December 2002 Training Report and January Training Suggestions It’s Sunday morning and I just returned from a great skate workout up Mill Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City. I skied with two friends, Dave Knoop and Jim DiDomenico, that also both skied yesterday’s Potato Cup race in Pocatello, Idaho I was sore and tired from the race but both Jim and Dave seemed to have lots of energy (too much?) in this 6-7 K of...
Training — more than sweat and hard work It is early on a clear and clean early summer’s morning in 1997. As usual I am out on a training run in the woods. I have run about an hour, on my way over to Fjellsjœkampen, which at 812 meters elevation it’s the highest point in the county. I know that there are game birds in the area. Tiri, my bird dog, essentially told me this...
I walk the 200 meters from my room to the dining area for lunch. On the door some one has hung a poster with congratulations to “our golden boy.” Inside the dining hall I experience again what has been part of our team’s success during the 1990s: commaradary, team spirit, and the ability to celebrate when things go well for another on the team. The other racers give me hugs and handshakes. Even those who...
Amongst our different groups of cross-country skiers, being in good shape usually means having good endurance. Good endurance can however be measured in a couple of ways, one being able to ski slow, but steadily for a long distance, another being able to ski fast in a ski race. Different body mechanisms are required for the two “types” of endurance. Both types of endurance require training that changes the body at the muscular level, while...
A three part series on studies of endurance training. Langrenn.com is proud to introduce these endurance training articles written by Stephen Seiler PhD.
“Bjœrn, come over here. Look at me. Can you smile a little? Lift you arms over your head. Can we get a really great picture of you celebrating? Take a jump in the air” The finish line has been passed, the gold has been won, but the job isn’t finished. A lot of fun and business remains, and first the photographers need to get their shots. After the flower ceremony with the three medal winners...
At last. Now we’re there. The time is 10:35. The skis have been marked, I glide up towards the start line. As always I focus on doing every detail correctly. Place the skis in the track, but keep moving them to avoid any icing of the klister. Take a couple of deep breaths. Thinking I need to calm down. Same procedure as so many times before. Don’t get too exited. Too many times I’ve started...
I pull the curtains to the side and open the window. It’s cloudy and mild. This is good. I have a pair of fantastic skis for these conditions. Per Knut Aaland, who is our kick wax expert, has shown many times that he manages to find the perfect wax for the snow we have today. Moreover, klister conditions fit my explosive style of classic technique. Yup, it looks good. Can I have the perfect race?...
Surprisingly, the pre-Christmas season was perfect. Surprising, since many distracting tasks and problems caused me to have too much to think about. And it would become even worse. Soon after New Year’s celebrations, we traveled to Kavgolovo in Russia for World Cup events. The day before the World Cup race, our team manager Ulf Morten Aune asked me to come see him in his room in the army facilities we were staying at. He then...
Bente Skari gives assistant coach Egil Kristiansen most of the credit for the huge technical improvement she has made in skating this year. – He's been very patient, says Skari, who explains XC-skiing.com's readers how she has become a complete cross-country skier. Egil Kristiansen have seen it and Bente have felt it. A breakthrough was imminent. A great deal of hard work and close attention to technical details have contributed to a gradual improvement in...
Nov 19, 2002 Dear friends, family, and fellow cyclists, On or around the 22nd of November, certain information regarding myself will become public. It will not be good news but I thought that hearing my side of the story first, might lessen the shock a little when you do read this, or hear about it in a few days. Some of what you will read in the media and hear on the streets will be...
Now it is serious. In the half-dark I get to my feet. Room six at the Tambartun School, where we have been provided housing, isn't big, but it is enough. Of course it's a mess. I step over bags, training gear, water bottles and newspapers. And over there is a marzipan pig I have gotten for Kristen Skjeldal. He is my idol. If everyone in the world were like him, there wouldn't be any wars....
I left the USA on June 26th for Norway to spend a little more than three weeks with my family in my hometown of Langesund which is on the coast of Telemark. My report will give you a little description of this part of the country, since it represents some of the best Norway has to offer in the summer. I’m planning of sending some "training reports" to be posted starting in early July if...
We made it to Norway on June 27th after a long 20-hour trip. The alarm clock was set for 5:30 in the morning on the 26th to make it to the airport in time for all the necessary security checks. My wife was already in Europe on business so I was escorting our two girls (ages 6 and 10) by myself. Kris left me with quite a checklist, ranging from feeding the pets to unplugging...
Sognsvann, Oslo's most popular running area Resistance Museum Art exhibit at harbor in Oslo Downtown Oslo Boats in Oslo Harbor Akershus fortress in downtown Oslo Akershus fortress in downtown Oslo downtown Oslo Old WWII German fortress outside of Langesund Lighthouse in Langesund fjord Boating on the coast of Telemark There is no wheelchair in sight for this 87 year old! (Torbjorn's Dad, Sverre Karlsen) The southern part of Norway received lots of rain during our...
FasterSkier.com Note: One thing we feel has been lacking on this continent is in-depth coverage of ski racing. We think it would be valuable for all interested skiers to hear more about Continental Cup races, ski marathons, Nationals, even local races, etc. Sure you can get results for these races many places (including this website), but we also want to bring you the story of the races – not just who won but what really...
Health – Alsgaard Poor Lifestyle Main Cause for Cancer. On July 2nd I read an interesting article in The VG Newspaper about The World’s Health Organization’s (WHO) new "National Global Cancer Control Programs." It was Norway’s former prime minister and now CEO of WHO, Gro Harlem Bruntland that commented during the 18th international cancer congress that the main cause of cancer in the Western World is related to people’s lifestyle. TV is blamed Bruntland attacked...
My July training was discussed in my three Norway reports posted last month so I will focus on Gordon's July experience and what to do in August. I would like to add though that I adopted the new Norwegian food lifestyle during the last week over there and quickly gained seven pounds (!) that have made me struggle a little in my training since returning to Utah. The reason for the sudden (weight) increase was...
To all of you that have been called health freaks, training narcs, granola nuts, skinny skeletons, heart rate monsters, lactate locos, nordicks or other hurtful titles – usually by jealous high cholesterol, clogged artery, overweight and in general unhealthy colleagues, friends or neighbors – You are the one that’s normal! In the September 6th issue of USA TODAY, I read (front page) that An Expert Panel now recommends that we exercise an hour a day...
About This Column: Lets get started… This column is meant to give our readers training and racing ideas to help them prepare for the upcoming race season. Both Gordon Lange and I have coached skiers for many years. Last summer we decided to start working out together and be a little more systematic and goal-oriented with our own training. Since we had coached together in the past and had spent years discussing and sharing ideas...