American Birkebeiner

Bill Pierce is currently the head coach for the Hayward Club, F.A.S.T. Performance Training. Bill has been competing and coaching for over 30 years. He has spent the last 7 years coaching juniors at Hayward High School and 3 years coaching Juniors and Elites for CXC Skiing. Aside from coaching, Bill also fills his work hours with the ABSF as Chief of Course for the Birkie.

Welcome to the Birkie Training Plan. This is an opportunity to learn more about how to train, live, and enjoy the sports that are the Birkie. The Birkie Training Plan is an educational tool that can be used to help maximize your performance and enjoyment of the Birkie Events. The program will primarily focus on Nordic skiing and it will also touch on trail running, roller skiing, Nordic walking, and mountain biking.

Information and knowledge for all levels of athlete will be offered. Whether you are a beginner and need info on equipment and what to purchase, or are an upper level marathon racer looking to better your wave placement, we will have something for you.

Contributions will come from professional coaches, athletes, ski technicians, manufacturers and retailers, to name a few. And best of all, thanks to support from Boulder Nordic Sport this is a free service provided to enhance your experience as an athlete and to share and grow the culture of what is Nordic skiing and the American Birkebeiner tradition. So, spread the word, visit often, and enjoy the sport! 

See the Birkie Training Plan featured in this series of articles on Birkie training, nutrition, and more, in Outside Magazine Online.

Level 1 (Endurance): This is the easiest training zone and the one that an athlete should spend the most time in. This is your over and general distance work out zone. The difference between an over distance and a general distance is that you will spend all or most of an over distance in this zone, and in a general distance, your target average will be in this zone, but you will be more in and out as terrain and demand require. It is very easy to carry on a conversation with your training partners in this zone. The vast majority of training is done in this zone (60-70%).

Level 2(Endurance): This zone sometimes seems like no man’s land. This level tends to be too easy for intensity or race level work, and too hard for recovery or over distance work. This is a level where you can become efficient at moving too slow. This does not mean that you should never train in this zone, but you do not want to stay here long. A training symptom for a lot of athletes is that they train too hard when they are supposed to be going easy and then train to easy when they are supposed to be going hard.

Level 3(Intensity): This level is referred to as the Lactate Threshold or Steady State Zone. The work level in this zone will usually be intervals any where from 5-20 min. in duration depending on the time of year. This is usually 5-10 bpm below your 10k race pace. This could be your Birkie race pace. It is difficult to talk and usually only in short sentences. One to two sessions every ten days of this intensity is reccommended.

Level 4(Intensity): This level is referred to as VO2 max interval work. Work at this level is usually 3-6 min. in duration and is at or up to 5 bpm above a 5K race pace. It is very difficult to talk at this pace. Approximately 10-15% of your training time will be spent in Levels 3 and 4.

Level 5(Speed): This level is your maximum effort and work at this level lasts from :15sec. to one minute in duration.

Level 6 (Speed and Over Speed): This level is for Max Speed and Assisted Speed. Duration of work is usually :10-:30sec. and it’s purpose is to increase limb velocity and efficiency at maximum effort. Less than 2% of training time will be spent in Level 5 and 6. Work in both of these levels is not about heart rate as much as it is about developing fast and efficient movement patterns when the cardio system is taxed to it’s upper levels.

CD: Cool Down
OD: Over Distance
RSC: Roller Ski Classic
RSS: Roller Ski Skate
WU: Warm up
AT: Anaerobic Threshold