Why We O.D.

You might have noticed the training plans posted on NTS will often recommend an O.D. (over distance) workout to cap off the week, but what exactly is an over distance workout and what are we getting out of it? 

An over distance workout is defined as a workout longer, ether in time or distance, than the events you are training for. Since in xc skiing we log our workouts in time rather than distance we typically refer to an over distance workout as a ‘long duration’ workout that can be done in any mode. The guideline I use is 2hours+ for athletes <16 years old, and 2.5+ hours for athletes >16 years old. 

For elite level skiers June, July, and August are the months when athletes should log the greatest amount of over distance training. I recommend at least one O.D. per week and sometimes several per week during very high volume training blocks. 

To help us understand the importance of this long duration training we recruited the help of Exercise Physiologist, Dr. Sarah Willis. 

“When incorporating more over distance sessions into training, there are physiological adaptations that occur to provide benefits for overall health, aerobic metabolism, and increased blood flow” Explains Sarah

“During training, the body overcomes the workload by increasing the heart rate and breathing frequency (ventilation) to maintain the delivery of oxygen to the tissues. Over time, there is increased aerobic metabolism, which is a process to generate ATP/energy and provide the body with fuel (both at rest and during exercise). Basically, low intensity training works to 'strengthen the fire' by both efficiently burning sugars and fats and generating ATP. In addition, with time, there is increased production of mitochondria (powerhouse of the cell) which improves how oxygen is utilized in the tissues (a sort of intracellular efficiency).”

In other words, in order to elicit the desired training response, the body is adapting to the duration of the workout rather than a high intensity. This is why I like to remind athletes that it is possible to do your over distance workouts too hard but it’s nearly impossible to do them too easy. We want to focus on exclusively L1 or low aerobic training during long O.D. sessions. 

Training an over distance pace that is too hard will force an athlete’s metabolic metabolism to be working within an undesired Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER). During over distance workouts we are training the body to burn a more efficient ration of fats to carbohydrates, lowering our RER. By training a bunch of L2 within an over distance workout we are basically training the wrong adaptation and instead teaching our body to burn more carbohydrates vs. fats which in the long run with lead to more ‘bonks’ on race day. 

“Low intensity training also gives the body a general "warm-up" and increases body heat. The vessels dilate to allow for improved distribution of blood flow, and oxygenation to the tissues via circulation for repair and overall maintenance. Therefore the increased blood flow distribution is an aid for the body during recovery from high intensity training.” Says Sarah.

This is something that really becomes evident as athletes build a bigger training base. Athletes who consistently train long, easy, slow distance will greatly improve efficiency at low and high intensity and even teach their bodies to recover while still training. Athletes who incorporate O.D. training in the summer and fall months are also more likely to maintain a peak fitness throughout a long winter of racing. 

“These sessions will make the whole body stronger (legs, arms, core) and allow for more efficient oxygen utilization. Therefore, it is important to change activities often (run, classic, skate, double pole only, bike, etc).”  Recommends Sarah. 

Some more tips from Exercise Physiologist, Sarah Willis: 

“Make sure to feel your body and listen to the signals (injury, nutrition, hydration status, etc). Going long is one thing, but going long and strong is better. Pay attention and make sure to recovery properly afterward (eat well and use some recovery tricks - compression socks/feet up, rest). This will help to absorb the stimulus and recover to be ready and fit for the next session or adventure.”

 “Focus on the pace, maintaining or mastering technique, and try to move with relaxed motions while finding your own efficient movement patterns. Make sure to enjoy these sessions (also the mental joy, which makes it easier to motivate while sustaining the pace and technique throughout).”