[Mark]

Mark on March 17, 2022 at 3:08 am · in reply to: Balancing Muscular Endurance & Strength/Stability #64506

Hi Nathan,

I’m not a coach, so I won’t go into too much detail into all the aspects of your plan. I also haven’t attempted a run of this magnitude either so kudos to you!

My understanding of the ME workouts is that they should be utilised on top of a strong layer of aerobic base fitness, so these are something that tend to be incorporated after you have developed your aerobic base. The plans in the UA catalogue that use these workouts tend to expect minimum levels of aerobic fitness in order to utilise them effectively and make the most out of them.

Secondly, doing a run and a hike on the same day of the ME workout seems like (a) far too much volume and (b) the muscular fatigue you will have going into the ME workout will limit how much you get out of it. I have generally found for myself that doing the ME workout and then a recovery run later in the day works best, and even, my legs are usually blasted for a couple of days after.

Thirdly, doing the ME workouts and the ChamFit workouts is not something I have personally experienced before (and I would be interested to hear from other uphill athletes who have) but I suspect that the ChamFit workouts are probably a helpful precursor to the ME workouts to improve your stability and balance. So you might want to consider using the ChamFit workouts as part of your base training to then build up to doing the ME workouts and setting aside sufficient time to make the most of them.

I hope these ramblings are helpful and best of luck!

Mark

[Mark]

Mark on February 6, 2022 at 4:13 am · in reply to: UTHC 28km Trail Race #62972

Hi Peter,

I don’t have a coaching background, but I can offer you some feedback based on my experience with a similar issue.

As an FYI, the answer for you is going to depend heavily on your training background. I trained for my first Ultra after not having run a marathon before, and my best half marathon (on the flat) time before this was 2:03…

I decided to do the Ultra first, in October 2020 – the route was 50km, 950m elevation, and I ran it in 5:46. In May 2021, I did a 21km, 1000m vert FKT route in 2:21. I used the Luke Nelson Intro to 50km and the Mike Foote Big Mountain Plan respectively for the runs.

I think the key difference in the training approach is going to be specificity, and whether you can handle a particular type and amount training is going to depend on your training background. I was a very average runner when I first started, so training for the 50km route first allowed me to (i) build a strong aerobic base, (ii) develop general strength and (iii) sample with Z3/Z4 interval work without blowing a gasket.

I’m glad I did that first, because quite frankly I did not have the aerobic base (a lot of the Big Mountain Plan runs are run at Zone 1) and I did not have the strength (the ME workouts are ~ridiculously~ hard) to use the Big Mountain Plan effectively.

Accordingly, the Big Mountain Plan is going to be “best” for the type of route you’re doing, but whether it is the best plan for you as an individual is going to depend on your training background.

If you haven’t got that kind of background and this is your first attempt at a mountain race/ultra, then you could probably use the Intro to 50km Plan, but cut back the distance on the longer runs at the weekend and replace the distance with vertical (e.g. instead of calculating an 18 mile run, figure out how long that would normally take you and use that to figure out a steep route that takes a similar amount of time).

As always, continue to monitor your training load and cut back where necessary. The fact that it’s barely March and the race is in September does give you a lot of time, so don’t go nuts and try to add the volume in small increments.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

[Mark]

Mark on January 15, 2022 at 3:17 am · in reply to: Shoes for skyraces #62155

Kevin,

I would highly recommend the VJ brand of shoes. They’re a Finnish brand and they are excellent for skyrunning. The VJ XTRM is great for medium distance races (up to a marathon) and they have other shoes for longer range. Jon Albon is sponsored by them.

If you are doing shorter range races (e.g. half marathon or less) then I would recommend the iRock.

[Mark]

Mark on May 17, 2021 at 2:01 pm · in reply to: My experience with the BIg Vert plan #54093

Hey Rob,

Congratulations on the race and good luck for your ultra in October!

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think your approach of managing what you can and can’t do is very reasonable. If I could share some unrequited but friendly feedback:

1) Slowing of your flat run pace: probably not unexpected as you’ve identified, but noting that you only did two of the strength endurance sprint sessions. One of the benefits of these workouts (as per TFtUA) is that they improve running economy, so it might be worth revisiting this again in the future if you get a chance.
2) Not doing the rest days: I’d tentatively suggest that there is a connection between not handling some parts of the training plan and not taking days off. The purpose of the rest days is to really take them off so that you can go hard when you need to.

I’ve also found that as you get deeper into the intensity/build phase of the plan that replacing some of the Z1 workouts with even slower recovery runs (60-70% of AeT) has actually been really beneficial for recovery and enabled me to handle the more intense workouts.

Congrats once again and wish you the best of luck for October!

[Mark]

Mark on April 28, 2021 at 2:26 pm · in reply to: Shorter Events #53467

Hi there,

The coaches have answered this in broad terms before (if you search “VK” in the search bar you will get some responses in previous threads) but the most relevant response is probably here: https://uphillathlete.com/forums/topic/is-vk-training-any-different/

TL;DR Aerobic base is still extremely important and you should start with the basic principle of ensuring that your AeT/AnT spread is less than 10% and that you should introduce some Z3/Z4 at around 5-10% of your weekly volume.

Taking a step back and thinking about this more broadly, it’s always worth examining the races you are training for and what attributes you would require for a positive outcome and comparing this to your current strengths and weaknesses.

As an example, I currently live in a very flat city but I am training for a fairly steep FKT that is 21km w/ 1000m vert. Therefore, the ME workouts in Mike Foote’s Big Vert plan have been an enormous aid as I lack access to hills or mountains with decent vertical gain.

If I was training for a less steep or less technical race, I would probably shift my training more towards the Z3/Z4 workouts in a weekly cycle (see Luke Nelson’s 50km Plan). Again, it will all depend on the requirements for your races.

[Mark]

Mark on February 6, 2021 at 8:51 am · in reply to: Long Term Training (Multi-year) #50501

Hi Garret,

Appreciate the insight and I think that’s as good a reason as any to continue progressing so I can iron out any kinks and adapt where necessary. Appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your experience!

[Mark]

Mark on January 28, 2021 at 8:45 am · in reply to: Long Term Training (Multi-year) #49966

Hi Scott,

Thank you for the tips, I’ll bear this in mind. Hoping that we can get more events in 2021 once the Covid situation dies down (the UK is on a hard lockdown at the moment). I’ve created a shortlist of potential races and challenges (e.g. FKT routes) that I can use as B and C race goals.

[Mark]

Mark on January 28, 2021 at 8:44 am · in reply to: Long Term Training (Multi-year) #49962

Hi Terry,

Thanks for the advice, I’ve taken the time to read the material and I’ve started structuring my goals around progressively increasing the load while improving capacity in the required areas. Appreciate this!

[Mark]

Mark on January 28, 2021 at 8:43 am · in reply to: Long Term Training (Multi-year) #49961

Thanks Shashi, I’ll proceed with the advice below and will definitely get in touch for a call once I’ve dipped my feet.

[Mark]

Mark on November 5, 2020 at 8:56 am · in reply to: Training + Mental Health #46550

Hi Max,

I can relate to that feeling for my own part as I am someone who needs to constantly be “on the go” so taking a day off or having a light day can feel quite frustrating, especially if I think I’ve got a lot of energy leftover.

A perspective that has helped me is something from this website (possibly from Steve or Scott): “Training is not the work that you do, it is the effect that it has on your body”. It’s important to accept that rest/recovery days are necessary so you are able to consistently do the hard workouts without overexerting or injuring yourself.

It also reminds me that the rest/recovery days are when your body is actually “improving” (even if it feels like I’m being lazy!) because that’s when it is repairing itself for the next effort. It’s important to look at things in the round and not get too wrapped up in the mindset of “I need to work harder” because the hard work won’t have the impact you want if you don’t take the time to let your body chill out.

[Mark]

Mark on September 17, 2020 at 8:36 am · in reply to: Z3 Training in a City #45142

Thanks, Scott, this is really helpful! Noted on getting the downhill in my training too.

[Mark]

Mark on September 17, 2020 at 8:29 am · in reply to: Z3 Training in a City #45140

Hi Rich, that’s a really valuable insight and I hadn’t thought of it that way. Thank you for that perspective!

I suppose my focus on the hills is the fact that I don’t have a sustained background of uphill running or mountaineering (i.e. despite doing some fell running about 15 years ago, I have only recently started trail/mountain running again in the last 2 years). But then again, I supposed the emphasis on uphill versus flat Z3 work will depend on my base and physical development.

[Mark]

Mark on May 27, 2020 at 2:36 pm · in reply to: AeT Test – Initial/Average Heart Rate #42124

Scott – thank you very much. This really helps!

[Mark]

Mark on May 27, 2020 at 10:47 am · in reply to: AeT Test – Initial/Average Heart Rate #42103

Thanks, Scott!

Here is the TP workout: http://tpks.ws/H27AGJRRC4KNLTI4FEYTRMETSU

Unfortunately, I’ve neglected to continue using the Premium version as I can’t really afford it at the moment. I’ve been using the free tool that was provided by another user of the site but it doesn’t allow me to isolate data in the manner suggested in the other thread.

[Mark]

Mark on May 14, 2020 at 6:46 am · in reply to: Online cardiac drift calculator / AeT test #41698

I’ve made a profile simply to say thank you, Douglas. Much appreciated!