Winter Training for Ultrarunning with CTS Coaches Stephanie Howe, PhD and John Fitzgerald #209
Episode overview:
CTS Coaches John Fitzgerald and Stephanie Howe discuss how to navigate winter training for ultramarathon.
Episode highlights:
(14:39) Structuring the winter season around races: athletes who peak at different times of the year, longer recovery for athletes with longer race seasons, 4-8 weeks of fun or unstructured training, recognize when you need a break
(37:58) Work on weakness at a time: athletes try to change too many things at once during the winter season, examples, pick one weakness to work on
(59:36) Fitz on returning to running: shifting from non-weight bearing to weight bearing activities, strength foundation, working on running while snow piles up, keeping two runs per week
Our conversation:
(0:00) Introduction: confusion around winter training, all athletes are different, finding a practical takeaway for your situation
(2:16) Setup: banter, winter training depends on how much snow you get
(4:00) Why train during the winter: lotteries and setting up your race season, balancing recovering from autumn races and preparing for the next year
(7:15) Working backwards from race goals: training mistakes from not planning ahead, avoid “cramming” for races
(9:02) Goals of winter training: importance of consistency and “boring” training, hit the ground running, the winter is a good time for speed and strength work, work your weaknesses
(10:50) There is no “off season”: there is no on-off switch in training, during the winter you might reduce training by 20-30%, balancing recovery and fitness, avoiding fitness loss
(12:56) Mental recovery: the winter season is ideal for keeping training flexible and fun, avoiding burnout, cross training examples
(14:39) Structuring the winter season around races: athletes who peak at different times of the year, longer recovery for athletes with longer race seasons, 4-8 weeks of fun or unstructured training, recognize when you need a break
(18:11) Long race runways: taking advantage of athlete enthusiasm, decreasing stress load, examples, pacing your season
(22:06) Fitz’s winter challenges: potential problems with having training races right before goal races, leave yourself time to fix weaknesses, poles example
(24:13) Training modality: Katie Schide example, transitioning from UTMB to Western States, learning to run fast, examples, considering the winter season with respect to training mode
(27:31) Transitioning to steep uphills: skimo, running in the snow, treadmill hiking, introducing new training stimuli, Tor des Géants example
(28:52) Snow running: “big boot slog”, reset your expectations, conceptualizing slow running, mental training and the slog
(31:41) Winter for mental training: sacrificing quality for getting out in the elements, psychological flexibility
(33:20) Training in bad weather: being a wimp in the weather, choosing the worst weather day for a long run to practice being uncomfortable, building confidence, Arizona Trail example, observe yourself
(36:10) Balancing the winter season: embracing both recovery and difficulty, finding your own balance, practicing being uncomfortable
(37:58) Work on weakness at a time: athletes try to change too many things at once during the winter season, examples, pick one weakness to work on
(40:55) Nutrition: energy intake during the winter season, any reduced energy demands will happen naturally from reduced training
(41:46) Weight loss and body composition: optimal fueling for training and weight loss are at odds, working around the holiday season, being smart but not restrictive, working with a professional, cutting out discretionary calories, you need to strength train to build muscle, plan ahead
(44:34) Timeline for body recomposition: healthy and sustainable weight loss takes months, nutrition is a lifestyle change rather than a training goal, a long but worthwhile process, comparisons to elite athletes, examples
(48:00) Reduced training for weight loss goals: don’t undercut your fueling, examples, considering habitual diet patterns, energy availability, and training volume
(50:04) Summary of body recomposition: start as far from your race as possible, reduce training load, add strength training, you can’t eat muscle
(50:45) Stephanie on skimo: setup, looking to elite athletes, skimo is an intense sport, avalanche safety and backcountry skiing, great cross training for uphills, know what you are doing
(54:02) Fitz on skimo: nordic skiing, social media and elite athletes, skimo can be an effective tool but is a large strain on the body, competing on skis is different from using skimo as cross training, avoiding injury
(56:37) Racing skimo: skimo races are the hardest workout athletes will do, reducing other hard training, skimo has a minimum intensity, avoiding layering too much additional workload
(59:36) Fitz on returning to running: shifting from non-weight bearing to weight bearing activities, strength foundation, working on running while snow piles up, keeping two runs per week
(1:02:28) Stephanie on returning to running: gradually increasing running, dial versus switch analogy, starting running again always feels awful
(1:03:27) Jason on returning to running: returning to 70% of normal volume over 2-3 weeks for athletes who have can run two days per week, full time skimo athletes need ~6 weeks to return to running, Hardrock example
(1:07:32) Recap of basic principles for winter training: train from where the athlete is at, build training architecture backwards from key races
(1:08:26) Wrap-up: get out there and run in the elements, banter
(1:09:20) Outro: giving thanks, practical takeaways, share the KoopCast
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