Training Plan

Holy guacamole Batman! I’ve entered the full Birkie, and I only have ten weeks to train. Over the next two months, I have to prepare for a 55 km race over a hummocky course, with the possibility of poor weather and poor snow conditions. I don’t know if ten weeks is going to be enough time to train for that distance–the longest I have skied before was at the Birkie several years ago when I did the 31 km race, and it wasn’t easy. Over the next ten weeks, I am going to have to really dedicate myself to training

The Canadian Birkenbiener website has a suggested training program but it assumes that you are young and will recover quickly, allowing you to get in multiple workouts during the week. When I last checked my birth certificate it said that I was not young, so I am going to have to modify their program to suit my age.

The program says your longest ski should be 45 kilometers, so I am planning on adding five kilometers each week to build myself up to that distance. That should occur around the middle of January and after that, I will concentrate on speed and hill workouts. During the middle of each week, I plan on skiing shorter distances and work on either speed, hills, or technique. If everything goes well, I will be ready by the end of January and can then start to taper.

My goal is to finish the race in under 7 ½ hours but I would love to go under 6 ½ hours. That is not very fast; for comparison, last year the winner of my age group finished with a time of 3 hours and 2 minutes, which means I am likely going to be one of the last skiers to finish. I have no problem with that because most participants in the full Birkie are avid skiers, and unlike marathoners, there are not too many beginners, especially at my age.

I have my work cut out for me, and what motivates me right now is fear–fear that I don’t cross the finish line. In past races when I have not trained enough, I have always been able to finish because I had youth on my side. For this race, I don’t, and as a result, there is a real possibility that I may not finish the race. I don’t want the marshals picking me up on their sled and taking to the finish because it is getting too dark. I have never gotten a DNF, and I would like to keep it that way. I am determined to ski across the finish line, and see Michelle waiting there to take me home.

Over the years, experience has taught me to focus on the immediate task and to put in the work. Often the hardest part of training is taking that first step and getting your gear on and getting out the door. Some days it is so tempting to skip a workout, but I can’t afford to take any days off for this event. So today , I am heading out to Birkie land, strapping on my skinny skis, and going for a 25 km training workout.