[robsinco]

robsinco on June 25, 2022 at 8:59 am · in reply to: Heart Rate target for a 65km/4500hm competition. #68522

Hey Buddy,

Sounds like a great distance:vertical ratio there, which event is it your are doing?

If you have done something similar before I would have a look at your heart rate data for this on how long you were sustaining outputs. 170bpm is likely high zone3 for you and to sustain this for several hours would take a serious amount of carbs and muscular endurance!

I would suggest that is you are ticking all your boxes for training and working hard, that racing by feel/effort would be good for you as on race day the heart rate can be allover the place with adrenaline, excitement and nerves. If you are highly efficient you will likely recover a bit on the downs, your HR will spike up a bit on the climbs and then for everything else I would aim to race for that distance at upper end of zone2 or as close as you can too this probably also a bit into zone3. This would be purely from a fuelling / sustainable energy output as you want to be burning mla better mix of fat and carbs, and avoid too much lactate build up which I am only guessing will come fast if you try to average 170npm on a mountainous race of that distance.

The crazy thing is everyone’s cardio systems are so varied. One of my friends does his 6 X 10min efforts in a heart rate range of hifh zone 4/into 5 which technically is burning on borrowed time according to uphill athlete protocol of sessions for effective time in that zone but he is still seeing solid results. Just listen to your body dude and focus on slating the competition around you!

Hope some of that helps 🙂

[robsinco]

robsinco on April 19, 2022 at 11:59 am · in reply to: Bouldering – Mountain Running Friend or Foe??!? #65759

Yo Nick,

Thanks for the reply and apologies for my delayed response…

I went to the local climbing gym and tried to execute what you suggested with the ARCing and 4x4s, and it made for a much more varied session, and really pushed me to try some actual problems instead of just rainbowing all over the shop!

At current time I have covid, so hopefully back to wall next week to week. I think If I was better I would use the power endurance end to periodise this my pre-race phase, however like you say I am after allover conditioning and if I am climbing x2 times per week max to supplement then mixing the aerobic + power work in one session may be best bang for buck.

Hope your training is going well pal as we head into Spring 🙂

[robsinco]

robsinco on April 4, 2022 at 8:19 am · in reply to: Swim recovery after ME! #65083

Really good info on this thread thanks folks, trawling the threads for swim recovery notes as I begin a new block of training.

Enhancing recovery is such an interesting topic and highly debated.

I find no matter your ability, if you go into the recovery activity with the mind set that the goal/your why is to recover, then your brain will definitely help govern your output.

With swimming I have done loads of it to cross train with running, every type of session imaginable, through a mix of fun, add extra aerobic, ling strength, get through an injury, and also to improve fitness. But like what Scott says in Uphill Athlete book, it has to be specific to the sport for progression, and you don’t want to start smashing swim sessions when they are meant to be for recovery only, as you could risk becoming a burly runner! So I think swimming is specific for recovery is what I am trying to say hahaha as it promotes blood flow with the body in a horizontal position as the heart does not have to work so hard to pump blood around the body and thus circulates better.

Recovery can definitely be enhanced by mindset, whether for you that is truely putting the feet up, a shakeout run or easy bike, you got to experiment what works best over several weeks as the ME sessions progress.

Actually away for an easy 30 tonight, with the top up of a sauna session, get the blood plasma flowing!

[robsinco]

robsinco on March 30, 2022 at 7:08 am · in reply to: European Mountain Vacations in September #64894

Oucha boyo, Jane I might have to tab you up for some of these routes at Orobie, that sounds like a dream, local serenity! My friend Stefano is from Bergamo and each year pre covid we were doing trips to dolomites areas, but this could be perfecto.

[robsinco]

robsinco on March 30, 2022 at 3:13 am · in reply to: European Mountain Vacations in September #64886

Hey buddy,

Sounds like an awesome week of training to be had that!

Sure be some good flights for you from London but this is potentially on my radar from the skyrunning world series

https://en.pirinultra.com/

Looks seriously epic terrain with quality mountains and a nice wee place to visit. If the timing was not great certainly use the race route for area inspiration.

Other safe bets would include Chamonix or Annecy area, and then also heading down to Sierra Nevada south spain or Finnestrat area to the east near Pennysogolosa etc.

I am planning Kima for end August in the Val Masino area of Italy so this area could also be quality, which remind me, the Aosta Valley also in Italy well worth a visit!

Almost overwhelmed with choice here as a start to type…. hahaha. Hope that helps a bit!

[robsinco]

robsinco on March 27, 2022 at 9:15 am · in reply to: Strict HR adherence during ultras #64772

Great question Eric! I think for ultras the HR is another tool in the chest for monitoring reasons, but nothing will beat just honing in to your breathing and how you feel. This might sound insane to you if you always track your HR every session but something that works for me is going out on a route I know with no strap, no watch, no monitorring, nothing but free flowing in the hills. It works for me and you tune into your senses when you need to back off and fuel etc. But I totally know that this is not good from a training monitoring side of things when I know a lot of us myself included can get caught up in the stat junky world! The issue with using it for the entire race could be simply explained by this scenario of having a bad sleep night before a race, combined with pre race nerves, your HR might be totally allover the shop, and cause you to trust on this and work well beneath your true race day potential. I try to never dip into super heavy breathing in long ultras until the last couple of hours and I dread to think what my HR would be if I trusted it then as you will know! Trust in your training buddy and have faith on race day, sometimes going with your gut can pay off

[robsinco]

robsinco on March 27, 2022 at 8:47 am · in reply to: Shoes for skyraces #64771

So much good shoe chat here! Just bagged myself my first pair of Salomon Pulsar Soft Grounds so going to well and truly batter them in the hills and see how they live up to the test! If anything like the normal pulsars then after several rough runs they will break into tiny pieces…. since when did Salomon shoes become scared of heavy duty terrain!??!

Did you get a shoe in the end Kev?

[robsinco]

robsinco on March 27, 2022 at 8:42 am · in reply to: Workout for Specific Section of Race – Long Climb #64770

Yo Riley,

Agree with Scott and Brian, nothing beat specificity so just get out on your backyard race climb and repeat repeat, learn the lay of the land by doing your various hill rep sessions on it. If didn’t destroy your training I would try some uphill tempo efforts could be a good session provided this fitted in with your plan specifics. Another way you could spice up that climb on a session is to run the climb for reps at a moderate sustainable pace then really work the downs, really toughen up the legs for race day.

A non-specific way to do this and more for working on your engine output would be to take the specific of the climb and simulate this on a treadmill – I was working a lot on this over the winter here in Scotland before the sun decided to get his hat on. Hopefully heading out to Tromso in August and a few other skyraces and it is a tool that I am considering using to simulate the really long climbs when we cannot always get out to the mighty mountains. I often over prepare for things like this which can over cook the gas before a race so defo air on the side of caution and have faith in your current training – it sounds like you are on high path to success with all the prep you are doing already!

All the best man!

[robsinco]

robsinco on January 6, 2022 at 9:46 am · in reply to: Shoes for skyraces #61661

Also just a thought but the Scott line of shoes are quite common for a few of the local clubs up here beside Aberdeen. Some folk sweat by them for the long days. Personally not tried them, be interesting to hear if anyone else had!

[robsinco]

robsinco on January 6, 2022 at 9:45 am · in reply to: Shoes for skyraces #61660

Superb man, well stocked up then!!

Totally agree, not the same and you do slide about a bit… Compromise you do not not want to take especially when on techy terrain and you have to be All or Nothing Commited or else disaster strikes.

We should both get the VJs and report back for the testing benefit of the others, and if they ever come to the mighty Scotland or the UK for training or racing. Sure they are going to be mint!

There is a new Salomon Pulsar Speed launching in 2022 which may be possible for skyracing… Not sure on launch I think perhaps Spring. Could be a shout for some as I imagine they will be beefed up sole technology so for rocky descending, quality. I raced the Pulsars in Spain in November on a 75k, major variety in terrain, and had zero issues. Quite a slick shoe but really good grip but only in pretty much dry conditions! Wet and boggy and they are just a disaster!!

[robsinco]

robsinco on January 6, 2022 at 8:21 am · in reply to: Shoes for skyraces #61650

Arite Kev!

Defo with you on the Salomon speeds and speed 2s, they were ideal for skyracing, all sorts of boggy, wet and hilly terrain. Perfect for all Scottish terrain so when a shoe delivers on the nails Scottish terrain you want to keep it. Sucks Salomon haven’t released anymore… The closest I have got to a Salomon recommendation is the Cross Pros but again just not quite as perfect.

I have a few similar events to you this year coming up, hopefully headin to Trofeo Kima in August when they say it’s on and the rest just waiting on calenders going live. Exciting to get away again ain’t it!? But aye, for these events I am away to get myself a pair of the VJ Irock2 3s. Ran with a mate the other weekend and super scrambly, techy, snowy stuff he said they have been absolutely dynamite – zero issues. All I can report in them when I quizzed him is
– narrow fit, so suits mountain goat normal to skinny feet
– bulletproof grip in all conditions
– drain well when wet
– he did about 4 UK skyraces last year I think was scafell, pinnacle ridge Xtreme, glencoe skyline and snowdown wearing I rock 3 and I rock 2.

Don’t know what the lacing system is but I would maybe cross over to a quick lace set up with them once get them as been with Salomon for a few years now and I’m so used to that set up!

I feel your pain in though as it’s never cheap to just spend £100+ on trainers that may not live up to the hype or your feet shape…

[robsinco]

robsinco on December 5, 2021 at 10:14 am · in reply to: Can a training plan be adapted for shorter distante? #60274

Yo Gaizka,

I have just got the Mike Foot big vert 20 week plan and ready to start it this week or next week. From reading the sessions the plan has and reading what you are saying about your training history and races, I would say if it isn’t an ‘A’ race for you then you will be able to fit it into the plan as one of your long training runs, then make sure and take an easier few days after it, or as long as you need to recover, especially if it is a de-load week after so you can absorb the training gains.

With this being in 9 months time this gives you lots of time to build a strong base of training and begin to layer in elements of speed closer to the event. Since it is quite long away it may be good to consider some other races before then too if you have time for this as it will be hard to work towards a peak performance until then and maybe some other races you could target to spread the volume of training out and keep it varies for you. Sounds like a really cool race though with those stats and must be some big climbs in there! Lots of time to get some really good quality training in there