Soon after wrapping up the ironman 70.3 world champ race in Chattanooga, I got into trail running training for the next 5 months. For my first ultra trail i required a long and steady ramp up.

PREPARATION

Late 2017, coach Yems shares a 16-week training program well suited to the first times ultra runners. I setup a WhatsApp group, invite numerous runners and potential ones. Unfortunately, over the months many fell to the wayside: injuries, work commitments, family obligations and simply busy Hong Kong life. Out of the committed ones is Xavier, who trains from the Netherlands with a major constraint, there are no natural hills.

THE TRAINING PLAN

• Monday: rest (or easy swim / easy run)
• Tuesday: 45 to 60’ easy run + 15’ core
• Wednesday: 5x500m’ hill training
• Thursday: 90’ run
• Friday: rest (or easy swim / easy run)
• Saturday: 15k (increasing each week to 42k) trail run
• Sunday: 1hr recovery run

I mixed in a few bike sessions with tritons in Hong Kong, a few weight training sessions at Pure, some yoga with Sarah. But all in all it was serious running. My biggest 2 months ever: December 180km, January 217km.

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS

Numerous MacRitchie reservoir trail runs in Singapore with Sarah and on my own. Started with 1 loop in October to 2 loops in January. Each loop is 10.5km in jungle, mud, gravel and 30C degree heat.

30km: London Wanstead to Epping forest and back on Christmas Eve. A 3:24′ run mixing road, trail, forest, mud, cold, drizzle and following I had created and uploaded to my garmin fenix 5X. It guided me without fail the entire way.

15km: running in the snow in the Alps La thuile de Vulmix -> Les Chapelles -> La Thuile de Vulmix

38km: trail run with Tyler and Yi Jia in Hong Kong. From Parkview to big wave bay and Chai wan.

 

42km: moontrekker race course with Christophe on Lantau island beginning of January.

And from here it is tapering until the race: shorter runs, a few race simulations on the weekend, a few more days off the week before.