Fall Training Tips From Amanda

Leaves are turning, and in some parts of the country, snow is starting to fall in the high peaks, which means for us Nordic skiers, it’s about to be our favorite time of year. The majority of the long rollerskis, aerobic base training, and heart rate monitor sun burns are behind us, and only a few short weeks separate us from the start of the winter race season. 

As the saying goes, skiers are made in the summer. And while in a lot of ways that’s true, what happens in the fall and the early winter is what differentiates the good skiers from the great. The winter is long, and staying sharp and healthy is key to peaking during the late winter championships season. With that in mind, here are a few tips to get your body and mind ready before racing heats up. 

1. Keep your body safe. As the days get shorter, training sessions are often pushed into dawn/dusk/darkness. If you’re on the road, make sure to have high viz, reflectors, and bright lights. It’s also a really good time to get back into a routine for any running PT/pre-T you may have. Inevitably, as falling leaves turn to falling snow, there will be more days where it’s too slippery for skiing, rollerskiing, and biking, and you’ll be left with running as your only option. Unless you’re in the minority of skiers that have great running form and injury resilience, building a proactive running specific strength base is one of the best ways to make sure you can continue to get in your workouts regardless of what Mother Nature spits your way. 

2. Similarly, as the weather gets cooler, it’s important to think about recovery. You may have been able to leave the house with a tshirt and a granola bar for the last 3-4 months, but as it gets colder, it’s important to start bringing dry layers and a good snack. Come October I always have a full change of clothes in my car. If there’s no precip, it might be enough to change into a dry shirt and sweatshirt, but better to be prepared for the drizzly 40 degree days than to drive home shivering. Staying warm takes energy, and if you’re low on energy your body will prioritize maintaining functional temperature over rebuilding muscle and other physiological systems, so it’s good to have a hearty snack for during and after workouts. Once it starts getting cold, I like to put a warm drink mix in my water pack (like hot Skratch Apple cider or warm water with lemon, salt, and maple syrup). If we’re driving more than 10-15 minutes to training, I also really like packing soup in a thermos to quickly replenish substantial calories in a way that’s much more appetizing than a cold granola bar after a hard effort. 

3. The fall is a great time to experiment with your pre-race routine. Thinking now about things like what you eat the night before/morning of, how early you go to bed, when you pack your bag, and how you layer will pay off come winter when you add the variables of travel, snow conditions, and real race stress to the mix. Using time trials and intensity sessions to dial  in your warmup is also a great idea, and will give you much more confidence in your process when important races come around. 

4. Finally, use this time to get ahead on life admin. Do you have to order new gloves, write a thank you to a sponsor, or help your brother-in-law with this-that-and-the-other thing? Do it now, it’s not going to get any easier. A huge part of racing is how competitive your head space can be, and the fewer things you have on your plate during race season, the easier it will be to clear your mind and focus on your strategy and race execution goals. 

By following these tips, and the hard work you’ve been doing all summer will pay off, you’ll be able to start the winter feeling confident in a solid base of training and preparation. From there, the results will speak for themselves! Keep up the hard work and do your snow dances!