An absolute cornerstone of endurance training is basic endurance training, i.e., long, easy aerobic runs. In English, this type of training is called ‘long slow distance.’ As the name suggests, the aim of the exercise is to do a long workout at a slow pace. For long-distance skiers, this can mean training sessions lasting up to five hours or more.

Ernst van Aaken, a German doctor and coach, is widely recognized as the founder of the ‘Long Slow Distance’ training method. In 1969, Joe Henderson, an American runner and coach and former editor of Runner’s World magazine, promoted the method as a training method for running. World-renowned running coach Arthur Lydiard incorporated ‘long slow training’ as a basic principle and was the father of the original idea, encouraging people to run slowly enough to have a conversation in the middle of a workout.

During the running boom of the 1970s, many amateur runners used this method as the basis for their training. While easy, basic endurance training is, of course, well suited to beginners and recreational skiers, for more experienced athletes and professional skiers, easy training alone is obviously not enough. Ambitious athletes must do various power exercises, from speed pulls to longer intervals and speed endurance training.

There are a variety of basic endurance exercises that can easily be incorporated into your training program. For beginners and fitness enthusiasts, it’s recommended long and easy pole running, cycling, or skiing, either on snow or with roller skis. Wandering alone can be a bit boring, so it’s best to take a group to the forest for a 1–3-hour run. If you are fit, you can run uphill and across flat terrain. For beginners, just walking with a pole on hilly terrain is an effective form of exercise. For a basic aerobic endurance run, remember to keep the pace slow enough to allow for conversation between the group.

As your fitness level increases, you can increase the amount of running you do. One of the recommendations from Maastohiihto.com is to use a ‘run-walk’ method, alternating running and walking for a certain amount of time, for example, 5 minutes of running followed by 5 minutes of walking. 

During the running sections, the heart rate already rises above the aerobic threshold, but during the walking, it stays well below. These run-walk workouts are an excellent way to extend the workout, as part of the distance is done by walking, and the intensity remains much lower than with running alone. For many beginners or amateurs, running is too demanding, especially in hilly terrain. Even for experienced exercisers, it’s recommended a long run with a pole walk/run, where the proportion of walking is much higher than running.

For many professional skiers, very long hikes with a backpack are effective ‘long slow distance’ training. Spring and summer are, of course, the perfect time for such training. Long-distance skiers ski very long distances on roller skis, and roller skiing is also suitable for experienced fitness skiers. The speed of the wheels should be chosen to suit you, and for long sessions, fast roller skis are a better option if it is otherwise safe to ski. Fast roller skis help you to keep your technique, especially when flat-out skiing and your heart rate doesn’t get too high on long distances. 

Basic endurance training remains a crucial part of anyone’s training program, as building an aerobic base is the foundation on which speed and interval training can be built.

As the primary goal of this ‘long slow progressive training’ is duration, the training becomes challenging over time when you reach the point where your base fitness is no longer developing. At this point, it is easy to accumulate ‘unnecessary’ kilometers, as the basic endurance level hardly increases. In English, this condition is called “diminishing returns,” and the unnecessary kilometers are called “junk miles.” As you gain experience and your aerobic base increases, you can add short bursts to your long, slow workouts to break up the monotony of your training. As your fitness increases, the pace of your basic endurance workouts also increases, so you need to be careful not to train at too high an intensity without realizing it.

Now that the skiing season begins, base endurance sessions on snow are key. Moderation is critical on first skiing and to avoid mistakes when transitioning to snow.

Read More: Mistakes when transitioning from dryland training to skiing on snow