A good aid station plan can make a great race out of one that you thought about dropping out of earlier on. A poor strategy can cause you to have to drop from lack of fueling needs, unattended injuries, or faulty equipment. Plan for what you can, train consistently, and anything else that happens is out of your control. Enjoy the process and learn forward!
No matter where you are, build strength for the mountains with our jumps routine.
A jumps routine is a vital part of trail running training—especially if you don’t have daily access to the mountains. Jumps exercises aren’t a replacement for training in the mountains, but they sure are a good way to prepare ourselves for them.
When done correctly and methodically, this routine will help you feel stronger and more prepared when heading to the mountains to train or race.
Our routine aims to train two things: your strength and your competence in different types of terrain. These skills safely enable you to run farther and more consistently in the mountains.
The point of doing strength exercises isn’t to look good: it’s to prepare ourselves to run efficiently and reduce risk of injury.
A strength routine plays a key role in your development as a trail runner. We need to prepare our bodies to withstand the impact of running long downhills; to avoid fatigue (and thus avoid falling) in technical sections; and to be a strong, compact ally to our minds during climbs.
Quality > quantity. Don’t be shy about cutting the number of repetitions. It’s way better to do fewer repeats, but to do them with control. Then, you can keep building from there.
Even though at-home exercises aren’t as as fun as running down a mountain, you can’t do the later without first dedicating yourself to the former.
A good core routine builds strength in our upper body (our “core.”) This strength keeps our bodies aligned, which helps us maintain good posture while running. Good running posture = more control = safely cruising those downhills we talked about.
Do these exercises at least once a week ( (but don’t exceed three times per week.)
Don’t be shy about cutting the number of repetitions. It’s way better to do fewer repeats, but to do them with control. Then, you can keep building from there.