Training plan 1-2 JuNE 2013

Transcription

1 Training plan 1-2 JuNE 2013

2 Your challenge: Your team has signed up to either the Gold, Silver or Bronze challenge. You can upgrade your challenge on the day if you re feeling good, but make sure you ve undertaken the most appropriate training plan to avoid risking injury. Table of challenges: challenge distance time allowed bronze 40 40km (25 miles) 13 hours silver 65 65km (40 miles) 21.5 hours km (62 miles) Eight-week training plan for Bronze Challenge bronze hours Walking 40km (25 miles) is no easy feat, especially if you re not used to long distances. The following training plan is for teams who have never walked this distance and are aiming to finish the course within the 13 hour cut-off. both the uphill work and the downhill pressure on knees and legs. Push yourself and feel the hills. Wednesday Easy day Relaxing pace for 30 minutes or more. Focus on how your body is feeling: heart-rate, stride length, posture, breathing etc. Later in the training, try some of these walks at night to become familiar with night walking. Do 15 minutes warm-up very easy, five minutes stretching, 20 minutes quick-paced walk followed by ten minutes easy and then 15 minutes stretching. Rest on the other day. Saturday or Sunday Long walk The aim of this session is to do a long, starting with three hours and increasing weekly to five hours. Weekly increases must take into account the difficulty of the trail (so don t simultaneously increase the walk by two hours and attempt the most difficult trail sections). Weeks seven and eight peak and taper In the final phase you are looking to maximise your strength and fitness and then taper (or recover) to be in peak condition for the event itself. The long walk in this phase should be around 18km which will prepare you mentally for the distance and time required to complete the event. Your team strategy for rest stops should be agreed, and your individual plan for what to carry, wear, drink and eat should also be decided. In the last week prior to the event, you should reduce the amount of training you do, and in particular the long walk. Your long walk should drop back to no more than three hours. You should also shorten your weekday walks and reduce their intensity. Weeks one to two building a base For the first week you just need to get out and walk. Around 20 to 40 minutes per walk would be the ideal. Don t push, don t hurt and don t get breathless. Walking should always be fun, even when you increase your physical challenges later in your programme. Try to go every other day, with a minimum of three walks each week. Each time you walk, add five minutes to your walk and try to go just a bit faster. Weeks three to six longer walking Once you re able to comfortably walk for 40 minutes non-stop, it s time to look at the second phase: building the long walk. Use this period to train with your team and to work out your hydration system, eating habits and strategies for rest stops. This phase includes a mixture of easy training days, medium-to-hard days, and then the long walk at the weekend. Easy training days and rest days are extremely important, as they allow your body to recover. Aim to walk three or four days each week, and remember that the long walk is the most important. Below is a suggested schedule for this phase of your training: Spend 30 minutes walking. Try to include a hilly section in the walk to experience 2 3

3 Ten-week training plan for Silver Challenge silver 65 65km (40 miles) is beyond what most people have ever walked in one go so don t assume you can achieve this without training. The following plan is for teams aiming to finish the course within the 21.5 hour cut-off. Weeks one to three building a base For the first week you just need to get out and walk. Around 20 to 45 minutes per walk is ideal. Don t push, hurt or get breathless. Walking should always be fun, even when you increase your physical challenges later. Try to go every other day, with a minimum of three walks each week. Each time you walk, add five minutes and try to go a bit faster. Weeks four to seven longer walking Once you re able to comfortably walk for 45 minutes non-stop, it s time to look at the second phase: building the long walk. Use this period to train with your team and to work out your hydration system, eating habits and strategies for rest stops. This phase includes a mixture of easy training days, medium-to-hard days, and then the long walk at the weekend. Easy training days and rest days are extremely important, as they allow your body to recover. Aim to walk three or four days each week, and remember that the long walk is the most important. Below is a suggested schedule for this phase of your training: Spend 40 minutes walking. Try to include a hilly section in the walk to experience both the uphill work and the downhill pressure on knees and legs. Push yourself and feel the hills. Wednesday Easy day Relaxing pace for 40 minutes or more. Focus on how your body is feeling: heart-rate, stride length, posture, breathing etc. Later in the training, try some of these walks at night to become familiar with night walking. Do 15 minutes warm-up very easy, five minutes stretching, 20 minutes quick paced walk followed by ten minutes easy and then 15 minutes stretching. Rest on the other day. Saturday or Sunday Long day The aim of this session is to do a long, starting with three hours and increasing weekly to eight hours. Weekly increases must take into account the difficulty of the trail (so don t simultaneously increase the walk by two hours and attempt the most difficult trail sections). Weeks eight to ten peak and taper In the final phase you are looking to maximise your strength and fitness and then taper (or recover) to be in peak condition for the event itself. The long walk in this phase should be around 30km which will prepare you mentally for the distance and time required to complete the event. Your team strategy for rest stops should be agreed, and your individual plan for what to carry, wear, drink and eat should also be decided. In the last week prior to the event, you should reduce the amount of training you do, and in particular the long walk. Your long walk should drop back to no more than three hours. You should also shorten your weekday walks and reduce their intensity. 4 5

4 Beginners training plan (14-week plan) for Gold Challenge Weeks one to four building a base For the first week you just need to get out and walk. For some of you, this might be 20 minutes, for others, 50. Don t push, don t hurt and don t get breathless. Walking should always be fun, even when you increase your physical challenges later in your programme. For the next three weeks, continue walking. Try to go every other day, with a minimum of three walks each week. Each time you walk, add five minutes to your walk and try to go just a bit faster. Weeks five to ten longer walking Once you re able to comfortably walk for 50 minutes non-stop, it s time to look at the second phase: building the long walk. Use this period to train with your team and to work out your hydration system, eating habits and strategies for rest stops and sleeping. Phase two includes a mixture of easy training days, medium-to-hard days, and then the long walk at the weekend. Easy and rest days are extremely important, as they allow your body to recover. Aim to walk on three or four days each week, and remember that the long walk is the most important. Sample sessions: Spend 45 minutes walking. Try and include a hilly section in the walk to experience both the uphill work and the downhill pressure on knees and legs. Push yourself and feel the hills. For teams who have never done anything like Trailtrekker and are aiming to finish the km (62 mile) course within the 30-hour cut-off. Wednesday Hard day Relaxing pace for 45 minutes or more. Focus on how your body is feeling: heart-rate, stride length, posture, breathing etc. Later in the training, try some of these walks at night to become familiar with night walking. Fifteen minutes warm-up very easy, five minutes stretching, 20 minutes quickpaced walk followed by ten minutes easy and then 15 minutes stretching. Rest on the other day. The aim of this session is to do a long starting with three hours and increasing weekly to as much as ten hours. Weekly increases must take into account the difficulty of the trail (so don t simultaneously increase the walk by two hours and attempt the most difficult trail sections) and you should give yourself a break after three weeks of steady increases. Sample training might be: Week five: Three hours, medium terrain Week six: Four hours, easy Week seven: Four hours, hard Week eight: Three hours, medium Week nine: Five hours, easy Week ten: Six hours, easy The motivation in this phase comes from both the desire to complete the event and the personal satisfaction you get from gaining fitness and strength, and from experiencing the occasional runner s high. Plus you get to have fun with your team mates and enjoy the great outdoors. Weeks 11 to 14 peak and taper In the final phase you are looking to maximise your strength and fitness and then taper (or recover) to be in peak condition for the event itself. The long walk included in this phase will prepare you mentally for the distance and time required to complete the event. Your team strategy for rest stops and sleeping on the trail should be agreed and your individual plan for what to carry, wear, drink and eat should also be decided. Weeks eleven and twelve: These will be similar to the preceding weeks but the long walk should now ideally link several sections of the trail and should last for six hours or more. Weeks thirteen and fourteen: For the two weekends prior to the event, you should reduce the amount of training you do, and in particular the long walk. Two weeks prior to the event, your long walk should drop back to no more than three hours, and then the week before the event it should be no more than two hours. Your weekday walks should also be shorter and less intense. 6 7

5 Intermediate training plan (14-week plan) for Gold Challenge For teams who are hoping to finish in less than 24 hours. You ll already exercise regularly, but now want to tailor your weekly regime specifically for Trailtrekker. Weeks one to four building a base During the first four weeks, start to change your current exercise regime by adding a few walking or running sessions to your activities. Unless you are already a dedicated walker or runner, take care not to overdo it early on. This period aims to build your walking base and to allow you to establish your fitness level and set your event targets. During this period you should be walking/running up to four times per week. The pace should be comfortable, though it can be beneficial to do one weekly session at a slightly harder pace. Week one: Walk/run on two days for 30 minutes each session. Walk/run for 40 minutes for the third session of the week. Week two: Walk/run on three days for 30 minutes each session. Walk/run for 50 minutes for the fourth session. Week three: Repeat schedule for week one. Week four: Walk/run on three days for 30 minutes each session. Walk/run for 60 minutes for the fourth session. Tips You should always be able to carry on a conversation while you are walking/ running. If you can t, you are going too fast and should slow down. Remember the ten per cent rule when increasing your workload. Running downhill isn t too hard and saves time! This is a good time to experiment with very easy running. As you walk, pick out an object such as a telephone pole, 50-60m away. Very gently break into a slow run and jog to it, then walk again to catch your breath. Start repeating this process in all of your walks, adding more and longer running phases. Why run? Even though you may not intend to actually run in the event, running adds variety to your training sessions and improves your cardiovascular fitness, as well as lifting overall strength and conditioning. Weeks five to ten strength and endurance With a solid base in place, phase two is about building your strength and endurance. You are trying to increase your distance, so some days will feel better than others. Listen to your body and be willing to back off. Sample sessions: Hill session. Find some hills and spend 45 minutes taming them (or getting tamed!). It s best to do this off-road along the actual trail is ideal. Wednesday Easy day Recovery walk at an easy pace. Focus on how your body is feeling: heart-rate, stride length, posture, breathing etc. Later in the training, try some of these walks at night to become familiar with night walking. Thursday Hard day Fifteen minutes warm-up very easy, five minutes stretching, 20 minutes hard followed by ten minutes easy and 15 minutes stretching. Friday Rest day Saturday or Sunday Long walk The aim of this session is to do a long starting with three hours and increasing weekly to as many as ten hours. Weekly increases must take into account the difficulty of the trail (so don t simultaneously increase the walk by two hours and attempt the most difficult trail sections) and you should give yourself a break after three weeks. Sample training might be: Week five: Three hours, medium terrain Week six: Five hours, easy Week seven: Five hours, hard Week eight: Four hours, medium Week nine: Six hours, medium Week ten: Eight hours, easy This four-sessions-a-week plan is recommended. If you miss a walk, try to spread out the sessions you do so they are not bunched at one end of the week, and mix the hard/easy sessions. The long walk is the most important one. If you have the time, cross-training sessions are also beneficial. Weeks eleven to fourteen peak and taper As with the beginner programme, in the last phase you are looking to maximise your strength and fitness and then taper (or recover) to be in peak condition for the event itself. The long walk included in this phase will prepare you mentally and physically to complete the event. Your team strategy for rest stops and sleeping on the trail should be agreed and your individual plan for what to carry, wear, drink and eat should also be decided. Weeks eleven and twelve: These will be similar to the preceding weeks but the long walk should now ideally link several sections of the trail and last for eight hours or more. On week 12, you should try to do a long walk of up to seven hours on both the Saturday and Sunday. Walking on the Sunday will prepare you for what it feels like to walk with (very) sore legs. Weeks thirteen and fourteen: For the two weekends prior to the event, you should reduce the amount of training and the long walk in particular. Two weeks prior to the event, your long walk should drop back to no more than three hours and, in the week before, it should be no more than two hours. You should also shorten your weekday walks and reduce their intensity. 8 9

6 Advanced training plan (14-week plan) for Gold Challenge For teams with a good base fitness level who are seeking to finish the event in under 18 hours. You ll need to run parts of the trail and keep rest breaks to a minimum. The programme follows a progressive build-up similar to that for the beginner and intermediate plans, but assumes you have a strong fitness base. The programme and distances outlined below are only suggestions. Athletes should consider their existing training regime and consult with fitness professionals for personal advice. Your training needs to be broken down into different sessions to help build your stamina and strength as well as keeping you interested. Below and on the next page are some explanations of how to link a variety of sessions into a balanced programme. WEEK MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN EASY () HILLS () EASY () INTERVAL/TEMP () EASY () EASY/CROSS () LONG () TOTAL () Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Rest Week Event 112 Training sessions Long walks/runs: The key to this programme is the long weekend run, which builds from 12km in the first week to a maximum of 36km. Experienced runners may like to train longer up to 50km though this isn t vital. It s important to save your energy and to concentrate on quality runs during the rest of the week, too. Consistency is also important. You can skip an occasional session, but do not cheat on the long runs. Your pace should be slow and comfortable. Ideally, train with your team and train on the trail. Use these sessions to confirm what you will wear, eat and drink during the event. Hill training: Running on hills should be included once each week in the first four weeks. After that, include specific hill training once or twice a week for the next eight weeks if you have the requisite conditioning. You can alternate hill training with tempo runs and interval training to provide you with some variety in your training. Hill repeats are the only real way to get the specific strength required for the many hills that you will encounter on the course. Be careful when running downhill, as there is an increased risk of injury. It is still important to train for this as well, but consider duration and intensity until you have conditioned your muscles. Interval training: In training for endurance events, long repeats (800m, 1600m or even longer) generally work best. Again you might start to include this type of session once a week after building your base fitness. Start with four repeats and increase up to a maximum of eight, depending on total distance. Intervals should be run at close to threshold level. Be sure to have a good warm-up at the start and to cool down afterwards. In between each effort, you should allow two or three minutes walk/jog recovery. Tempo training: A tempo walk/run is a continuous effort with a build-up in the middle to near to your maximum pace (much faster than your event pace). Your pace for tempo training should be equivalent to your pace if you were racing for around two hours. The pace build-up should be gradual, not sudden, with peak speed coming about two-thirds into the workout and only for between three and six minutes. You can do these efforts almost anywhere, on the road, on a track or at a park. Tempo runs should not be punishing you should finish refreshed, which will happen if you don t push the pace too hard or for too long. Cross training: Cross training helps to prevent injuries and keeps training interesting. Consider substituting a running session for a paddling, swimming, cycling or gym activity. Go for about the same length of time it would take you to do the walk/run scheduled for that day. Tapering for the event: Be sure to taper during the three weeks leading into the event so all of your muscles are rested and recovered. Do your last long walk/ run two or three weeks before the event and then reduce distances after that. Train conservatively on walks/runs that fall within one week of the event. Cut your distance by 50 per cent during the last two weeks and reduce this to about one-third during the final week. Two days before the event, walk or jog lightly to stay loose and relaxed. Tips Taper for longer if you ve been training hard. Or if you ve been doing fewer than 50km a week, you can probably wait until two weeks before the race to begin tapering. Allow for mental tapering as well: stay relaxed and confident, and understand that some anxiety and pre-event nerves are normal

7 it tested every part of me: life affirming, crazy, breath taking. Team 3 Phillips & 12b Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales No and Scotland SC Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International. Inhouse: Images: RB Create