Looking for advice on adding stadiums for elevation gain
I live in flatts-ville USA here in Baton Rouge. I'm stepping up to ultra's this year. I have a flat Ultra planned for November ,but I'm looking at other Ultra opportunities.
With no elevation gain in sight for me, I've started doing trips up and down the local high school stadium. Last week on my long run I did one stadium every two laps around the track for 14 miles. I was able to total 1500+ feet of gain. Each trip up and down the stadium is good for 90' of gain.
My question is, how should I incorporate this into my ultra training. I do not have a specific gain target for a race. I'm just trying to build fitness. Historically, the only gain I get in my legs comes from the races I go to.
Should I do this on long run days, weekday runs or both?
Should I do sessions with stadiums the entire run or just a part? If so the beginning, middle or end?
How much gain should I look to collect each week?
Comments
Ahh @Chris Oubre, me and you both. I'm in flat ass Holland Netherlands so my training is also vertically challenged.
So yes stairs are good if that's what you've got.
Also, if there is at least one hill somewhere to do repeats on. I've got a quarter mile hill that I do repeats on. It is boring as shit, but good for the mental preparation for the monotony of being on a trail for 10, 20, 24, etc hours.
Last what a lot of the of EN guys advise is to really really really work on running down hill as that is where the damage is done. So we I do my repeats the power hike up is the recovery as I am bombing the downhills.
Also google and check out how Kaci Lickteig trains. She is one of the top US women trail runners and lives in Omaha, Nebraska, so like us zero vert, but she gets in the mountains and just crushes
Hope these this helps.
@Chris Oubre
I really like how you incorporated +1500 feet into that long run 90 feet at a time.
What do you think of a 10% progressive increase per week in "hill time" up to 30-40 minutes in a continuous block? Maybe more, depending on a hilly or mountainous race. 30-40' minutes will certainly give you a strength stimulus for your flatter race this fall.
Another option for part of your progression could be, cnce you get to 30-40' continuous block - try moving that block around internal to that run. Do the hill block early in the run, then finish the run as normal, move it to the middle of the run, and then move it to the end of the run. See how that hill block impacts the remainder of the run in each case. Doing the hill block early in the run could allow you to focus on power & strength, doing it at the end could help you work on endurance.
Advice from @tim cronk was to focus incorporate fast walking 6-8 weeks out from the race if you think it will be part of your race strategy. Those 6-8 weeks should be more race specific and if you race is flat then you should focus more on that. Including your stadium elevation work will build strength and set you up for future ultras.
Is a treadmill unavailable? It seems like this would be the best sim.
@Patrick Large thanks for tip on Kaci Lickteig. Definitely going to check that out
@matt limbert I put in 30-40 min sessions into each of my long runs this weekend. I’ll probably start adding stadiums in on weekday runs as well.
@Dave Tallo I have a TM. I just prefer outside for long runs. Looking to get cert on those.