You have registered for your first Spartan Ultra 50k race-what now?

You have registered for your first Spartan Ultra 50k race-what now?

I wondered that what I now look like a stupid, idiotic decision at the Spartan Ultra 50k Race, a 50 km trail run with 60 (sixty) obstacles, on 6 I have made exactly zero running challenges over half of this distance on my fitness trip.

Every year I do a birthday challenge where I exercise and try to prove to myself that the old lie that “age is just a number” is even remotely true. This year I've been so busy building and opening Intentional Sports, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring Chicago's youth through the power of sports. I felt like I had to get involved in something pretty crazy.

I always trained and I knew that I was able to "play through" with any lesser challenge by relying on athletics and basic fitness. It's different. There is no cheating of the mileage, and there is no way to deal with 60 obstacles.

Training for this type of challenge reminds me of my favorite quote from author Orison Swett Marden: Success is the child of toil and perseverance. It cannot be persuaded or bribed; Pay the price and it’s yours.”

So here's a basic breakdown of my training breakdown for the Spartan Ultra 50K race, and then I'll give you a few thoughts on how it's going. First, if you don't know anything about Spartan racing (like I did), I'll just say this: It's a lot of running with some obstacles breaking up the miles. These obstacles tend to emphasize a lot of pulling, hanging, climbing, and carrying. To that end, I've been varying my workouts a little every few weeks, but here's the current program, broken down into two sessions per day.

The Spartan Ultra 50k Race Training Plan

Sunday

1) 14 mile run (long, slow day)

Monday(Recovery day from running)

1) Early morning: Push/puil/core circuit (at least one push exercise from the floor and one hanging exercise), followed by 30 minutes of elliptical training

2) Lunch break: 30-40 minutes of stretching, exercise bike or elliptical trainer

Tuesday

1) Early in the morning: Biceps/Trizeps/Core/Mobility Circle, followed by a 7-mile run

2) Lunch: Stretching + 30 minutes on elliptical/bike

Wednesday

1) Early in the morning: running and strength light machine. 8-mile run, divided into 8 rounds with:
Run 1 mile, 2 sets of shoulder exercises (1 press, 1 lift), 1 set of hanging core work

2) At noon: stretch, followed by 30 minutes of ellipes coach/bicycle

Thursday

1) Early in the morning: grip thickness, including hanging and wearing circles, followed by a 7-mile run

2) At noon: stretch, followed by 30 minutes of ellipes coach/bicycle

Friday(Recovery day from running)

1) early in the morning: leg strength/mobility/circuit training, followed by 30 minutes of ellipes training

2) At noon: stretch, followed by 30 minutes of cycling

Saturday

1) early in the morning: body weight training, including upper body push-pull (breast/back/to/tris/shoulders) and core, followed by an 8-mile run

2) PM: Stretching/Mobility

So, lots of placking and endurance! A few thoughts:

I have been playing football for about 42 years and ran a lot at shorter distances (5-10 km) when I started the World Police and Fire Games in the Toughest Competitor Alive. But I never ran so many kilometers, nor would I have thought that I would ever do that. Nobody would classify me as runner.

Strangely enough, I enjoy it. Well, sometimes I hate it, but mostly I appreciate the slow, quiet pace in which I run all of these miles. It is also winter in Chicago, so I was banished onto the treadmill for many of these kilometers, so I follow up a lot of films ... Overall it was nice to slow down my pulse and go away the rat race in this manic season of life.

For the resistance work, I reduced the weight and increased the volume. A large part of the focus was on training with your own body weight, as this is the focus of so many obstacle parks races. If possible, I overload my body weight a little, increase my frame and pull/hang with the load.

I was able to maintain my size and strength despite all the running - which in this case is a good thing because my only hope of surviving this race is to do well in the obstacles... All of this body weight and volume training has confirmed what I've always preached to those who may become discouraged when they don't have a gym or proper equipment to train with: Our muscles are stupid - they have no idea where they are or what they push/pull/lift/throw!

Finally, I believe that most people can take on a much bigger challenge than they might think. Yes, this one might actually crush me when it's all said and done, but I enjoy the one-step/mile/day-at-a-long runway mentality here. Admittedly, I was in a bit of a mindless groove in my fitness life; Just “getting into it” every day, not getting better – feeling “comfortable”.

But the only way to ever improve in anything is to push a little into the inconvenience and redefine it.

Time division: All of this training takes hours most days, and I have five family members, three careers, and a fat bulldog that all deserve my time. I can't emphasize enough how important planning and preparation is!

Stay tuned as we move forward – we’ll cover nutrition and recovery next time; how to refuel and maintain your machine. Our machines are incredible and resilient, but when we push the limits it takes a lot of TLC to keep running and running and running!

Andy McDermott is an advocate for fundamental truths about health and wellness based on lessons he has personally learned throughout his life with fitness. McDermott has published more than 100 articles and videos for national media publications. He is currently theFounder and Chief Development Officer from Inentional Sports, a non -profit organization that is committed to inspire Chicago's youth through the power of sport.McDermott posts fitness challenges on social media:
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