It isn’t easy to improve your fitness and strength significantly in a short period, but there are some other things to consider in the final stages of your race:

Training track changes

Some technique improvements can be made even close to a race, such as the angles of the poles in the stride. Other areas of development may be more challenging to achieve, such as being confident with weight transfer and standing freely on one leg in diagonal striding.

Track changes are a technique training that gives good “bang for the buck” in the last weeks. In a Vasaloppet, you change classic tracks often, whether you want to or not. In flat terrain, you can gain a lot of time on a “correct” track change. On downhill slopes, being unable to change tracks is a safety risk. 

Many people I meet on courses and lessons are afraid to get off the track when things are going fast. If you are one of them, practice a lot on getting off the track at low speed where you feel more secure. If you get good at it, you will feel less insecure about exiting the track at higher speeds in real-time.

Don’t focus on “key sessions.”

You won’t improve by ten percent just because you do a specific interval session, a certain length of a long session, or training weeks with particular hours.

Keep on training. Do the workout you’re used to, and don’t do anything stupid. Skip the hardest and most prolonged sessions, but don’t stop training.

Aim to get to the starting line healthy and in one piece instead of taking chances in your training to get in a thousandth of a second better shape.

Check your poles

Most people have already bought the skis, ski boots, and poles that will be used in their race during Vasaloppet winter week. But I would still like you to take a second look at your poles.

Many sports retailers are negligent when selling poles to athletes, which are often too short, have too large-hand straps, and have too small tips. This is something we notice every year among our students.

The maximum permitted length for poles is reasonable for both elite and recreational athletes. Even though the poles may feel a bit long for diagonal striding, it doesn’t matter much. Having poles that are too short, on the other hand, means that you lose a lot in double-poling.

When it comes to pole straps, you should have them as small as possible without pressing. This means that you do not have to hold the pole so much and that the strap does a large part of the work.

Having too small tips is not fun when the conditions are not good. Small tips can be an advantage for an elite skier as the pole becomes lighter, but for a recreational skier, any advantages of small tips are less due to lower speed. And the disadvantage of small snow tips when the poles sink through the snow can be huge.

Also Read – Technique expert warns:” For every centimeter of incorrect pole length, you lose time”

Think about the “big day”

No matter which race in Vasaloppet winter week you do, it can be a logistical challenge. The start and finish are in different locations, many people are moving around, and the traffic situation can be challenging.

Try to go through the day of the race step by step well in advance. When do you need to get up? What should you eat for breakfast? How will you transport yourself to the start? Do you need to warm up? What happens after the finish?

And perhaps most importantly: How will you celebrate? Because you should enjoy your finish, whether you got the time you were aiming for or not!

Erik Wickström is the official Vasaloppet coach. Together with Erik Thiberg, he runs the company Wickström Coaching, which provides training programs, camps, and inspiration for beginners and athletes.

If you want excellent and motivating training for the next ski season, the training programs begin on April 1. 

www.wickstromcoaching.com