Hello again and welcome back , if this happens to be your first time listening . Thank you so much for stopping by . You are listening to Choose to Endure , a show dedicated to the back of the pack runners , where we share stories , interviews , gear and sometimes training tips specific to the tail end heroes of the Ultra universe . My name is Richard Gleave .
I've been running Ultras now since 2017 . I have taken on and finished numerous distances , all the way up through 220 miles , and I am most definitely a member of the back of the pack , just like a lot of you out there might be back , just like a lot of you out there might be .
So today's topic is an interesting one for me , and it's a challenge that many of us Flatlanders face , and one I'm certainly going to be facing here shortly as I ramp up my training for Cocodona in May , and that is figuring out how to train for a mountain race or a race with a lot of vert when you live somewhere that is absolutely pancake flat , like I do
, whether you're eyeing a hundred miler with some massive elevation or you're just trying to improve your climbing game . Generally speaking , you don't necessarily need mountains to train for mountain races . Trust me , I've been there .
I've prepped for races with thousands of feet of vert , while actually running loops around my local park , which might have maybe a 10-foot incline on a good day . But here's the thing with some creativity , some consistency and a little bit of grit , you can get mountain ready , no matter where you live .
So in this episode , I'm going to break down my favorite tips and strategies to help you build strength , improve endurance and tackle those climbs with confidence . So grab your running shoes , settle in , let's get started . Discover raw , inspiring stories from runners who've been right where you are .
This is the Choose to Endure Ultra Running Podcast , with your host he's English , not Australian Richard Gleave . All right . Suggestion one here is going to be the most obvious one right , embrace the treadmill as your elevator simulator . So I'm going to call these tread hills . I guess we should definitely think of the treadmill as a vertical training master .
Most of the treadmills that you're going to find in any kind of gym can incline anywhere up to 15% really , and that is really gold for us . You don't need to run on the treadmill at that incline . You're going to do power hiking because , well , let's face it , that's what you're going to do most likely on race day . So for me , what I would suggest ?
Set the incline up to the 15% . You can start lower with 5% , 10% if you're just getting going , but work your way up to a 15% incline . Slow the pace down to two and a half three miles per hour . You can build that up too as you get better , and then go hike for like 20 to 30 minutes at a time .
It's pretty boring , yeah , but it does replicate the grind of a long climb . Boring , yeah , but it does replicate the grind of a long climb . And doing this on a consistent basis can have a huge aerobic upside and it really doesn't have to do much of it up front .
But as you get closer to that race , you want to be more specific , and so you can start sliding in these tread hills . If you want to really take it up a notch , put on your race pack so that you can mimic the weight and the movement of the pack that you're going to carry on race day .
I once did a race I think it was about 15,000 feet of vert and for those that don't know , I live here in Houston . It is really flat here . There are not many hills . I spent a long time practicing hiking on my treadmill at home .
Actually , back when I had one at home , I'd throw on a movie , chuck on an ultra running podcast , whatever I needed to do to pass the time . And when I actually did that race I felt pretty ready , actually , given where I live , to tackle those long and especially the steep ascents .
My legs didn't feel quite as trashed as I had expected and I was pretty pleased with that . So it is possible , okay . So if you don't have a treadmill , maybe you don't have mountains . Suggestion number two is going to be to get creative with the local terrain that you do have . You've got to work with what you've got .
So look out for parking garages , bridges , even big staircases , or your own staircase at your house , if you have one . Again , here in Houston , I am a longtime friend with a variety of overpasses and pedestrian bridges .
Pedestrian bridges they're short , but they can be quite steep , and I'll try to run repeats on them until I've climbed the equivalent of a small hill , which , granted , is not particularly glamorous , but it definitely can work . Another tip that I have for you is to look for any kind of trail that you can find near your house that has uneven terrain .
We have a park pretty close to where I live and it has a bunch of jeep trails with uneven rock . Those trails are great because even without vert , trails like that that are really uneven force your stabilizer muscles to work harder , and that is going to help prepare you for the uneven footing of mountain trails . When you get there I'll tell you too .
There's a pedestrian overpass near my house that I once ran for two hours straight . So when you can't replicate the terrain , you can focus on strengthening the muscles that you'll use on climbing , and don't forget descending too .
Oftentimes the descending people miss , and you'll know about that one really quickly when your quads start yelling at you coming downhills , and that can oftentimes be more challenging than going uphill . So for climbs , focus on your glutes , hamstrings and your calves . I might suggest exercises like step-ups , definitely lunges , weighted lunges , calf raises .
Those kind of exercises are going to be your best friends . And then , for those descents that I was just talking about , make sure you work on strengthening those quads with eccentric exercises like step downs or slow squats or even those jump burpees .
I've also found that weighted stair workouts are really cool for mimicking the strain of a particularly steep climb as well . Grab a weighted vest . If you've got one , grab a race pack . I've even grabbed two-gallon jugs of milk and held one in each hand . Find a staircase , maybe in a parking garage , even in your house .
Climb up and down that staircase for 20 to 30 minutes . I tell you it can make a lot of difference . With not many sessions of doing that . It's really helpful , especially if you don't have much else going on that you can actually get to .
I did a lot of step-down exercises leading up to a race with some pretty gnarly technical descents over in the Lake District in England . This is the same race that had , according to my watch , approximately nine and a half thousand feet of vert in the first 33 miles , which is pretty insane .
And while my quads were definitely still screaming at me during the race , they didn't completely give out , although admittedly , I did slip on wet rocks on one descent , I fell and fractured my humerus , which is definitely not funny . Nonetheless , the prep for going up and coming down , that was definitely a game changer .
For going up and coming down , that was definitely a game changer . And the last thing I will say here is something you might not hear too much about , but when you're doing those long climbs and I've done a few of them . You really need to look at your mental game as well for that one . Training for mountain races a lot of vert in a flat area .
It's not just a physical challenge , it's definitely a mental one too . On race day you're going to face those long climbs and they are going to seem really endless , especially because you're going slower and you can be pretty out of breath . You've got to make sure that you prepare for that grind mentally as well .
So one thing I do during training if I know I'm going to have a lot of these big climbs , I know I'm going to have them at Cocodona is intentionally simulate really long , really boring efforts . For instance , if I can find a treadmill , I'll go hike on it for an hour straight , zero music , zero distractions , looking straightforward .
I'll try to make it as boring as I can . It's not fun I mean it really isn't fun but it definitely trains your mind to stay present , focus , look internally and find ways to push through the monotony of those climbs . I also practice visualization .
So before a race I try to picture myself tackling those really steep climbs and remind myself that I've trained for this and I've done these kinds of climbs before I know what's going to happen . I know what it's going to feel like and I know what the terrain is going to be like for the most part .
So when you've mentally rehearsed those tough moments , I feel like you're better equipped to handle them . In the race , I had a three-mile climb one time . That seemed absolutely never-ending . Almost straight up I had to keep reminding myself . You know , you've done harder things than this .
One step at a time , keep moving and eventually you get to the top of those things . All right , so to wrap us back up , here are the key takeaways . Number one use your treadmill , if you can get to one , as a tool for incline training . Power hiking is most definitely a secret weapon , and that goes for flat running as well .
I'm all for adding some power hiking on an incline into your general maintenance routine . And number two get creative with local terrain that you do have . Get out there . Find some bridges , find some parking garages , find some uneven trails , find whatever you can . We've even gone up and down embankments on the side of drainage ditches .
Just keep going up and down those . Wherever you can find a hill , get out there . Do multiple up and downs of it . It's going to train your muscles . It can also help with the mental side of things too .
Number three focus on strength training , specifically If you know you're going to be climbing and descending , strong muscles are going to carry you through , but don't sleep on the defense . Make sure you get some quad exercises in there as well . And then , number four , make sure you train your mind for the grind .
Mental toughness is just as important as physical fitness , and if you can't get any uphill hiking , physical fitness is a pill that will cover a multitude of illnesses . The better physically trained you are , the more capable you are of withstanding that uphill battle . So , when all else fails , focus on fitness .
Fitness will take you a long way by itself , even if you have minimal training actually going up the hills . So if these strategies resonate with you and you are ready to take your next uphill step , let's keep the conversation going .
Do you have a favorite strategy when training for races with a lot of vert that maybe we haven't touched on here and you think others might benefit from ? If so , definitely feel free to join the conversation , share those in the comments or make a note on the social media pages . While you're browsing the internet , don't forget to subscribe to the show .
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You can also email me directly , if you want , at info at ChooseToEndurecom . Interacting with listeners , just like yourself , is one of my favorite parts of doing the show . I would love to hear from you . Until next time , make sure you run long , run strong , do some uphill power hiking and keep choosing to endure . We'll see you next time .