As a full time cyclist I’m looking for tips to train for a Trail Running race.
I just finishing training for a 120km MTB race, expect it will take me around 8 hours. My next goal will be a trail running race in February 2020. This race is not an A event, my wife is a marathon runner and thought this type of event would be nice to do together, and would like to keep cycling as my priority. The race is 35km long with 1,500 meters of climbing a volcanic jungle. I expect the actual running to be around half of the distance, given how steep the terrain is. Looking at past finishing times I would expect it will take me around 7 hours.
Any tips are welcomed on how to make the transition and mix cycling with trail running.
Run often but short and slow. Slowly increase duration of your long run. Keep on running embarrassingly slow. If you just feel some discomfort, rest. Rest fully. Practice downhill running, get used to the eccentric loading. Slowly. Slowly.
I’d say time is to short for speed work. Perhaps some uphill. It’s all about conditioning your joints, tendons and co.
However, I’m very cautious when it comes to running. Trail running is important for me in winter but you get injured so easily. Especially when you have the lungs but not the tendons
THIS!!!
I’d say I jog more than run but did an adventure race a few years ago and the trail run was up and down with and overall drop of several hundred meters over 14km.
The specialist fell/trail runners look more like they are in a controlled fall downhill but I found running on a narrow footpath, so having to get my feet in closer to the centre of the path than was comfortable and the overall downhill killed me, I could barely walk the next few days, I looked like a drunk trying to get down stairs for about a week.
Whilst running doesn’t benefit road cycling it is a benefit to mountain biking, and its weight bearing so good for bone density.