Cross Country Skiing

Fueling for Success: A Flexible Pre-Race Meal Plan

Monty wants know my pre-race meal is so this is really a cool one because I try to be really flexible and have multiple pre-race meals that would work for me. So I've got a plan to be planning to see plan because sometimes on the road, you don't know what you're gonna get, and you don't really have control over the foods, you're provided with, at different hotels, in different countries around the world. So my go-to is oatmeal with some sort of nut butter, like peanut butter, almond butter, or something, and a banana. And maybe some plain Greek yogurt. And if it's quite a while before I raise, I might also have some eggs on the side. So I'm getting a mix of proteins, some carbon carbohydrates and some fats for staying power, but it's all pretty easy for me to digest especially like, I know, banana peanut butter oatmeal, like, that's gonna stay down. No matter what my backup plan is. I actually travel with jar peanut butter so it's peanut butter. Butter on toast on otherwise like muesli if I can soak it the night before in almond milk or oat milk or something, to make sure it's easier to digest. So I've got a number of options that I know are going to work for me.

My pre-race meal typically consists of oatmeal with nut butter, a banana, and some plain Greek yogurt. If it's quite a while before I race, I might also have some eggs on the side. The mix of proteins, carbs, and fats will give me staying power, while being easy to digest. As a backup plan, I travel with jar peanut butter and either toast or muesli that I can soak in milk the night before.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/lg7tjgnxxcxc6busnsui.vtt

My go-to pre-race meal is oatmeal with nut butter (such as peanut or almond butter), a banana, and sometimes plain Greek yogurt. If it's a while before the race, I might also have some eggs on the side. This combination provides a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats for sustained energy. It's easy for me to digest, and I find that banana peanut butter oatmeal is always a reliable choice. In case I don't have access to my preferred meal, my backup plan is to have peanut butter on toast or muesli soaked in almond milk or oat milk. I like to be flexible and have multiple options that I know will work for me, especially when traveling.

What was it like racing in the Olympics after having food poisoning the day before?

Olympic Racer Overcomes Food Poisoning: A Story of Resilience

What was it like racing in the Olympics after having food poisoning the day before? That was honestly terrible. My body was in a really awful place. I felt super super drained. I wasn't really sure I would make it to the start line the morning before because I felt like going for a 20 minute jog. I felt like the wind was going to knock me down but I was able to rehydrate and refuel and make sure I got as much simple carbohydrates into my body. As I could and then I kind of took it really chill in the warm-up. I had, I tried to expend the least amount of energy possible in order to be ready for the race to give myself my best chance. And I honestly went into it with the mindset of, you know, I have nothing to lose here. I'm racing for me because I love it. Not because I have to and not because there's all this pressure on me, but I'm just here to see what I can do. And so, I just kept thinking one step at a time. You know. I'm just going to make it up this hill. This actually, How do I ski as efficiently as possible and conserve and then this section? And so, even when I found myself racing alone, because I went after johaug when she broke away from the pack, which may or may not have been a good decision by me, because I ended up alone and freezing temperatures, and high winds, and a body with very low energy. But I think it was the power of the Mind. Honestly, that kept me going because I was just really motivated to make to that finish line. And I just stayed in the here and now and even when my body started cramping, I wasn't worried. Oh what does that mean for me? 10K from now. It's well right now. I can still get up this hill right now. I can still move one foot in front of the other. So I'll keep doing that until I can't.

Racing in the Olympics after food poisoning was difficult, but I was able to stay focused on the task at hand and push through it with a positive attitude.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/vrytfxibml5gzoc9ular.vtt

Racing in the Olympics after experiencing food poisoning the day before was honestly terrible. My body was in an awful state, feeling completely drained. There were doubts about even making it to the start line the morning before when a 20-minute jog felt like a huge challenge. However, I focused on rehydrating, refueling with simple carbohydrates, and taking a relaxed approach during the warm-up to conserve energy for the race.

I went into the race with the mindset of having nothing to lose. I was racing for the love of it, not because of external pressure. I approached it step by step, focusing on each hill, section, and skiing as efficiently as possible to conserve energy. Even when I found myself racing alone due to a decision I made, I stayed motivated to reach the finish line.

The power of the mind played a significant role in keeping me going. I stayed in the present moment, not worrying about what would happen 10 kilometers ahead. When my body started cramping, I remained focused on the here and now, continuing to put one foot in front of the other until I couldn't anymore.

How long after you won the silver medal 🥈 did it take for you to be able to talk with your parents, sister and Wade? 

Silver medalist's touching moment: Family reached in mere minutes despite collapse

So how long did it take? After I won the silver medal to get to talk to you, my family and husband not that long probably 10 to 12 minutes because because I had had food poisoning 30 hours before the start, I collapsed at the Finish Line. I was not in a good place. I basically got carried out to a warming Hut where the other medalists were and I had my teammate. Julia Kern, our team media Guy, Tom Horrocks, and one of our PTS Susana Rogers were all there. Taking care of me. Like stripping my boots off, putting warm socks on my feet. You know, like here here's of this morn, warm sport drink so they really took care of me. And then Tom face times, I think he facetimed Wade, and they were all together at the watch party out, in Park City Utah. And so, I got to see all of them and say I'm okay. Like I really tired but I promise I'm okay. Like my body's gonna bounce back from this so that was very, very special.

It took around 10-12 minutes after winning the silver medal to talk to my family, husband, and teammates. I had food poisoning 30 hours before the start and collapsed at the finish line. My teammates and other medalists took care of me and then Tom face timed Wade and the watch party in Park City Utah so that I could see them and let them know I was okay.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/xadcsixosj805ixtlfe3.vtt

After winning the silver medal, it didn't take long for me to be able to talk to my family and husband. It was probably around 10 to 12 minutes. However, I had experienced food poisoning 30 hours before the start of the event, which caused me to collapse at the Finish Line. I was in a rough state. Thankfully, I was carried to a warming hut where the other medalists and my teammates were. Julia Kern, Tom Horrocks (our team media guy), and Susana Rogers (one of our PTS) took care of me. They helped me by removing my boots, putting warm socks on my feet, and giving me a warm sports drink.

Tom FaceTimed my husband, Wade, and they were all together at a watch party in Park City, Utah. I got to see them through the video call and assure them that I was okay. I was exhausted, but I promised them that my body would bounce back from this. It was a very special moment to connect with my family and let them know that I was alright.

How do you prepare 2-3 days before your race?

Race Prep: Elite Athlete Shares 2-3 Day Routine Before Competing

Okay, so two to three days before the race. So let's say we often race Saturday Sunday, right? So we travel to the venue usually on Monday, because we're coming from the last World Cup stop. And then, we might do intervals and strength on Tuesday, easy distance, on Wednesday. Thursday is usually a pretty easy day. So it's just some distance training, maybe a couple speeds, a couple pickups. And then the day before the day, the race we do. Ooh, race prep and so will see on the course, definitely testing a lot of skis kind of figuring out, maybe there's some keys to the course. Maybe there's a tricky Corner, maybe a downhill, I really want to hit really hard. And so I want to practice that a couple times and maybe at speed and then we'll often do these race prep intervals together. So we'll gather in the stadium after we test our skis and we might do like if it's a Sprint. The next day we'll do a lap of the spring course in level 3 So Below. Race Pace but you know harder than we would normally go and then we'll recover for you know three to four minutes of full recovery and then we'll do a lap of the Sprint course hard. So you know it maybe was three or four minutes blow race pace and then we'll do a lap at race pace. So pretty hard firing up the body at the same time. Hey, how does this feel when I'm going hard on this course? Would I want to change the way I did? Some things for the race tomorrow, it's a really good dress rehearsal. And then after that, another full recovery, and we might Do some pickups. So a bunch of 10 to 15 seconds speeds. So maybe we do to out of the start gate, to into the Finish, practice a lunge, maybe there's a tricky corner. So we want to go into the corner, around the corner and out of the corner. So yeah. And then jog that evening and a jog, the morning of the race literally like five to 10 minutes just to wake up the body.

Two to three days before a race, skiers will travel to the venue and do intervals and strength training on Tuesday. On Wednesday there will be an easy distance workout and then on Thursday they will do race prep like testing out skis, practicing on the course at different levels of intensity, and doing pickups. The morning of the race, skiers will jog for 5-10 minutes to wake up the body.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/otd334acajkajgqbkmgd.vtt

Two to three days before a race, the preparation routine typically involves specific training and course familiarization. If the race is on a Saturday or Sunday, the athlete usually travels to the venue on Monday. On Tuesday, they may engage in interval training and strength exercises. Wednesday is dedicated to easy distance training. Thursday is a relatively easy day, consisting of some distance training and a few speed pickups.

The day before the race, the focus is on race preparation. This includes testing different skis to find the best fit for the course. The athlete identifies any challenging sections, such as tricky corners or downhill segments, and practices them multiple times, sometimes at race speed. Race preparation intervals are done together as a group. For example, if it's a sprint race, they might do a lap of the sprint course at a level 3 intensity, followed by a recovery period, and then a lap at a harder intensity, slightly below race pace. This is followed by another recovery period and some short speed pickups, lasting around 10 to 15 seconds each. These pickups help simulate race conditions and allow the athlete to fine-tune their technique.

The evening before the race, a light jog of about 5 to 10 minutes helps wake up the body. This is followed by a similar jog on the morning of the race to further prepare the body for the upcoming competition.

How does your preparation differ leading up to sprint races, as opposed to longer distance races?

Training Similarities and Key Differences for Sprint vs. Distance Races

Hey Chrissy, so I would say that my training leading up to Sprint and distance races isn't really that different because a Sprint day can actually be quite long if you're going through all the rounds, right? Like you're out there for like 6 hours. So in that respect, you still need a really big distance base and in distance races. You still need to have a pretty good Sprint in case, it's a mass start and you need that finishing kick coming into the end so they kind of play off each other. So I would say that my training is a little bit more. Alright. Around. But I would say my preparation the day before might be a little bit different. So in my race prep before, let's say a 30 kilometer race, I might do just like eight minutes of level 3, maybe one minute, level 4 and a couple couple little pickups with rest in between each of those. And before Sprint race, I might want little little harder effort to make sure my body's really, really awake and firing on all cylinders. So I'll The lack of the course level 3 rest, laughs of the course in Louisville for so race-based rest. And then a number of like maybe five or six different pickups on key sections of the course. And in a Sprint I'm really making sure like, hey, I want to practice this particular finishing stretch of this race. So because I think in a Sprint, you have what you can't make as many mistakes because it's such a shorter race. Compared to say, a 30k where You could make a mistake here and there and it won't really cost you quite as much.

My training leading up to sprint and distance races isn't that different. However, my race prep the day before is a bit different in that I may do more intense efforts for a sprint to make sure my body is awake and firing on all cylinders.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/eksjighk1htbuqfnr1ox.vtt

My training leading up to sprint and longer distance races isn't significantly different because sprint races can still be quite long if you go through all the rounds, lasting around 6 hours. Therefore, a solid distance base is still necessary for sprint races, and having a good sprinting ability is important for longer distance races, especially during mass starts or finishing kicks.

However, there are some differences in my preparation the day before each type of race. Before a longer distance race, like a 30-kilometer race, I might do about eight minutes of level 3 effort, followed by one minute at level 4, and a few pickups with rest in between. For a sprint race, I want to ensure my body is fully awake and firing on all cylinders, so I'll do a slightly harder effort, like level 3 on specific sections of the course, with rest periods in between. I'll also include five or six pickups on key sections of the course, focusing on practicing the finishing stretch.

In a sprint race, there is less room for mistakes compared to longer distance races. Making mistakes in a shorter race can have a greater impact on the overall outcome. In contrast, in a longer race, you can recover from occasional mistakes without it costing you as much.

Overall, while the training leading up to sprint and longer distance races may not differ significantly, the specific race-day preparation may vary to ensure optimal performance in each type of race.

For young racers (U16) wanting to bring more nuance to their sprint racing, what are some key sprint race strategies you'd suggest?

Master the Art of Sprint Racing: Strategies and Tactics for Young Racers

Hey Chrissy, this is a great question. So one of the things I really didn't understand much when I was younger is that you don't always have to lead in order to win the race or win the Heat. And so, I think I would definitely suggest like play around in intervals, with your team, with different tactics. Try following someone notice, maybe if it's a windy day or slight downhill, notice how it might be easier. If I tuck in behind someone slot in right behind them. And then that might be a little bit easier for me and so I can Save up my energy for a finishing Sprint and so I think it's a cool idea like play with tactics and you know grab a teammate and say hey let's practice this. Maybe today we're doing some some some little Sprint's all lead one and then you lead the other one and trade off with each other and then yeah, try that out because I think a lot of the best friend racers in the world. They don't always necessarily have to go from the front. There are some courses where it does of behoove you to get out there. R really fast. And so the other tip that I would have is practice starts just practice reacting to the start gun, getting off the line really quickly, feeling comfortable, doing it, with other people around you too. Because sometimes it's easy to do on our own and then we get in a, you know, a start line with a lot of other people and it's really distracting and that's really hard. And so I'd say again, grab your teammates and practice doing this with them, right? All around you.

I would suggest playing around with different tactics, like following someone or doing sprint intervals with your team. Also practice starts with your team to get comfortable reacting to the start gun and being surrounded by other people.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/ipdqszvzxyeben37x1sa.vtt

For young racers (U16) looking to enhance their sprint racing skills, I have a couple of key strategies to suggest. Firstly, it's important to understand that you don't always have to be in the lead to win a race or heat. Experiment with different tactics during intervals and training sessions with your team. Try following someone closely, especially on windy days or slight downhill sections, as it can make it easier for you to conserve energy for a strong finishing sprint. Play around with these tactics and practice them with teammates, taking turns leading and following each other.

Additionally, practicing starts is crucial. Focus on reacting quickly to the start gun, getting off the line swiftly, and feeling comfortable doing so with other racers around you. It can be more challenging in a crowded start line, so practicing with teammates can help simulate race conditions and build confidence.

By exploring different race strategies and honing your start skills, you can bring more nuance and versatility to your sprint racing. Don't hesitate to involve your teammates in these training exercises and learn from each other's experiences.

Jessie Diggins answers your Cross Country Skiing questions. See all the advice Jessie Diggins has and get answers to your own Cross Country Skiing questions.