Scottish Adventure Race Series

Training and Nutrition

So often we hear from people who love the idea of adventure racing but have a fear that they are not fit enough to cope with it, but the truth is they probably are. You’ll rarely hear anyone say that they are fit enough, even the elite athletes want to be fitter. Believe us, these guys may be going faster than you, but they are hurting just as much as you!

The best way to get better at the sports involved in AR is simply to just get out and do them. This doesn’t mean that you have to draw up a training plan and stick to it rigidly, just get out in the outdoors as often as you can and maybe push yourself a little harder than normal up that big hill in the middle of your route.

A lot of the initial problems with people new to endurance sports is the sensible bit of the brain that says ‘I can’t do this’, ‘It’s too long’, ‘I’ll get too tired’, but just look around at the adventure racers you see at events. They come in all shapes and sizes, ages and fitness levels. The trick they’ve probably learnt is that by thinking of the race in lots of small chunks instead of one looong day then they can mentally tick off each section once they’ve done it, and the whole thing becomes easier. Wan Dae races will include special fun mental teamwork challenges, that will occupy your mind and before you know it you’ll be running out of time and making a dash back to the finish line!

Further advice on training can be found from many sources including:
Sleepmonsters
Planet Fear

As far as nutrition goes then there are some easy rules to follow.
1. Eat a little and often
2. Drink a little and often
3. See rules one and two.

Many people use hydration bladders, (those things that look like colostomy bags), to make sure they can take small sips off fluid at regular intervals, and at least having a water bottle handy is a good idea. Energy drinks are becoming more and more common place as these help the body absorb energy quicker than drinking water and food alone, but they don’t agree with everyone’s stomachs so try before you race. More easily just make sure you drink water, and eat something regularly. Flapjacks, cereal bars, sandwiches and chocolate biscuits all provide a mix of slow release ‘all day’ energy and fast release ‘quick boost’ energy.

Make sure you have a good breakfast before you come to race. What could be better than a bowl of porridge?