It All Starts Here
Posted on July 9, 2015
Late in 2014, I knew the upcoming winter months were going to be fairly long, so I decided that I would test my abilities and train for new unique winter events. I thought that as a Canadian it would only normal to spend more time outside and ‘appreciate’ the cold. So I registered myself to the 2015 World Snowshoe Championships and 2015 World Winter Triathlon both taking place in Quebec City late January/Early February.
Training for endurance events require organization for they are quite time consuming (i.e. not mentioning the hours spent training I had to factor in the travel time to the cross country tracks, to the skating rink or even to the snowshoe trails). Luckily I discovered that Ottawa/Gatineau has a tremendous network of nearby world-class outdoor amenities to help me get in race shape.
As you know we had a really cold winter and yes it was difficult to stay motivated to train in -35 to -40 weather but I knew I had to keep at it and adapt/appreciate for conditions could be similar come race day.
These two quotes helped me during the frigid conditions:
“Train hard, win easy” (popular slogan used by the worlds best runners)
“One thing about racing is that it hurts. You better accept that from the beginning or you’re not going anywhere.” (Bob Kennedy, former U.S. distance runner)
While running is already a demanding exercise, running in snow is a totally different game. Snowshoe running is different in a sense that you must create a lot more power to propel yourself forward and fight deep/soft snow and uneven terrain. Long track speed skating requires powerful legs, good mobility to stay in the tuck position and speed endurance to complete the required distance. Finally, cross-country skiing is a maybe the most demanding full-body exercise. It is also a new event for me and since I do not have a perfect technique so I have to stay focused all the time in order to stay on my skis. Even advanced athletes need to start at the beginning sometimes 🙂
Stay Tuned
And get ‘The 5 Exercises You Need to Do to Train for Obstacle Races Report’
