The Adventure Race Training Puzzle

Let’s take a look at Brian’s posted questions:

So tell me what is a good basic training regiment to prepare for an adventure race? I imagine its pretty intense so how do I mitigate the risk of injury?

First I gotta say, there’s some serious girth to those baby’s but I’ll try and catch the gist…

Adventure racing events generally involve running/hiking, mountain biking and paddling of some sort, with other stuff thrown in to keep it spicy (ropes, special tests etc). So the crux of your training will involve these three sports. Since paddling is the most logistically difficult for most folks, getting in a paddle once or twice a week is golden—the type of boat and paddle you use will be dependant on what you are going to use in a race. Run/hiking and biking will make up the bulk of your training. As well as strength training (key) and flexibility “training”.

All distances/time that you devote to training will depend on: 1) the distance of your event, 2) your athletic background and current fitness level, 3) the time you have in your personal schedule to devote to your training, and, 4) how much you desire to train.

Your training program needs to be: 1) consistent, 2) diverse, (no, not an oxymoron), 3) periodized, 4) fun. Adventure racers need to be adaptable. Change your training up to force your adaptable self to kick in (hopefully you have glimpses of being adaptable).

If you execute all of the above keenly, you will do a solid job at eliminating injury. Some keys to injury prevention are periodizing your training, building it slowly (distance), using proper gear, and consistently doing strength and flexibility training. These help MAINTAIN the body (as well as do massage and other modalities).

Our bodies are like high performance cars. They need attention constantly. They do break down and wear out, and can most of the time be repaired. If we give them tune-ups REGULARLY they will run better and longer. They do depreciate as we get older so do everything you can to slow down that process. And remember- for better or worse we can't trade our bodies in like we can our car. This is the only one you get this time around.

Now for my shameless plug: Creating detail personal and online training programs is part of my profession! So check out my website for more info on an optimal training program for you… www.terrischneider.net.


Schneider ascending a cave in Borneo...