Someone asked me today “How do you even start to train for a 100 mile race?” I responded “By finding my one rep max for the Clean&Jerk.”
Insert quizzical look
January of ’09 I started off my training for the big goal, to run the Burning River 100. By early February I had serious doubts as to whether I could even run a 1/2 marathon effectively. My body just didn’t like doing more than 25-30 miles a week. How was I supposed to run a 100 miles in under 36 hours if I couldn’t handle 25 in 7 days?
Then a little birdie reminded me of this workout system called Crossfit. Then I found Crossfit Endurance on the net!
Now here’s a training protocol that flip-flops the focus of most marathon and ultra style programs. Instead of lots of running supplemented with some circuit/weight training you use Crossfit
As your mainstay and work in run specific workouts.
“So what’s the catch?”
“INTENSITY”
“Intensity?”
“Yep, intensity. Trade in long hours of repetitive ‘exercises’ and use functional movements. Blur the distinction between cardio & lifting days. Step away from the lat machine and grab a pull-up bar.”
“So what’s so intense about that?”
“Well then you mix those things together & do them as fast and heavy as you can.”
To do Crossfit & CFE right, you have to find that space inside your head, that primal cave were you’re power animal dwells, where there is only you and the work to be done. It’s a lot like mile 20 of a marathon, it just doesn’t take as long to get there.
So I traded in my long run Sundays of 4+ hours on the trail and started learning how to Clean & Jerk a barbell. Found out what muscle-ups are, and learned to have a love/hate relationship with burpees. I stopped going for easy 10 mile runs and started doing 2 mile Tabatas. I met Fran, Angie, Murph, & Tosh. They have taught me I need to be strong & fast. Along with the other 8 physiological adaptations of the truly fit.
I had found CrossFit.
So how do I start to train for a 100 mile race? By finding my ‘baseline’ and working from there. By using constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements. By trying to increase my work capacity over broad time and modal domains.