EVENT SPOTLIGHT
BEGINNER ' S GUIDE : TRAINING FOR AN OBSTACLE RACE
BY THE TEAM AT TRU GRIT
TRAINING FOR YOUR FIRST OBSTACLE RACE DOESN ' T NEED TO BE AS HARD OR REPETITIVE AS TRAINING FOR LONG DISTANCE ROAD RACES , BUT YOU STILL NEED TO BUILD UP YOUR CONFIDENCE WITH RUNNING . THAT SAID , UPPER BODY AND CORE STRENGTH WILL REALLY HELP YOU TO GET OVER OBSTACLES , SO IT ' S BEST TO INCORPORATE AN ALL-ROUND FITNESS REGIME .
The ideal training plan very much depends on the kind of fitness background you have :
If you ’ re already a runner :
Great ! Welcome to the sport ! It doesn ' t matter if you do 10km races , half marathons , marathons or ultras , being used to long distance running is a great starting point for obstacle racing . You will need some upper body strength , so if you don ’ t already , I ’ d recommend doing some weights work outs , either at a gym or at home . Working on pull-ups will pay dividends , as they ' ll help you to get you over walls and across monkey bars in the more strength oriented races .
If you ’ re already a gym bunny :
Great ! Welcome to the sport ! If you work out in the gym you should have a decent amount of strength but the chances are you ' ve not run more than 5-10km … It ’ s time to up that , so strap your trainers on and hit the outdoors ( not the treadmill ) to get those miles in . Running outdoors is really important to get used to hills , uneven surfaces and natural obstacles that are a big element of obstacle racing . Try to get onto grass and natural trails as well if you can – don ’ t just run on the road / pavement .
If you already attend crossfit / bootcamp / BMF / circuits :
Great ! Welcome to the sport ! In many ways , being used to bootcamps or similar is the best way to start training for obstacles because you ’ re already used to doing high intensity mixtures of cardio and strength exercises – often with unexpected surprises thrown at you to keep you on your toes . I ’ d say keep up the group exercises but also supplement it with some longer runs of your own , just to get you used to longer distances .
If you do no fitness whatsoever but want to start :
Great ! Welcome to the sport ! Everyone has a different base fitness level but essentially you ’ ll need to start thinking about cardiovascular stamina and leg strength for the running element , as well as upper body and core strength for some of the obstacles .
You don ’ t need to join a gym if you don ’ t want to but I ’ d recommend at least buying a set of dumb-bells to do workouts from home – it ’ s amazing how many exercises you can do with just a pair of dumbbells . A door-frame pull-up bar is also a great investment . Never underestimate all of the other ‘ ups ’ as well – chin ups , pull ups , press ups and sit ups all do wonders for the muscle groups that will come in to play on obstacles . Try to incorporate sets of each of those exercises when you ' re out running , as it ' s a great way of preparing for the stop-start nature of obstacle racing .
If you ’ re not a runner at all and find the distance of obstacle races a bit daunting then map out a route of the same distance near you then go out and walk it , jogging small sections at a time to start to get used to running . Repeat this a few times , slowly building up the amount you jog until you ’ re comfortable to run for 900m out of every kilometre with a walking rest in between .
The thing to remember about obstacle races is that , whilst there is still a large amount of running , it is broken up regularly , which gives you a chance to catch your breath . So even though a 10km obstacle race is more of an all-round body work-out than running a straight 10km , you ' ll be constantly distracted so that it won ' t feel as tiring .
How to train for True Grit :
If you ’ re doing a True Grit event you will need get plenty of running practice in , as they do cover large distances of 10km and over as standard , but don ’ t feel that you ’ ll need to be able to run 10km in one go to complete one because the obstacles are very evenly spaced and you ’ ll get a breather at each one .
A top tip if you ’ re new to the game or a bit worried about your fitness is to enter in as big a group as possible , not only will you have more fun and more people to help you over the high walls , but you ’ ll also get more rest at each obstacle whilst you wait for all of your group to get through .
Final thoughts :
Although running for an entire race and getting over every obstacle unaided is a great achievement , don ' t feel like that ' s the only way to tackle an obstacle race . You will really feel the rewards if you push yourself to your limits but if you do need to stop and walk for a bit , go ahead , you certainly won ' t be alone and you ' ll still be travelling faster than those that sat on the couch . If you find it hard getting over an obstacle , don ' t feel like you have to tackle it alone , there will be many people on hand to help you out , and you ' ll really feel the amazing sense of camaraderie when you help out somebody else as well .
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