This week we are tackling “30/30 speeds”, henceforth referred to simple as 30/30s. These are a staple of the Junior program but they are incredibly beneficial for any skier! The combination of hard work but short bursts and equal rest is very unique, with a very direct technique-focused application in addition to just pure fitness or strength.
The short nature of the interval means that on rollerskis (or on foot!) you should try to execute good technique for the whole speed. The recovery period is equivalent: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds easy but continual moving. Hence the title 30/30s. The tricky part is that the more of these you do, the harder it is to maintain that good technique. These intervals truly are “easy to lean/hard to master” because it’s quite easy at first to go hard…but it can catch up to you fast!
As Scott Johnston writes in “Training for the Uphill Athlete”, 30/30s are “a good way to introduce Z4 [Level 4, or race pace] into your interval routine and add in a bit of speed to what may become some fairly slow but hard uphill efforts. You’ll need a good warmup that culminates in three to four minutes at Z3 [level 3, or threshold pace]. Then you’ll be ready to roll right into the 30/30 sets.”
Johnston suggests starting with 2 sets of 6 minutes of 30/30s. Give yourself 5-10 minutes between set one before rolling right into set 2. As you progress through the summer or fall, bump it up to 2×8 minutes, then 2×10…eventually you could shoot for a whole 30 minute block, which is 15 minutes of intensity time!
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