2020 Marathon Training Tips #9 - 2/17/2020

from Caitlin & Adam of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project

This winter, Craftsbury Green Racing Project athletes Caitlin Patterson and Adam Martin are offering weekly guidance via an email newsletter, to help you prepare for the Craftsbury Marathon or any other ski marathon. We (Caitlin & Adam) hope that this will be useful for those training for their first ski race as well as veterans of many previous marathons. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.

Each week, we will explain a suggested workout and a technique tip that we feel is important to think about. While this newsletter will not constitute a full training plan, we hope that you can incorporate these suggestions into your preparation in order to arrive at the start line with more confidence in your efficiency and fitness!

Having provided guidance through the Craftsbury Marathon and American Birkebeiner, this is the last week of training tips. Good luck in any remaining races you’re contesting this year!

The Workout: Shakeout Jog

Workout: Shakeout Jog, Spin, or Ski

Brief, light aerobic sessions improve recovery and keep your body feeling sharp.

Exercise at a very comfortable intensity for 15 to 30 minutes. Whether you choose jogging, spinning on a bike, or skiing, make sure you are well adapted to the activity, so that you don’t incur any unintentional muscle soreness. If you’re not used to running at this time of year and skiing or spinning aren’t realistic, even a short walk can accomplish the same goals.

After the session, consider 5 to 10 minutes of light stretching and/or foam rolling.

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3 Ways to Utilize Shakeout Sessions:

1. A shakeout the day or evening before a race will help you feel sharp.

2. A short shakeout (5 to 15 minutes) the morning of a race can help get all of your body’s systems firing.

3. And if you’re especially motivated, a shakeout the evening after your race will hasten recovery and help you feel better the following morning.

Why:

Shakeout sessions improve circulation and warm up your muscles. A period of increased blood flow can expedite recovery in a myriad of ways, and light stretching and/or foam roller massage will be especially effective when your muscles are warm.

Technique Tip: Weight forward on the Balls of the Feet

When you’re out for a ski, can you feel where along your feet your bodyweight is ground to the snow? Are your heels most grounded, or the mid-foot, or the ball/front of the foot, or does it change depending on the technique you’re using?

There’s not necessarily a “right” answer, and the weight will probably shift along the foot as you move through various phases of your ski stride. However I’d challenge you to move your weight towards the front of the foot more often.

Several weeks ago, the technique tip on knee drive called attention to pushing the knee forward during v2, v1, or striding. A related concept, but one that also stands on its own, is leaning forward so that the front part of the foot bears the majority of the body weight throughout each stride.

If you stand flat-footed in shoes on level ground, you’ll be in a nice stable position. However, stability is not our intent in skiing; the intent is to move forward along the trail, to travel from one point to another with speed, efficiency and grace. Instead of skiing flat-footed, we can lean forward and bring the weight to the front of the feet so that the heels rise off the ground. This encourages the whole body to fall forward onto the poles. 

By bringing the weight to the front of the foot in skiing, we put ourselves in a position prepared for and encouraging forward movement. In classic striding, weight towards the front of the foot helps us set the wax and propel the next glide. During skating motions, keeping the weight on the front of the foot can better balance the load on the large muscle groups, make climbing hills feel easier, and prevent the skier from sitting back and over-loading the quadricep muscles on the fronts of the legs.

To feel the sensation of forward weight, first stand on your skis on level snow. Stand flat-footed with your weight spread through the whole foot and into the skis. Now, while keeping the knees gently flexed and the body relaxed, rock slowly forward onto the front portion of your foot. If you keep standing upright, you might stay in the same place, but if you let yourself gently lean forward as you move the weight you may find yourself sliding forwards on the snow. Play with the position of the weight a few times, feeling what it’s like to bring the weight forward, back, or to the whole foot. Then head out for a ski and try to similarly rock your weight forward onto the balls of the feet while skiing, whether in striding or v1 or v2. At first it may seem strange or unstable, but with practice and adaptation, a more forward position should help you ski with greater efficiency.

Thanks and Goodbye

Thank you for following our training tips this season. We hope to have challenged you with new workouts and to have provided helpful technique insights. There is still plenty of winter left, so we hope you'll continue to put these workouts and technique tips to use and enjoy the rest of the season.

Your Authors

Caitlin Patterson is a member of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project elite team and the US Ski Team. She is a 9-time US National Champion, a 2018 Olympian and a 2019 World Championship team member. Caitlin considers herself a distance specialist, racing primarily 5k to 30k events, but loves the high-paced action of sprint heats too.

Adam Martin is in his third year training and racing with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project. He has started 8 World Cups and raced in the 2019 World Championships. Last year Adam won the freestyle Craftsbury Marathon. He is supported by Fischer skis and boots and Swix poles.

The Green Racing Project is an elite team of post-collegiate athletes who train and live in Craftsbury, Vermont. Their athletic dreams are supported by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and Concept 2. In return for this support, the athletes engage in professional development by working on a variety of projects at the Outdoor Center.

Questions or Feedback?

Send feedback about this newsletter, or requests for future content, to caitlinpattersonskier@gmail.com. While we can't promise to respond to every request, we'd love to hear what topics are most interesting and write content that will help you become more comfortable on skis!