Training for UPUT100 – 2022

From a running perspective, 2022 did not start that well. When we arrived back to Manila in January, we found ourselves in a hotel room, our fifth as a family. Spending 19 days in a hotel room is no fun- especially if you are given only hotel food and nothing else to do but work, watch TV and eat. I don’t want to complain – most people had a worse experience, I know – but January 2022 was the final nail on my fitness coffin, so to speak. I emerged from that damned hotel room like a zombie hungry for daylight with an extra 4/5 kgs. 

I really wanted to train for a 100 K but my options were really limited. I could run on my usual 3.2 K Urdaneta Village loop (asphalt, no elevation, 29-33 Celsius degrees on a good day) an infinite number of times. I could also try to travel to nearby roads with some elevation (to Taal area or Anilao perhaps) but that option was super time consuming.  Waking up 4:00 AM, traveling for 2 hours, running 2-3 hours and riding back 2-3 hours is very boring – it also eats up your weekend.

Still, I really wanted to train for a 100K, badly. So I set myself the following targets for training.

• Train for 6 months, allowing for some unplanned off-time in between
• Target a running volume of 60-90 K per week, not exceeding 90 K to avoid impact injury
• Use a stationary bike to add extra “endurance hours” between runs and recoveries.
• 2 strength and stretch sessions per week (I was able to do the stretch sessions, but strength part of the story is an “epic failure”)
• No speed sessions. Not exceeding 6 min/km during longs.
• Focusing on long runs instead of total distance, running at least on 21 or more every weekend, covering 42 Km every weekend with two runs.

Needless to say, this is not advice. This is what I had to make do with under my limitations. But so far it worked. I did my final long yesterday with no injuries, slightly tired but feeling a lot more stronger and readier than last year.  I’ve always trained for a marathons before and this was my first attempt to completely disregard speed and focus entirely on endurance for a complete training cycle.

I still have 10 days to UPUT 100 (2022). I am not sure I will have an easy race or not. Ultra’s are complex events with lots of other factors involved. But about the training part, I can summarise my learnings.

• After first two 21 runs, the rest of the training plan was relatively easy to deal with.
• Maintaining slow paces probably saved me from any injury. The price I paid is boredom. Fartleks and interval sessions are fun. Grinding at 6:15 min/km pace for three hours is not always fun. Luckily, I have this weird habit of zoning out so it was not as bad as it sounds.
• Back to back long runs were really helpful. (21+21 or 25+17, trying to complete a full marathon every weekend)
• Cycling to build endurance was a life saver. (Typically a 2-3 hour session on Wahoo the day after long runs, on tired legs)
• 30+ Km runs using running wests were essential in practicing nutrition and hydration on the run.

I was lucky enough to run my final long session in Bodrum. The difference between running repetitive road loops and open trails is like day and night. If you have access to trails , you should head for the trails, period. 

Now it’s time to taper  and get some rest.