These notes are a companion to the Phase Two GurneyGears.com Training Programs for
the Speight's Coast to Coast 2011. The notes are for teams and individuals.
Time trials
1
Off-road runs
1
Practise trips over the course
1
Recommended reading
2
Other races
2
Transitions
4
Food and drink
Carbo-loading
Race day
During the race
Hitting the wall (bonking)
Fluids
After racing
Summary
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
Does it matter if you don’t sleep well the night before?
5
Time trials
In the programs there are some time trials. Record your times for these and use them as a
gauge to monitor your improvement. If your times are not coming down then it could be a
sign that you are over doing things (training, work, etc) and you may need to take some days
off to recover.
Off-road runs
If you are tackling Goat Pass on race day then you must get out and practise running on
rough ground. Round river rocks like you get in the race are the best. If you don’t have ready
access to those then be creative and find suitable terrain that best simulates the variable
nature of the Coast to Coast run. This could be coastal rocks, pine forests with scattered
prunings, anywhere that really tests your eye-foot co-ordination, Have a look at the “CTC
2008 2D Mountain Run” video on www.sportzvibes.com. You can also see video from this
years Speights Coast to Coast which has some great run footage.
No-one ever complained that they trained on too much rough ground for the Speights Coast
to Coast!
Practise trips over the course
If it is at all possible then some practise trips over the actual course is a very good idea. The
cycle sections are not so important but if you are doing the run and/or the kayak then going
© Gurney Gears Ltd, 2010
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over these sections will really help your training and be of huge benefit on race day. While
there are no specific days in the training program for course reccies, these would take
precedence over all other training activity.
Recommended reading
I recommend that you read Steve Gurney’s book “Lucky Legs”. Especially the following
chapters:
21 – Prior planning promotes prize-winning performances
22 – Transition trickery
23 – How I trained and set my goals
24 – Mental is everything – intrinsic motivation
25 – How I kicked my own arse – extrinsic motivation
As a special offer – if you buy the book directly from Steve (email him directly:
[email protected]) and include the following information (you can cut and paste this
into the email):
The promo code: GGCTC
The number of books:
Name of person that the book(s) is/are for:
Message(s) to go with autograph(s):
An address and phone number for the courier:
Then Steve will sign the book(s) for you for $32 a copy. Postage is $5, anywhere in NZ, $15
overseas.
Other races
A great way to prepare for the Coast to Coast is to compete in other smaller races leading up
to the big event. You can practise transitions, try out different eating/drinking combinations,
hone your race strategy, and it also gives you some quality training.
There are no specific races mentioned in the training programs. It’s up to you to decide when
and where you will race. You may need to taper your training for these lead up events. The
length of the taper and what you do (or don’t do) in it depends on how long the race is and
how serious you are about competing in the event. The more serious you are and the longer
the race is, the more you need to rest up before.
For a very serious event a taper of about 7 days is great. A casual race in the weekend as a
part of your training probably won’t need a taper.
What you do and how long you taper for doesn’t have hard and fast rules. As a general
guideline you heavily reduce the duration and up the intensity. You want to get your body
used to the speed you are going to go in the race while still allowing it to replenish and
rejuvenate enough so that you are champing at the bit come race day.
Tip: You won’t necessarily get any fitter in the last week before your race but you can
certainly mess up all your preparation by doing too much.
Here are some examples of how you might incorporate a taper into your current program.
Please note these are just examples and you are free to do what you feel is best for you and
your situation.
© Gurney Gears Ltd, 2010
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Serious (or long) race involving all three disciplines.
Monday
Run
Tuesday
30min. 5x2
mins at race
pace with
5min jog in
between
Wednesday
Cycle
Kayak
Thursday
30min. 5x1min
sprints with
5min recovery
in between
40min.
LAD
30min
WIND
Friday
Rest
Saturday
20min
easy
Sunday
Race
Rest
Race
Rest
Race
Serious (or long) race involving running and cycling.
Monday
Run
Cycle
Tuesday
30min. 5x2
mins at race
pace with
5min jog in
between
40min. incl.
10min
Time Trial
eg. 5-8km
Wednesday
Thursday
20min
easy
optional
30min.
5x1min
sprints with
5min
recovery in
between
Friday
Rest
Saturday
20min
easy
Rest
Sunday
Race
Race
Serious (or long) race involving kayaking and cycling.
Monday
Cycle
Kayak
40min.
5x1min
sprints
with 5min
rec inbetween
© Gurney Gears Ltd, 2010
Tuesday
30min.
5x1min
sprints
with 5min
recovery
in
between
Wednesday
30min
WIND
Thursday
30min easy
optional
Friday
Saturday
20min
easy
Sunday
Race
Race
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Serious (or long) race involving just running.
Run
Monday
30min
easy
Tuesday
30min. 5x2 mins
at race pace
with 5min jog in
between
Wednesday
Rest
Thursday
25min.
4x30sec at
race pace
with 2min rest
in between.
Friday
Rest
Saturday
20min
easy
Sunday
Race
If you consider your race is not that serious but is more than just a casual weekend race then
do your scheduled training but take a few days off before the race and a few days off after (23 days for a 2 hour race, 3-5 days for a longer race).
Transitions
It is crucial that the transitions between one sport and another go smoothly and in an
organised fashion. Top competitors spend hours refining their transitions – they can be the
difference between winning and coming second. Steve has been in the game a long time and
his transition speed is legendary. Read his book for the best advice.
Food and drink
Carbo-loading
Carbo-loading used to be very popular some years back. However, what people have found
is that if they greatly reduced their training load a week or so before competition and kept the
same eating habits, as in normal training, then their muscles became almost as saturated with
carbos as when following a strict carbo-loading program. It is also much easier to implement.
Drinking lots of water, especially the day before the race, is really important.
Race day
Our advice here is to have something decent to eat 4 hours before your event, preferably food
with a medium to low glycemic index (G.I.)*. Avoid high G.I. foods within 4 hours before the
race. Some suggestions include muesli, yogurt, toast (grained) with butter, nuts, peanut
butter. If you can’t manage solids, then try mixing up “liquid meal” options like Leppin Carbobooster or “meal-in-a-can” products such as Ensure Plus. Nothing with too much fibre is best.
If you can’t stomach the above then have something that you at least feel like having. Have a
good drink of water as well.
With an hour to go if you are hungry have something with a low to moderate G.I eg. light
unsweetened fruit drink, iso-tonic sports drink, nuts, a sandwich with butter.
* for information on the G.I go to http://www.glycemicindex.com/
Tip: It is vital that what ever you eat just before you race and eat during the race, you have
eaten and trained with it before with no ill effects.
During the race
Eating during a race longer than 75-90mins is vital – without it, your chances of “hitting the
wall” are greatly increased.
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For races up to 4 hours in length you can probably get all your energy needs from fluids eg.
PeakFuel Energy Gels, Leppin Squeezys, Power Gels, sports drink. Make sure you follow
the directions on the packet – especially with regards to the amount of water you should have
with them. As a general rule of thumb you need 1 gram of carbohydrate for every gram of
body weight each hour. Eg. I’m 75kg so I try to have 75g of carbohydrate every hour.
For races over 4 hours you can eat some solid foods if you wish. Eat easily digested
carbohydrate rich food like fruit (dried or fresh), honey sandwiches, boiled potatoes, sports
bars, lollies, chocolate bars. Always, always try the food in training before hand.
Hitting the wall (bonking)
Hitting the wall happens when your muscles deplete the body’s reserves of glucose and the
brain (who’s only energy source is glucose) forces you to stop immediately so it can keep
functioning. You can protect against hitting the wall by keeping up your energy intake (as
mentioned above). If you hit the wall while racing (or training) you can get going again by
resting and replenishing your energy supplies. This time you want high G.I foods to get the
energy levels back up A.S.A.P. If they aren’t available then PeakFuel, Sqeezeys, Gels, Coca
Cola (caffeine and sugar load!) and sports drink are great too.
Fluids
Dehydration can greatly impede performance even before you feel thirsty. As a guide, aim to
drink about 500ml to 800ml per hour, depending on how hot the day is. If you are not using
PeakFuel, Leppin Squeezys or Power Gels then drink an isotonic solution with electrolytes
and a carbohydrate concentration of 5 to 10%. Always try out, under race type conditions,
what you are going to use while racing before the race to make sure you like the taste and
your stomach agrees with it. You may need just plain water in addition to the carbohydrate
drink, to give your mouth and taste buds a rest.
After racing
Eating during the first 2 hours after a race greatly helps the body restore its energy levels. A
decent meal containing a high proportion of carbohydrates and some protein is best. You are
well advised to drink lots of water before drinking any alcohol.
Summary
Eat well, drink lots of fluid, don’t try anything new on race day, rest up well before the race, go
like the wind and enjoy it.
Does it matter if you don’t sleep well the night
before?
No. It’s very common for people to not sleep well the night before a race. It won’t affect your
physical performance on the day as long as you get good sleep 2 to 3 nights before. If you
find you aren’t sleeping the night before then just relax and allow yourself to go over the race
only once in your mind and then read or meditate, watch TV or do something that invariably
puts you off to sleep!
© Gurney Gears Ltd, 2010
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