This is the minimal plan that we recommend for those who are at the early stages of Skimo racing and have a goal of competing in short-duration (sub 4 hour) Skimo races. This 16 week pre season plan progresses gradually but will require considerable effort to complete. It is primarily a dry land based program so that you can hit the snow in good shape and is also for those who do not live close to snow. The endurance workouts can be done on snow if you have access. It is not for a novice as it starts off with over 6 hours of required training per week and peaks at 10 hours per week. The program starts with building basic endurance and general strength. After 8 weeks there is an increase in the aerobic intensity. Finally, there is a taper period leading into the first race.

Rest when you are tired. If you miss a workout do not try to make it up. Just move on. If you miss more than 2 in a week then repeat that week. Do not increase the intensity and hope to gain more benefits or try to squeeze a 1 hour workout into 30 minutes. There is no short cut when it comes to aerobic adaptation.

The plan starts with an Aerobic Threshold assessment test. From this you will establish the training intensity limit for most of the aerobic base training that will dominate the overall plan but especially in the first 8 weeks. This plan includes ski specific strength programming.

This plan has proven successful for beginner to intermediate Skimo racers who use it properly to compete at regional levels. It is not designed for those already well trained in Skimo or mountain running. If you are winning local races or are competitive in National or International level events this plan will be too basic for you.

This plan is based on your RPE, or “Rate of Perceived Exertion,” where workout intensities are guided by how hard you are working based on your perception of effort (how hard the workout feels to you) rather than by heart rate. This plan is an adapted option for those who want to learn to calibrate their true effort levels in their workouts.

Whether you use an RPE-based or heart rate-based training plan, we recommend that you use a chest-strap heart rate monitor and GPS watch to log all your training.