Clients Personal training success with 43k run

This weekend just past my client Chris ran 43k through the Brecon Beacons. I personal train Chris and his wife Ksenia in Ascot on a weekly basis. They have general fitness goals but also like to run and cycle long distances. This means the training that I put them through is based on their main goals as well as their general goals. Chris is an experienced runner and has been training for this 43k run for the last 3 months. 

Due to the hilly terrain of the run in the Brecon Beacons we had to make sure his legs and core where strong. Focusing on lower body movements lifting weights for 20+ reps followed by running . As if he were pushing his body up a hill. However, some of the hills are really steep, this had me including some upper body strength work especially in the shoulders just in case.

What training did we do in the session

During the personal training session in Ascot we focused on strengthening the legs so they would become fatigued and still be able to run the distance. Most training days we did weights in the morning which then Chris followed with a run in the afternoon.  The change in terrain makes this run very challenging. It isn’t like a normal run on a flat surface. You have to have a great amount of leg strength to be able to propel your body up the hills. Adding lots of single limb lower body movements for 20 reps, focusing on the glutes and quads. We also made sure this area was able to withstand the pressure of up hill running by adding in some isometrics and slow tempo movements. Slow movement under tension builds the muscles more and makes it able to withstand more pressure for longer.

The surface of the terrain is uneven. Therefore, the ankles and the ability for the body to balances need to be tested under movement. I added some hop and stick movements to create strength with the balance of the body. So that he would feel more stable running on grass that might move.

What other training did Chris do?

Obviously we didn’t do the long distance running in the PT sessions. Leading up the 43k run Chris built up his endurance ability to run a long distance. His last training run before the long run in the Brecon Beacons was a massive 20 miles (32k). I remember Chris sending me pictures at his own check points throughout that run. He even did it whilst he wasn’t feeling very well. I take my hat off to anyone who can run that far let alone when they are feeling under the weather. It shows me the strength of an athlete in Chris. I enjoy training Chris and Ksenia and look forward to keep doing so to keep them fit and healthy.

Statistics from race day

Have a look at the statistics from his race day. Chris burnt off a whole 2 days worth of calories. Now that’s a lot of calories. After doing a run like this it is important to refuel your body with carbohydrates, protein, fats, fluids and lots of vitamin and minerals.

Chris managed the 43k run in 06:47:18 hours running at an average pace of 9:21 minutes per kilometre. His average speed was 6.4 km/hour with maximum speed of 12.5km/hour. If you put a treadmill on 12.5km/hour you will see how fast that actually is.

All in all I think Chris is very happy with this result and as a coach I’m very happy for him. Keep up the good work. There aren’t many people that can run that far.