UTMB TRAINING GUIDE BY NEIL THUBRON

UTMB TRAINING GUIDE BY NEIL THUBRON

CONTENTS u INTRODUCTION u MENTAL PREPARATION u PHYSICAL PREPARATION u EQUIPMENT u NUTRITION u THE RACE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Neil Thubron is the founder of XNRG, the multi-day ultra marathon company based in the UK. In 2009 he completed the Marathon Des Sables placing 19th British finisher, and in 2010 and 2011 he completed the UTMB, before going on to complete the TDS in 2012. In 2013 Neil finished the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon in South Africa as the 1st British finisher, and went on to win the Yukon Artic Ultra 300 mile event in 2015. XNRG provides multi-day endurance events in the UK. Here, founder Neil, who completed the UTMB in 2010, 2011 and TDS in 2012, shares his tips on preparing for some of the world s toughest footraces.

INTRO I am passionate about the Alps and competing in the mountains. I am also passionate about helping as many people complete their chosen challenge as possible. There are many ultra runners who aspire to take part in one of the UTMB races: the CCC, TDS, or the new OCC; and why not? A week in Chamonix in August is a great way to spend time. The atmosphere is electric, everyone you bump into is either doing one of the events, or has done one of the events; it s a hub of ultra trail running excitement. The problem is that so many great athletes from the UK work hard to collect the points to qualify for their chosen event, go on to make it through the ballot and then fail to finish. In fact, over 60% of Brits DNF across the UTMB races in most years, and In 2016 just 30% of starters finished across all countries. This guide is written as my opinion, based on many years of being in the Alps and completing mountain races, to help you achieve this goal. - Neil Thubron

The four main races in the UTMB week are in order of size the OCC, the CCC, the TDS and the biggest event itself; the UTMB. There is also an event called the PTL running throughout the week, this is not a race but an expedition in the Alps. u OCC Start in Osiere Switzerland 55kms, 3500m 3 qualifying points needed to enter u CCC Start in Courmayeur, Italy 101kms, 6100m 7 qualifying points needed to enter u TDS Start in Courmayeur, Italy 119kms, 7250m 7 qualifying points needed to enter u UTMB Start in Chamonix, France 170kms, 10000m 15 qualifying points needed to enter THE UTMB RACES

With so much of the success riding on the mental aspect, it would be foolish to overlook it. Preparing your mind is crucial. The reason people fail to complete, or do as well as they could is often because they haven t prepared mentally. Success in extreme events is 70% mental, 20% mechanics, and 10% nutrition. Whilst competing, as I looked around at bedraggled competitors, I could that their race was over in their eyes. The organisers obviously knew this was a point where people dropped out because there were several coaches waiting outside. As I heard the rain I thought I d better eat, drink and push-on quickly before I got too comfortable. It took a huge effort to leave the warm tent to head into the rain and falling darkness, but I had to I couldn t stop; I had a big reason why It s critical to know your why. What is your goal? Is it to compete or complete? What are your motivators and who are you doing it for? MENTAL PREPARATION

ACTIVITY FINDING YOUR WHY Start by simply writing down a short paragraph on why you want to do this challenge. Then, ask yourself why. For example, if you write because I want to challenge myself, ask yourself why? Then write down the answer. Then ask why is that important, and keep on asking why until you get to the core reason why. Next, ask yourself who are you doing this for. Is it for you, to get a badge for the collection? Or is it for others; friends, family or a charity. Write down your answer. It s interesting to note that when building up your reasons, the ones that will drive you more when it gets hard are the ones for other people, not for yourself. When it is for a charity, family or friends, you will not want to let them down. They will keep you going subconsciously! I interviewed ultra athlete Mimi Anderson a few years ago, when I asked her what got her through the hard times, she said she didn t want to let her crew, supporters and friends down, she had to complete it for them. Committing what you are going to do to the people you respect and is also very powerful. When it gets hard you think about not letting them down. Social media is great tool for committing what you are going to do. During the 2011 UTMB when I was climbing up to Col de la Tete, I was tired, and physically and mentally I wanted to give up. I sat on the side of the trail for about 10 minutes as people passed me. I considered heading back to the last aid station. I started thinking about the excuses I could put on Facebook for not finishing! I came up with sicknesses, injury and many more. And then I thought, no that isn t me, I don t give up, my core identity is someone who never ever gives up. I then pushed on into the night and had a good race. External motivators are very powerful. Spend time with your answers; when you are happy with them, write them on a piece of paper or card and keep it in your pack ideally laminated! You could also get family and friends; the people you love and respect to write messages on the back of the card. This will be one of your anchors when it gets hard, and something you refer to every morning and evening on the race. Sound corny though it may, it works.

In the Yukon, in minus 55 degree temps during the night, if you d been there you d have heard me The Alps are different to anywhere in the UK. One of the reasons people fail in the singing Katrina and the mountains is they are just not ready for the Waves what s your size and steepness of the ascents and motivational trigger? descents, the weather and temperature changes, or the fact that their speed becomes so much slower. Building up references of success is critical to succeeding when the going gets tough. You need to be able to think back to your training runs and know in your heart of hearts that you have built a foundation for success. When I was in the military I learned about specific training for a specific task. This wasn t just about getting physically ready, but to build the mental references and mental strength you need to get you through the hard times. So if you are doing 100 miles in the Alps you need to build up a database of references that support this goal completing long runs in the UK, climbing some big mountains in the Alps, training through the night etc. (More on training in a little while.) GET YOUR MIND IN THE RIGHT PLACE CREATING TRIGGERS AND MOTIVATION Having a strategy for the tough times is key, and planning this strategy in advance is vital. In Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) they refer to triggers. We are creating positive and negative triggers all the time. We hear a song and it motivates us. We speak to someone who we respect and they lift us. We make a physical move, like clenching our fist or pumping the air and we get motivated. We all have triggers; what are yours and how can you set up positive triggers in advance to make you feel good when you need it? As an example, I have a playlist on my ipod (the battery lasts longer than a phone!) which starts with Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. When I need picking up, I play it and it fires me up to move on. (In the Yukon if you had been there in the dark and the minus 55 degree conditions you would have heard me singing this song at the top of my voice!) What is a positive trigger for you?

Poles are not there to make a nice tapping noise! They are there to help you push on Your physical preparation depends on how far out from the race your training begins, along with your fitness levels. To succeed in the mountains, specific training is going to be key. Getting in the miles is important, but you cannot do your best in Alpine events without experiencing the Alps. The things that catch people out in the Alps are: The size of the ascents and descents some climbs can take 4 hours plus, and the steep painful descents can last for 3 hours plus The weather in the Alps is extreme. From 32 degrees C in the valleys to -3 degrees C on the peaks, wading through fresh snow The speed. If you can do a 100 miler in under 24 hours good for you. Forget it. A good speed in the Alps is 3 miles per hour, and the average is around 2.5 miles per hour depending on the conditions Get used to walking most of the field at the UTMB events will walk for 60 80% of the time, either climbing, descending or on the flat (Which is limited!) SPECIFIC TRAINING Learn and train to walk For most runners, walking is seen as failure. For the Alps walking is essential. If you don t train to walk quickly and efficiently using poles, then you have less chance of success. If you are going to spend 60 80% of your time walking then you need to train for it. Learn to use poles You cannot succeed in the Alps unless you learn to use poles. Even the fast runners pack poles in their ultra vests. When you are doing a big climb you can always tell the people that are not using poles because they look like they are going backwards, whilst people using poles overtake them. Learning to use poles properly is also important. If they are used properly they can take up to 25% of the effort away from your leg muscles. You notice this in the pain in your shoulders. Poles are not there to make a nice tapping noise, they are there to place in front of you and push on. Like using a bannister on a stair case. PHYSICAL PREPARATION

TRAIN IN THE HILLS & MOUNTAINS You ll not be surprised that my first advice for getting ready for the Alps is to train on hills and mountains. Plan in at least 1 week of training in the Alps. Plan in several weekends training in the UK on hills / mountains of the Brecons, Lakes, Penines and Scottish Highlands etc. Plan in hill training to your weekly schedule. When you are training in the hills and mountains, there is a difference between hill sessions and training for the Alps. Those that succeed in the Alps learn how to walk up hill quickly using their poles. They also learn how to descend quickly and safely on steep winding trails. ADAPTIVE TRAINING If you don t have big one-hour plus climbs near to where you live, you can still train for the mountains. Here are some tips: - Carry a weighted rucksack. To build up the muscle strength and memory when you cannot get to the mountains, fill bags with sand, put them in a rucksack so that it weighs around 15 20 kg, and then get out for some climbs. - Get on a treadmill with your rucksack in the gym, wind it up to the steepest setting and walk for 40 60 minutes. - Find a set of stairs outside or inside, put on the rucksack and get climbing for 40 60 minutes. - Find a small hill outside and power walk up with your rucksack, then jog back down. Keep doing this for 40 60 minutes. - Pulling a tyre really helps build the muscle strength and memory. I drag the tyre along the ground behind me up and down a steep hill near to where I live. People will give you funny looks, but it really helps to simulate the climbing toughness in the Alps. Do this once or twice for 40 60 minutes a week. WHERE TO TRAIN Training runs should all be off-road so you can to build up foot and ankle strength along with core stability. Run as many miles as you can during the week, but always do two long runs at the weekend. Time on your feet rather than distance is key, so try to get 4-8 hours in back-to-back at weekends. Build in at least one full week of training away from home in the mountains. I ve always gone to the Alps to train for a week and done 6 8 hours of running / walking every day to get my body used to hard exercise each day with short recovery periods. BUILD IN MULTI-DAY EVENTS Doing multi-day ultras is definitely a benefit to getting ready for the mountains. If you are doing the UTMB or TDS then you will be going for a day or so. Getting yourself used to covering long distances each day does help. Have a look at some of our events at www.xnrg.co.uk

The kit list for the UTMB races is specific and checked very thoroughly by the organisers. If you don t have the right kit you will not be able to start! However, it s also true that you may have the correct kit to get through the organiser s kit check, but when you get to the mountains you could find it just isn t good enough for the conditions. There are 4 things I learned on my first UTMB that were critical: 1. You must have a high quality waterproof, not a light ultra waterproof, but a proper mountain walking waterproof. This is heavier and bulkier than an ultra waterproof, but having spent hours and hours in very heavy rain on all my UTMB races, I cannot stress enough how important a good waterproof is. If you get wet, you will get cold, you will get miserable, you will probably not finish. Waterproof trousers are also vital, this is often a strange concept for ultra runners. With the extreme of temperatures and the intensity of the rain, I found that waterproof trousers were essential. On my 2nd UTMB in 2011 (where there were less than 40% of people finished the event) I found I had my waterproof trousers on from the start (where there was a torrential alpine storm) until Col del la Seigne on the Saturday morning. In fact I forgot I had them on, but I do know that people who didn t wear them, didn t finish. EQUIPMENT NEIL S 4 TOP TIPS

EQUIPMENT 2. You need the best head torch you can afford. On the first UTMB I took a small Energiser head torch from Argos, which passed the organiser s test, but was useless in the mountains. Going up is fine, you can get away with a poor head torch. Coming down however, you need a very bright good light so you can see the ground properly. There are two issues with a poor torch first, you can t see the ground which slows you, and secondly, when someone with a bright torch comes up behind you, your shadow covers up the ground in front of you! I ve always used a Black Diamond torch with a large battery pack on the back of the head. Roughly 250 lumens max brightness. It is not the lightest, but with lithium batteries, and if you put it on the lowest brightness to climb, and the brightest to ascend it will easily last two nights. In the cold of the Arctic it lasted four days before I had to change the batteries! 3. One word: poles. I ve already mentioned the importance of having poles to take part in the event. In my view you will not complete it without them. There are many on the market. There are ones that are solid and ones that fold down to go in your pack. From my experience, for most of the main field, once the poles are out they don t go away again, you always need them. So whether they are folding or not doesn t matter. What I would say about poles is that there are some very flimsy ones out there, which are light, but when you put real weight on them, they buckle and can break. If you can afford them the Leki carbon poles are some of the best. Light and strong. Getting the right length is important. It is not like fitting ski poles, they need to be slightly longer so that you don t have to bend from the waist to plant them in front of you and push. 4. You need good shoes. The first UTMB I did I wore Saucony trail shoes which were fantastic off road in the UK. However, in the alps they were not enough. On the Alpine trails you are constantly bashing your toes on boulders, twisting your feet on rocks and roots, so you need very strong trail shoes. The Saucony shoes lasted until the final climb and then the toe start to come apart and flap. Basically the sole was coming away because of the punishment they had taken. I now use Salomon 3D Ultras for racing in the Alps, and Salomon Speedcross for training. They are heavier than your normal trail running shoes, but remember you are walking for 60 80% of the time!

There is a list of minimum kit that you have to carry, as recommended and checked by the organisers. This is comprehensive and really is all you need. In addition to the points I mentioned in the equipment section above, here are some further thoughts from my experience. Clothing It is much colder than you think during the night at 2500m, so you need to make sure you can layer up. For example, use a warm base layer, a mid layer, a wind proof and then a waterproof. I always use a windproof under my waterproof for that extra warmth and to keep the damp inside of the waterproof away from my base clothing. Hands and head Hands get really cold really quickly, so good warm wool gloves are essential, or good waterproof gloves (i.e. Sealskinz). The organisers insist on having waterproof covers to go over your gloves. I did not understand this to start with, but within an hour of my first UTMB I realised that the heavy rain and the chilling wind at altitude, dry, warm hands are essential to succeeding. Head gear is also important. Having a good hat to keep you warm is important, and I find a Buff works well, because it s easy to take off and put on your wrist when not in use. I also have a cap I wear with a peak to keep the rain off my face, but it also is useful on ascents because I can t look up I just look at the small area in front of me! Water I d recommend water bottles on shoulder straps rather than a bladder. There are two reasons for this. You can fill up bottles quickly and without taking off your rucksack. Bladders have a reputation for splitting or leaking where the pipe attaches. KIT LIST

OTHER KIT Emergency and compulsory There is a list provided from the race organisers on this. Take what they recommend, they know what they re talking about! Hygiene You don t want to fail to finish due to stomach issues. At feed stations there are hundreds of mucky hands grabbing food from bowls so the bacteria risk is high. You need to clean your hands with antibacterial gel before you put anything near your mouth, so you need a hand gel available all the time. First Aid Some racers rely on the first aid available from medics on the course. Personally, I like to be completely independent, able to deal with blisters, sickness, upset stomach, dehydration, cuts / infection etc. myself. This doesn t mean a huge first aid kit, but some carefully chosen bits. I recommend: Blister kit In the Kalahari I came across great blister kits where you have a needle pre attached to cotton. You pull the needle through the blister, drain the fluid and leave the cotton in to drain and seal the holes. I also carry a small scalpel and small pot of iodine (which can be difficult to get hold of). Tablets Immodium, Ibruprofen, Paracetamol. Rehydration sachets (e.g. Diarolyte) not just for emergencies, these are useful at the halfway point. A few plasters. Antibacterial gel and cream. Sun block. Don t forget this! I use P20, you need very little of it and it lasts all day once applied.

NUTRITION TOP TIP! REMEMBER AID STATIONS MAY BE 6-8 HOURS APART One of the great things about the UTMB races is that the food at the aid stations is outstanding. The angel pasta soup is wonderful, there is more bread and meats and cheese than you could possibly eat, and then there are the chunks of dark chocolate! Most aid stations also have hot drinks tea, coffee, hot chocolate. Therefore, you don t need to carry much. You just need a few bits to get you between aid stations, or when you need a lift. I carry a few 9Bars, Kendal Mint Cake and Peparami. You do need a minimum of food with you, just in case something happens and you need to wait for recovery, but the decision is yours!

You need a plan for racing, but you also need to be in tune with the RACING TOP TIP! START STEADY, AVOID THE TEMPTATION OF THE CRAZY RUSH situation and what s going on around you. Your plan needs to start with your goal in mind. Are you competing or completing? Where do you want to finish in the event etc.? It is key to have a strategy for any long distance event that you have planned in advance and practiced. Here is a typical strategy I have for desert races: Start steady don t get carried away with the crazy rush. Although don t get too far back because when you hit the first mountain you will be queuing. For the TDS this is critical. You need to be at the front and push hard to the first climb as you can be waiting for up to two hours further back in the field. Power walk the hills, run the flats and descents. Sip water and electrolytes throughout the day don t let yourself get dehydrated. Take on plenty of food as you go through the aid stations- I always have angel pasta and a coffee. Take five minutes to sit down at the aid stations in the valleys. (Normally I would not advise this, but for the UTMB races you are on your legs for so long that a short respite is motivational and recovery.) Regulate your clothing. When you climb you heat up, when you get higher it get s colder, when you descend it can be cooler, but not always. One thing to get use to is taking on and putting on clothing. If you are hot don t sweat to death in your waterproofs, take them off and out them in your pack. If it starts to rain, put them on. It takes 30 60 seconds to put on or take off clothing so over 30 40 hours of racing it doesn t affect your time, but if you get wet, it may affect if you finish. Be disciplined, not ego driven.

SUMMARY ü Get your mind in the right place ü Train specifically for the mountains ü Take the right kit ü Race smart Hopefully this Information will help you become one of the 40% that succeed rather than the 60% that work so hard to get there and DNF. Good luck Neil Any questions? Say hello! @ExtremeEnergyUK

UTMB SEMINAR GET PREPARED WITH THE EXPERT S KNOWLEDGE 25 th Feb 2017, Chartridge, HP5 2TU Tickets available from xnrg.co.uk/events Join us for a day of expert UTMB speakers! The UTMB race seminar aims to share as much information as possible from experienced competitors to enable more people to complete the event. Speakers Neil Thubron Robbie Britton Damian Hall Nicky Spinks Colin Barnes XNRG.CO.UK/EVENTS