“Big” Volume: hitting peak training in ultra marathon preparation
Delve into the demands of achieving peak training volume for ultra marathon preparation. Discover valuable insights and tips to excel in your training.
My biggest week of volume ever. 10h and 10 mins equating to 74.18km and 1,835m of elevation. Plus an hour on the bike, also with 223m of elevation. Completed whilst also moving into a new house and all our moving boxes arriving. From Germany to the Northern Lakes.
Feedback from my body is certainly that this is a lot to absorb. My back is stiff (on my routes this week there was a lot more tarmac then I have been running on pre the move which was all on forest track) and the right knee is too so a couple of easy days are now needed to let it all settle trying to do a couple of hours nearer Zone 1 rather than even Z2 and minimizing the impact. It’s beautiful today and the temptation is to make the most of it! Blencathra is calling but I am too tired to seriously entertain the idea.
Taking it easy has been the key to getting to this level of volume without any injury over the past 6 months and now this is the peak weeks before hitting the taper. Not only for the body, but also for the mind. When I had big distance goals in the past (such as 50k) – rather than time-based ones – I failed to complete them because I was working too hard and could simply not face going out and hitting that time in a run when you have to slow down because you are redlining and the overall effort was too great. It happened on almost every run as the early enthusiasm gave way to the body saying ‘no’.
With the lower intensity, this is simply not an issue. If you are pushing and finding it hard, back off. It should be easy – running isn’t about being in the red or orange all the time – it should not be much harder than a walk. And this makes it repeatable day in day out as a walk is too. There is simply nothing to dread and shirk away from because going for an easy run is just that – easy. And repeatable day after day.
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Now, 74k may take many a speedier runner much less time than I spent achieving it. The number is not impressive peak training volume for ultra marathon preparation. It becomes a bit more impressive if you equate each 100m of climbing to an additional kilometre i.e. adding another 18k and making it 92km. But as your body does not count the miles, the focus has to be on ‘time on feet’ – and 10h is certainly an accomplishment no matter the miles covered. Now, fingers crossed, I haven’t overcooked it.
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