Birkie Week Prep w/ Erika Flowers
By Erika Flowers
The Only Pre-Birkie Workout You Need: Short and Sweet
I’ve competed in the Birkie a total of four times, twice while training and competing full time and twice while working a full-time office job. While my preparation looked wildly different in those two scenarios, my results have been the exact same (3rd, 5th, 3rd, 5th). The common thread has been consistent, higher volume training and intensity followed by an intentional taper and a few important race week workouts.
There are a few key components to any good taper1:
1. Total training volume is reduced by up to ~60-90%.
- If you were logging 15-hour weeks, your taper week should be 6-9 hours.
2. Training frequency is reduced by no more than ~20%.
- If you were logging a total of 10 distinct training sessions per week, eliminate an afternoon ski or a morning run and reduce total sessions to 8.
1. Training intensity is maintained.
2. Good hydration and fueling.
3. Sleep!
With just one weeks until the Birkie, I have one very specific workout I’ve relied on each year to ensure that amidst the typical pre-race taper, my body stays sharp and race ready for the big day. My go-to Birkie week workout is elegant in its simplicity and short in duration. The secret sauce is using it to practice feeding which is critical in setting yourself up for success in a long race like the Birkie. I’ll typically execute this workout the Tuesday or Wednesday before the Saturday Birkie to ensure its close enough to the race to keep my body sharp but allows for enough time for the body to completely recovery before a big effort. Below is my go-to Birkie workout:
- 20 minutes easy warm-up.
- 20-30 minutes controlled L3 on rolling and varying terrain with a 20-30 second speed every 5 minutes
- Bring your race fuel of choice with you and set a goal to consume it by the end of the intensity portion (ex. eat 1 Gu and drink ¼ of your water bottle during the 20-30min. L3 portion of the workout.) This is not only great feeding practice for the big event but also helps keep your carbohydrate and fuel stores high ensuring the intensity session does not put you in the hole.
- 15-20 minutes easy cool down
Curious what the rest of the week looks like? Below is my plan for the week to come along with some explanation of WHY I’ve set it up this way. You will notice the hours are fairly low but I still plan do 1-2 workouts every day leading up to the race to keep the training frequency high but the total volume and intensity low.
Monday: OFF – start your hydration and fueling for the weekend now! Plan to drink 64+ oz of water every day plus 8-16oz. of electrolytes to make sure your body is hydrated and well balanced. You don’t need to eat twice as much food as you normally would but focus on eating the types of food that will give your body sustained energy – think whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats (avocados, nuts, etc.).
Tuesday:
AM: Very easy jog/walk 20-30min. to promote recovery
PM - Go-to Birkie workout (see above). Practice feeding and skiing smooth and relaxed on variable terrain. (Time: 1:15)
Wednesday:
AM: Strength – velocity (cut sets from 3 to 2; the goal is to keep the muscles firing without tiring them further). I typically do my strength workouts in the morning. My working are hours are 7-4 so I’ve found it is easier to get in a quick strength workout before work and leave my longer workouts for after the work day ends but you could easily swap these if your schedule is different. (Time: 1:00)
PM: Easy easy ski 1 hour classic to promote recovery. The goal of this workout is not to add load but to help flush blood through the muscles following the interval and strength session to accelerate recovery. This is a perfect ski to grab a friend and gab the entire time. (Time: 1:00)
Thursday:
AM: Light jog or ski pre-travel (Time: 30-45 min.)
PM: Travel to the Cable! Make sure you are hydrating on the plane/in the car with both water and electrolytes!
Friday:
AM: Ski test! I usually like to test at Mosquito Brook, Gravel Pit or OO since the snow at those locations is more representative of most of the course versus the start area which includes more artificial snow. I keep this very very short and throw in a few (3-8) pickups (5-20 seconds) just to get my legs and heart ready to go! (Time: 35-60 minutes)
PM: Light jog (Time: 15 min.)
Make sure to have a little snack before bed (cereal is my favorite!) to fill the tank and make sure your energy stores are topped off before race day. Sometimes its hard to eat a full breakfast the morning of a race so having a snack the night before ensures you have some extra in the tank even if you aren’t able to stomach your entire oatmeal bowl the next morning.
Saturday:
RACE DAY!
Good luck to all the Birkie racers out there! I’m excited to see you on the trails!
1 Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Jul;35(7):1182-7. doi: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000074448.73931.11. PMID: 12840640.
