Kikkan Randall

Favorite place to train?
My favorite place to dryland train is in the mountains of Alaska.  Less
than 15 minutes from my house I can be cruisin' up the mountain and away from
the city.  The views are breath-taking and you get lost in the moment. 
Everything seems momentus when you're there.

Why do you enjoy being a ski racer? What part of being a ski racer don't you
enjoy?
The things I enjoy most about being a ski racer are the physical and mental
highs I get from pushing my body.  I experience these highs from a variety
of sources: distance training, intervals, strength training and of course, racing. 
I love the drive it takes to be a ski racer, dreaming about something and then
actually going out and working to make that dream come true.  And the last
thing, being able to eat anything I want!!!

The things I don't enjoy about being a ski racer are the low times.  Sometimes
my body just feels terrible, and no matter how much I push mentally or how bad
I want it, my body just won't or can't respond.  I also don't appreciate
how little credit cross-country skiers, and especially US cross-country skiers
get from the general public.  We work just as hard or harder than a lot
of athletes out there that receive more money and more attention for their skills
than they deserve.  Meanwhile most skiers are struggling to make it. 
Where's the justice in that?

If you weren't a ski racer, what would you be doing?
That is a hard question because knowing me I could be doing any number of things. 
But, I would probably either be a runner/student at a university or just a student,
pursuing a degree in computer science.

What is one of you favorite non-skiing accomplishments?
Graduating from high school with a 4.17 GPA.  I missed a lot of school
my junior and senior years and it took a lot of hard work to make up for my
absence.  I am proud that I gave 100% in school as well as my athletics
because it would have been easy to give less effort.
I am also excited to be maintaining a strong GPA at Alaska Pacific University. 
School is a different challenge and it helps keep me motivated.
What do you do to pass the time when you are on the road at races and
training camps (read, watch TV, computer games, etc)?
To pass the time on ski trips I always have grandious ideas to keep me occupied,
like working on my webpage, working on a video presentation of my trip or reading
a good book.  But as it turns out, I usually end up just hanging out with
my teammates or watching tv.

What were your best and worst races last season?
My Best Race: 
     My best race of the 2002-2003 season was the NorAm
sprint in West Yellowstone, Montana.  I was training hard and feeling good. 
After each round of the sprints I felt stronger and stronger.  I won the
race with a strong surge in the final 200m and I felt like I skied away from
the competition.  I had positive energy just surging through my body the
whole day and that night.  Then, with the whole season still ahead of me
I felt like it was going to be my best season yet.
My Worst Race:
     My worst race of the 2002-2003 season was the 10km
classic race at World Championships in Val di Fiemme.  I was just coming
off some decent results at the U23 championships, excited to be feeling like
a ski racer again after a long period of sickness.  I started the race
and skied hard but I just felt flat.  My technique felt good but I had
no "pop" in my legs.  I tried to inspire and motivate myself
mentally because Trond, the USST head coach had spoken with us the night before
and told us to give 100%.  I was so inspired by his speech that I wanted
to ski a breakthrough race.  Instead all I could manage was an average
one. 

How do you deal with bad races?
I try to analyze them, usually through an email story, and figure out what didn't
work out.  Then I pull those lessons out and store them in my "bag
of experience."  I try not to dwell on the dissapointment and instead
focus my energy on the next challenge.

What are your racing goals for the upcoming season?
I want to win a medal at the U23 championships.

How do you feel about the changes in race format over the past few years?
I love it all.  Sprint racing has become my fortay, I love the thrill of
head to head competition in mass start races and the duathalon adds an extra
challenge and component to the sport.  I have yet to try a classic sprint,
but I think that will be a good event for me as well.  It is also nice
to ski so many different events instead of the same old ones over and over.

What is your take on the issue of doping in cross country ski racing these
days?
I believe the doping is being cleaned up, slowly but surely, and that many of
the true, honest champions are now winning the races.  Of course, there
will always be cheaters, and with the rapid advances in technology there will
soon be new ways to cheat, but I think the good guys are winning the battle!

What changes will you be making to your training plan for this year?
This year I excited to be putting a lot more focus on strength training, with
some new max-strength workouts.  In addition to the new strength program,
I am changing my interval progressions to incorporate more speed training earlier
in the year.  I am planning on training 500 hours this year, which is 50
less than I aimed for last year.  My coaches and I felt that it would be
better to focus on quality and rest this year instead of chasing hours.

How many time-trials on foot and rollerskis did you do last summer and fall did
you do and how long were they?
I probably did 10 or so time trials, mostly on foot, last summer and fall. 
The time trials ranged from a 3000m on the track to an uphill running course
that takes close to 30 minutes.  As the race season approached a did a
few time trials on snow and those ranged from 6k to 15k.

Do you have a favorite interval workout?
I like doing 1km repeats, on classic rollerskis up a windy stretch of road called
Potter Valley.  The course is uphill all the way, with a flatter section
in the middle and a tough straightaway before the finish line.  I like
pushing through the different sections and really pushing hard on the last interval. 
It is a really tough workout but I like comparing times with previous workouts
and seeing improvements.

What was your most memorable workout(s) last year?
I don't have any particular one that stands out, but I really enjoyed those
distance runs with my teammates where we talked and joked and time seemed to
fly by, I couldn't have run long enough on those days.

If you had to eat lunch at a fast-food restaurant, where would you go and
what would you order?
Not that I ever do this… hee hee… but if I had to I would probably stop
at Taco Bell.   I would order a seven layer burrito and a double decker
taco.  Maybe with some mexi-nuggets and a diet coke on the side.

Can you give us a single piece of advice for aspiring Junior skiers?
Have fun with the sport.  Enjoy the everyday challenges and don't get too
caught up in your long-term future as a cross-country skier.  Be patient
with yourself and your body.

How about some advice for Masters skiers?
Master skiers, you rule!!  You have found a great sport to enjoy and your
enthusiasm keeps the younger generation going!  Train hard, learn as much
as you can but remember, you do this because it's fun!