5 MONTH TRAINING PLAN

Transcription

1 5 MONTH TRAINING PLAN This Quest training plan has been prepared by Fiola Foley, ex-international rower turned multi-sporter. Fiola is no stranger to longdistance races. She has competed in the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, the Apex AR World Series in Switzerland and Huarasinchi AR World Series in Ecuador. She has competed in and won numerous -hour cycling events, mtb and road marathons, and took nd place in the Swiss Alpinathlon and is a -time, top 5 finisher in the infamous Inferno Triathlon in the Swiss Alps. Fiola has produced this comprehensive training plan drawing on her years of experience in preparing for tough endurance events. Medical Disclaimer: Always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. If you experience any pain or difficulty with this exercise program, stop and consult your doctor.

2 GENERAL TIPS You have decided to go big and take on either Quest or Quest. Congratulations! This event will probably be a big focus in your life over the coming months, and in order to be physically and mentally ready for the challenge, you will need to create space in your life to dedicate to its preparation. Estimate 7-0 hours a week of dedicated training for the event over a month period. This will get you into shape! There will be weeks when you may not get through the whole program, but don t stress. You can make up for it on a different week, or not at all... the key thing is to keep moving forward. NOTE: The below program is aimed at an athlete with competitive aspirations. Should your goal be to complete the distance, then you can reduce the volume of the active sessions (not the recovery sessions) by 0%. The program is also designed to be followed in the months leading up to an event in August and it is important that you take part in some other events in the lead up to test out your equipment, your nutrition and get to know your strengths and weaknesses. Don t lose sight of your goal though, these events are mere preparation for the big one and should be integrated as training sessions into the programme. There are also some key, long training sessions in this programme. These are paramount to your success in the event. They are marked in orange and can be done at any time but preferably during the designated weekends. Make sure you reduce your training load before these sessions and take time to recover with a couple of rest days or active recovery days after each one. Listen to your body and give it the rest it needs to repair itself. CYCLING The best way to get quality road rides in, especially over longer distances, is to do these with a group of people. Join your local club or team up with a friend who is also preparing for a long-distance event. It also helps to pass the time and improve your handling skills. If you can t get out on the on weekdays, then switch the ning sessions from the weekend around or use an indoor trainer. If you like to mountain that s great too, just make sure you get longer sessions on the road done. RUNNING The fun part! Trail ning is great on bad-weather days.it doesn t matter if you get muddy and you will stay warm no matter what. Make sure you have invested in a good pair of trail ners with proper support for your feet and ankles. A light backpack is also necessary so you can carry some food, a jacket, a hydration pack, a survival kit, and get used to having one on your back as you will on Quest /. INTERVALS There are some interval sessions included in the training program. These are helpful for increasing your resistance to lactic acid, which still builds up in your muscles in races over long distances. These intervals can be approached as hill repeats or just by ning faster on the flat, the important thing is to make sure your heart rate reaches 80% of its max capacity (guideline: 0 - your age). RUN-BIKE-RUN (BRICK) SESSIONS These sessions are great for getting used to transitioning from the to the and back to the again if needs be. Don t wait until race day to do this. Perfect it in training so it s second nature on race day. REST Pretty self-explanatory! If you feel like taking a walk on your rest days that s fine, if you feel like watching back-to-back Star Wars movies, thats also fine. The key here is to let your body recover from the stress you have been putting it under. If you are used to wearing a heart rate monitor for your training, getting a feel for what your resting heart rate is upon waking is useful - if you are feeling tired and your resting heart rate is elevated it could be an indication you need to take a rest day. GEAR Since your preparation will begin during months that are still dark in the evenings, please invest in a good head torch, lights and hi-vis apparel. NUTRITION Everyone is different, what works for some people, may not for others. The trick with the longer races is knowing what works for you over a longer period of time - so testing this on your longer sessions is paramount to success on race day. Sugary energy gels and bars are okay boosts when you need an extra lift, but they won t get you through a long distance race. I recommend foods that are light in fibre, easy to ingest and digest. I prefer to eat foods that are as natural as possible. Bananas, cheese sandwiches, trail mix, flapjacks. Variety is key and eat what you love. It depends on the intensity with which you intend to race at, but I recommend 60% of your caloric intake on the day to come from starchy carbs instead of sugary ones. Having one bottle of isotonic drink (Nuun) and another bottle of carbohydrate-loaded drink on your is also a good way to continuously take in calories and maintain hydration during the cycling stages.

3 APRIL -8 recovery - walk/yoga/ stretch/ 0-minute - easy pace (flat) with x0 or 60-minute hilly 0-minute at moderate pace, hilly 90-min APRIL mins 0-mins strength and 0-minute - easy pace, hills. : 60-minute 0-minute, hilly (mtb if possible) 0-minute 90-min APRIL 6-8. Easy travel hours est. Quest Glendalough or long training day yoga/stretch APRIL min hill. hill

4 APRIL 0 - MAY 05 0 hours 0-minute - easy pace (flat) with x0 or 60-minute hilly 0-minute at moderate pace, hilly Running race (IMRA.ie or similar ideal) MAY 7-0 mins 0 mins Strength and 0-minute - easy pace, hills est. Quest Wales or long training day brick (,, ) 90-min MAY -0 0 hours RECOVER MAY min hill. hill

5 MAY 8 - JUNE 0 0-minute (flat) with x0 or 60-minute hilly 0-minute at moderate pace, hilly, -hour hours -hour or.5-hour (moderate pace) june -0 Heavy Week. hilly or with x0min intervals at tempo.5-hour est. Dingle Adventure Race or long training day -hour, JUNE RECOVER 0-mins Strength and 0-minute - easy pace, hills JUNE 8-7 hours : focus on technique, -hour. Practice transition. -hour, -hour. Practice transition. 5 JUN 5-JUL : focus on technique, -hour. Practice transition. -hour, -hour. Practice transition.

6 JULY -8 hours.5-hour -hour kayak 0-mins warm up, x 0 minutes race tempo) ride JULY 9-5 Approx (training weekend approx. 9 hours total) -hour easy.5-hour Quest Training Weekend TBC Quest Training Weekend TBC JULY 6-8 hours RECOVER -hour easy -hour OFF -hour kayak, focus on technique OFF -hour, -hour easy JULY -9. hilly or with x0min intervals at tempo.5-hour with x 5 min at race tempo) hour, -hour -hour,

7 JULY 0 AUG 5 hours hour hilly or with x0min intervals at tempo.5-hour hours hour, -hour -hour, AUG 6- s.5-hour -hour kayak 0 mins warm up, x 0 minutes race tempo) ride -hour AUG -9 8 hours TAPER -hour easy -hour / with x 5 min at race tempo OFF -hour easy, -hour easy AUG RACE RACE WEEK -hour easy -hour easy ride, check equipment 0 mins easy Prepare equipment for event/travel RACE RACE