By Andy Newell
One of my favorite interval sessions to do during my first week training on snow is a L3 / L4 pace project. This workout can be done skate or classic and I think there are three primary goals to think about:
1.) Practice a good pre race routine that you would be able to replicate during a real distance race day. This means thinking about nutrition: What are you fueling with in the morning from breakfast to race time? How long do you need to be on skis to warm up? How long are your pre race intervals? (for more information on warm ups see our
Race Day Warm Up entry.
2.) Feel the difference between a controlled sub-threshold pace and a pure race pace. Are you able to go faster in a 5k at L4 pace than L3 pace? If so how much faster and at what cost?
3.) How does your technique feel and change from the first 5k to the second 5k? Is your technique breaking down due to fatigue? How does your technique change when your intensity increases?
SESSION OUTLINE:
Full warm up - 30-60 mins depending on the athlete
Do 1 x 5k at a L3 pace
(younger athletes stick to 2-3k)
Record your time, rest 1-2 minutes
Do 1 x 5k at a L4 to race pace
(younger athletes stick to 2-3k)
Cool down
Takeaways:
- Were you able to ski the second 5k faster than your first 5k. If not your L3 pace needs to be adjusted.
- How much harder did the second 5k feel compared to the time increase? Did it feel A LOT harder and just 15 seconds faster? If so, this might be an indication that strength and technique are holding back your high end pace OR that your L3 effort was too hard. A common scenario for less experienced skiers is that the second 5k feels a lot harder but is not actually that much faster due to thrashing technique and muscular fatigue. These are two major things we want to improve on as we progress through the race season.
- Did your max heart rate occur at the end of the race? If not, how can we improve our pacing so the last kilometer of the race can be at the highest possible effort.
