Signing up for a summer event is a great way to stay fit and motivated, make the most of the season and cross one more thing off your bucket list.

In the fun run category there are so many options for distance, age and fitness level.  There are still lots of 10K's but you can find races from 2K walks to full marathons.  Many events use themes and become destination events where groups will make a weekend of it.  Fitness, social time and travel - what more could you ask for!

Triathlons and duathlons are still very popular as well.  Triathlons used to be far too intimidating but they also range with distance from a "try a tri" to full Olympic lengths.  Swimming tends to be the biggest challenge with trialthons.  Often it's the weakest area for athletes and finding pool time to train can be tough.  This is one reason why duathlons have been gaining ground.  Many combine running and biking but you can also find events that include rowing and kayaking.  There are great entry races for kids as well, so these can be full family affairs!

Triathlons and duathlons are a great alternative for recreational athletes and runners as they can be highly competitive but offer more balance with training.  They're also appealing for someone new, however, as the shorter distances and mix of activities can be less intimidating.

Newer on the scene is the variety of events called Obstacle Course Runs (OCR's).  Tough Mudders, Spartan Races, Mud Runs are challenges for weekend warriors starting around the 5 km mark right up to extreme endurance events.  These are like mini Amazing Races where participants literally get down and dirty!

Although some of these events can be higher risk, they really offer a great total package.  People tend to sign up for these warrior races in groups, they dress up and often make it a weekend venture so they're very social.  Given you have to be ready for anything - climbing, running, crawling, lifting and leaping - training ends up being very balanced and functional.  The other interesting thing that happens during the event is a lot of team building for the entire group.  Everyone is "in it" together focused on finishing the race and you regularly see strangers stopping to help someone under or over an obstacle or simply teaming up with someone losing steam to help motivate them for that final push to the finish line.

So you want to sign up - now what?

1. Find a race that fits!

Training should be a FUN challenge not a chore, so choose a distance that will push you enough to feel accomplished without being overwhelmed.  A few questions to ask yourself:

  • individual or social - for both training and the event
  • competitive or recreational - is this for fun or a personal best (PB)
  • time - how much time do you have to dedicate to training

2. Do a work-back schedule or a GAP analysis

Identify the physical and mental components for your event, benchmark where you are and then figure out a plan to get there!  

  • Endurance - outline the time and distance you need to cover and then gradually work up to that.  Adding 10% per week is a good benchmark, but you may have to alter that based on how much lead time you have.
  • Strength - include conditioning for upper body, lower body and core.
  • Flexibility and balance - if you're entering a warrior type event, you definitely need to work on these areas!

3.  Balance time, expectations and training

This is like closet space - fill whatever you have as efficiently as you can!  Many events have great information on their sites with full training programs along with group training already coordinated specific to the event.

You have 2-3 weeks

You have negligible time to see a training effect but you can increase your comfort and confidence so it's not a complete shock to your system.  Check out the race site live or online and then do a few simulations.  If you can't get outside to train, do your best to duplicate the components involved indoors.  If it's a duathlon/triathlon, mix up treadmill with biking and rowing.  For warrior events, hit the stairclimber, Jacob's ladder, lunge walks with dumbbells, box jumps and maybe some battling ropes.

The key is to temper your expectations here.  Make it a fact-finding mission to see what's involved so you can be more prepared next time!

You have 4-6 weeks

This is enough time to realize a small increase with strength and endurance but this will give you a lot more confidence.  If you're already working out, start with about half of the distance, time and elements required and increase weekly.  If you're just starting out, do a combination of walk/run intervals first.  For warrior events, focus on body weight basics like squats, lunges and push-ups and alternate cardio and conditioning with your training to simulate the start and stop nature of obstacle courses.  

Set a specific goal which could simply be completing the event.  You can set a time goal or use a scale of 1-10 to rate how you felt physically and mentally.  That way, you can do a different event next time and compare for your personal best with a variety of events.

You have 8+ weeks

This is ideal as it provides the opportunity to more significantly improve your fitness level.  Here's where a work-back schedule really kicks in to allow you to periodize training which refers to a systematic approach to training involving various phases and goals to reach peak performance for a given event.   Competitive programs are broken into macrocycles, mesocycles and microcycles with training very specific to the sport.  

If you do have more lead time, you can take a progressive approach with your training using this principle of peaking for performance.  Build a base of strength and endurance first with a well-rounded program for all major muscle groups.  Then start working on power, speed and agility to help you with various obstacles and terrain.  Throughout all training, include flexibility and balance which help you to optimize muscle function and avoid injury!

Check for events in your area, but here are a few sites to check out for an overview and training ideas:

These sites have great information and resources.  If you have any fitness questions or perhaps an idea for a segment, visit www.libbynorris.com.  We'd love to hear from you!