Text and photos: Birken + DRIV Trening

With two months to go until the Birkebeiner Race, training is still about spending as much time on skis as possible. At the same time, it’s time to do a little extra to increase capacity, so you can chase a feeling of flow – not just effort – in the long climbs from Rena to Lillehammer. If last month’s goal was to accumulate as many hours on skis as possible, the focus now should be on spending more time at slightly higher intensity.

The easy long session remains the foundation of training. Make good use of the weekends and plan ski sessions lasting three hours or more. These sessions build endurance and help the body adapt to being active for long periods – exactly what is required on race day.

If you want an extra challenge, you can add short interval efforts towards the end of your long session. For more experienced skiers, these efforts can start after around two and a half hours. A simple and effective session is 10 x 1 minute, with 1 minute of recovery between each effort. The goal is to practice skiing fast when you are already tired – just as you will experience during the race. This is a demanding workout, so it may be wise to place it on a Saturday and use Sunday for easy recovery.

In addition to the long session, interval workouts are important for further increasing capacity. A good session during this period is 5–10 x 3 minutes at moderate to high intensity. This can be done both indoors and outdoors, but preferably on skis. If you do intervals in terrain with downhill sections, it’s important to use the descents actively as well. The Birkebeiner Race includes several demanding downhills, and being well prepared for these is a clear advantage.

This period often includes many races, both low-threshold events and larger competitions. Completing at least one race before the Birkebeiner Race can be a major benefit. It provides valuable experience with everything that comes with race day – from warm-up and nutrition to pacing and energy management. In addition, an early race can improve your seeding, allowing you to start in a wave where you can push yourself towards the best possible performance.

In short:

• More quality – still plenty of time on skis

• Long session + one interval workout per week

• Practice skiing fast when you’re tired

• Complete at least one race before the Birkebeinerrennet