Training and ParkRun

This week I’ve officially started to train. I’m on “the program” and following a plan leading up to Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. There’s still a lot of uncertainty in the back of my head mainly pertaining to training appropriately for a race of such magnitude. Main concern is the vertical gain/loss and being in the mountains. I’ve done races with 30,000 feet of vert before but none with such long expanses of climbing and descending. 

Trail run along the river

I’m changing my training a bit. The first part I’m focusing on one day of flat, fast speed work per week. Something I’ve never done for an ultra. Focus on weaknesses and less specificity of the race early. I don’t train fast, making it a weakness, and it’s not necessarily a specific part of racing an ultra. However doing some 400m repeats at 5km pace should improve my economy, improve my slower speed technique, and also make me quicker at slower speeds. I’ll still focus on one 20-30 mile run per week with as much vert as I can get, and also have one focused muscular endurance strength workout, but I’ve replaced hill repeats with the speed work for now. 

Recent road run.

Considering the lack of big long hills here I’m going to do my best for now at getting vert. Then later in the plan get more focused on that as it will take much more logistically to make it happen, mainly travel. Same goes for uphill and downhill specific training. I need to become a very fast uphill hiker and make my legs smooth running down and strong for long persistent downhills. The training adaptation for downhill running, an eccentric muscle contraction, happens fairly quickly so no need to abuse my legs so far out from the race. Uphill hike training will likely comprise of hill laps with hiking poles at a fast pace, and likely with a weighted vest. Of course any long run I’ll hike fast and efficiently run down too it just won’t be a focus. 

In other running news here I’ve started volunteering at the local Junior ParkRun. ParkRun is a free weekly run, not race, for people to try to beat their previous time. Adult versions are Saturday, all over the country, and are 5km. Junior versions are Sundays, much less available, and are 2km. The kids spoke up a few weeks ago saying they wanted to run it and the wife recommended I volunteer as a course marshal while we’re there. I didn’t really want to, especially being the introvert I am, but I’ve done it twice so far. I essentially sit on the course, cheer kids on making sure they don’t make a wrong turn. It’s alright. I think the best part is before the run starts I get about 5-10 minutes out in the Wyre Forest in silence! No people around. It’s bliss. The kids are enjoying it so far, it’s nice because it’s at 9am so we get out early Sunday morning. 

Bliss.