I’m looking for some ideas to help improve my 5 week training plan for a Spartan Super Race. Its 8-9 miles with around 24 obstacles. I already have a good base of HIIT strength training, I’ve done 3 classes a week for the past year. I’m in decent running shape, HM race last weekend 1:32 (7:02 pace), 10k (6:24) pace, I can do 25+ pullups so you have an idea of where i’m currently at. 5’5" 138lbs, 31 years old. I want to run about 20-25 miles a week and 3 HIIT classes a week. For those of you that don’t know or have never done a spartan race, its a lot of short (.5m - 1m) steep hill running with a mix of obstacles like sand bucket carry (60lbs), rope climbing, log carry, barbwire crawl 200m, hercules rope lift and so on. I’m competing in the elite division and have a goal of top 20.
I’m mostly looking for advice on what to do on my Wed and Fri running days.
Haha. Nicely done. Seriously though, pull-ups and Spartan races on ST? Come on, dude.
Ever heard of cross training? Winter is 6 months long in MT, I have plenty of time to work on swimming and biking indoors, spartan race breaks up the monotony. Please don’t reply unless you have something of value to add.
Cross training, you say? Go and have sex with a woman. It might help you lighten up a bit. You can tell by that photo I don’t take myself too seriously at all. I’m thinking you’re at the other end of the spectrum. Meet you in the middle?
Haha. Nicely done. Seriously though, pull-ups and Spartan races on ST? Come on, dude.
Gotta agree with this. Certainly there’s a Spartan Race forum out there somewhere. Wrong crowd to ask this kind of advice for a variety of reasons (right, wrong, or indifferent)… the main reason is most folks on ST think crossfitters and Spartan Racers are d’bags. Pot calling the kettle black but nevertheless the prevailing thoughts here.
I never said I did crossfit. Not sure why there’s so much hate towards spartan races, maybe after you guys do one you’ll change your mind. If asking for running advice on a Triathlon forum is the wrong place then oh well.
I never said I did crossfit. Not sure why there’s so much hate towards spartan races, maybe after you guys do one you’ll change your mind. If asking for running advice on a Triathlon forum is the wrong place then oh well.
I’ll chime in by saying you’re probably going to get very few productive comments here, take what you can get.
Here’s my nugget of advice: Search Matt Navokovich on Facebook and look at his last treadmill test. He set it at 40% and goes for 20 minutes or fail. That’s the ‘running’ you need to do to be Spartan ready. Not a whole lot of regular running in there, get climbing strong.
I think you need to define what your “HIIT” workouts are.
Also doesn’t look like you are tapering, IE Biggest week is the week of the race. Last hard set is 36 hours removed from your event (8X400 you could cut in half)
Ditch the 400’s for something more specific IE trails at specific grade or longer intervals on specific terrain (Ditch the track and go have fun in the trails) I would suggest longer intervals.
Are you doing intervals on the treadmill? 1-3% is a low grade I would….again ditch that and go have fun on the trails, or ramp up the grade so you are getting something similar to what you will see on race day….not sure but it looks like you are training for a trail/obstacle race on the treadmill and the track.
Rest day before the race….if for logistical or mental reasons an athlete needs or wants a full day off I usually give it 2-3 days away….for mental more than physiological I think athletes need to do something light the day before the race, IE at IM we swim 10 minutes, ride 30 or so to check gearing etc and run 15 after dinner. For Marathon or HM a nice 15 easy am and 15 easy with a few strides Pm works well (my opinion)
I know zero about spartan races….but what is the spread between time running and time doing obstacles etc? From there where are the biggest time savings? Becoming a better runner or better obstacle guy? I have no idea, this leads to some of the other posts IE look up some of those links from the experts.
I did a spartan race back in June. (Very fun race. Racing Sacramento again in November). Similar 10k time as you and same with pull-ups. I’m 6’2 and at the time I weighed 190. Honestly some of the strength obstacles are going to be harder then what you are probably expecting. Some of them are very heavy and no joke. I hope you are either signed up for elite or racing early in the morning. The open class is really not very competitive and people are going to be holding you up.
“their chief care was to make them good subjects, and to teach them to endure pain and conquer in battle. To this end, as they grew in years, their discipline was proportionately increased; their heads were close-clipped, they were accustomed to go barefoot, and for the most part to play naked.”
Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus
