Simon Fournier Photo Credit: Jace Stout

One of the first questions I ask racers and coaches I work with is: Should you race like you train or train like you race? The most frequent response is: You should race like you train. This answer makes sense. When you train, you’re relaxed and not under pressure, focused solely on skiing your best. Why wouldn’t you want to feel like that in a race?

In an ideal world, I would agree. But we don’t live (or ski race) in a perfect world. The reality is that there is one significant difference between training and racing: races matter! How fast you ski and your times and results in training don’t mean anything (except for building your confidence if you are skiing fast). The fact that racing matters brings all sorts of baggage related to focusing on results, comparing yourself with other racers, fear of failure, and expectations. That’s why so many racers train much faster than they race. And, as we all know, one of the significant challenges for racers is translating their training speed into race results. This barrier is among the top reasons racers come to me for help.

So, my initial reaction to the seemingly obvious answer that you should race like you train is that you can… unless. What’s unless? Unless you train like you race!

Let me introduce you to two essential rules for ski racing success that make it a requirement to train like you race so you can race like you train.

First

 First, whatever you do in races, you must first do in training. This, too, seems obvious yet is often neglected by racers. Have you ever tried something new on race day that you’ve never done in training? Hopefully not, but if you have, it probably didn’t work well for you because if you haven’t practiced it in training, there’s no way it will work in a race. If you want to ski technically and tactically well in races, you better get that technique and those tactics down in training first. The same applies to every other aspect of your race preparations: ski tuning, physical readiness, or mental preparation.

Second

Second, whatever you do in training, you must do in a race. Ideally, training aims to develop effective skills and habits that will translate into fast skiing on race day. But here’s the problem: racers often practice bad skills and habits in training. For example, if you practice being in the backseat or dropping your hands in training (not intentionally), that’s what you become good at and what comes out in the race.

Whether you practice good or bad skills and habits doesn’t just apply to technique and tactics. It has a significant impact on your mental preparation as well. Here’s a typical example that drives me crazy when I work with racers. At the start of training courses, I see racers leaning on their poles and chatting it up with their friends until they take their run. These racers have the terrible habit of skiing at about 70% focus and intensity. So, on race day, what happens? Either they race at 70% focus and intensity or try to kick it up to 100% focus and intensity, but their mind and body explode because they’re not used to skiing at that level of focus and intensity.

So, think about what you do on race day to prepare and do the same in training. For example, do a good skiing warm-up, inspect the course (don’t just slip it), get your body moving at the start, and do mental imagery. Of course, you don’t have to go through a lengthy pre-training-run routine, but you should shrink it to a 1-2 minute version of your pre-race routine.

Chicken or the egg

Let’s return to my original question: Should you race like you train or train like you race? My answer is a resounding “YES!” You should train like you race so you can race like you train. The more you treat training like a race, the more you will ingrain in your body and mind the skills and habits to ski fast in a race.

The ultimate goal is that when you get to a race, your body and mind automatically do what you do in training, and you will ski fast in the race just like you do in training.