Have I enough time to train for the Oxfam Trailwalker?

Hi Gary
I am looking at putting together a team for the Trailwalker 08. I have only just come across the site and found the training information.
We will be in the beginner category. I notice that your training plan starts 6 months out, as we now only have just under four months (give or take a week or so as some people are away for the xmas break) do you think it would still be possible for us to do enough training in the period of time left to comfortably complete the challenge. Or do you think it would be better for us to wait until 09?

Any advice you might have would be great.

Kind regards
Rebecca
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Gary Moller comments:


Rebecca, there is never enough time to get fit for these kinds of events. You can never start too soon. The most important things is to start training now because four months are better than three and three sure is a lot better than two!

I have no doubt that you can do it; it just means that you will not be quite as fit as you could be when you and your team lines up on the day. You will be able to complete the event; but you will cover less distance and may be more tired and sore than if you had six months training under your collective belts.

Take extra care with your training not to do too much; especially during the early stages while the legs are getting used to the unaccustomed activity. Train as a group about once a week, being mindful of keeping within the limitations of the least fit person in the squad.

Training is mostly about consistency rather than infrequent bursts of extreme effort. Steady as she goes Rebecca! The best route to the kind of fitness you seek is through time spent on your feet placing one foot in front of the other. Do not worry too much about sticking clodely to schedules at the moment: Get out and walk/run at every opportunity, including the occasional long session as there is in the training schedules.



When you come closer to the day of the Trailwalker, you can re-evaluate your collective fitness levels and determine the best tactics for having a successful and enjoyable time of it.

Achilles - lower calf pain in a distance runner

Hi Gary,
I am a 49yo off road runner who having come off a reasonably robust year culminating in the 31.5km Kauri Run, am experiencing pain in my right Achilles/lower calf area. It used to appear only when road running but is now a constant on most off road surfaces as well apart from technical single track. I have read with interest your response to Tendonitis and am trying many things incl new shoes, orthotics etc. What supplement do you recommend and is there a range of exercises that can help?

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Gary Moller advises:
What you describe is an almost unversal injury among runners. It is also one of the most annoying and limiting injuries. It is also one of the the easiest to fix if it is what I suspect it may be.



It is possible that you have strained or even torn a few fibres where the muscle and the tendon merge - what is called the "musculotendinous junction". The illustration to the right is pretty good but does not show how the muscle and tendon gradually merge. This is a vulnerable region for injury in the older hyperactive runner.

Another possibility is that you have bunching and inflammation of part or all of a muscle belly. The most commonly affected in runners and cyclists is the lateral head of the gastrocnemius. If a person was to press firmly on the belly of the muscle and it felt tender and hard, rather than soft and supple, then that is part or the whole of the problem.

The solution is simple and I usually have close to 100% resolution in most cases within 3-6 sessions. In a recent case just a week ago, it took just two sessions to have a runner completely pain-free following several weeks of painful hobbling from a calf muscle tear. The solution is deep tissue massage of the affected muscles/tendons and all of the surrounding structures, including the unaffected leg. Each session takes an hour and there can be some pain involved as knots and infalmmation are broken up and dispersed. This should be done by an experienced therapist who has the time to do a good job.

The end result is a pain-free, nimble-footed older runner.

There is a place for supplements during this process of restoring normal function because elimination of metabolic wastes and proper healing are all important and there are several supplements that can assist. These are available from my online store.

Vitamin C is at the top of the list along with the water soluble B vitamins. Vitamin E comes next for its healing and antioxidant qualities. There are several others that one can add, including minerals and fish oils; but these depend on individual need which I can assist with determining.

You could consider some of the assessments available here.

I am enthusiastic about Formthotics Active for running shoes. these are heat moulded to fit the contours of your feet, giving just that little bit of support needed as the feet tire and they reduce foot movement and consequent blistering. Formthotics Low Profile are designed for shoes like track shoes, golf shoes and cycling shoes. Although I have strong feet that never give trouble, all of my shoes, including work shoes are still kitted out with Formthotics.

Training For the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km

Here is a selection of the latest articles on GaryMoller.com about running and training. To find more articles and information, please use the Keywords box in the right hand column of this page to do your search. The official site for the Oxfam Trailwalker is here.

Off Road Running: I take half an hour to work into a comfortable pace

"Hello Gary I have been running for fitness for around 18 months now and have recently started entering off-road running events. I am finding it takes me up to 1/2 hour of running before I get to a state of feeling comfortable (ie. get over the wall), once there I can run well. Is there a way of training my body to shorten the time it takes me to get comfortable? Im 43 and weigh 82kg (6 ft) My training runs are around 11km, I do 2-3 per week, the events I have run in have been 10km and I did a 21km run on sunday, (N-Duro Rotorua). I find I feel the same no matter what the distance, I just feel sort of exhausted to start with, it may well be a psyc thing as I can push through but it does seem to last 4-5km In the 10 days leading up to the last event I did a 30-40km bike ride, 2 x 1hr off-road runs with lots of hill work and a couple of 11km road runs. I did not exercise in the 2 days prior to the event. There is nothing special to my diet. Probably a fairly typical diet. I have 1/2 Cup oatmeal for breakfast, chicken rolls or similar for lunch and a fairly typical dinners with some meat, mostly lots of veges: Potato, peas, carrots etc. I snack on peanuts & raisins usually. I generally eat larger portions before a race. and drink a lot of fluids the day before too." "A"
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Gary Moller comments:
There are a few possible things at work here. All I can do is list each and you will have to experiment with each to see what works:

Age at work
Sadly, as we get older, it takes longer for the motor to wind up to top revs as compared to a youngster. Once you are under way, there may be little difference between you and the younger ones in the field as far as cruising pace is concerned. The solution (In part) is to not get too carried away with the hype of the start and consign yourself towards the back of the pack when the gun goes, then steadily wind up to your steady state trot.

Most of these races start with an uphill or on terrain like sand
If you are slow to wind up you must be extra conservative if the race starts on sand or with an uphill. Let Granny go first and pass her later - if you can.

A good measure is to use a heart rate monitor. Work out in training what your steady state heart rate is for these kinds of runs and do not exceed this at the start and when climbing hills.

Don't drink too much water before a race
Yep, I have said it many times and I will say it again: Do not drink too much before a race. Drink only as much water as you need to pee regularly. If you overdo it you will get a soggy body that feels achy and heavy. You might feel tired and you might even have a headache. Do not get sucked in by all the propaganda by those who want to make heaps of money out of you by misleading you that you must drink sports drinks by the gallon. Read my other articles about this matter.

Go easy on the carbohydrates
While lots of carbs will boost your muscle glycogen stores over the days leading up to the race; there is a downside: Your muscles get swollen and heavy due and you may consequently find that you are slow to wind into a race. I have personally given away the carbohydrate loading and prefer to train well and to have a diet that is low in refined carbohydrates all the time. Please read my articles and e-books about running, marathon, cycling and so and so on there are dozens and dozens on this website.

Are you addicted to caffeine?
If you are a habitual mainliner of caffeine, this might come back to bite you on race day. You may find you are tired and achy when you line up for the race. Please read my articles on caffeine and dry out if you determine that you are a caffeine addict.

Do not over train during the last 10 days
From what you have described, you might be overdoing the training in the lead up immediately before the race. Anything exhausting or intense that is done during the last 7-10 days of a major event may take the edge off your performance on race day. Read my articles about Lydiard and periodisation.

Where's the speed work?
If there is one thing that is most often missing in a distance runner's training programme, it is speed work. How can one run fast, if there is no speed work in training? The best way to get your speed work in is to enter a 5km race series like the ones organised by Scottish Harriers of Wellington. See you there! Running 5km races as part of your distance running preparation gets you used to working hard - very, very hard - without wasting you so much that you can not train properly afterwards. Do this regularly as part of your training and you will find the slower pace of race day a breeze.

Train at the time you expect to race
Your circadian cycle adjusts according to the demands placed on it. So, if you eat breakfast at 7am every day then your body will produce a burst of digestive juices at that time after a short while. You will find that other bodily finctions, like going to the toilet also fall into a predictable cycle. The same happens with your physical activity. If your race starts at 8am, then it hardly makes sense to do your training in the afternoon, does it? You will only feel tired and probably feel like dashing off into the bushes. Some of your daily training should be ideally at the time that you will be racing.

Are you healthy?
There are few, if any men and women older than 40 who have not built up various nutritional deficiencies. If you do punishing sport, then a deficiency in nutrients like magnesium is pretty much guaranteed. Sure you get your nutrients from a great diet. All I can say is "Yeah right!" All the evidence is to the contrary. A magnesium deficiency, for example, will result in muscle weakness, cramps, erratic blood pressure and a weak heart.

While you could go ahead and supplement with what you are most likely to be lacking, the better action is to first complete a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis or other nutrient testing and these will eliminate most of the guesswork