Sunday, December 19, 2021

Advanced Group Training Program for this season

Here is the advanced group training program for this winter:

The following progressive interval sets are set out for each week.   We will do them on Monday evenings and Wednesday afternoons (pick one, NOT both!).   Over the holidays, you will likely need to do your intervals by your self or with a small group.

Dec 20th   4 x 30 seconds - fast, but with good technique

Dec 27th   5 x 45 seconds

Jan 3rd      6 x 1 minute

Jan 10th     4 x 2 minutes

Jan 17th     5 x 2 minutes

Jan 24th     3 x 5 minutes

Jan 31st      4 x 5 minutes

Feb 7th       3 x 8 minutes

Feb 14th     3 to 4 x 8 minutes

For each interval set, set out a course that will approximately take you that amount of time and then give you about a 2 minute very easy skiing rest in-between each interval.   Ideally, half the intervals would be on flatter terrain and the other half (with the workout) would be on hillier terrain OR alternatively half of each interval is on flatter terrain and half on hillier terrain.

The plan for each week is to have one interval workout (as above), one hillier and longer ski, one injury-prevention strength workout, and two easy 1 to 2 hour distance skis on flattish terrain.

The easy distance skis should be 100% under an appropriate heart rate - HR under130 for those over age 40 ... and HR under 140 for those under age 40.   The continuous easy distance ski for a minimum of 45 minutes is really important as it allows your body to develop the important capacity to recover from day to day, and from effort to effort and ensure exercise is healthy, rather than become a chronic stressor.   If you are *ever* getting tired legs the next day after a ski, it's a sign that you are skiing far too hard and need to add more easy skiing into your training.

If you follow this plan, world domination will surely follow.

Steve


Thursday, December 9, 2021

Historic Moment! Downtown Nordic holds inaugural daytime training session!

 December 8th, 2021 will go down in the history books as a very special day.  The first ever daytime training session to be scheduled on a regular workday was held.  Eleven exceptionally good looking, and questionably employed DN skiers took part in the event.  They were coached by the ever dashing and stalwart Steve Scoles in both classic and skate techniques.

The training session was deemed a grand success and we look forward to more daytime training sessions. It is nice to ski and actually know who you are training with. We were all getting tired of finding out that we were actually skiing in the dark with the Jackrabbits group.  We have absolutely nothing against the Jackrabbits.  They are all outstanding and model citizens, as well as talented skiers.  We just find them to be a little too fast and much less grumpy and confused than we are.