It is the fall, the weather is colder and wetter, the leaves are falling, I have been rollerskiing for five months, and my motivation is fading as I head into the biggest training month of the year.
Once I get a day on snow, my motivation magically returns.
What do YOU do to keep it going through the dark days of fall?
Group training is key IMO...and beer swilling.
I really like rollerskiing. I do it whenever there is no snow, so I never think about it just as preparation for cross-county skiing. I'd be O.K. if I could rollerski year-round. Kind of. Maybe not...
What I hate is the inevitable period during which one cannot rollerski, due to snow and ice on the roads, and one cannot snow ski, because there is not enough snow on the trails. It seems that every year I get into reasonable shape for skiing, then this no-ski period comes and I lose my edge.
Beer is good, during this period. All through the season in fact... rollerski and snow ski. Beer ski.
Are you always roller skiing on the same loop? For me, a change of scenery helps tremendously. It's motivating to jump into a race. If there aren't any roller races, then a running race works for me.
Mmmm, yeah, it gets tough, especially here in Indiana where I have no one else to train with.
Getting outside even if I can't ski or roller ski turns me on the most. I'd rather trail run in the dark and rain and cold and play games dodging the state park SS rangers than work out inside.
I will train indoors if I have to. I find the Nordic Track is a great way to do intense intervals, which keeps it interesting. I Like to get the arm resistance so hot you get a faint smell of smoke.
Did you see the first snow race in North America? They set out a loop made of ice shavings from two ice arenas in Traverse City, Michigan, and raced time trials Saturday. Check it out on nordicskiracer.com. Now that would have been motivational, but I had to work.
Randy
Train as a group if you can. Train with a goal for the upcoming season and mix it up. If you just roller ski you can get sick of that pretty fast not to mention it will help you more if you include running ECT. to improve aerobic strength as well as ski specific.
Without knowing more about what you already doing, its hard to address your question w/ something on-point. You've gotten lots of good suggestions though.
You're flagging motivations could be a sign that you are overtraining in some way or getting inadequate sleep, calories, nutrition, SAD if you are in the far North or too much stress in your life. Over the years, I've found myself in the same place at this time of year & sleep & stress (demanding full time job) was my problem - you need more sleep & less stress during these big training weeks. If you can't make that happen, then I'd recommend you cut back on training a a week or 2 to recover. Unless you are pretty young, fitness is really about recovery.
If you can be certain none of the above are an issue, then training variety should be reviewed. Finding what will work for you will be personal. During the 4 week period we are now in the middle of, my training plan is 45% LSD, 20% intervals, 5% speed, 5% race/pace, 10% strength & 15% endurance (HR Z2-3). I mix RS & biking but mostly RS this time of year. But this plan provides lots of variety.
One thing I've added to my training plan is at least once a month do two 10 min. time-trials on a fixed course. Got this from Carmichael's Ultimate Ride bike training book. I do the TT on RS & use the faster time to track fitness improvements. This helps me be sure of my improvements & that what I'm doing works. It provides good reinforcement that the hard work is paying off.
At least quarterly, I do either a 30 or 60 min. TT on the bike or RS to check my ATHR ( the average HR during the last 20 or 45 min. of the TT). Again, more reinforcement.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Lots of good stuff.
My personal challenges mostly relate to the fact that no one else wants to rollerski on wet leaves and my work schedule is interfering with joining training groups, at least the ones that are slow enough for me.
After a truly scary short rollerski yesterday, I will be running until I finally get on snow in two weeks.
I am watching the 2010 Olympic men's pursuit right now, and it is providing major motivation. That is my personal favourite remotivator: watching my current technique role model show how it is done in sunshine.
Yes, the 2010 Olympics were a video bonanza. I downloaded tons to my computer & am slowly making DVDs for use with our teams. You can feel your body moving as you watch that stuff.
Sailguy, what RS are you using? Your experience will be good for us to hear about.
Wet leaves are a big problem here right now too. I was out on the V2 XL125 Friday & had so many dry leaves that they actually jammed the front wheels a few times? Never had that happen before. Was on the XL150s on wet leaves Sat & did fine - with the tires pumped up to only 70 psi, they are by far the best I've found for wet leaves. The 125 does better than solid rubber tires but not as good as the 150.
Tradesmith, I am using Pursuit T6101's with #2 speed wheels. I find the lowered ride height makes them feel more like real skis and a bit smoother on rough pavement. I find the lower ride especially helpful when sliding around leaves and that green slime that grows on shaded pavement in rainforests.
I am using pursuit #2 wheels, which are also sold by half the other manufacturers; they give really solid grip on wet roads. I haven't skied on any of the inflatable wheel skis on similar days, so I can't compare.
I have yet to jam a wheel with either wet or dry leaves although I did discover a used firework under dry leaves last week. That is the second time I have wedged something and stopped a wheel with these skis. The other time was a piece of sharp metal that cut most of the way through the tire. Jamming doesn't seem to be a common problem with this setup.
I find dry leaves to be a problem, partly because I have to ski less explosively with the quads (a technique target for this season) and partly because surprisingly large rocks (and fireworks) can hide in them.
One way to stay motivated is to set some very specific result-oreiented goals that can be short term.
For example:
- Do 2 sets of level four intervals per week until you get on snow
- do 1000 pushups per week
- rollerski 200 miles before the end of the month
- etc.
Basically if you set very specific targets you can get in the mode of achieving even if you aren't enjoying it. Obviously if you are not enjoying your training, that is bad in the long run. but we all go through some tough times, and the transition to winter can be the hardest.
Another idea is to find ways to streamline workouts to get maximum value out of unpleasant conditions. You can do a great intensity workout in 40 minutes. Same with strength. Sometimes the efficient approach can be good and can make the prospect of going out in the cold and dark less daunting.
Thanks Saliguy. You must live up here in the NW too. Got an idea I haven't tried but it might help w/ wet leave traction on the T6101s. I use Pursuit 100 mm #3 wheels in front & #2 in back on some of our RS. After a couple years of modest use they are wearing the same & slowly. The #3 wheel has a bit better traction. Also, they make 105 mm wheels which will have a bit larger foot print & are supposed to fit the T6101s. Switching to 105 mm # 3 wheels for wet leaves would probably help noticeable but I have no idea if it is worth the $$. I'm pretty sure the larger 105 mm wheel used on the Marwe's are a partial contributor to they better ride. One of these days, I'll buy a set of 105 mm Pursuit wheels.
Thanks Saliguy. You must live up here in the NW too. Got an idea I haven't tried but it might help w/ wet leave traction on the T6101s. I use Pursuit 100 mm #3 wheels in front & #2 in back on some of our RS. After a couple years of modest use they are wearing the same & slowly. The #3 wheel has a bit better traction. Also, they make 105 mm wheels which will have a bit larger foot print & are supposed to fit the T6101s. Switching to 105 mm # 3 wheels for wet leaves would probably help noticeable but I have no idea if it is worth the $$. I'm pretty sure the larger 105 mm wheel used on the Marwe's are a partial contributor to they better ride. One of these days, I'll buy a set of 105 mm Pursuit wheels.
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