[brianbauer]

brianbauer on November 28, 2021 at 9:13 am · in reply to: Running outside V treadmill #59962

over the past year I have logged many, many hours on my treadmill as part of my Ultra trail racing workouts. my work schedule does not always allow for outside workouts.

if you are new to treadmill running, I will share a few anecdotal things that I have noticed:
1. running on a treadmill always seems easier than running outside. I don’t fully understand why, but it may have something to do with the “bounce” of the treadmill surface
2. instead of focusing entirely on the treadmill speed(MPH) to set your pace, focus on HR and perceived effort. MPH on treadmills is pretty unreliable
3. I cannot explain this but: when I run outside at the same HR and PE as the treadmill, my moving pace outside is always quite a bit faster than my treadmill pace. my theory is that the treadmill absorbs propulsion energy and the hard ground outside does not.
4. running at inclines on my treadmill of up to 12%, with 20 min intervals at 10% has absolutely helped my LT, and overall ability to run hills outside.

[brianbauer]

brianbauer on November 28, 2021 at 8:41 am · in reply to: How do I get faster at skinning? #59960

I know you are not going to be racing, but I will share my experience in race prep because I thinks its relevant: I am planning to race my first skimo season this winter. I come from an ultra trail racing background, but I grew up as a nordic racer, tele skier etc. my year round training is mainly focused on ultra trail distances, so my aerobic base is pretty good. about 8 weeks ago I examined what I thought I needed to focus on to prepare for skimo races. what it came down to was 2 things: 1) leg strength 2) Lactic Threshold . ultra trail races do not require exceptional levels of either. so what I started incorporating was: 1) 20 min intervals at 10% incline at just below my LT 2) strength exercises including box steps and lunges. after 8 weeks, I am much more comfortable spending 60 mins at LT( for me, thats 90% of my max HR). I can also now accomplish multiple sets of single leg box steps which were very difficult when I first tried them. as an experiment, yesterday I completed 4 laps(4k vert) of my local ski resort wearing 6lb leg weights( 12lbs total). I found that with the weights, my ascents were within 30 seconds of my ascent times without weights, and my HR/effort was the same. I do not believe I would have gotten the same result if I had not started the LT and strength work a couple of months ago. the other thing to remember is that if you are really using your arms for propulsion when skiing, calling the upper body into action will increase the effort, and will make your HR and perceived effort go up…eg. instead of all the blood and oxygen going only to legs, some is now going to upper body… when I first started using poles in my off season uphill training, it def felt harder….