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PRE SEASON
NANCY FIDDLER
Contributing Editor for The Master Skier
Nancy is a two time Olympian and a 14 time National Champion in cross-country skiing. Besides running masters ski programs at Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center in Mammoth Lakes, California, Nancy coaches kids in her Gliders program, teaches ski P.E., coaches high school skiing and works with the Far West Junior Team.
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I wonder who decided that being a thirty year old cross-country skier is cause for a new title, that of master skier. Are we suddenly old at thirty?
I vaguely remember having a party on my thirtieth birthday, and, as a result, feeling a little old the next day, but I recovered nicely. I can remember my thirties well; I still had a lot of spring in my legs, could carry a 60+ pound pack through the Sierra, and was able to train over 700 hours a year.
I don’t remember crossing a ‘now you are really old’ line when I passed my thirtieth birthday and certainly paid no attention to my age class designation in ski competition, because I managed to win a bunch of national titles at Senior Nationals and competed in two Olympics and four World Championships, all after 30!
Heck, in running, you have to be 40 or older to qualify as a Master.
What’s the story here? How are we supposed to know that we are old, and what the appropriate behavior is?
Obviously, the readers of The Master Skier do not have any idea that they are old and slowing down either, or they would not be reading this.
The point is, if we thought we were old we wouldn’t be training for cross-country skiing.
Does being a master skier mean that we are nursing along old wrecks of bodies, hoping to make it through the work-out without a major breakdown? Are we taking our skis off and walking down the hills so we don’t break a hip?
After getting up at the crack of dawn, coaxing our ancient bodies into a ski suit, driving a fair distance on icy roads and then skiing hard in a race, are we calling an ambulance? Certainly not!
Cross-country skiing is a lifestyle at any age. The way we go about it may change as we grow older, but we can still thrive in the sport.
I am a realist. I would be blind if I didn’t notice the wrinkling, sagging, creaking and general slowing down of my body.
Ah, but therein lies the challenge! Can I still get this thing to work?
No problem, I am still able to train, but I have to fit it in around work, coaching my daughter’s soccer team, volunteering for various causes, my husband’s schedule and the dreaded house chores.
Fortunately I have all these obligations, because I would not be able to train all day, every day anymore, even if I tried.
Perhaps some of you are wondering why I am not racing at the Nationals Masters. I would love to compete, but I can’t even seem to make it to the local races. I have filled up my winter schedule with coaching and teaching skiing, instead.
I am training so that I am strong enough to survive my winter schedule!
I am often on snow up to six hours a day, and those who know me know that we don’t stand around a lot in my programs.
My job is to stay one kick and one glide ahead of my students, some of whom are in the top-three in their age groups at National Masters. This requires strength, speed and stamina. I not only have to get up the hills, but in my job, have to look good doing it!
I will admit to having a ‘closet’ competitive season. Since I don’t work in the summer (don’t work, but still have all the other obligations, including a young child who is home all summer), I have used this season to get in shape for running. Okay, I have actually become somewhat of a running junkie.
I belong to a club, have a coach (whose age matches the years I have been running) and subject myself to some grueling workouts that have no meaning in the world of skiing.
I race locally, and am able to place overall in these small town events. This fall, I have entered the USATF Masters National 10 K Championships. This is the first time I have ever worked toward a goal in masters competition.
I have no great expectations; after all I am a skier, not a runner! But I have enjoyed the training, and I feel like a real athlete at times.
This running thing has become a second childhood for me. Unfortunately, I cannot plug in the same amount of energy and commitment that I had for my ski racing career.
Many of you readers are faced with the same dilemma. My thought is that if we cannot train very much, then we had better train smart or rest with the little time that we do have.
So how should Masters train? What I have learned through training for running is that less is usually more.
I have always believed in following a plan, whether it is for three hours of training or twenty three. If I don’t have a plan, I would go out and do the same convenient, ‘feel good’ thing every day. Or, almost worse, I would do too many hard days in a row and never recover. These are recipes for injuries and stagnation.
The same philosophy and strategy I used to train for skiing still applies to my training now, except that the volume is lower and there is more recovery.
One difference in my training these days is that I no longer wear a heart rate monitor. After years of monitored training, I am aware of my heart rate in all types of training on all kinds of days, so don’t feel the need to consult a monitor.
I have found with the lower overall volume of training I do that it’s okay to let my heart rate go up on distance training. It’s quite liberating to be free of the heart rate monitor! Obviously, use good sense and plan for recovery when you ‘go wild’ without the monitor.
In running, I train six days a week, with three ‘hard’ and three ‘easy’ days.
Hard days are speed work, hill running and a long distance run. I pay no attention to my heart rates in these runs, but on the following easy days, I am careful to do only 30-45 minutes, very easy.
When I first got the plan from my coach with 30 minutes of training on every other day, I couldn’t believe it. Did he think I was an over-the-hill athlete or something? Why bother training for only 30 minutes, I thought.
Now I realize that I couldn’t survive the week without them! This hard/easy training model is very easy to follow, especially when you don’t have much time.
I will leave you with some of my training adages. Most of these ideas are simple and you may have heard them before. Take what you like, and blend them into your program.
Set realistic goals for your training.
Make a plan and stick to it!
Make sure you have ‘hard’ days that include intervals, strength training and long distance.
If you are not training many hours, go ahead and train at a little higher heart rate on certain days. If you don’t have time for a three hour distance ski, make it 75 to 90 minutes and let your heart rate drift up a bit if you feel good.
Learn a new sport or activity. Take a yoga or dance class. Try some swim or alpine ski lessons. I took an Irish dance class for three years, and it did wonders for my flexibility and quickness. New movement patterns are fun, even if you are the oldest in the class by at least 35 years.
If you are having a busy/stressful day or week, cut back on your training. You are tired enough already.
It’s better to train a little every day than a lot two or three days a week.
Keep your strength training going all year long. It’s what you draw on for good technique and may prevent injuries.
Race in the off-season once in a while.
If you enjoy non-specific training during the summer, put together a ski specific program to work into in the fall. Add some rollerskiing or do some ski walking and hill bounding with poles.
Train early in the morning.
Don’t use day care or babysitters so that you can train. It’s best for family relations.
Eat well but not too much.
Go nuts once in a while and do a big training day. It may kick your butt, but it just might be what you need mentally.
If you go nuts and do a big chunk of training, plan for adequate recovery.
Stretching is still good.
Don’t forget to let a few beers be part of your hydration program.
Hire a coach or join a masters club. Take some lessons! Technique training is a full time occupation and also my job security.
Find a new place to train once in a while.
Have fun.
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