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.
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