April 2002
My column, Training with Torbjorn and Gordon will continue on this web
site.
The focus will be a bit more on our plans for the upcoming training month
and a little less on how we did the past month. Gordon will hopefully
join in more frequently with occasional comments and his laid-back Wyoming
humor. He just needs to be provoked a little more – then he’ll
write.
Our new digital camera makes it easier for us to show exercises, drills
and discuss technique. Overall, everything should be even more exciting,
inspiring and colorful. Stay alert and log on frequently, we might provide
you with the right ideas!
Since the
race season is now about over for most skiers we can talk a little about
The Recovery Month – April.
Most World Cup skiers are in great need for several weeks of "off
time" following 8-10 month of extensive traveling, long training
camps and 1-3 races every week for five months. Many of these skiers have
no other choice that to take 1-3 weeks of doing nothing but rest. Ignoring
this might make it difficult to do good training in May. Some of the Europeans
head for the beaches of Spain or Tropical Island like Ibiza or Majorca.
Some of the US skiers head for Mexico or Hawaii. Tough life.
April therefore turns out to be the lowest and least intensive training
month of the year for this level skier. There are, of course, a few exceptions
like Mountain biker/skier Carl Swenson. Two weeks ago, Carl flew home
from Europe only hours after his last World Cup ski race, and within the
week was racing his mountain bike at the Sea Otter Classic in California.
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| Run easy in April to avoid injuries |
Personally
I have competed and traveled far to little to feel burnt out or very tired
from the season. I therefore see no reason or need to take a few weeks
off, but in order to refocus and stay motivated I use this as my "do
whatever you like to do" training month. No structured intervals
or plan. I try to prepare for going back to dryland training like running,
biking and rollerskiing with out getting injured. In practice this means
that I do a little bit of everything. I’m aiming for my usual 5-7
total workouts per week. And a weekly total of about 5-10 hours everything
included. I try to continue to make a daily workout a part of my routine
–it’s no big deal. This is not hard core it’s simply healthy.
Running
Getting back to running means that I jog and walk short 20-50 minute sessions,
often a combination. I don’t run fast at all and go from 1-2 such
session per week, up to about every other day when I get going. I gradually
increase the length of these workouts.
Weights
I’m also going back to the weight room (I actually was in the weight
room occasionally throughout the season). A little more laid back and
a little more focused on the "beach muscles" and simply making
sure that most muscles are being used. Some days I’ll work on 10-20
reps while others are with heavier loads and few reps. More reps on stomach
and back exercises.
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| Spring is a great time for road biking |
The first
4-5 sessions are with light loads and 10-15 reps. I was in the weight
room twice in the week following Masters Nationals.
Biking
Next up is tuning up the bikes, putting on new tires and starting up with
short road and mountain bike rides again.
Hard Training and Motivational Workouts.
I’m planning no hard training, but I won’t avoid it if it’s
fun. Two days after the 30K at Masters Nationals I skied up Mill Creek
with Gordon. 50 minutes of medium to steep uphill (longer and steeper
than the main climb in The Great Race). We decided before we started that
we were not going to "race" today but skiing as hard as you
could was OK. And that’s what we did.
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| In the spring, we like to load all the toys in the truck and head to Moab. |
You probably
have to know us a little to understand what gets us going. Since the skiing
around here is still good I will continue to ski a couple days per week
including a little Backcountry skiing. Our motivational/"better get
going" workout is in mid April where I will be getting together with
Dick Hunt, Gordon Lange and a few other friends in Moab, Utah for a few
days of road biking. Our main workout/excuse for going will be the La
Sal Mountain loop. See
my report from last year.
Total training
hours for April will be around 25-30 hours. I’m planning no rollerskiing
before sometime in May. I’m planning no competitions in April.
An important reminder: Next season is a long time away. Be patient, don’t
start up to hard. You need to get used to crawling and walking before
you can run. Don’t rush it.
Torbjorn
