Swedish cross-country skier Erik Wickström is making his second start in Jokkmokk later on this winter. Now the profiled coach is sharing some great tips for preparation.
4 months left
Register. You’ll immediately notice that your training motivation will go up once you see your name on the start list.
Book accommodation and travel. Make your reservations well in advance. Secure the whole itinerary, including possible transfers and car rental if you go by train or plane.
Train continuously. 220 km are a long way. The best thing you can do in your training is however not to do a super long session every now and then. It is more important to exercise regularly week by week. Alternate between short and long as well as calm and hard sessions.
Put in a long session 1-2 times a month. You can spice up your regular training with 1-2 long sessions of 4-6 hours per month. The purpose with these is mostly to get you used to energy intake and equipment. A good energy tip is to learn to maximize your intake. Few finish Nordenskiöldsloppet and feel that they have eaten too much. Regarding equipment, things can start to rub more after 6 than 2 hours. Therefore, the really long sessions also can help to properly evaluate your equipment.
4 weeks left
Keep training continuously. Keep up the effort but don’t overdo it. The risk of trying to get 1 percent better is that it can lead to interruptions that instead make you worse. If you have several tracks to choose from, aim for terrain that is similar to the course of Nordenskiöldsloppet. The race has a STIFA of around 9 (number of height meters per kilometre), which is equivalent to the Vasaloppet.
Rest up after Vasaloppet. Many who participate in Nordenskiöldsloppet also do Vasaloppet. Rest up properly after that. Avoid both long and hard sessions the week after you’ve finished in Mora.
Get your gear together. Maybe new thermal socks, a hydration belt or gloves are needed? Get the stuff you don't already have so you have time to test it in good time.
Carry out the last long session. After Vasaloppet people in southern Sweden may have a tough time with snow availability and track preparation. Some might have to switch to roller skis that can also affect motivation. Try to plan your training so that, if possible, you still can do your last long session on snow.
4 days left
Don't stop training. If you are used to exercising every day or every other day, you should not stop doing that. Choose less intense and shorter sessions instead.
Pack in good time. Check the forecast carefully and choose appropriate clothing. Due to the difference in intensity, skiing for 220 km for most people means wearing more clothes compared to skiing for 90 km.
Eat normally. The key to stay energized at Nordenskiöldsloppet is actually to eat and drink during the race itself. Your race intake is way more important than what you eat several days in advance. So eat fairly normally, maybe a little more, and don't try anything new.
Look through the track again. You may already have had a look at the course. Now you can do it again and try to memorize some controls. It can help you mentally when you are tired. For those of you who’ve done it before, it may be good to take a little extra look at the parts that have changed.
4 hours left
Don't get stressed out about little sleep. Nordenskiöldsloppet starts early and you may have been tossing and turning in bed nervously before the upcoming challenge. Don't panic if you only managed to sleep a couple of hours the night before. You're not alone. And that's okay. It is more important that you slept reasonably well the days before.
Eat normally. Eat what you usually eat for breakfast. Possibly something more. And be extra careful with lactose if you are intolerant.
Make sure to keep your clothes dry. Shoes, socks and gloves need to stay dry before the start. If they get wet, there is a risk that you will get cold.
Make your run streak. In the early 2020s, run streaking was perhaps the most popular. There’s definitely been more than one person who jogged a mile (1.6 km) or 20 minutes or whatever the "requirement" was in the morning before the race. Yes, absolutely crazy. But if you're on a streak, do it before the race. The day may be over by the time you reach the finish line.
4 minutes left
Start your watch. Taking a picture in the finish area after the Nordenskiöldsloppet is a guaranteed hit on Instagram. But the confirmation seeker shouldn't miss out on the appreciation on Strava either. Make sure to turn on the watch in time so that it finds the GPS.
Drink from the tube belt. Some participants use a tube belt with sports drink. If it's cold the tubes tend to freeze, so keep taking small sips of it all the way to the start (and of course during the race too).
Keep an eye on your heated socks. Battery powered socks are a good invention for cold feet, especially if you only double pole and thus don’t create that much warmth in the lower body. Set them to an appropriate temperature that you think will be just right for the entire race. Bring extra batteries if you're even more frozen.
Take in the atmosphere. Take a minute to look around and think how lucky you are to be standing on the starting line. Not everyone can choose their suffering the way you can.
4 seconds left
Start your activity. Set on the timer on your watch in good time, perhaps half a minute before the start.
Wish the persons next too you good luck. You usually feel good about others wishing you success too, no?
Enjoy the fact that the race will be on soon. Expect the nervousness to disappear as it mostly does once you get going.
Breathe. Take one last breath. Good luck!
If Erik is not doing great race results himself, he successfully runs the training platform Wickström Coaching, which, among other things, offers programs to prepare for Nordenskiöldsloppet. Read more about it here: www.wickstromcoaching.com
