MJMaxwell
Regular poster
Registered: 03/05/07
Posts: 88
|
| | 09/07/09 at 09:12 PM | Reply with quote | #1 |
|
If the last two years have taught me anything it is that I can't count on natural talent and stubbornness to get me through the AHU. Since I'm determined to finish this year I've decided to put together a training schedule.
Here's a rough draft for a weekly schedule to start on October 1st (16 weeks out) using a combination of roller-skiing, running, nordic-trak, and of course skis (weather depending).
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Other
1+ hours; do something other than ski specific workout
Tuesday: Strength
1+ hours; tire drag, other ?
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Speed
1+ hours of work on speed
Friday: Skill
1+ hours; hill climbs, no poles, poles only, balance, one leg, turns, stopping
Saturday: Endurance
3+ hours at medium pace
Here are some resources I'm trying to pull from:
Classic Dryland
Ultramarathon Training Plan
Feedback is always appreciated.
|
| Loading... | |
MOCKBA
Member
Registered: 02/04/09
Posts: 33
|
| | 09/10/09 at 12:31 PM | Reply with quote | #2 |
|
Leaves are turning yellow, time to think snow again, right 
The plan looks cool, wouldn't be it the most interesting to compare with the stuff you'd normally do this time of the year? Trail runs?
I have a few thoughts about the missing bits and pieces in the plan.
One, I believe that endurance activities in the cold are energetically based on fat burning and fat loading. Not like your hour-long weeknight runs. Some training may be needed to kick the right metabolism into the right gear, and it could only be done by long workouts in the cold IMVHO.
Forearm muscles could get real sore from longhaul skiing. Most summer activities don't give them any load. Maybe some sort of a gym regimen could substitute? Rowing for two hours straight? Yuck. But worth thinking about these possibilities...
And I think some stability / core strength workout in the lower body / knee / ankle may be useful. When you are sleepy and tired and it's dark and some silly mistake sends you tumbling, tangle-skied, it just ain't gonna be good.
|
| Loading... | |
MJMaxwell
Regular poster
Registered: 03/05/07
Posts: 88
|
| | 09/10/09 at 07:52 PM | Reply with quote | #3 |
|
Good suggestions. Normally this time of year I'm a cyclist and I'd still be going out a few times per month putting in long miles. I'll probably still be doing some of that on the weekends. Every day rain or shine I put in 40 minutes to an hour on the bike just riding to and from work. There are plenty of good trails within a few miles of home so I'll try to use those for some trail runs.
You're right about the one hour runs being a bit short to get into endurance shape. I'd like to do longer runs, but I'm trying to keep the schedule sane and not get burnt out doing nothing but training. Would fewer, longer workouts be better, I wonder? I do plan on doing the Tuscobia Ultra and Triple D along with some weekend camping trips to get me in shape.
Two years ago, when I first tried to ski the AHU, I found myself unable to lift my arms after 70 miles. Working on technique and using my legs helped a lot, and I plan to work more on that this year. In addition I plan on running with poles as soon as I'm finished with my marathon in late October. I'm initially opposed to any sort of gym workout, but I may have to consider it.
Core workouts are something I need to take a closer look at. Back when I did martial arts I did pushups and situps before bed every night. It only took a few minutes and seemed to make a real difference. Something similar may be in order for skiing. Situps, standing on one leg with eyes closed (suggested by a co-worker), maybe something in addition.
|
| Loading... | |
mitchellarossman
Pro poster
Registered: 03/24/07
Posts: 130
|
| | 09/11/09 at 09:37 AM | Reply with quote | #4 |
|
Here are some out-of-the-box training suggestions that I have used for the AHU 2006 and for several 12 and 24 Hours of Telemark events:
Roller ski (skate) while dragging a tire until exhaustion. It is a killer workout for a few months until you become strong, then add a second tire to start the suffering process all over again. I used tires sans rims off of my mini-van. Real men would keep the rims on. VERY BIG intimidation factor working for you when you meet normal (Birkie-type) roller skiers. They think that you are some wild beast.
Indoors: Mount a rowing machine on a wall and use it as a double pole workout. A perfect range of motion. Dial up the resistance as you get stronger. After you have maxed out the resistance on one rowing machine, buy a second identical machine, mount it next to the first rowing machine, and begin the process all over again. Best to have small tv to watch if you are doing this for 4-5 hours or you go completely nuts. This workout is good for when you can't roller ski due to rain or heavy frost on the bike path. This makes you into a very strong double pole machine.
|
| Loading... | |
MOCKBA
Member
Registered: 02/04/09
Posts: 33
|
| | 09/11/09 at 12:42 PM | Reply with quote | #5 |
|
OK I'm already intimidated just by the text version of it, without even seeing it LOL.
Could you explain a bit more about the rowing machine on a wall. So you no longer use this butt-killing rowing seat? Just staying there and pulling these cords? Kind of like a simple weight with a block contraption? In what direction (your mounting points should depend on the desired direction of the pull, right?) And how far behind your body?
PS:
http://www.skiroll.it/collavo/ercolina_english.htm
|
| Loading... | |
mitchellarossman
Pro poster
Registered: 03/24/07
Posts: 130
|
| | 09/11/09 at 06:08 PM | Reply with quote | #6 |
|
Yes, the workout is similar to what you show. I think the machine that you show is also called a "Russian Wind Machine." Since I already had a $400 rowing machine, I used that instead it of buying one or making one of those Russian Wind Machines.
So I took my rowing machine, mounted it high on the wall, wrapped a piece of retired climbing rope around the rowing bar, and attached a handle to each end of the rope.
Stand back a distance like you would if you were doubling poling, crank up the resistance, and have at it until you blow out your upper body and your stomach muscles. You can get a full collapse of the upper body and have your hands pass by your knees at the bottom of the stroke. 
Why do this? If you sign up for a 24 hour ski race the first week of January with a very good chance that there will not be any snow to train on before the race, you innovate and do desperate things. 
The computer on the rowing machine also provided a hard numbers to track your workout.
A year or two later, when I got serious about kayaking for adventure racing, I picked up a used second rowing machine (identical to the first) to make a poor man's kayak erg.
Make a wooden frame, mount the two rowing resistance units on it, attach a wooden bar and webbing, then have at it. However, the resistance is very high, even under the lowest resistance settings, so it was best for a low cadence, high torque workout. But, a steady diet of this will make a gorilla out of you in a boat.
This set up was cheaper than a $2000 Speedstroke, a $1700 Vasa Kayak erg, or a $1200 Paddle One kayak erg.
Once I had two rowing machines, I used both for a double pole workout. I just attached one bar to the two rowers, in place of the two separate rowing bars, and added a rope with two handles.
I also tried to introduce a skating workout for the legs into that double pole workout, but never came up with anything viable. I tried various lateral thigh trainers on the market, slide boards, etc. without success. My motivation was to make a highly specific indoor skate ski workout that you could do if the weather outside was not suitable for roller skiing. 
|
| Loading... | |
mitchellarossman
Pro poster
Registered: 03/24/07
Posts: 130
|
| | 09/11/09 at 06:09 PM | Reply with quote | #7 |
|
BTW: a good pair of bike shorts is the butt-saving ticket for a rowing machine. |
| Loading... | |
MOCKBA
Member
Registered: 02/04/09
Posts: 33
|
| | 09/14/09 at 11:43 AM | Reply with quote | #8 |
|
Yep, that would be the nextgen Russian Wind Machine. The original version used to be called Veterok, literally "Li'l Wind" in Russian. But I have never seen it in action. Back when I was on a self-supported 100K crew in the old country, I was young, invincible, and church-rat poor ... just couldn't care less about the fancy equipment
And besides those 100s were scheduled in mid-to-late February, late enough to get the stamina in the most fun way.
I also reserve the gym work for the worst rainy weather, but the mountains give us a unique advantage here. When it is fall and it's raining cats and dogs in the valley, then most likely it's already dumping fresh snow up there. With some luck, the first tracks might be made in a few weeks, knock on wood. Just give me the weekend of the 26th for a traditional trail marathon without too much 10,000 ft snow on Desolation Trail, and then, bring it on, Ullr the Greatest.
|
| Loading... | |
MJMaxwell
Regular poster
Registered: 03/05/07
Posts: 88
|
| | 09/14/09 at 10:34 PM | Reply with quote | #9 |
|
The guy who gave me my roller-skis has one of those machines "somewhere in the garage" (and a fascinating yet scary garage it is). He'd probably let me borrow it if I asked, but I don't think the workout fits my training philosophy. I'll be classic skiing at a slow pace so I would rather be training my legs (more power to tap there), not that I'll ignore the arms.
I know you're sort of joking Mitchell, when you say "until you blow out...," but I wonder if that's the best way to train for endurance events. Sure it helps strength and lactic threshold, but I don't think we should be coming anywhere close to this sort of exertion during the race and I worry that it invites injury. I feel that training closer to the exertion level expected is a bigger deal than pure strength/speed. I expect endurance Saturdays to be my focus for training with strength Tuesdays and speed Thursdays being more supplemental. I'd argue that a steady diet of moderate effort is better.
You're lucky you've got those mountains, MOCKBA. Here in Iowa we're lucky to have a two months of good snow. If things don't work out for snow here I don't know what I'll do, probably a lot of time on the Nordic Trac. We've got an idol of Ullr at the shop where I work, I'd better get him out of the storage room.
|
| Loading... | |
mitchellarossman
Pro poster
Registered: 03/24/07
Posts: 130
|
| | 09/15/09 at 12:48 PM | Reply with quote | #10 |
|
I am only half-joking by refering to "blow out." I don't mean to exercise at lactate threshold level. Instead, I mean to add enough resistance to that you are nearly worn-out after a 4-5 hour workout. I have cooked up these hard workouts because I have limited training time due to family, but still have grandiose ambitions.
My methods above were aimed at developing my upper body for skating, because that is my weak area. My legs are relatively strong from a long and steady diet of ultrarunning, ultracycling, hauling heavy backpacks, and dragging tires.
Now, if you want to develop great stregnth in your legs with limited time, may I suggest the following workout? BTW, this is a real killer. Put on a 40 pound backpack, add heavy ankle weights and wrist weights, get on a treadmill, elevate it to 15 degrees, set the speed to 3 mph, and have at it until you are completely worn out. This should not take too long. Take a couple days rest. Repeat the regime the following weekend for longer time, etc.
Don't have a treadmill? Get a old Nordic track, crank up the leg and arm resistance, and have at it at a moderate pace until you are worn out.
Don't like to workout indoors? Then roller ski or hike while dragging a tire like this guy. Summit Post forum is full of advice on tire dragging. http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38939&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=tire&start=45&sid=682628fb090527edb8f8aaa616233a83
In 2010, I will do the AHU on foot. But, in 2011 I will try by ski again because I am drawn to nearly hopeless tasks.
|
| Loading... | |
mitchellarossman
Pro poster
Registered: 03/24/07
Posts: 130
| |
MOCKBA
Member
Registered: 02/04/09
Posts: 33
|
| | 09/16/09 at 01:06 PM | Reply with quote | #12 |
|
His mental training part sounded entirely unconvincing. Even if he's got some roadmap to his goals, how can one boast unbendingly positive attitude and narcissist faith in oneself on one hand, with the attention to actual detail on the other? Something's gotta give.
The Yoga part is rather cool, although in the end of the day your dynamic balance should be more important than any static flexibility? What do you think? I absolutely choose this over Yoga:
|
| Loading... | |
mitchellarossman
Pro poster
Registered: 03/24/07
Posts: 130
|
| | 09/16/09 at 02:32 PM | Reply with quote | #13 |
|
The guy is former British Special Forces and has a multitude of past desert expeditions under his belt.
BTW: nice dance moves.
|
| Loading... | |
MOCKBA
Member
Registered: 02/04/09
Posts: 33
|
| | 09/16/09 at 06:25 PM | Reply with quote | #14 |
|
Thanks
No, of course I didn't mean to diss this guy with the Mongolia quest, he's the real deal, and it's great to hear from him that "the minds moves the body". All I wanted to say is that his "expert advice" on extreme psychology (which he probably doesn't even need) ain't no "training plan". Just a bunch of feel-good mantras which actually contradict one another.
But then, which self-help mantras are different? One moment, you'd need one advice. Another time, the other. Most of the time, just being your own mature self is what it takes.
Good memories of the region's mountains BTW. I've been on three ski expeditions on Mongolia's forested fringes, in Altai and Transbaikalia, for two, three weeks at a time. It's one awesome winter country (sugary breakable crusts and aufeiss nonwithstanding). Even got a few old pictures scanned & uploaded on summitpost. Ahh, days before kids and full time jobs
|
| Loading... | |
mitchellarossman
Pro poster
Registered: 03/24/07
Posts: 130
|
| | 09/16/09 at 07:50 PM | Reply with quote | #15 |
|
If you need a "fix" of mountains, snow, and good times with friends, check out all of the videos on this site, including the Kamchtaka heli trips.
The guy who makes these videos is a professional mountain guide in Chamonix and studied filmmaking at the university.
http://www.chamonixguiding.com/index.php/eng/Videos
|
| Loading... | |
EMAIL
HOME
BLOG
