Road to Tor des Geants - Part 1
Tor des Geants began in 2010 as a first-of-its-kind race. It was the first 200+ mile continuous race (vs. multi-day stage races). It circumnavigated one giant loop, touching the four 4,000 meter massifs (giants / geants) in Italy’s Aosta Valley - Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso, Monte Rosa, and the Matterhorn. With around 85,000 feet of vertical, it was an unknown and scary beast.
It also travels some of the most stunning trails in the world. I remember reading Trail Runner magazine on a plane in 2010 back when we still had paper magazines. I was captivated by the images and wondered if I could ever summon the fitness and courage to toe the line. As I heard more about the race, the culture and ambience was also captivating. The entire Aosta Valley supports this race with their heart and soul, opening their towns and dozens of breathtakingly beautiful “refugios” to support runners in their quest to become a “Geant”.
After years spent training my body and filling my saddlebag of courage, I will run Tor des Geants on September 11th of this year. I have thought about periodic posts about my training and build-up to Tor but figured that would be too much of a snoozfest. Welp, here we are. This is the first of what will surely be too many posts that are too long.
Maybe I’ll start with a recap of everything up to this point?
OK then, let me sum up.
The reality of a race like Tor is that your preparation doesn’t happen over weeks, months, or even a year. I have run over 3,000 miles a year for 14 years. For the last 5 years, I’ve put significant focus on vertical, averaging 580,000 feet of climbing per year for the last 3 years. I’ve run a dozen races in the Alps, so I know the reality of the terrain over here.
That cumulative experience is what will impact my race the most. With races of this distance and difficulty, there isn’t a ton of experience, research, or consensus on how to best train for it. So I didn’t plan to do anything crazy and aimed to focus on a few key things in the first half of the year:
Get fast and fit at the start of the year: I ran relatively low volume and focused on quality workouts, including lots of Vo2 Max sessions. Fitness is the rising tide that lifts all boats!
Add in cycling: I didn’t do as much as I would have liked, but I put in some decent volume on the bike, especially at the start of the year when running volume was lower. This helped build strength and allowed me to add more intense sessions without the pounding of fast running.
Strength: I need to be strong to withstand the physical demands of Tor. Strength also comes less naturally to me. I’ve averaged about 2 hours a week of strength workouts, including lots of heavier weight, full body lifting (deadlifts, squats, benchpress, etc.).
Hellbender 100 and Bighorn 100: these are tough, mountainous races, and Bighorn has significant altitude. These races were great goals by themselves and also helped me figure out what else I needed to dial in for Tor. What did I get away with for 1 day that I wouldn’t be able to get away with in a 4+ day race?
Coach Damian Hall has also done a great job keeping my training smart and sustainable. I’ve put in some big weeks, but he helps give me the long view and confidence to not overdo it, which is especially hard with a race this difficult looming on the horizon!
My vert was a bit lower for the first 6 months of this year vs. last year. But with all of the cross-training and lifting, I’ve consistently put in 15+ hours a week of training. Based on how I’m feeling and race performances, I’m fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been.
OK, that should about sum it up. Now I’m off for a run in the paradise that is Chamonix!