Nordic SkiingCross Country - Finland
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After closing in 5th place his best ever Tour de Ski, Matti Heikkinen believes is again prepared to race in Falun, but with the prospect of closing a score to settle in world Lahti.
Thursday 26 January 2017 8 minutes reading time
He concluded the fatigue accumulated in the Tour de Ski, according to his own recovery program drafted earlier in the season Heikkinen would have to return to competition only in early February with the National Keuruu championships. But given that the latest tests conducted training on the rollers showed nell''organismo of the Finnish movement's leaders the 'have already disposed of the toxins left by the main competition in the cross-country skiing stages for Matti Heikkinen desire to be already' 'in race this week in Falun did change the preparation oriented programs still to be 100% in a month in her main event - Lahti 2017 -.
"The tests carried out in recent days with my coach showed the return to my usual level. My body no signs of fatigue despite a great start to the season and the Tour de Ski played a leading role. The recovery was my main goal in the 4 weeks following the Tour, I reached this now I can compete again and train at full capacity. I'm already '' training on snow with my usual pace and I plan to be in good condition over the weekend in Falun. But anyway despite my 3rd place in the overall I have still real ambitions to fight for the crystal ball because my work and '' all finalized on world home in Lahti. "
And with the specific aim of obtaining a precious metal medal at the world for him almost home, Matti revolutionized location '', methodologies and training programs.
Since last spring, the 32 year-old native of Kajaani has moved lock, stock and family all at that Oslo's Holmenkollen with the 'sole purpose is to repeat the' gold obtained in 2011 in the classic 15km which took place precisely in the Norwegian capital.
Distance runner could be called the 'past the Finn Heikkinen, nicknamed "Happo" to his friends, that if only he had been born fifteen' years ago he would have definitely won a lot more of the three world medals and just four wins in Cup World hitherto obtained in career. All successes achieved under one common denominator: races in which not '' This the final sprint. Lover of the cross-country skier of our fathers and comes from a great engine the Finnish child, but with the 'intrinsic characteristic of being denied in mass sprints since its first races as a junior: this essential requirement resulted from the new format set by FIS to emerge as a successful cross-country skier in the current international scene.
In a calendar where year after year there are more and more '' skiathlon, sprint and mass start with a bonus point to rain in the various events multistage, Heikkinen and '' always seen gradually more '' private races congenial to him whether in skating or alternately. Not '' a case that has achieved success, medals and podiums in only 15km with departures at intervals or in tracking competitions in the final stages of the multistage events created by the FIS nell''ultimo decade.
Since last November during a press conference in Ruka from team Suomi, Heikkinen had already '' in mind the 4 races that take place '' the World Cup in Lahti: skiathlon, 50km mass, but especially 4x10km relay race which he meticulously prepared since last summer: the 'beloved classical 15km starting at intervals.
We said of the preparation that a couple of 'years with his personal coach Toni Roponen (husband of cross-country skier Riitta-Liisa), Happo changed before nell''ultimo year in Jyväskylä and then from May 2016 residence in its new center of workouts at Holmenkollen. Based workouts much more frequently using the 'use of passenger conveyors with roller skis with which they are carried out regular tests on the reels. Of these special and intense workouts performed on the reels from June until last week and Matti '' arrived in svolgerne total forty (ie '' twice a week) when in general this type of exercise is normally done three times in '' span of one year.
On '' Use more '' continued the rollers, but always alternating with traditional outlets on the narrow skis Heikkinen says: "I can be more controlled in lactic acid values ​​that generate my muscles during a '' training and also I can train for quite some long with gradients that I decide without undergoing changes dates from the traditional roads. "
With these new methods the number 1 Finn believes improved a lot: "I feel capable of producing more '' power than in the past and this allows me to do it for longer periods. With this I feel I can make further progress on rough roads and challenging inclines. "
Probably with this new type of training does not succeed '' to progress in the sprints that have always characterized his career in a negative but what is aimed at the upcoming World Cup Lahti is to be able to make selection and possibly arrive in solitary least in so skiathlon avoid using for once his heel 'Achilles which caused endless disappointments in the race: the' hated final sprint.
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