Running, not rollerskiing, intervals

To categorize myself, I was a runner before I was a skier. After becoming a skier, I no longer wanted to be a runner because I was burned on on running and thought ski training was a lot more fun. So, when I began following the CXC Academy training plan three years ago and they suggested doing early season VO2 max intervals on a track. Greg, Avho, Ben, and Mike (SNSF coaches) have concurred--no early season VO2 max intervals on rollerskis. I scoffed. No way. I figured that if I was going to hurt like VO2 max intervals make me hurt, I may as well be doing it on rollerskis.

In the last month, I've finally made the transition to running these intervals. Today, I completed 10 x 3 min in level 4 with 2-3 minutes of rest between. My level 4 is 90-100% of my max heart rate. As a compromise, I don't run these on a track. Instead I've been running along river road. The downside is that I don't know exactly how far I've run during each interval, but its a small price to pay for scenery and a few hills to break the monotony of a flat surface. Bonus scenery: three young, buff, male rollerskiers with nice technique.

Running, it turns out, is a great way to train for cross country skiing. Avho (FinnSisu, SNSF coach) has always maintained that you get the most training benefit for the amount of time spent running. What I like about running is that its easy to do from my front door so travel time doesn't have to be a part of the workout. Also--a lot of the CXC academy running is done in level 1--which is nice and relaxing--but I'm finding that running intervals is a great way to stretch out my legs. Level 1 runs are more of a plod. Additionally, the training logs of the elite skiers such as Matt Liebsch and Caitlin Compton include a lot of running time.

So, o.k., if running is good for me, so is beer. Again, enjoying a beer (carbs) before bed.

Rollerskiing on Roads (instead of trails)

Both my husband Peter and I are both from New Ulm, MN, and we were home this weekend. Besides seeing my family, one of my favorite things about being home is being able to rollerski on the quiet, paved, city streets. Few cars, no bikes--the worst obstacle is the gooey asphalt pavement patch material that gets really soft at temps above 75 degrees. We're careful at the intersections of course....

Yesterday morning, I did a level 1 hike at Afton State Park with the Sisu Nordic Ski Foundation (SNSF) juniors and masters, so today, I did an Anaerobic Threshold (AT) workout--3 x 8 min in level 3 with a warm up and cool down. Since I skipped the specific strength workout (double pole workout), I challenged Peter to three, 100 meter double pole sprint races. The punk won all three and made sure I knew it. I think if we had done a fourth, I would have beat him. I've got more endurance!

Your Shirt is the Color of My Farts

Let me begin by specifying that this blog really is about cross country ski training for the average, citizen, master skier. I should also state that this particular blog's title has relevance to cross country ski training--promise.

I was doing a level 1, plodding run along East River Road this evening, enjoying the wild flowers and cooler temps than earlier in the day. I was wearing a green shirt--that is the color of drought-stricken grass--and enjoying that it was loose and allowing air circulation.

I came upon a group of about 10-15 kids between the ages of 8-10 standing along the curb. They were at a yard party at one of the beautiful, large homes along River Road just after crossing into St. Paul from Minneapolis, and their inflatable jumping box looked like it had sprung a leak as it was partially slumped over and no one was playing on it. Instead, some of the attendees were lined up on the curb, trying to get cars to honk or drivers to wave (I stopped and asked). They would start jumping up and down and cheering as each car approached--and the excitement would end abruptly if they got no response from the driver or continue for a little while if they got their wave or honk. There were points kept.

I obviously disappointed them because I was not a car. I did get a shout out for "saving the environment" by running instead of driving? But I was also told by a bold young woman that, "Your shirt is the color of my farts." Now that's a new one. For the rest of the run, I tried to think of what I could eat that would make my farts smell the color of my shirt. Prunes came to mind. . .I just threw the shirt in the wash, otherwise I would have a photo!

I lifted after my run and am enjoying a beer (carbs) before bed.