UTMB Training 3 weeks to go

13/8: 1:06

Local trails - All I could squeeze in after an epic weekend at the NDW50/100. 

14/8: 1:48

Local trails - Fartlek effort. Working harder and felt surprisingly good given how stressful the weekend ended up being. 

15/8: 1:12

Local trails - Very easy effort shaking out the last vestiges of fatigue in light of tomorrow and Fridays efforts. 

16/8: 7:32

Local trails - This run came a week too late. Ideally I'd have been running the NDW50 rather than directing it! 3 x 14.3 mile loops with all the gear. Drew joined me for the second one which broke it up a little. Felt great until around 5 miles to go when my hamstring started to tighten up. Disappointed that it didn't come easier but given the past week of activity I'm not complaining and it was still a decent if fairly inconsequential effort given the level of the climbs and descents of UTMB. 

17/8: 2:42
Local trails - Night time run. Legs felt great considering yesterdays longer effort, no sign of soreness, so  sure now that the aching hamstrings were purely down to lack of salt. This type of run has become a favourite pre-100 work out of mine. Go out an hour after dinner, tired and in the dark after a longer training effort to simulate as best as possible, going through the night in race conditions. Changed headlamps a few times and am blown away by how good the Petzl Nao is.

18/8: 0:40
Local trails - Easy pace.

19/8: am 3:45, pm 0:32.
Local trails - morning was all hiking with all the gear working relatively easily. pm shake out run.

Total: 19hrs27

Disappointing final bigger week. The hours and mileage stacked up but the vertical certainly didn't. Clearing up from last weekends races means having to stay near to home so getting any meaningful climb or descent in is borderline impossible. Going in to a race relying on just a week of proper mtn training isn't ideal, but then again UTMB is such a suffer fest anyway it's all going to come down to the day. It's time to taper now with 12 days to go, enough time to get some deep rest and try to eat as well as possible.

UTMB Training: 5 weeks to go

30/7: 2:52. 3200'.

Japan Alps - Top of Goryu Chairlift to 8500' Goryudake Station. Super technical and steep grades lower down, a patch of pretty technical flatish running after around 30 minutes to base of the actual climb. Climb itself was exposed in places and involved some actual climbing using a pre existing fixed rope and hanging chains. 1:30 ascent and 1:22 return an extra 300 feet lower down to the second cable car. Had 3 hours total so timed it right. Rain blew in on the return leg.

Goryuka Summit Trail

31/7: 1:02. 

Kyoto, Japan. Flat bike trail along the river was the best I could get. Stifling heat too. Good training for Sparta, not so much for UTMB. 

1/8: 2:01.

Kyoto, Japan. Bike trail. 

2/8: 2:02. 1200'.

Nara, Japan. Found a decent and completely empty trail up and around the parkland, filled with local reindeer. Amazing experience. 

3/8: 1:29. 2000'.

Tokyo, Japan. Hotel treadmill after a long day of travelling. 10' w/u, 45' climb at max incline/ hiking speed, 10' run at speed, 25' climb at max incline/ hiking speed.

4/8: Nothing. 

20 hours of travelling back from Tokyo to London. 

5/8: 1:52. 1000'.

Back in the UK. Up at 5am suffering from jet lag. Usual loop.

Total: 11:18. 7400'.


Not nearly what I'd hoped for this week. Really difficult to get any significant climb in due to travelling all week through Japan, staying mostly in cities. Consistency was there and I hope therefore a decent platform to build off for two big weeks upcoming, around the NDW races next weekend. Looking for a 2.5 week taper for UTMB and as much vertical as I can get in between times. 

Goryuka Summit Station, Japan Alps.