“This has been my worst season so far in my career. In general, the year has presented various challenges with injuries and inappropriate interruptions. Still, I entered the season at a level better than before. So, the training I got laid down has given me something right. I am positive about what is to come,” says Morten Eide Pedersen.

One mistake and kept going 

The biggest problems started last fall after the second covid vaccine. Morten did not realize that the vaccine created the issues, but in retrospect, he sees that it did its part to ensure that form and body did not respond well to the level one should be. But then, he just felt and thought that form was what was missing.

“I trained and mostly followed the plan I had set. From experience, you know that it eventually turns around, even if it sometimes feels hopeless when things do not work out. Pushed a little extra with a tired body. It started to approach the season very quickly, and then you want to find the flow and get the peace that you are where you should and want to be. Instead, it became a new bang and a new break with back problems.”

“Simply went into the classic trap where rest and less exercise would certainly have been the best recipe, but it is not always as easy to make the best decisions.”

The start was quite good, but then it stopped 

Similar pain in the back led to changes in the program and not the “training” Eide Pedersen wanted to do when the season started. Despite all the problems, he came out with an OK result during the opening race at Beitostølen. When he came to the Visma Ski Classics competitions before Christmas, his body was at a good level, and things were working well.

“I made a choice and celebrated Christmas and New Year in the altitude in Livigno to prepare as best as possible for the competition period in January. Most of the competitions were high, so choosing a somewhat different Christmas holiday was relatively simple.”

“Got a good start the first weekend in Toblach. Must then stand over the race the weekend after due to covid infection in the team and close contact. Then the corona hit and had to stand out for another weekend.”

Time started to tick before the big classics in the long-distance circus. Morten Eide Pedersen got out on skis and went on a few training days before Marcialonga. This was one of the highlights of the season for the 34-year-old.

“Things felt perfectly OK from the recovery, and I was happy to be back in the field. I was ready to make an effort the rest of the season.”

“Unfortunately, week after week and then, things went like a roller coaster. I trained and made good preparations for the following weekends with competitions. But I felt on my body that it was not as it should be.”

“At this point, I continued to optimize and mobilize with all the tricks you can to regain the good feeling and do the measures I previously had good experiences with,” says Eide Pedersen.

“Got to know how much it “takes” to find back to the form. At one point I felt it was a good time for both Vasaloppet and the Birkebeinerrennet. Ahead of these important races, I do everything I can to perform at the top.”

Morten describes that it went well for a long time during these races, but halfway through the competitions was the feeling that the body turned off completely.

“Of course, I got both bored and confused after Birkebeinerrennet. The next step I took was a good break of 10 days from all training and competition. The hope was that things could change and make an experience at least on how the body responds, and whether this is a move that provides change and learning for the way forward,” says Eide Pedersen.

“The goal was to get started again at the season’s last competition in Levi and hopefully round off with a decent result and a body that plays better on teams competition.”

“Now, in retrospect, things seem to be a little more back in balance. So, it will be to use the spring well and a little care, so I get a good summer training and hopefully find my way back to the level I want to be.”

Solid team with good conditions 

Morten Eide Pedersen joined a new Pro Tour Team before the 2021/2022 season. Eksjöhus is a solid partner, and they want to invest in long-distance skiing. It is a family business that builds houses. The desire and goal of long-term cooperation made it easier to create a solid foundation for building the team that will continue to work and build up in the coming years.

“The base was good, and we got to spice it up a bit during the season. This proved very useful when the whole team was put out of competition for a period. Then it was extra nice to be able to put in some super reserves and reinforcements.”

“We have already created a stable and solid group both in the service team and with skiers who have worked well. The future is very bright and positive for the team.”

Morten has been known to train a lot and has always done so. In the world of long-distance skiing, there are probably few who spend more hours and time getting as good as possible.

“Ever since I was a younger athlete, I realized that it was important to spend a lot of time on what one wanted to be good at. In the beginning, I marked the lower part of the results list,” Morten smiles.

“If I were to make any move at the time, I thought I should at least train the most. In retrospect, I certainly did not train best at the time, but even then, I gained experience year after year and made adjustments.”

“That you later took steps and got better results at least gave the motivation to keep the number of training hours at a good level.”

Team Eksjöhus Pro Tour skier has been lucky to participate in some exciting test projects at Lillehammer University. He has gained access to the test lab where standard tests can be run. This became the basis for setting goals and development tasks.

Training machine

In terms of training, the long-distance skier divides the season or months into different periods with different training focus. He has gained a lot of good experiences from interval and strength training.

“I like, and think it is generally important to train varied, especially if you are going up to large amounts of training. There you are lucky as a cross-country skier. Varied training makes the body well trained. Different loads and focus mean that you can master the different styles well.”

“The level in long-distance skiing has become very high. A lot has happened from the first years I was involved, including the number of top skiers and competitions. Being a part of this is a lot of fun.”

“I switched to long-distance skiing early, but I also see that I became a better traditional skier even though I changed my training a bit and focused more on long-distance skiing.”

“My training has always varied a lot with skating, cycling, running, etc. There will be a lot of double poling, but you can generally see that in long-distance skiing. Especially on the men’s side, there has been a solid development in recent years. All skiers have gotten better at this.”

Eide Pedersen takes one year at a time in sports. He thrives very well with what he does and has the opportunity to bet on long-distance skiing. At the same time, one never knows when the body is just saying enough is enough. One thing is the head, but the body also gets a lot of hard work.

“I love challenges and taking new steps, making changes in training with the belief that it will make me better. It is probably such a great motivation – as long as you know there are some steps you can take that can make you take steps forward. It is an important factor for me to keep going,” says Morten.

It varies how thoroughly Eide Pedersen works to evaluate, but he believes it is essential to have an idea and think through what has been done and what can be done better or changed so that it can be better next season. A change in training is often the most significant factor in getting better.

“Now that the season was like this year, it is first to get back and just get on the podium in the ski races again, which is the biggest goal. I want to win the big races and preferably fight for the overall yellow bib.”

“Feels that we have managed to create the conditions in the team to be able to succeed with this. Achieving the goals is mostly one thing that counts, and it is hard work. As I said, I am lucky to associate with many solid athletes in Lillehammer. I have experience, and one sees that good training groups often succeed well. Many people train well at training camps, but the training and the quality of what happens in “everyday life” at home have the largest percentage of what you put in. If there is a consistently high level and quality of this, you will be lifted by the group. For me, it is important and rewarding to train together and do each other well. Utilizing each other’s strengths is high on my focus,” concludes Morten Eide Pedersen.