Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

Outdoor Activities => Exercise, Fitness, Training, Competitions and General Health => Topic started by: jonnycrutchley on January 04, 2012

Title: Mountain fitness
Post by: jonnycrutchley on January 04, 2012
Im 'hoping' to take part in the Mourne Marathon later on in the year and was wondering does anyone have any good tips on how to build up your mountain fitness?
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: Mourneman on January 04, 2012
'Good thread,"  Fitness & indeed mountain fitness is some you need to build on & improve all the time.Personally i own a lot of my fitness to training with "Mountain goat" who always pushed the boundaries of what i was capable off,most people underestimate their abilities and stay within their comfort boundaries.A good training parter will help you,try to find someone who will match or better you're fitness.Something that is always overlooked is the persons mental attitude ie:"this is too much for me,should i give up" or "think i can do this"Again there's no point killing yourself trying to get fit,there will be times when you should stop & rest.Take you're time & improve you're fitness,but most most of all enjoy you're time on the hills & stay safe
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: LandyLiam on January 04, 2012
is it the mourne way marathon or the mourne mountain marathon?

little things like never taking the stairs and not the lift help, i think it was 20clicks who ran up and down the stairs of belfast city hospital to train, also get used to carrying a heavy pack when in the hills, just bring lots of extra water, if it gets too much for you you can easily pour some out
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: Scribble on January 04, 2012
is it the mourne way marathon or the mourne mountain marathon?

little things like never taking the stairs and not the lift help, i think it was 20clicks who ran up and down the stairs of belfast city hospital to train, also get used to carrying a heavy pack when in the hills, just bring lots of extra water, if it gets too much for you you can easily pour some out

never taking stairs or lift so a couple of  ropes and suction pads then  ;D
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: LandyLiam on January 04, 2012
oops  :-[ i made a bit of a typo there  ;D
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: rin44 on January 04, 2012
Hi Johnny, I,ve run a few road Half marathons &10 k,s  Not sure where your based? but we did 95% of our training in Tollymore,  a really great and varied place to train.There are any amount of circuits and distances you can devise there. you could even run across to Donard wood area. or go the other way, past Turnip House Fofanny dam  and beyond !.Basically make sure you have plenty of climbs in your training, dont overtrain. rest days are as important as the training itself.and as said before, run with the equipment you,ll be using on the day.And keep hydrated ! i found out about that the painful way in my first Lisburn Half. A few years ago i ran the Mourne Way 10k part of the Mourne way marathon. was great fun, but tough.   Happy Running :)
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: LennyJ1 on January 04, 2012
Try this

http://beta.nationaltrust.org.uk/get-involved/build-your-skills/how-to-guides/outdoor-gym/?campid=twitter (http://beta.nationaltrust.org.uk/get-involved/build-your-skills/how-to-guides/outdoor-gym/?campid=twitter)
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: RedLeader on January 05, 2012
I think the main thing is to get exercise regularly. My problem seems to be that I'm only doing proper cardio type exercising maybe twice a month when it should be twice a week. My plan is to do a bit of jogging inbetween hills so that I'm getting out at least twice or three times a week.
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: twentyclicks on January 05, 2012
is it the mourne way marathon or the mourne mountain marathon?

little things like never taking the stairs and not the lift help, i think it was 20clicks who ran up and down the stairs of belfast city hospital to train, also get used to carrying a heavy pack when in the hills, just bring lots of extra water, if it gets too much for you you can easily pour some out

Yes, slightly different depending on which one you are planning, although both require endurance, balance, agility and hills. One is longer distance, faster, lighter and mostly tracks; the other is longer time (2day), rougher ground, heavier. Anything involving going up (stairs, hills, step-ups, squats) will strengthen the legs, more-so with weight. I always do mixed strength work at times throughout the year.

My run training for this year (which is yet to start) will be a mix of tabata sprints & hill repeats which only take 5mins (plus a bit of warm up); and some longer runs at tempo or race pace, probably on forest trails (between 30-90mins). Adding a bit of weight in a pack from 2-5kg will make the run more difficult and is good to start doing a month or two before the MMM. Be aware though that your posture will be slightly different with a pack as you need to lean forward to counter balance, which affects the ranges of motion that the leg muscles go through each step: it is beneficial for an event where you will be wearing a pack like the MMM, but for something like the Mourne Way event I would avoid it.

In terms of amount, I'd look to do one intense run and one longer run in the week, and hopefully get out a third time even for 25mins at a gentle pace, just to keep the legs moving and concentrate on technique (which is very important for efficiency). Look to work in 12week cycles, building further and faster, but take the last 2 weeks easier to recover before the next cycle.

Work it harder, makes it better, moving faster, makes you stronger. Or, as some cyclist bloke said, "it never gets easier, you just get faster". (although the desire to vomit after your first one or two sprint sessions does subside)  ;D
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: dean1970 on January 05, 2012
Plain and simple, it's all about your willingness to put in the hard work............remember it will NEVER get any easier!!!! you will just get faster. (think lance armstrong said that)

Do not de-hydrate, keep warm, good shoes.

Just run until you puke, then run some more, then when you are tired, keep on running.

after 3 months of that you will be ready to start running.
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: twentyclicks on January 05, 2012
sorry, as if I haven't blathered enough already: tracking progress is essential in any endevour where progress is the aim. Whether you jot your routes and times in a notebook, or use your phone GPS with free sites like Strava, it lets you see the progress, motivates, what works, what doesn't.
Additional info like weather conditions, what you ate, how hydrated you feel, how you slept, any niggles or pains... may reveal patterns in performance. It's a facinating experiment where you are the guinea pig  :)

Dean, just seen your reply - laughing at your last line, it feels that way sometimes.
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: LandyLiam on January 05, 2012
and just to make us all feel unfit, my son did the MMM last year with no training whatsoever  >:( , not a single jog (unless he was late for the bus), the only trips he did in the mournes were to the dizzy heights Annalong forest, although he was carrying a rather large crate of beer, supposed that helped  ;D
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: gardener on January 05, 2012
I Passed a very large funeral today, the fella 56 years old gave up drinking and smoking last year, he took a heart attack in the Gym while getting himself back in shape, a lesson to us all, Just remember life is for living too and you only get one go at it, see your Doctor first, don't push yourself too hard and above all just enjoy whatever you do in moderation..
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: jonnycrutchley on January 05, 2012
Lots of useful stuff here thanks.

I suppose the problem is getting off my backside and getting into the forest or into the mountain and start some training.  I dont feel like I will running it to seek a fantastic time, but at the same time i dont want an awful time.  Still want to appreciate the mountains while having a bit of fun.

Planning on doing the Full 26 mile mourne marathon (I must point out that I have never ran a marathon before).  This could be a big mistake -ah well worth a try.

Cheers guys
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: twentyclicks on January 05, 2012
Cool. That's 6 months away, 2 training cycles, plenty of time.

How far have you run before?
MikeD went from 5K park run to marathon in about 2 months last year. Once you can sustain 40mins or so constant the rest is primarily hydration, refueling and psychological.
The marathon course starts with a big steep climb but is rather lovely after that: a stiff march to the top may be the best. I'll be completing the ultra this year so say hello when you overtake me  ;D
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: dean1970 on January 06, 2012
I honestly think unless you get injured, you will finish with determination. Running builds guts, stamina.

You will finish it, just grit your teeth and get on with it.

Being really fit just means you will get the end a bit quicker.

Bring some good music, something that really annoys you  ;D
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: dean1970 on January 06, 2012
sorry, as if I haven't blathered enough already: tracking progress is essential in any endevour where progress is the aim. Whether you jot your routes and times in a notebook, or use your phone GPS with free sites like Strava, it lets you see the progress, motivates, what works, what doesn't.
Additional info like weather conditions, what you ate, how hydrated you feel, how you slept, any niggles or pains... may reveal patterns in performance. It's a facinating experiment where you are the guinea pig  :)

Dean, just seen your reply - laughing at your last line, it feels that way sometimes.

lol, yeh good to see that since you obviously know about fitness, you agree that it never gets any easier  ;D
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: twentyclicks on January 06, 2012
If training isn't hard, then it's barely maintenance. The benefit is that your range of 'what is easy' in everyday life increases dramatically, and you can say, also run a moderate marathon and enjoy it. You have no records to set on your first one, can push yourself next time (if you feel like it).
Title: Re: Mountain fitness
Post by: jonnycrutchley on January 08, 2012
I don't think i'll be overtaking you so you'll be safely out in front! I've ran a 10k before and thought it was tough enough. Have to try and build up a higher level of fitness over the next 6 months