This past weekend I travelled to Madrid, Spain, to race the Zurich Rock'n'Roll Running Series. The event was spectacularly run and it was clearly a very professional setup. The race offered the full marathon, half marathon, and 10k. Some friends competed in the 10k, half, and full and I opted for the 10k. The course was much harder than anticipated and I found the hills quite challenging. Here is a brief reflection on my training methods and race day in Madrid. To view my recent 10k race in Madrid, click here!
Training
As a 6'4", 110kg unit, I am not the ideal build for a runner. To accomodate this and reduce my risk of injury my plan probably varied from other traditional approaches to race prep in running. I broke my training down into on-feet and off-feet conditioning. To reduce the risk of strain or injury I only ran in the zone I wanted to race in. Starting off early in the programme for 20min at 170-180bpm I gradually increased the time in zone from January to April. Other training sessions included strength training twice a week if I was able, and low intensity rowing round 130bpm. Rowing was my off feet conditioning.
Training was not as consistent as I would have liked, and there was sickness thrown in there too which cost me two weeks, if not more. Overall I am happy that I avoided injury, sprains, and strains, but I would probably tackle it better next time.
Hind Sight is 20/20
My main change if I was to do it again would be to give myself 9 months of prep for one event. This would mean more time running at low intensity resulting in better running tollerance, improved running economy, and overall improved cardio. I would keep the strength session and rowing low intensity but certainly needed more time running low intensity in the 120-140bpm range. A knock-on effect of this would have included reduced body weight and this would have had a positive impact on my ability to tackle hills at pace.
Race Day and Future Events
Race day was a bag of nerves. It took a minute to find the bag check location and I was rushing. Poor sleep the night before did not help. Fueling was okay leading up to the event but I probably could have done better with this on race day. Looking ahead I could probably be convinced to run again. For now I will return to low intensity work, focus on improving my metabolism, and look to feel healthier than ever this summer. Overall I am happy to have done it injury free and although my methods didnt improve my total performance on the hills, they did keep me fit and healthy to continue to train post race.
If you are considering preparation for your running event, get in touch with me for a plan. Gravity is your biggest enemy when running. If you cant fight gravity for long periods of time, you can't maintain your desired pace. Strength and Power training will help you accomplish this and maybe the last piece of the puzzle you need to hit a new PB.