Building my own training plan

The physical preparation for my Vasaloppet has been quite an adventure. I do have some basic knowledge of training theory, but a whole new world has opened up for me. Let me be clear: I am still far from being a professional trainer, but I have gradually learned what works for me and what doesn't.

Let me start with what doesn't work so well for me: a total rest week. I always work in 4-week cycles. (periodization) I train for 3 weeks to build up volume, followed by a week of rest. But after that week of rest, training felt “painful” again. It felt like I had lost a lot and had to start all over again. That's why I switched to a system of 3 weeks of progressive training, followed by a week of relative rest. As an example, here is my current cycle

Week 1

• Monday: 1:30 strength training

• Wednesday: 2:00 walking (at pace, Zone 2)

• Friday: HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) 2 km zone 2 warm-up, 8 times 75 m zone 4/5 + 75 m zone 3, finally 2 km zone 2/3 cool-down

• Sunday: 1:30 technique training XC skating on snow (indoor)

Week 2

• Monday: 2:45 – 33km zone 3, just below HR threshold

• Wednesday: 1:30 strength training

• Friday: 5:45 – 31km walking (at pace, zone 2)

• Sunday: 1:30 technique training XC classic on snow (indoor)

Week 3

• Monday: HIIT 2 km zone 2 warm-up, 6 times 3 minutes zone 4/5, 2 minutes zone 3, finally 2 km zone 2/3 cool-down

• Wednesday: 3:00 – 36 km zone 3, just below HR threshold

• Friday: 1:30 strength training

• Sunday: 1:30 technique training XC skating on snow (indoor)

Week 4 – relative rest

• Tuesday: 1:30 strength training

• Friday: 2:12 gentle walk

• Sunday: 1:30 technique training for classic cross-country skiing on snow (indoor)

After that, we will start a new cycle in which we will mainly focus on building up the volume.

What works really well for me is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). If I don't do this regularly, I quickly notice that my average speed drops when training just below my HR threshold. To maintain my VO2 max, I need to do these intervals regularly.

Strength training has also taught me a lot. On the one hand, I notice that I can generate more power from both my arms and legs. On the other hand, I also notice that the increased strength and core stability help me improve my technique.

To find out what impact my training sessions are having (approximately) on my overall fitness and fatigue, I use TrainingPeaks. This training application originally comes from the world of triathlon. But it is now used in many endurance sports. I am certainly not a trained user of TrainingPeaks, but the combination of the three main figures in TrainingPeaks does give me an idea about my fitness and progress. These figures are:

• Fitness (CTL) is a rolling 42 day average of your daily TSS.

• Fatigue (ATL) is a 7 day average of your TSS that accounts for the workouts you have done recently.

• Form (TSB) is the balance of TSS equal to yesterday's fitness minus yesterday's fatigue.

The TSS (Training Stress Score) is a number that determines the intensity of your training. The more intense, the higher the number. Training sessions with a high TSS result in a significant increase in fitness, but also in fatigue. This can then lead to poor form. If your form is too low (everything < 10), you are not sufficiently rested and recovered for a competition performance. It is therefore important to find a balance and ensure a good tapering period before a competition. My goal is to start the Vasaloppet with a CTL of around 75 and a form of around 0. With TrainingPeaks, I can set up my training schedule in a way that predicts the 3 scores for each date in the future. That way, I know whether my training schedule will get me where I hope to be.

Right until now these are the distances and hours of my training sessions:

	Distance (km)	Time
Cycling	631,84	30:53:43
Hiking	1061,93	237:07:05
Roller Skiing	935,09	110:43:40
Classic langlauf *	99,84	30:55:57
Skate Langlauf *	4,95	38:37:10
Strength Training	0	68:48:22
Core Training	0	9:23:36
Indoor cycling (Tacx)	358,04	10:18:41
Alpine Skiing	358,04	23:37:59

* The weekly langlauf training indoor does not register distance (no gps signal), only time.

Right, now I'm ready for my next training session.