General Discussion Triathlon Talk » training for a super hilly 100 miler Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2011-11-08 5:12 PM

User image

Champion
5312
5000100100100
Calgary
Subject: training for a super hilly 100 miler
k, just thinking out loud here. But I got this 100 miler coming up next September. It is super hilly. Like 35 or so 300 foot elevation steep climbs. Doesn't sound like alot but the 100k had 22 of those climbs and it was a mother.

So, my plan is to run a bunch. I got a marathon in May that I would like to go sub 4 for but the ultra is my priority. My marathon is mostly flat except for a big mother hill in the middle of it. Last year I did the pfitzinger 70 mile plan and it got me in pretty good shape for that race even though I didn't do a single hill workout. But I have been doing hills since May and I am thinking I better keep doing them because that is a special kind of fitness and I don't want to lose it.

So I am thinking of upping it to the 70-85 mile a week program. Which as you may know has generally 3 quality workouts a week a long run (sometimes with MP work), a tempo run or interval run, and a mid week long run. The 85 mile program has no rest days which is different than the 70 mile program which has 1 rest day.

Now last year I did the 70 mile program and threw in a bit of extra mileage and was fine. Just now it occurs to me that I should be doing the 70 mile program and add some hills to it, which might be easier than doing the 85 mile program and try to fit in the hill work. Perhaps I could add the hills to the mid week long run. So instead of a midweek long run I would do hills for the same time (like 2 hours) or the same distance (although that would be crazy because that would be 3 hours but maybe if it was the 70 week program I could do it for distance which would keep the mileage the same but up the intensity). Maybe I do the 85 program and just do hills in the mid week long run which would reduce the mileage.

So I am thinking, go with this hard core schedule until the taper to the marathon. Marathon is end of May. So I do the marathon and then I got 2 mountain marathons and a 50 mile mountain ultra in July and August. So do the marathon, then build up and taper for the marathon in July, the ultra in August and the marathon at the end of August, which will be my training type runs.

Do you think it makes sense to aim for 75 mile weeks from January - May and then just lay off the heavy training and concentrate on the races. So that would be like 3.5 months from end of May to mid September when the ultra is. But I would do those 2 marathons and the 50 miler. Perhaps I will only taper a week for each of those races, recover for a week, then train hard until the next race. I think that is the better plan because I don't want to just hang out doing 30 mile weeks for 3 months. I mean if I taper for the race, I do the race, then I recover that week, I can still do a long run the next weekend, so no real reason to miss my long runs right. Maybe even throw in an easy hill workout.

So marathon is May 27
week recovery
train until July 14th (guess) marathon, so that is like 1 week recovery 3 weeks training 1 week taper
The August 18 is 50 miler. So 1 week recovery, 3 weeks training, 1 week taper
then August25 is marathon so 1 week recovery than marathon.
Then Ultra is September 7. So Recovery, taper, ultra. Then take the rest of my life off. lol.

Eeek, so that is 3 races in 4 weeks. Didn't realize that until now. That 50 miler used to be beginning of August. BUT, you know, that doesn't seem so bad as long if I treat the 50 miler and marathon as training runs. And really, what else could they be as I am not in real great shape to "race" up a mountain.

Glad I looked at that.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Makes sense right?




2011-11-21 1:08 PM
in reply to: #3894797

User image

Veteran
416
100100100100
Subject: RE: training for a super hilly 100 miler

I think it sounds solid as much as running 100 miles ever can. I think focusing on building mileage early THEN tapering some for the 50s is especially sound. That way you GAIN fitness from them rather than being so beat up you only can trudge through them. Just reading you plan makes me alternately "want" to run and feel "guilty" for not running enough the last couple weeks Laughing.

Good luck! Why run just 100 miles when you can run 100 miles uphill?

2011-11-21 2:55 PM
in reply to: #3910258

User image

Champion
6503
50001000500
NOVA - Ironic for an Endurance Athlete
Subject: RE: training for a super hilly 100 miler

You aren't going to try to run any of those super-steep, short hills, are you?

I'd train in similar terrain and practice walking up the steep climbs as quickly as you can, while still providing a little recovery time.

2011-11-24 2:12 PM
in reply to: #3894797

User image

Champion
5312
5000100100100
Calgary
Subject: RE: training for a super hilly 100 miler
hey thanks for the feedback. It is exciting preparing a training plan.

And no, there wont be running up the hills in the race. I am a bit torn about the hill training though. I am thinking I am going to be running the hills in training, just so that I can build the leg power you know, and the endurance. I don't have tons of time to do 5-6 hour training runs.

I will add that I am going to do quite a bit of bike commuting in June-October. I think that after the marathon build that I shouldn't feel guilty about riding and it will help slow the loss of run specific fitness that I think I will suffer from June until the race in September. I think I will be doing a lot of commuting to work and running for an hour and a bit at lunch. So that will give me about 4 hours of exercise in a day. I managed that 2 times a week this year with little problem but I would love to move to 3 times a week and maybe 4 (I did 4 once and it damn near killed me). I find that if I can do that for 2 or 3 days in a row it just sucks the life out of me and I figure that is pretty good training for an ultra.

The key is the taper to the May marathon, which I think I am going to put as a solid A race now. And the taper to the ultra. I can't screw those up.
2011-11-25 9:43 PM
in reply to: #3894797

User image

Plano, Tx
Subject: RE: training for a super hilly 100 miler
question.. How hilly is "super" hilly? I did the math and 35 300ft climbs is only 10,500. For a 100, if it's only got 10,500ft of elevation gain/loss I would not encourage hill specific training. 2 cents
2011-11-26 2:03 PM
in reply to: #3915203

User image

Champion
5312
5000100100100
Calgary
Subject: RE: training for a super hilly 100 miler
tribullbutter - 2011-11-25 8:43 PM

question.. How hilly is "super" hilly? I did the math and 35 300ft climbs is only 10,500. For a 100, if it's only got 10,500ft of elevation gain/loss I would not encourage hill specific training. 2 cents


Really tough to find info on it.

Somebody posted this http://connect.garmin.com/player/48552569as being the course, and it is more or less right. My data from 2 years ago put it at about 1500 meters of up and down in 53 km, so 4500 or so meters all in. Some people claim it is 2000 meters a loop. I mean it is tough to tell because there is so much up and down. I am not sure if qualifies as super hilly. It is a weird course though in that most of the up and down come in the first 35k so of each loop, so you got a bit of a rest there.

I use the phrase super hilly to convey that it is a tough course. DNF in 2010 was 33/53, so less than a 50% finish rate. Overall they claim an average 53% completion rate over the history of the race with an average time of 30 hours or so.

But you are right, 35 climbs over 100 miles does not sound so bad. It might be higher, again there is a dispute about that Maybe closer to 50. But even 50, like that does not sound to bad. That is a climb every 2 miles say, although probably closer because most climbs happen in the first half of the loop. They are short steep climbs.

It is strange, because a lot of people have trouble with this one who complete other more mountainous courses like the Death Race or Sinister 7.


2011-11-28 7:59 PM
in reply to: #3894797

Subject: RE: training for a super hilly 100 miler

I'm a bit confused with the slow times at that race.  It only claims 3,000 ft x3 loops = ~9,000.  It must have some sketchy trail conditions or something? 

Either way, I would just work some grinding hills into the training or max out the treadmill inclide and then walk as fast as you can without running....it looks like there is a lot of walkin going on with those times.  On the other hand don't neglect the downhill shuffle training as well. 

75 miles per week would kill me, but if you can handle it go for it!

2011-11-29 8:53 AM
in reply to: #3918211

User image

Champion
5312
5000100100100
Calgary
Subject: RE: training for a super hilly 100 miler
Dultra - 2011-11-28 6:59 PM

I'm a bit confused with the slow times at that race.  It only claims 3,000 ft x3 loops = ~9,000.  It must have some sketchy trail conditions or something? 

Either way, I would just work some grinding hills into the training or max out the treadmill inclide and then walk as fast as you can without running....it looks like there is a lot of walkin going on with those times.  On the other hand don't neglect the downhill shuffle training as well. 

75 miles per week would kill me, but if you can handle it go for it!



Well not a lot of elites do it but there are some buff guys out there. Winner did it in 23 hours last year.

I think the big problem is the down, there are parts that are just too steep to run if you have any sort of soreness in your legs. Easy enough when you are fresh, near impossible when you aren't.
New Thread
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » training for a super hilly 100 miler Rss Feed