5km repeats has become a common interval session for skiers who want to work on distance pacing. This is appropriate for short and long distance skiing events. (see our old post with Matt Whitcomb explaining this session)
For this particular June pace project we are recommending a combination of L3 and L4.
Warm up:
20 min L1 easy skiing
4-5 min L2
5 min easy skiing and dynamic stretching
Intervlas:
1x 5km L3
2 min recovery
1-2 x 5km L4B (this is just 1-2 heart beats above L3)
3 min recovery
Terrain:
Look for a 5km loop on a road or rollerski track. This can be an out and back on the road as well. Look for rolling and ski realistic terrain with climbs.
Goal:
This session is all about pacing. We do the first interval L3 so athletes can gauge their next effort based on their L3 pace. It's interesting to see some of the differences in L3 and L4 pacing. How much faster are athletes really going while in L4B? Is the pace change happening on the climbs or on the flat terrain? The primary goal is letting athletes feel the difference between L3 and L4 pacing and finding ways to ski efficiently.
