L3 Steady State With Accelerations
As we get closer to the winter season our interval sessions will become more specific and mimic the demands of actual racing. One of the best ways to log quality and controlled L3 is with a steady state workout. This month we step things up a notch by adding in short accelerations throughout the interval to help us work on tempo and speed changes as well as improve lactic acid buffering. This workout teaches skiers to ski efficiently while also changing pace, similar to mass start ski races.
Warm Up:
20 minutes easy skiing
2 x 5 mins L2
5 x 10 second speeds
Dynamic stretching
Intervals:
Steady state refers to one big interval. So choosing terrain that will accommodate for that is important. On roller skis I like to look for a section of road that is rolling with some uphills, flats, and transitions. For some people this might be a 10 minute section of road that you do back and forth several times.
Start your steady state at a controlled L3 pace. Start in low L3 and let your heart rate gradually build. We want it to feel like a pace that can be maintained for 45+ minutes. If you can set your watch to beep every 5 minutes that great, or just glance down and do a 10 second acceleration (about) every 5 minutes. If you are shooting for a 40 minute interval that means you will do 8 accelerations throughout the steady state. Try to find a variety of terrain to do your accelerations on.
Goal:
Log some quality L3 time but make the workout more 'ski' specific to get us ready for the season. Practice changing gears and showing a considerable change in speed during accelerations. After each acceleration try not to 'drop the plow' and totally slow down. Try to return to your controlled L3 pace and slowly recovery over the course of the next minute or so.
Lactate goal: 2.5-4 mmol