With xc skiing season in full swing, one of the most beautiful endurance sports in my mind, I learned that Didrik Toenseth was norwegian champ in XC running and he wanted to start in the european champs next week. But unfortunately the federation did not select him.
I find his running ability quite remarkable. Of course the skiers do a lot of running in the summer and they have a huge engine from all their training hours. But skiers are also bigger in the upper and lower body than running specialists.
I like that guys like him (and Blummenfelt or Andy Vernon) show that you can run very fast without being built like a bird and that more power and a big engine can be helpful. I think when we talk about running prowess one often focuses too much on being ultra light and forgets the strength component.
(When I got into running at 17 I fell into this trap and kept my bodyweight unnaturally low. When I took up cycling I grew much more muscular and now, at my heaviest, I run faster than ever.)
10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40
I find his running ability quite remarkable. Of course the skiers do a lot of running in the summer and they have a huge engine from all their training hours. But skiers are also bigger in the upper and lower body than running specialists.
I like that guys like him (and Blummenfelt or Andy Vernon) show that you can run very fast without being built like a bird and that more power and a big engine can be helpful. I think when we talk about running prowess one often focuses too much on being ultra light and forgets the strength component.
(When I got into running at 17 I fell into this trap and kept my bodyweight unnaturally low. When I took up cycling I grew much more muscular and now, at my heaviest, I run faster than ever.)
10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40