Kris Freeman

As I look ahead to the upcoming year, I am, of course, most excited about the upcoming 2006 Winter Olympics. My coaches and I are doing everything we can to prepare for the Games, which will be held in Torino, Italy, from February 12-29, 2006. In April, I started designing a strategy for the most effective training program possible with the U.S. Ski Team coaching staff, and I couldn't wait to get started. Now, with training season upon us, I am confident it will help me win a medal at next year's Olympics.

As a whole, this year's training plan is actually somewhat easier than what I have done in the past. We structured it this way on purpose, so I can perform to the peak of my abilities when it matters the most. The best way to do that is to make sure I am always properly rested. So, following the World Championships earlier this year in Obersdorf, Germany, I took a much needed three-week "break" of rest and relaxation. But it was hard to relax since Worlds had revitalized me and fueled my itch to start training again. However, once I started training on May 1, I found the transition back into "training mode" was smooth and I immediately felt strong and solid during my workouts.

I train in week-long cycles that include two weightlifting sessions, one plyometric workout, two sets of intervals and approximately 15 hours of "easy" distance training.

Taking care of my diabetes is always easier when I am training. During heavy training, my insulin requirements drop dramatically compared to during downtime. When I'm not training, I try to eat 2500 calories a day and use approximately 20 units of Lilly's Humalog® and seven units of Lantus® to accommodate my meals. When I am training, however, I consume an average of 3500-4500 calories a day and use four to five units of Humalog® and one-and-a-half units of Lantus® at night. I also find that my sugars are much more stable when I am in training, which means that I do not need to use my glucose monitor nearly as much.

Recently, my workouts have started to feel really good, proving to me that I have made a lot of progress in the past few years. My best running interval session so far was on a track in fog and rain. I warmed up with a 30-minute jog and by running a few 100-meter sprints. Then I ran four one-mile segments with three-and-a-half minutes of recovery time between each hard mile. I ran each mile in five minutes flat, which was my precise goal. Last year, this workout would have left me drained and tired. This year, however, I was pleased to find that my legs still had some bounce in them during my cool-down jog.

I had a similar experience while doing rollerskiing intervals one week later. There is a long steep hill where I like to climb for five minutes at a time while rollerskiing as hard as I can. On the first interval, I skied 100 meters farther than I had the previous year in the same amount of time! At first, I was worried I may have skied the first five minutes too hard and wouldn't have enough energy left to finish the next five intervals. My fears were unfounded, however, as I continued to surpass last year's mark at each subsequent interval.

Suffice it to say, the training year has been off to a good start. I enjoy training and working hard, and I especially like to see it paying off as I get physically stronger. Dry-land training will continue until mid-July, when I will fly to New Zealand for an on-snow U.S. Ski Team camp.

I will check in with you afterwards, Kris.

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Article reprinted with permission from: Diabetes Positive! © Copyright August 2005