After the nice snow fall in MN yesterday I signed up for the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis on February 2nd. 20 mile ski race and am wanting some advice for training plans and what to focus on?
Freestyle skier, fairly competent skier (not double-poleing competent though).
Goal of the race: Finish
What is the best approach? Just ski and build up endurance, add some intensity days? Any recommended websites with beginner to immediate training plans?
Thanks in advance!
With this being a Loppet, I’m assuming you’ll be doing traditional style as opposed to skating. That being the case, you need to get your technique down - lessons wouldn’t hurt. While you can seld teach, it take a longer. Ultimately you will need to get a feel for the snow to determine how to much you can kick under what conditions and how to effectively weight transfer. Then build on poleing. Work on double-poleing to get your upper body strength up.
When skiing traditional on level ground or slight uphill, switching to a combo kick / double-pole will be your fastest skill. Simply do a sting kick with one leg and then into a double-pole, then a kick with the other leg and into a double-pole. Warning, this will exhaust you but it is very fast. But, you should be able to revert to this, especially when you need to pass someone.
Also, if you have many uphills, learn to skate and pole up. Although you may be constrained by slower folks.
Oh, like the swim, get out in front at the start foe the first 5 Km or so, especially if there are choke points (steep uphill and dowhill). Even when doing 50 and 60Km matathon skis that was a good strategy.
Have fun!
Should’ve specified, Saturday is the Classic and Sunday is the Skate race. I’ll be doing the skate race.
Ski, ski, ski.
I’m not sure I’ve seen anything in the way of training plans for skiing like you would for a marathon. I have a PDF from the US Ski team floating around on my computer I thought I had pulled from SISU Skiers (now Endurance United) a while back that has a very general outline for a yearly program.
Otherwise, the same physiological principals apply just like any other sport so I would try to apply any other program you find and like to skiing. Include different intensity levels etc as you see fit. But ski lots. And check out those hills at Theo. You can be dead in the first 10k if you don’t know what to expect.
If you go to the Outside Magazine web site there is an intersting article you can search for on training for the Birkie. Would imagine it is similar training.
Also check out an interesting book by Bill Mckibben on training for a cross-country ski marathon - The book is called “Long Distance” and it was a really good read - his coach, Rob Sleamaker, was actually the guy who invented the Vasa trainer and he did a lot of his training on the Vasa.
Finally some snow in MN!
I signed up 2 years ago for my first Birkie without even owning skis and completely relied on my IM fitness to get me through.
I’ve never really put together a specific program either, just would get out 3-4 days a week and log 10-30k. Find some good hills at Battle Creek. There are a couple beginner groups over at Theo Wirth if you are looking for some instruction. Hopefully you’ve found Skinnyski.com already.
So just jump in and have fun!
Should’ve specified, Saturday is the Classic and Sunday is the Skate race. I’ll be doing the skate race.
OK, skip my helpful hints. Instead, go out to your local ski hill and skate up the hill and ski down for the day :).
Get out and ski as much as you can, as long as you can, as often as you can.
I wouldn’t worry about intervals since it’s only 7 weeks away or so.
At the end of each day, spend 10 or 15 minutes working solely on technique. Try these drills (a groomed flat teaching area is useful):
ski without poles. Focus on getting out over each ski by lining up your chin, your noes and your toes. If every so often you have to hop to keep your balance as a result of leaning too far over then you’re doing it right. Skiing on the trail without poles early season is always good, too.
every few strides try to hold a glide for as long as you can. You can do this on the trail as well (depending on your trails)
practice waxing your skis as well if you aren’t handy with it and invest in some fluro wax for the race. You’ll notice a difference. If you aren’t sure, take them to a xc shop and they’ll most like wax them for you. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it.
Good luck! Tell us how it goes 
just get out and do a longer session once a week where you get up to maybe 2.5 hours, have some water and food and such while you are skiing and just work on being smooth. Spend some time on your other days working on no poles and double poling. If the weather is crap go run with poles, there are groups in your area I bet that do that stuff, it would be nice to have company
There might be something of use here.
http://www.birkie.com/...ing-plan-bill-pierce
Keep your nose, knee, and toe lined up…
Most important, do not start too hard on race day. You can use a HR monitor, it is helpful
Thanks all for the advice and tips. Definitely will be working on technique and hills!
With this being a Loppet, I’m assuming you’ll be doing traditional style as opposed to skating.
? Big assumption.
It’s worth mentioning that extended use of skating techniques in racing began with loppets in the early 1980s, and later spread to World Cup racing, the other types of racing, and then more generally.
To the OP, be sure to practice whatever feeding strategy you have, and try to get in some continuous workouts of the full length (in time) of the event.
So, JOOC, which technique is used by the top skiers, classic or skating???
Given your question, it sounds like you have little if any experience, so, stick to doing everything you can with technique. Focus on developing and improving technique - 20 miles xc is not that long, but very long skating if you have bad technique. There are some decent training videos and very good free training plans on the Birkie website: http://www.birkie.com/page/show/902966-birkie-training-plan-bill-pierce
Learn to wax properly and how to choose your wax - it makes a huge difference.
So, JOOC, which technique is used by the top skiers, classic or skating???
Yes.
One other point, do not, repeat, do not rely on your tri/running/cycling fitness to get you through this even to finish. Absent even remotely functional technique, that will be a very long day despite your fitness. I have seen way too many triathletes who try to “fitness” and “buy” their way through XC ski races (like the Birkie) wearing some crazy high priced ski suit get easily beat by out of shape, beer guzzling chain smokers and senior citizens wearing carharts and flannels shirts who know how to ski.
So, JOOC, which technique is used by the top skiers, classic or skating???
Yes.
Wikipedia informed me that races are categorized as classic or free; classic or skate; as well as “double pursuit” which involves both.