which help with distance skiing. Since there is often a lot of skiing back and forth, it is an easy workout for a coach to watch and have continued dialogue with the athletes.

After a full summer and fall of doing speeds regularly, athletes learn to ride their ski in a more forward position, even at a lower intensity. Additionally, they find it easier to go faster for a longer duration, because they are able to use their skeletal structures efficiently and not “muscle” each movement.

The actual structure of the workout can vary, depending on the time of the year and the goal of the workout. Generally, the Stratton Mountain School T2 elite athletes will do 15-24 speeds in a single session, ranging from 10 to 15 seconds each. At the beginning of the summer we will do fewer, shorter speeds, once a week. As the preparatory period goes on, we add in more speeds and the duration becomes longer (up to 40 seconds per speed). We’ll do these almost religiously throughout the preparatory period, up to twice a week at times during the late summer/fall.

Speed workouts can be set up a couple of different ways. One is stations, where we’ll do 5-8 speeds in one area, take a break (5-10 minutes of easy skiing), then rotate to another station and repeat. Full recovery between each individual speed is important.

Jessie Diggins (U.S. Ski Team/SMS T2) leads a women’s group during a speed workout session. (Photo: Gus Kaeding)

When coordinating stations, we like to have one that practices starts, set up to mimic World Cup qualifiers and heats. Another station will have terrain requiring a technique transition, whether it be from V2 to V1 or striding to double pole. The final station usually involves a drop-in from a downhill to a flat. The flat mimics a finish.

By coming off a downhill, skiers are forced to either double pole or V2 at a higher speed than they are used to (overspeed). These will help athletes become more comfortable and efficient at higher speeds.

Another workout format is “rolling” speeds. For these, the athlete skis a 3-5 kilometer repeatable loop with three designated speed zones. Skiers never completely stop between speeds, giving the workout a continuous distance benefit.

Using the rolling format, the course is constantly changing. We try to find terrain features that are semi-unique to that trail or road. That way, the workout stays fresh and the athlete is ready for whatever race courses around the world may throw at them.

When our athletes ski the same terrain feature several times, they are encouraged to approach it in a variety of ways. Correct technique is always emphasized, even if it means backing off to a lesser exertion.

Often we’ll start speed workouts with the athletes skiing alone, so they can concentrate on technique. As they become comfortable, they will group up. Group speeds help with tactics and becoming comfortable skiing at high speed in a group. It also allows them to be pushed by an external force.

September 4, 2013
Pro Workout: Speeds with Simi Hamilton

Nicole Deyong doing some resisted double-pole speeds with Sun Valley Olympic Development Team Coach Travis Jones. Photos courtesy of Travis Jones.

As part of FasterSkier’s bi-weekly newsletter the Start List, we’ll talk with a high-level skier each issue about one of their favorite workouts. This time, we spoke with Olympian and national champion Simi Hamilton, a U.S. Ski Team member who trains with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Olympic Development Team (SVSEF ODT), in Idaho.

One workout that always gets Hamilton “fired up,” he said, are classic speeds-short, all-out sprints, each 20 seconds long.

Speeds are a good way to practice staying relaxed during the high speed and hard effort of a sprint, Hamilton said, because “it’s just long enough to be able to get into that consistent groove.”

“The best sprinters in the world-and I think [Andy] Newell does this really well-they’re so consistent throughout an entire sprint,” he said. “Every single double-pole, every single V2 is exactly the same. You never have to worry about adjusting from being too far forward or too far back.”

In the ODT’s version of the workout, which they do in the summer and through the early winter on snow, athletes will do three sets of six speeds, taking two minutes of easy skiing between each repetition, and seven minutes between sets.

Instead of doing all the speeds on one stretch of pavement, each set of six is done on a different type of terrain, giving athletes a chance to work on many different techniques. For the first set, the ODT will go from a standstill, using an actual start gate. (If you have one, awesome; if not, you can pretend.)

Simi Hamilton in the middle of a resisted double-pole speed.

According to Hamilton, using a wand and going from a standstill is a great way to practice different start techniques, like striding off the line, or mixing in double-pole strokes.

“You’re really getting used to doing it how they do it in a World Cup,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to mess around with some things, experiment a bit.”

The second set is usually drop-in speeds, which start after athletes have coasted down a hill. Drop-ins are a good way to practice high-tempo, fast-paced techniques, without expending the energy of getting up to speed.

The final set is on a steep uphill, or even around an uphill corner, using either classic striding or V1 technique. You can get creative: two weeks ago, ODT Coach Travis Jones had team members doing resisted double-pole speeds for the last set, in which athletes were attached to Jones by a bungie cord and had to pull him uphill on his skateboard.

“It made you feel like you’re one of those guys [in] the World’s Strongest Man competition,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton recommends doing the speeds with other people, going head-to-head. He said that he doesn’t see the workout as too taxing-it’s rare that his heart rate gets above threshold-which makes it a good session to use for a recovery workout or during a week with a heavy training load.

“It’s not hammering level four intervals all day,” he said, “but…when you’re really flying and feeling on, it definitely gives you a ton of confidence.”

June 30, 2010