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Get Ready for the 2010 TD Bank Craftsbury Marathon
Finishing a marathon is great fun. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. Every person who skis should try to finish at least one in his or her life. At the same time, once you decide to do so, you should be aware of the demands that marathon distance will have on your body. Such long distance events are a great test of your mental, and physical strength.
You have committed to participating in the 25 or 50 kilometer version of the Craftsbury Marathon this winter. Both the short and long courses are considered to be challenging due to their length and the demanding climbs and descents. In order to finish the Marathon we recommend that you have at least an intermediate level of cross-country skiing skill and fitness by the time you get to the start on January 31st. This goal is achievable even for beginners if you follow our recommendations below.
You have to start preparing far in advance to enjoy the Marathon and finish the full distance. We recommend that you start specific preparation for the Craftsbury Marathon as early as October. Start by working on your aerobic and general strength. You can use different aerobic activities to improve your stamina such as running, biking, hiking, rowing or other sports. Start with the distance that you are comfortable with and increase it every week. During this time start working on your general strength. Go to the gym and work on your upper as well as lower body and core strength a couple of times a week.
For people who exercise regularly, starting with three days a week cardio (aerobic) and two days strength is good. If you haven't done any exercise recently start with three days a week (two cardio and one strength) and after one month go to five days. Try to increase your volume every two to three weeks so that at the end of November you can go for up to 2 hrs at low intensity. At this point, it is time to start more specific conditioning.
Most of you are living in areas that don't get any skiable snow till late December. Ski walking with poles is a way to start working on the specifics for cross-country. This is great way to work on your aerobic abilities as well as strength and it is a very close movement, biomechanicaly, to classic skiing. Another good exercise is imitating the double pole movement using elastic bands. This is a way to work on the specific strength. During this time you should start including some faster workouts to your weekly routine. Alternate faster tempo/lower volume days and lower intensity/ higher volume days to be able to recover. Don't forget your core strength, you will need it during the tour or race.
As the snow comes and you start skiing, you will already have built a good aerobic base and strength. Now is the time to work on your technique and continue improving your fitness for cross-country skiing. To get to the finish in a Marathon takes a long time and efficiency is a big factor on how you feel during the event. If you think that you have problems with your technique, be sure to start working on it right at the beginning. The easiest time to correct technical mistakes is at the beginning of the snow season, before you start reinforcing all mistakes from the year before. Start with some lessons and work from there. If you don't have snow stick to ski walking with poles or visit us during the early-season tune up January 2-4.
Another important part is waxing. Having good glide and kick during the marathon is helpful if you are using waxable skis. There are good manuals on waxing so read and experiment. If you can't find any information get a lesson on waxing at a specialty ski shop or ask someone who knows to help you.
Keep training up to the week before the Marathon and then allow yourself to recover and taper. The last week before the Marathon do only easy exercise and listen to your body. You have to be fresh and full of energy. Appropriate nutrition, such as carbohydrates and proteins and plenty of fluids to keep hydrated is a must. Don't forget to stretch after every exercise to prevent injuries.
Remember cross-country skiing includes many aspects; be sure to work on all of them. Have a great time getting ready for Craftsbury Marathon and good luck.
Pepa Miloucheva
Head Instructor, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Center
