Training beneficial at any age

Posted on | September 14, 2009 | Comments Off

Cross-country skiing complements summer sports

By Jake Weaver, Special to the Vancouver Sun September 14, 2009

Most people are aware of the concept of cross training as it relates to adult fitness programs. By using different forms of exercise, you can add interest to your training. You will also avoid the overuse injuries that can come from doing too much of one activity.

More and more, active adults are discovering cross-country skiing is an ideal winter activity to complement their main summer sport, be it cycling, road running or triathlons. There is no better sport to develop overall strength, aerobic fitness and coordination without stressing your joints. Just ask my mother-in-law, who often can be found chasing any one of her 10 grandchildren around Cypress Mountain’s cross-country ski trails.

Those kids are part of a growing number of children from the Vancouver area who are choosing cross-country skiing as one of their main sports. Some are participating on a mostly recreational basis while others take part in races. The benefits they gain from skiing transfer to their other sports as well.

The activity they use for cross training more than any other is cross-country or trail running.

Cross- country running is very accessible and offers advantages to athletes of all sports and of any age. For young children, running is considered a key movement skill. Running should be encouraged at an early age and developed throughout the elementary school years. Young kids should take part in a variety of games and play to ensure their well-rounded development — cross training taken to the extreme.

Once they enter high school, teenagers will naturally start to narrow their focus to two or three sports. Whatever sport they choose, cross-country running will help them to be better. The adolescent years provide the best opportunity in a person’s lifetime to develop the aerobic system – the heart and lungs and the ability to use oxygen in the muscles. At this age they find they are able to run longer distances. Teenagers who do distance trail running revel in their increased strength and endurance. They also develop their agility and balance running on uneven terrain.

Cross-country races such as the Whistler Spirit Run provide motivation and help to hone competition skills. This all adds up to teenagers who develop a positive self image, the self-confidence that they can handle any difficult situation and a love of the outdoors. The endorphin release that can change a moody teenager into a happy productive person in the space of a 45- minute run should have all parents racing to sign their kids up for the cross-country team.

The secret to engaging kids, especially teenagers, in sport is to create a social group or “team.” All kids are looking for that sense of belonging. Cross-country running and skiing are similar in that they are individual sports in which training as a team is extremely important. The young athletes learn to work together so that they all can succeed. What could be a boring long run becomes a series of crazy conversations, friendly teasing and heart-to-heart talks where they help each other to work out problems.

So whether your child does sprinting, soccer or curling, or is just looking for a way to get active, think about cross-country running.

Sign up for the school team, join a track club or get some friends together and sign up for the Whistler Spirit Run. Do the cross-country race on Sept. 26 or the 10-km trail run or team relay on Sept. 27. Better yet, make a great weekend out of it and do both.

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Jake Weaver is a level 3 NCCP cross-country ski coach with the Hollyburn Jackrabbit Ski Club Racing Team. He is on the organizing committee of the Whistler Spirit Run.