Matt Page Blog: Next Phase Of Training
27th March
During my rest week recently I had the chance to plan out my next phase of training, which really got me thinking… How do you train for a 24hr solo race?
I’ve looked back over the training I have been doing recently and seeing how suitable, or specific it is for ultra-endurance races, such as a 24hr solo race. The honest answer is that I don’t really know as there is virtually nothing published on the subject. There certainly isn’t the depth of knowledge available that there is for XC racing or triathlons.
The way I have created my training program is probably similar to how most other ultra-endurance racers do, which is to modify plans for shorter events and most importantly to use my experience from previous races to find where my weaknesses lie and try to strengthen them.
This year my main focus in training to date has been improving my efficiency. It is a long and slow progress and takes weeks, if not months and years to really see a noticeable gains. If I can improve it by as little as 1% the difference in a 24hr race will be significant. As my main races draw nearer I can move onto more intense forms of training, which will push my lactate and anaerobic thresholds to new levels and essentially make me faster. I should see next week how far I have come over the last few months as I have another performance test which I can compare to my 2 previous tests in December and January.
I’ve been enjoying some fantastic Mountain Bike rides recently around my local area, in and around Crychan and Halfway forest then linking over to Llyn Brianne and the Doethie Valley, which is a classic natural ride with the longest natural singletrack in the UK. The rides have been 60-70 miles long with 2-3000m of climbing. I’m starting to plan some even longer rides, up to 100 miles which I hope to complete at some point over the next few months.
This week however has been slightly frustrating. A few sessions have been affected by circumstances beyond my control which has put a slight downer on the week. Today I decided to change my plans slightly, instead of heading out on the Kiron Scandium road bike and get blown about in the wind I headed to a local XC course and did a XC race simulation. 5 laps of a 7km course at Cwm Rhaeadr. It’s a fantastic little track, which goes up a fairly long fireroad with some steep, technical climbing at the end, before descending down a fast, slated descent. The plan was to go quick, but be consistent. I was feeling great and lap times were all really consistent, within 30 seconds of each other. Then on the 4th lap I had a disaster as I split my rear tyre open. I had to finish my ride and hobble home with a tube sticking out of the tyre. Hopefully next week will be a little less frustrating!
I’d also like to thank everyone for their comments after my MBUK article. I had a great time doing the shoot and was absolutely delighted to see it in print. I hope people are able to take something from it, by following the plan or picking up on some tips.