5 Mistakes Newbie Runners Make Training For Their First Spartan Race

5 Mistakes Newbie Runners Make Training For Their First Spartan Race

Sometimes when runners decide to try something new and sign up for a Spartan Race, they treat the preparation the same as they would any road race. This is an error.

Although Spartan Race courses contain large chunks of running, the obstacles and terrain require a far more diverse skill set and should not be overlooked.

Mistakes Newbie Runners Make Training

I spoke with Dominick Delli Paoli, CSCS, NASM-CPT, SGX, an avid ultra marathon runner, to get some information. I wanted to determine the most common mistakes newbie runners make in training for their first Spartan Race. Here’s what Coach Paoli told me.

MISTAKE #1: STAYING FLAT

Both stadium races and mountainous races contain periods of ascending altitude followed by a descent. (At Stadium Sprints, this level-change is courtesy of hundreds of bleachers.) Road runners tend to need improvement in uphill running, downhill running or both.

“When preparing for an obstacle course race, a common mistake runners make is not adding uphill and downhill intervals into every single run,” says Coach Paoli. “When actually running an OCR, most runners will walk the flat or downhill sections to recover from the hill climbs, where they should be using these to make up time and run.”

To prepare for the ups and downs of a Spartan course, make sure your running route has some type of ascent. It could be stairs, a hill or even just walking or jogging with weight at at incline on a treadmill.

MISTAKE #2: NEGLECTING INTERVAL TRAINING

Say good-bye to your daily 3- to 5-mile run done at a continuous heart rate. Interval training, whether it be high or moderate intensity, will be key for training for a Spartan Race because the course regularly requires you to run, perform an obstacle, and immediately run again. As Paoli puts it:

“Obstacle courses will vary wildly, from 400m short climbs to 1000m or more ascents and descents, followed by a heavy bucket carry and everything in between. Expect to be thrown off whatever game-plan you had. Preparing for these intervals in training is crucial to becoming race-ready for an OCR.”

Obstacles such as Over-Under-Through, the Bucket Brigade, the Barbed Wire Crawl, and the Sled Drag require functional strength to complete. If you’re a runner training for a Spartan Race, you should definitely log slow, long-distance cardio at least twice a week, but adding interval training sessions with a 1:1, 2:1 or even 3:1 work to rest ratio to mimic a Spartan course. Plus, runners can break up their long runs with 10-20 burpees, bench jumps, pull-ups, or sit-ups after every 10 minutes of running.

“Strength training has been shown to improve almost every aspect of a runners performance,” Paoli says. “Vita SGX programming recommends three cross-training classes per week focusing on different areas of strength and conditioning.”

MISTAKE #3: SKIMPING ON RACE FUEL

“In terms of nutrition, you will burn more calories running a 10-mile OCR compared to a 10-mile road race,” Paoli says. “Experimenting with different types of race fuel and hydration strategies during your training is crucial to performance come race day.”

Water is provided on Spartan Race courses, but some runners may find that it’ll take more than that to power through some of the longer-distance courses. Energy gels, chews and bars are popular snacking options for the course. If you’re a recreational runner and you have your first Spartan Race Beast coming up, you can prepare by being outdoors for 5+ hours at one time, even it’s just going for a very long walk. This will give you a sense of what type of calories you want—and when—on a course.

By the way, there are no “pacers” or “pit crew” at a Spartan Race, although at an Ultra Beast you can stash some belongings. This means you have to carry all the fuel you need on you, so experiment with different packs and belts that will stay on and won’t rip.

MISTAKE #4: NOT TRAINING GRIP STRENGTH

Mistakes Newbie Runners Make Training

Grip training can make a large difference in a Spartan’s ranking. The Clif Multi-Rig and Rope Climb are two of the most commonly-failed obstacles, and both require a strong grip. Runners who rarely lift weights will need to incorporate some exercises into their training routines to ensure they can complete all of the Spartan obstacles. Here are some tried and true ways to build grip strength.

MISTAKE #5: TRACKING WORKOUTS BY DISTANCE

Mistakes Newbie Runners Make Training

For amateur endurance athletes running marathon distances or longer, your marathon training plan likely won’t equate to improved Spartan Race performance.

“In most cases with endurance athletes, the training during the off-season is planned and crafted to taper down come race day,” Paoli says. “Those endurance athletes who decide to add an obstacle race mid-season or train for one should consider that all the metrics they use to gauge the quality of their training or race (pace, cadence, heart rate, etc) should be thrown out the window.”

“All the metrics runners use to gauge the quality of their training or race (pace, cadence, heart rate, etc) should be thrown out the window.” — Coach Dominick Delli Paoli

Many elite racers will run a few miles above their course distance the week leading into a race, but for the first-time Spartan, this isn’t necessary to complete the course. For example, road- and trail-runners who have run a 10K (6.2 miles) in the past don’t need to go complete a half-marathon to be able to complete a Spartan Race Beast (13+ miles). When going for a long run during training for a Spartan Race Beast, you should

  • still wear a distance tracker.
  • after the workout, reflect on how long you were outdoors.
  • remember that this number of hours can possibly be larger on race day.

Mixing runs with full body exercises negates the “logging X amount of miles” method that endurance runners may rely on during their training. Therefore, consider both mileage and total time outdoors when training for a Spartan Race.

Spartan Race is the ideal choice for trail- and road-runners looking for a new challenge and adventure. Although Spartan Race consists of a lot of running, and many elite racers have running backgrounds, training for a Spartan Race and training for a running event are two completely different animals. These five training tips arm any runner with the adequate blueprint to conquering a Spartan Race

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