Build 1

I'm about 5 weeks into my skimo training program. "Training program" is a term I use loosely, but generally, it involves a few training periods with the objective of being at peak fitness in January. I had a pretty moderate summer as far as intensity and racing goes. I did a few trail running races in hopes that my body wouldn't forget how to work hard. But for the most part, my objective was to maintain fitness (and learn how to run, but that's another story . . . ).

Beginning on August 30th, I entered into a "build" phase. My objective during this phase was to build aerobic fitness and to increase efficiency at threshold. Thus, intensity-wise, it involved several rounds of effort at or below threshold (for me, 162-172 bpm) and a lot of aerobic time (for me, 135-140 bpm). In an ideal world, I would be able to train on skis. However, since there is no snow around, my activity of choice has primarily been mountain running, with a bit of biking mixed in. I've found mountain running to be a good substitute for on-snow training. The motion of climbing steep mountains, sometimes with poles, is very similar to skinning. I think it will require less transition time than biking. Hopefully, it will translate well.

Here is a short summary of Build 1:

I'm going to rest this week, and then enter into another Build Phase. Hopefully, the snow is not too far away.