[jegger1981]

Hi all!
I’m italian, so I hope my english is enough.
I’ve discovered and read TFTNA this august and I’ve tried to use these guidelines to create my training program for late 2018 and 2019.
I’m 37 and I do trail running from 7 years. My objectives for these years are 2/3 races with approximately 35 miles/10000 feets + the GR20 in Corsica (110 miles/ 36000 feets) in hiking mode. I’ve done similar routes in italian Alps in the past years, but this year I want to be more prepared and trained.
So, I arrive at the questions:

– I’ve done 8 weeks of transition period + 8 weeks of base period with ME workout (starting with 3000 feets and 10% of my weight and arriving to 6500 feets and 19% of my weight). You need to consider that I have a strength deficiency and I can only lift 60% of my weight with squat during my strength routine. Now, what do I need to do? Do I continue with ME workout? Or do I move to hill sprints workout?
If I start with hill sprints, I must abandon completely the ME workout? Or sometimes it’s better to do some recalls?
– It’s normal that my speed in Z1/Z2 workout don’t increase in this period of ME workout? It seems that I’ve reach a plateau….
– The last question is: after a long route like GR20, what is the best approach to return to races? Another base period? Or hill sprints and more specific period?

Thank you very much.
The book is extraordinary, like the articles of the site.
Perhaps another book coming soon?
Ciao

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on January 7, 2019 at 10:20 am #15782

Jegger1981
Thank you for contacting us. I’m glad to hear you like the book. I think you will be very interested in reading the new book https://uphillathlete.com/product/training-for-the-uphill-athlete-book/

The ME workouts will be beneficial even if you have a strength deficiency. But, you will get better results from the ME work if you first develop strength. You can do this in a gym with weighted box step ups, Bulgarian split squat, Lunges…these types of single legged exercises. Hill sprints are a good way to develop specific uphill running power but you need a quite steep hill for these to be most effective.

For mountain running we like to use the ME workout described in this article https://uphillathlete.com/strength-training-for-the-mountain-athlete/ In the section titled
Specific Workout for Runners and Skiers
This is done in a gym. It has proven itself very effective for mountain runners and forms the basis of this plan https://uphillathlete.com/mike-foote-big-vert-ultra-run-training-plan/

You can do hill sprints at the same time as the ME work if your legs can handle it and recover. During the ME period you may find that your running times do not improve at all. But after you stop the ME you should see improving performance for many weeks, especially if you begin to integrate high intensity intervals.

Scott

[jegger1981]

jegger1981 on January 11, 2019 at 2:11 am #15846

Thank you for answer.
I’m very interested for the new book. I think that at the end of the next summer I’ll take it for programming my next season.

I’ve already bought the training plan https://uphillathlete.com/mike-foote-big-vert-ultra-run-training-plan/ but so far I didn’t use it because I’ve already programmed my season using the informations in TFTNA.

From your advice, I understand that now, after 8 weeks of base period of max strength, I can remove from my program the ME workout with water carry and the Scott’s Killer + Max Strength workout and I can substitute with a hill sprint workout and the ME workout for runners and skiers described in you previous post.

Thank you.