The coach drew up a training program – Krista Pärmäkoski became anxious and tore up the paper: “I just do nice exercises”

The cross-country skiing competition season 2022–23 ended in mid-April. The weeks that followed Krista Pärmäkoski32, took care of his health as he saw fit.

Coached skiers for twenty years Matti Haavisto as usual sent the training program for the basic training season 2023 starting at the dawn of summer.

– It started to bother me when the training program came. Practically everything except strength and power training is over the suttas. I told Mati that I wanted more freedom to do things, says Pärmäkoski.

In practice, the skier has prepared the most suitable training schedules and the most palatable basic endurance workouts.

– I just do nice exercises, the person from Kuortane laughs.

– It probably sounds like I haven’t skied properly. That I’ve only been doing little jumps until I’ve returned home to kick, he adds.

After the rules of the game had been drawn up again, Haavisto drew up a goal for the number of training hours per week for his protégé. According to the athlete, it has been maintained.

– I really enjoy when I can decide what I do. For example, before a basic endurance workout, I wonder if it’s roller skiing, running or cycling. If one day it felt like an hour and a half is enough, I’m done with it. The other day I have done three hours.

Unusual

Pärmäkoski says that the main idea of ​​the basic training season has been to make the main training sessions of the week better and more productive than ever before.

– If, for example, the main workout has been Saturday’s power workout, I’m doing preparatory exercises for it.

The skier assures that he is in good shape and the goal is to make the best performances of his career in the 2023–24 competition season.

– I am in the best running condition of my life. The tenth run goes at any time. Before, you had to focus on that.

Burdened by a heavy training load, the athlete ran 3,000 meters in the summer at 10:18.

– There has been no harm from this way of training. I have not once experienced stress during the training season, that now I have to do the training according to the training program.

Pärmäkoski has experience with his body and, so to speak, the basics of endurance are in order. That’s why a new and slightly unusual training model in Finnish endurance sports can produce a successful result.

– At first, I had a bad conscience, wondering why I couldn’t last a quarter of an hour longer. Little by little, I have learned to recognize what is best for the body at any given time.

Lovely USA

The Finn’s second surprise move was a one-month training camp in the United States in September-October. He stayed near the Park City ski resorts for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. The small town of Midway is located 1,700 meters above sea level.

– I smiled and was happy the whole month.

The first three weeks as a training partner was Riitta-Liisa Roponen.

– “Ritu” bore the main responsibility for cooking. He is really good and fast at it.

Last week, the Finn trained with the USA national team. It was a slip into the discomfort zone, because English is not a Finn’s core area of ​​expertise.

– Jessie Diggins asked what was the single best thing. I answered that a six-hour hike to 3,500 meters above sea level. Then I corrected my answer: the best time was in the United States.

The main goal of the Tour

In the 2023–24 season, there will be no prestigious ski competitions, so Pärmäkoski’s main goal is success at the Tour de Ski.

In Central Europe, it is common to get married at the turn of the year. The competition locations are Toblach, Davos and Val di Fiemme.

Pärmäkoski could be described as a great Tour skier. He has made it to the finish line ten times and all final results are in the 2-8 bracket.

The Finn will skip the sprint races in this season’s World Cup, so overall victory in the Cup is not on his mind at the moment.