Guiding Principles for Masters Athletes with Jim Galanes

Nordic Nation

In this episode, we have Jim Galanes to discuss some guiding training principles for masters athletes. If you enjoy the endurance athlete lifestyle, or are juggling a career and family, but still enjoy trying to get fitter and faster as in this fickle sport, this interview has plenty of exercise physiology insight to chew on.

Galanes may need no introduction -- he’s been a noteworthy member of the cross country ski community for more than four decades now. He is a three time Olympian, first in the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics where he competed in nordic combined, then again in the 1980 Lake Placid Games and the 1984 Sarajevo Games competing in cross country.

After retiring from his athletic career, he spent six years as a coach of the national team, followed by a few years with the program at Stratton Mountain School. He then moved to Anchorage to start and coach the now-thriving APU program. Originally from Brattleboro, VT, Jim now lives in Frisco, CO where he coaches online and in-person through his business EPOC Performance Training. On his coaching platform, Galanes regularly weighs in on the latest research or trends in exercise science, and provides examples from his athletes and self-experimentation into the effectiveness of his training programs, making it clear that his finger remains ever on the pulse of best practices in endurance training.

Traveling through the decades and development of professional cross country skiing is a fascinating topic in its own right, and Galanes has been there to see it all. If you’d like to learn more about this history, his time as an athlete, and the interplay between global events and life on the World Cup circuit, Galanes did an in-depth interview on these topics with Toko US Brand Manager Ian Harvey on his podcast, which can be found here or on Apple Podcasts.

Quick reminder: This episode is brought to you by the Alberta World Cup. To all masters skiers out there, the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the Masters World Cup 2022 are calling. This coming March, masters skiers from around the world will come together in Canmore, Alberta to celebrate a shared passion for cross country skiing. This event will be a great opportunity to race in Canmore at the world renowned Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park.

Go to MWC2022.COM for details. There you can find COVID Plan information, and airline and rental car promotions. If you register before Dec 31st, you’ll also get a free pair of commemorative socks.

Thanks for listening.