Contents

Getting ready to trainHow do I start training for an adventure race?What equipment do I need to start training?Before your runWhen you finish runningHydrationNutrition

Using the training plansWhich training plan do I use?How do I use the training plan?

Training scheduleBeginner – 5k Training PlanIntermediate – 10k Training PlanAdvanced

Resistance training sessionsWorkout 1Workout 2

Training for an adventure race like Tough Mudder or the Spartan race is a challenge unlike preparing for any other running, swimming or cycling event.

Your cardiovascular fitness will be tested on the running sections, and your muscular strength and endurance on the obstacles.

For many, these physical demands are compounded by the effort of conquering fears on courses featuring cargo nets, underwater submersion and electric shocks.

Training for adventure races should include a wide range of exercises. Running should be the main component of your weekly routine, along with resistance training, including resistance machines, free weights, and body weight exercises to recreate the tests you will endure on the day.

Introduction

4 Adventure training guide

Getting ready to train

Adventure training guide 5

How do I start training for an adventure race?Before starting any rigorous challenge it’s important to check you are healthy. If you have any doubts at all, you should have a medical check-up. At the very least have your blood pressure measured. Most gyms will do this for you, especially if you explain what you are training for.

What equipment do I need to start training?You need very little equipment to start running. Most important are running shoes that suit your running style.

Runners’ feet land in one of three ways – neutral, pronation or supination. Most specialist running shops will be able to tell you by reviewing your running style and looking at the bottom of an old pair of shoes.

If you cannot find a specialist running shop in your area, email Craig and Ben at alternation.pt@gmail.com and they will recommend one for you.

Shoes are the most important items you will buy, so take your time and get the right ones. Running in the wrong type of shoes could cause injuries!

6 Adventure training guide

Before your runBefore starting your run, walk for around five minutes, then start a jog and take your muscles through the range of movements they will use when running.

Start with swinging your arms in the way a 100m sprinter would, then do knee raises so that if you hold your hands at waist height they will just about touch. Bring your heels to the underside of your bottom. Finally, put all three movements together. This will not only raise your heart rate, but will also warm up your muscles.

■ five-minute walk/light jog

■ arm swinging

■ knee raises

■ heel raises

■ walking lunges

■ all three together

■ repeat three times

When you finish runningAfter you’ve finished training, walk/slow jog for 10 minutes, stretch, have something to drink and eat, then shower. This helps to keep the muscles long, and long muscles are strong muscles.

You should also stretch on rest days as this will stop the muscles shortening and becoming stiff. At the very least, stretch calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and hip flexors. Hold each stretch for about 30 seconds, but longer on tighter muscles if possible. You should only feel tension, there shouldn’t be any pain.

Adventure training guide 7

HydrationDifferent people have different sweat rates. As a rough guide you should be drinking two litres of water each day, plus drinking enough during and after you train.

The easiest way to tell whether you are hydrated is to check the colour of your urine. If you are properly hydrated it should be a pale straw colour. If you are dehydrated, you increase the chance of getting injured. Also, being three per cent dehydrated will reduce your performance by 10 per cent.

Coffee and tea are diuretics (they make you pee), so if you are drinking a lot of these products then you need to increase the amount of water that you drink.

NutritionConsider the amount of food and calories you’re taking in. When training, you’ll roughly burn 100 calories per mile. So if you cover 13 miles in a training session you’ll need to replace 1,300 calories in your diet.

If you have any questions on running nutrition or if you were hoping to lose weight during your training, please email Craig and Ben at alternation.pt@gmail.com

8 Adventure training guide

Using the training plans

Adventure training guide 9

Which training plan do I use?You need to decide which plan is best for you. Ideally you will have a recent 5km, 10km or half marathon time to project a longer distance time against.

Please review the box below to see which programme would be better suited to you:

Recent or estimated run times

Level Distance Time

Beginner 5 km 32 min 38 secs

Intermediate 10 km 54 mins 03 secs

Advanced 13.1 miles 1 hr 30 mins

10 Adventure training guide

How do I use the training plan?All of the plans are based around a five-day training week; this will include three days of running and two days of cross training, ideally keeping the impact low on the non-running days.

If you are an experienced runner and have been training regularly for the past six months, you may start the plan at week 16. If you are new to running, we would suggest you complete the full 24 weeks of training.

Run 1: Interval training

Column 1 (Session) tells you about the distances and repetitions, column 2 (Pace) is the time you need to complete each rep in and column 3 (Recovery) is the recovery time between each rep.

Run 2: Tempo training

This will typically be at a pace quicker than your marathon/half marathon speed. Column 1 (Distance) tells you the miles you need to run, with column 2 (Pace) being the time you need to run each mile in.

Run 3: Long run

The aim of this is to build up duration and then intensity so your body is ready for the distance on race day. Column 1 (Distance) tells you the miles you need to run, with column 2 (Pace) being the time you need to run each mile in.

Training schedule

Adventure training guide 11

12 Adventure training guide

Beginner 5k Training Plan

Run 1 Run 2 Run 3

W Session Pace Recovery Distance Pace Recovery Distance Pace e (distance (time to (time (miles) (time to (time (miles) (time to e and reps) complete between complete between complete k each rep) each rep) each rep) each rep) each rep)

8 4 x 1000m 6.00 2 min 3 10.47 n/a 5 11.17

7 2 x 1600m 9.48 2 min 3 x 1 10.47 1 mile 7 11.17

6 10 x 400m 2.22 1.30 min 4 11.02 n/a 7 11.17

5 6 x 800m 4.47 1.30 min 2 x 2 10.47 1 mile 6.5 11.17

4 4 x 1200m 7.17 2 min 3 10.47 n/a 6.5 11.17

3 5 x 1000m 6.00 2 min 2, then 1, 10.47 1mile 6 11.17 then 2

2 3 x 1600m 9.48 1 min 3 10.47 n/a 6 11.17

1 6 x 400m 2.22 1 min 3 10.47 n/a 3 11.17

Intermediate 10k Training Plan

Run 1 Run 2 Run 3

W Session Pace Recovery Distance Pace Recovery Distance Pace e (distance (time to (time (miles) (time to (time (miles) (time to e and reps) complete between complete between complete k each rep) each rep) each rep) each rep) each rep)

8 4 x 1000m 4.54 2 min 4.5 8.36 n/a 10 9.06

7 2 x 1600m 8.03 2 min 5 8.51 n/a 7.5 9.06

6 10 x 400m 1.55 1.30 min 3 8.36 n/a 10 9.06

5 6 x 800m 3.53 1.30 min 2, then 8.36 1 mile 7.5 9.06 1, then 2 easy

4 4 x 1200m 5.56 2 min 3 8.36 n/a 10 9.06

3 5 x 1000m 4.54 2 min 6 8.51 n/a 7.5 9.06

2 3 x 1600m 8.03 1 min 3 8.36 n/a 6 9.06

1 6 x 400m 1.55 1 min 3 10.11 n/a 10 km 9.06

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Advanced

Run 1 Run 2 Run 3

W Session Pace Recovery Distance Pace Distance Pace e (distance (time to (time (miles) (time to (miles) (time to e and reps) complete between complete complete k each rep) each rep) each rep) each rep)

8 3 sessions of 4.22 2 min & 6 6.45 10 7.13 (2 x 1200m) 4 min

7 5 x 1000m 3.35 2 min 5 6.45 14 7.23

6 3 x 1600m 5.57 1 min 6 7 10 7.13

5 10 x 400m 1.23 1 min 5 6.45 15 7.23

4 3 x 2000m 7.32 2 min 2 + 2 6.45 10 6.53

3 3 x 1600m 5.57 1 min 5 6.45 12 7.13

2 5 x 1000m 3.35 2 min 3 6.3 8 6.53

1 6 x 400m 1.23 2 min 3 7 13.1 6.53

* Note: Where possible try to complete your runs on uneven ground, cross country or trails. This will be most like the terrain you will be covering on the day of the event, so you should get your body accustomed to this.

14 Adventure training guide

Resistance training sessionsThese sessions provide a resistance workout, and also challenge the cardiovascular system, as the exercises are in a circuit training format. This will be beneficial on the day of your event, as you will be moving from running to obstacle tests throughout the 10–12 miles of the course.

Each of these workouts should be completed a number of times, and you should aim to complete the first and last circuits equally well. This means gauging your intensity to ensure you do not work too hard or too gently.

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Workout 1

Exercise Beginner Intermediate Advanced

1 Cycle 2 km Cycle 3 km Rower 1.6 km

2 Pull up – 1 min Pull up – 90 secs Push up 100 reps

3 Body weight squats Body weight squats Body weight squats 1 min 90 secs 150 reps

4 Cycle 2 km Cycle 3 km Rower 1.6 km

Instruction 1 min active recovery, repeat x 3

Workout 2

Exercise Beginner Intermediate Advanced

1 Lat pull down Narrow grip pull ups Wide grip pull ups

2 Chest press Lunges Jumping lunges

3 Leg press Press up Press up to single arm row

4 Shoulder press Squats Dumbbell clean and press

5 Lunges Plank Swiss ball plank

6 Plank Squat thrusts Burpees

7 Seated row Barbell cleans Squat jumps

Instruction Run as a circuit, 60–90 secs per station then move straight onto next exercise. 2 min active rest, then repeat x 3.

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