Training for 24 Hour Races

by Karl Etzel, Wenzel Coaching

A very common question for newcomers to the sport of 24 hour racing is "What kind of training do I need to do to be ready for this event?" I'd like to provide some thoughts on several factors that you should consider, and some suggestions on ways to fit the necessary training into your busy life.

First recognize that implicit in any training regimen is a set of goals for the event. Are you a first timer, trying to finish and have a good time doing it, or are you serious about your placing? If you are serious about placing & winning these events, you probably have down the basics that I will cover in the article. In fact if you are truly serious, you probably have a personal coach who will give you much better advice than I can do in this broadly targeted article. There is no substitute for 1-on-1 coaching when trying to reach ambitious goals.

The foundation of all training regimens is the basic stress-recovery cycle. Stress is applied to the athlete (the complete athlete - mind + body!) and during recovery periods the athlete adapts to this stress, thereby developing the ability to take on higher stress levels at the next cycle. Many athletes, especially the type who are likely looking at this web page, are good at the stress part - going hard is what we do. Remember to focus on the recovery just as conscientiously as the stress. When fitting training into your busy life, look at how much time you have for training - then divide it up between stress and recovery. This division will vary as you go through different periods but at all times you must allocate some amount of your training time to each.

I'll comment on what I have found to be the most important areas in training for ultra endurance events. All of these are geared for the solo competitor, although many of the ideas can apply to team competitors as well.

Turning the cranks

This one is simple - you want to be able to keep riding. But what kind of training miles do you need to get ready? From my own experience, I would say that if you can do back to back (i.e., Saturday and Sunday)100 mile hilly road rides, or 7 hour mountain bike rides, then you are ready to take on your first 24 hour race. Obviously the nature of the course will influence the amount of training you need, but if your longest ride has been only 3 or 4 hours you are not going to have enough experience to go on. Putting in seven hour days ensures that you have the hydration and calorie intake nailed down - you can get away with a few nutritional indiscretions for only three or even sometimes four hours, but at the 6-7 hour mark you really need to have this aspect of riding figured out. I would argue that ideally you will have longer rides in the bag before taking on a 24 hour event - something in the 10-12 hour range should be the target. You can survive a 24 hour race with less but to be truly "on top of" your game you want to be up there in the double digits at least a couple of times.

Sitting on the bike

How do you get the body ready for so many hours of just being on the bike? There are several factors to consider. First is flexibility - if you cannot sit on the floor with your legs out straight & touch your toes, get to work. Your back, neck, & hamstrings will thank me. There are other aspects of flexibility that are important, but this simple exercise is, in my experience, the most likely one to be a concern. Make stretching part of your daily ride routine. It is amazing what a good stretch you can get waiting at a long red light. By the time I get to the office I have done a decent stretch routine. In only 5 minutes you can get in a decent stretch at the end of the ride (not the beginning - get the muscles warmed up first). Secondly, long hours in the saddle put a premium on balance & "core" muscle strength. Many times the lower back will give out long before the legs do. I focus on just four areas in the weight room - leg presses, abs, lower back, and flexibility. Just 40 minutes twice a week working these groups hard in the weight room can yield real improvements in your comfort after a long day on the bike.

Riding at weird times

Many of us have very regimented lives - work, family, and other obligations form a set of boundaries that dictate when we get on the bike each day. It is important that in preparing for your first 24 hour race you find ways to mix it up, and get the body accustomed to riding at different times. Part of this can be accomplished by doing some night rides to get comfortable with your lighting system (probably the most important equipment related testing you need to accomplish before race day). Another great way to fit this into your schedule is to bike commute - it helps fit riding into your routine twice a day instead of once, and gives you a chance to extend the ride home well into the evening, or start really early in the morning, for some extra practice with the lights. I like to ride in to work on an empty stomach & keep my office stocked with healthy foods for breakfast - it simulates the relative glycogen depletion that can occur during races, and is an easy way to shed a few pounds when getting into race condition. Finally, bike commuting is good for the environment!

Fueling the body

Not only do your legs need to be in shape, but your digestive system does as well. Your legs won't keep going if your stomach doesn't have the ability to keep them supplied with nutrients. Make sure that you are not skimping on calories in training, and you are following EXACTLY the fueling regimen that you plan to use for the race. See some of the other articles on the site for more specific info on nutrition.

The mental side of the game

This is where champions are made and races are won and lost. How do you build the mental toughness to be ready for a long event? Simple - just like you build the physical toughness. You must go through in training the stress-recovery cycles to build your mental toughness. If you are training hard then you should encounter these cycles naturally. Here are a few suggestions based on my own experiences and many years of watching fellow competitors deal with race-day stress:

1) Things will wrong. Once you accept that mishaps and misfortune are inevitable, it is a lot easier to deal with them in a constructive way. Don't waste time asking why the universe is conspiring against you or why you had to have a flat at the worst possible time. The universe is completely oblivious to your race.

2) When challenges arise, remember that there are two responses - the emotional, and the actual. You can take action in the direst of situations while maintaining a completely cheerful outlook. An interesting thought experiment is to consider how people who are drunk maintain their jovial attitude regardless of what happens. Granted, they are getting some chemical assist to keep their positive outlook in the face of some rotten event, but why can't you do the same when sober? You can if you try, but you have to train yourself to keep a positive attitude. Just because you must change a flat in the rain, does not mean that you must be upset about it. Just fix it & get on with riding.

3) Use humor to your advantage. I have a good friend who paints his fingernails odd colors before Ironman events. I personally like to wear goofy socks - my Rudolph the Reindeer socks were with me during my 24 hour race. Every time I looked down I got a chuckle out of them, and it helped to break the tension. Remember, we are doing these events for fun. Don't take it too seriously






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