UTMB / Big Mountain Race Training Tips
Phew, training for UTMB and big mountain races is tough!
Big mileage and vertical is a staple for any training program. For my UTMB buildup, I’ve been averaging 75+ miles with 12K+ feet of vertical per week.
But based building only gets you so far. , I’ve focused on several specific tactics to build mountain running fitness and prepare my body for the huge task of UTMB.
Hill & climbing intervals: These are designed to build strength, climbing speed, and aerobic ability. They also are relatively low impact compared to typical speed work. On my home trails, I’ll do 5-6 x 3-5 minutes on the uphills. I’ve started a new treadmill workout with 8x400m at 12% and 6.4-6.7mph average speed with the last few at 7+ mph. During my last 2 runs in the mountains, I threw in 2x15 minutes hard. I have been feeling the benefits and smashed several PRs on segments in the Shenandoahs. Doing these at the start of 3-4 hour mountain runs has also made the finish tougher, which should boost my endurance.
Tempo / fartlek / speed work: I have done a bit of uptempo running on the rare occasion when my legs have felt fresh. But this has been tough give the volume of miles and vertical, as my legs are almost always whooped. Upgrading the engine and boosting efficiency is important, so I’ll need to find some way to incorporate some faster stuff. I’m going to try to start small and throw in fartleks a few days a week and a few laps around the track during my run commute.
Back to back mountain runs: My pace slowed dramatically in the last 30 miles of the 2017 UTMB. While this is hard to avoid, I know I can manage the slowdown better. I’m planning to do more mountain long runs on tired legs to help prepare my body for the last 30 miles. I did one back-to-back in the 2017 UTMB build up and will do more this time.
Monster days: It is also important to have some big days with 10-12+ hours on your feet. I’m talking 40+ miles with 12K+ vertical. I’m planning 3 of these right now: 1) 50 mile race in mid June in Virginia; 2) 40 mile race in July in Chamonix with 16K+; 3) 35-40 miles on the UTMB course in early August. The goal will not be pace or time but just to have long days out there and try to finish feeling good at the end.
Huge weeks: there is no way to fully prepare your body for something like UTMB, but sprinkling in mega training weeks builds strength and resiliency. I did one 100+ mile, 20K+ vertical week before the last UTMB, and I’m aiming for 4-5 this time. I will be sure to offset these with down weeks to allow for enough recovery and avoid injury.
I’ll be doing the above to prep for UTMB during my biggest training blocks over the next 2 months. Hopefully these will bring me to the finish line faster than 2 years ago, and hopefully they will help you as well in your next adventure!