Training FoR Long Distance Skiing - PART 2

In listening to a recent Visma Ski Classics podcast, I realized that the variety of approaches to training for long-distance skiing is startling. Part of this, I believe, has to do with the fact that right now, we are in a pioneering era of distance racing. The advent of double-poling is still relatively new, especially for citizen-level racers. Thus, strategies for maximizing the performance of a double pole-only approach over a 70km distance don’t have an ocean of information to draw upon. Running and cycling went through these phases, and we’re seeing it play out in loppet skiing now. As the Ski Classic’s brand continues to gain steam, I anticipate the advent of new techniques, trends, and training methods will only revolutionize more frequently and dramatically in the coming years. 

Right now, people are trying things, seeing how they work, and making adjustments. Many athletes are coming from World Cup backgrounds and blending those traditional training methods with more sport-specific, long-distance approaches. 

In listening to many hours of podcasts and reading through the Visma Ski Classics website’s content, I’ve attempted to identify some trends and anomalies across the skinny ski spectrum. Quotes/information are either recovered from VSC podcasts or the articles linked at the bottom of the page.

One interesting workout that seems to be filtering its way through various programs is the 40-20 workout, which is 40 seconds on with 20 seconds of recovery. I don’t know a lot about the fartlek-like session, but it reminds me of the infamous 30/40 Steve Prefontaine session, which alternated 30 second 200s with 40 second 200s (4:40 mile pace for those keeping track) for 5000 meters, without stopping. Keep the trash can close to the track, people

*Once is nice, but so is twice?

A lot of athletes train only once per day, logging a 3-5 hour session. Most World Cup skiers are used to the twice-a-day ritual, and some who transition to the long-distance scene maintain that, logging a 2-3 hour double pole/primary workout in the morning and coming back with an easy bike ride to get the recovery started in the afternoon. While this is more rare, I will say it is also in many ways actually more feasible for the average person working a 9-5 job! I personally approach training this way and am able to squeeze in a high volume of training without really feeling like I’m blocking off massive parts of my day to slam poles into the pavement. 

*Weight training - is it really necessary

Even within teams, the use of weights isn’t standard. Eliassen includes strength training, but teammate Oskar Kardin does not. Persson, the overall bib winner, and Novak, the rising star and winner of numerous roller-ski races this summer, are not keen on strength training. Novak believes technique is much more important, and that he gains too much weight if he lifts a lot. One theory I have on this is that the new wave of Visma Ski Classics racers has come to the marathon circuit without prior World Cup careers. Not having been inundated with weight training throughout a World Cup career, they decide to not include it in their program. Athletes like Tord Asle Gjerdalen, who raced in the Olympics and for Norway in races of all distances, still have a firm belief in its benefits, so they do use it and believe strongly in it. 

My belief: for most of us, weight training is hugely beneficial for injury prevention and power development, which in turn can help us with posture and technique. Also, if nothing else, it mixes up the training while keeping things relatively sport-specific, which I am always a big fan of.  

*Focus on hours or focus on structure and quality

Long and easy means something different, even for high-level athletes with similar resumes. Take Tord Asle Gjerdalen (Vasaloppet champion and course record holder) and Anders Aukland. “One good example of a typical summer training session is three hours of easy roller-skiing. However, if you ask other people about (the Aukland speed), they say it is harder/faster pace than many other athletes tend to have,” Jorgen Aukland, brother and coach for Anders says. “So, if Tord Asle Gjerdalen goes for four hours, Anders covers the same distance in three hours. Our purpose is to get in some hours, keep the volume up and work on the stamina.”

In listening to Novak, who casually said he rollerskis about five hours per day in the same way you and I guiltily admit we have maybe 1-2 cups of coffee per day, the emphasis seems to be on simply accruing hours. This is the same for teammate Johannes Eklof. The two Pro Team athletes’ love of training has led to a gradual increase of annual hours, which, in and of itself, has appeared to lend to some improvement. The application to citizen-level racers here is that for those of us who are newer to the sport, increasing our hours, as long as there is an intentional focus on improving ski technique while doing so, might in and of itself, help your skiing economy and consequently, your performance. In other words, most of us haven’t exhausted the gains we can make from improved technique, so simply getting on snow IS helpful. At a higher level, of course, specific workouts designed to target certain energy systems, is necessary for further improvement.

For athletes coming off of a grueling World Cup career or ones who have exhausted their annual hour limit (and seen what happens as a result), such as Tord Asle Gjerdalen (who doesn’t even fully reveal the exact number that was), the total annual hour is not the be all end all. They understand what components need to be in place for success, and target specific blocks, sessions, and zones. Whereas they may have trained 1100-1400 hours before, they know it is more important to keep speed and power up, and, at their age, that can be accomplished in 800-950 hours. 

*Rollerski like a crazed lunatic or mix up the modalities?

Coach Jorgen Aukland believes that during the summer, effective training can occur via multiple modalities. “It is important to do many types of training, not only double-poling from May to December,” he told VSC. 

“Have fun, go biking, surf skiing, track running or find other training methods to keep your motivation up and to avoid any injuries. Have fun in the summer!” Still, it isn’t as have you can replace the effort necessary, he says. 

“But there are NO SHORTCUTS, you need to do the job!”

Pedersen, who emphasizes building capacity and endurance through multiple means, believes that variety helps to avoid monotony, especially in the summer and fall, when athletes who focus too much on specific fitness and roller-skiing races might peak too early. 

“The traps you should try to avoid are to exercise too monotonously and a little bit too much in the early summer,” he said. 

“It’s smart to have a progression in your training volume from summer to fall, both for the motivation and the variation of your training.”

One reason Nordic skiers love talking about training and have such a wide variety of opinions and styles is because the current physiological demands for excellence in the sport are so widespread. Along the aerobic and anaerobic continuum, skiers are required to check every box.  Skiers produce peak double-poling forces as high as 430 N within 0.05 seconds, as well  as forces greater than 1600 N during leg push-off when skating. 

They need power, endurance, technique, balance, and flexibility. They need to address VO2 max and lactate threshold without compromising overall peak power. In uphill sections of races, supramaximal efforts with an oxygen demand which is 120-160% of VO2peak have been recorded. Throwing down these surges requires the muscular explosion of a boxer. Having the aerobic capacity to recover from them requires the endurance of Eliud Kipchoge.   

That being said, training programs should theoretically aim to address these physiological needs. For collegiate and post-collegiate athletes able to dedicate the necessary time and resources to this singular focus, detailed programs with strict guidance from expert coaches make sense. For recreational athletes or high-level citizen racers, though, I believe llofty goals are still attainable while balancing a regular job, family, etc. 

Here are my nuts and bolts advice for those people interested in becoming the Visma Ski Classics version of your very best self: 

Integrate a lot of double poling. I haven’t tested this theory, but I believe that if you can do 60-minutes on a ski-erg at an L2-L3 effort without stopping, your body, and maybe more importantly, your mind, is rugged enough to double pole 88-92% of all terrain found on most North American loppet courses. My theory is based on the idea that there isn’t a huge difference between double poling for 45-60 minutes and continuing on for 2 or 3 hours, as long as hydration and nutrition needs are met, and as long as your mind is fit for the task. The endurance potential of the upper body based motion of the double pole is much more sustainable than running or skate skiing. You just need to get over the decades-ingrained habit of striding everything with even a remote incline. In order to do that, set aside days for double poling. Those “skate” days where the grip wax requirement requires a PhD …. Make it a double pole day. 

Then, double pole everything, even the really steep stuff. You might eventually find yourself addicted to the fact that double pole workouts can be conducted in more places and in more times throughout the year than the other techniques. I’ve double poled in late May on a wonderful two-mile stretch of a shaded railroad bed numerous times, usually well past the dates when my friends assumed skiing was done for the year. The same is true in the fall - all you need is a little snow and a few cars to pack down a gravel road and voila!

In spite of the principle of sport specificity, I suggest mixing up your training and attaching some of those physiological demands to certain modalities. For example, when I’m in Leadville, I try to grow my aerobic base and get “uncomfortable” in the lungs through a lot of uphill cycling. I also try to train the mental side and L1/aerobic side on the bike. This is because I don’t know how many 4-5 hour rollerski sessions I have in my life! I’d rather build that part of my fitness doing something more sustainable while simultaneously and intentionally getting away from skiing. This has the effect of recharging my mental batteries, too. Use the weight room to build power, running, if you can, to build VO2 max, and skate rollerskiing to build balance. This is one approach - find one that you can incorporate consistently.  

One challenge, especially as you age, but also as seasons/weather changes, is being able to conduct the workouts you feel are necessary for success, at any given time and on any given day. What if you get hurt? What if the roads don’t allow you to bike? In the off-season, I recommend taking advantage of this opportunity to pivot your mind away from the standard fitness markers like VO2 max, heart rate, time trial performance, and strive for some other carrot. One of my favorites is tracking altitude climbed in a week, month, or training block. Always have a target and something to measure your progress (or lack thereof), but be willing to be flexible.

It might seem silly to include this, but knowing what your “why” is might be the most important step to sporting success. It will be the thing that gets you out the door when you really can’t imagine doing it. Plant your purpose in something foundational, and you will surprise yourself with your discipline. 

No matter what stage or ability you’re in, give thanks, too. Fostering thankfulness, every day, will energize you more than a superficial surge of caffeine….though...that is important, too!

Keep on striding …. And keep on striving.

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