Ultramarathon Mom

CHAPTER 5

TRAINING FOR THE MARATHON DES SABLES

I admit it. At the beginning I was completely naïve as far as training for a race of that magnitude. Running more than 250 kilometers in a week is difficult enough in an optimal environment, but through the desert with 15 pounds of gear on my back? I had no personal coach at the time to guide me, but with the plethora of information on the Internet and my ever-growing pile of running books, I knew that I could educate myself well enough in the 15 months between when I registered for the MdS and the race start to run it like a pro. I figured my training would be multifaceted. Naturally, endurance would be the key, and I would achieve that through long runs, longdistance biking, back-to-back (-to-back) long runs, long hikes, combination training comprised of long runs, long bike rides, and long hikes, and uh, did I mention long runs? See a recurring theme here? All that would be fortified by strength work, sand-specific and other specialized training, and acclimatization.

My plan was that a typical training week would contain these elements:

Long runs, 25-plus kilometers (1X)

Interval training (0-1X, meaning that some weeks would be without intervals, but other weeks they would occur once)

Tempo runs (1X)

Regeneration runs (1X)

Mid-long runs, 15-25 kilometers (1-2X)

Long bike (1-2X)

Strength training (3X)

Yoga/Stretching (3X)

Hill work (0-1X)

Drills (0-2X)

Special sessions (sand, sauna, weighted backpack, etc.) (0-2X)

Day off! (0-1X):)

Exactly where those items fell was not something that I wanted to specifically plan far in advance (though obviously there had to be some structure and sensibility in terms of order of appearance). I had the mornings free when the kids were in school and could juggle the workouts as needed. Flexibility is key for me as there are always "uncontrollable factors," such as a sick child, weather, vacation, appointments, kids' birthday parties, and so on. All had their varying influence on my training schedule. My first priority was (and is) my family, and then if those workouts made their regular appearances, I would be happy.

I had a basic plan to build mileage (kilometerage?) over that year, and although most plans build for three weeks before having a week of regeneration, I find that that occurs naturally in my training due to those "uncontrollable factors." In the end it all comes out in the wash.

The year prior to the race was subdivided into trimesters highlighted by key events. The first event was the Regensburg Half Marathon in the middle of May. This race was not critical in terms of my performance, but I wanted to be in pretty good shape for it and possibly qualify for the New York City Marathon. The only "hindrance" during that period was a trip to Nepal with my family over Easter. During that trip, long runs were going to be all but non-existent, so I had to focus on strength training and speed or hill work (think, Himalayas).

The second key race in the schedule was the Regensburg Landkreislauf Ultramarathon in September, prior to which I had a multitude of other events, including a few 10Ks, another half marathon, and bike races. An important training event during this period was a weekend in Switzerland at the beginning of August, a trail running camp, in which the agenda was to run with a small group with full backpacks 80 kilometers (50 miles) over two-and-a-half days with 5,000 meters (16,000 feet) positive elevation. The weekend was organized by two men who had run the Marathon des Sables before, so I was planning on picking them clean for info.

Then at the end of August, I was in Mallorca for a week. Again, a family vacation, but I figured I could get in several long runs there as well as some sand training. Yahoo! But the week after that I was going to be on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean with my family and in-laws, who invited us to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with them. My father-in-law excitedly told me how they allow guests to use one of the upper decks to run laps in the early morning. At first I was optimistic, until I learned it would be 10 laps for one kilometer. Ah, wonderful. I was dizzy at the thought of it. But the ship had a great fitness room and offered an infinite schedule of aerobics and spinning classes. So, I thought I'd be ok.

The third segment of my training plan was over the winter, comprising the last six months leading up to the MdS. This was also obviously the real buildup of endurance, gradually increasing my mileage each week. I had also planned to combine it with long "hikes," i.e., walking (how boring!), but I thought it would be necessary since the terrain in the desert is not always run-able. I would also be wearing the weighted backpack more frequently on middle-distance runs. In addition, running in the snow with shoe chains would provide invaluable strength training. Not to mention, I planned to spend time in the sauna-either on the bike trainer (at 40 °C, 100 °F) or simply sweating it out (90 °C, 200 °F)!

So that was the basic plan. Multifaceted training broken down into three segments highlighted by two milestone races and beginning with basic training.

FIRST TRIMESTER TRAINING

Just like in pregnancy, the first trimester can be a beast in disguise! The nausea, fatigue, sleepless nights, and endless worrying. And so it was with my first trimester training for the Marathon des Sables .well, except for the nausea.

Despite our best intentions, life loves to throw its curve balls, and you never know when one of them is going to bonk you on the head. My first major knock was already underway when I registered for the MdS as I was sick with some kind of wild virus that was running rampant through Regensburg, Germany (where I live). I tried to train but was constantly set back and was more or less out of commission for eight weeks; this wasn't such a bad thing in itself as it forced me to take a maybe-not-so-unneeded break for my body, though my psychological well-being suffered. Then, finally, at the beginning of March, I was ready to go again in full force and really was making some good progress until our planned family vacation in Nepal over the Easter holiday.

Do I plan my vacations around my workouts and races? Honestly, no. But once the dates and locations are set, I start considering my training options (and whether there just happens to be a cool race in the area while there). Some people think this is nuts (well, a lot of people think that about me anyway.so who cares!), but I love sports, and a vacation without exercise is just not for me. I try not to let it impact our family time together, and sometimes I get up at the crack of dawn to get it done. I don't need much, but an hour or two a day makes me a more balanced and happy person-not only good for me, but also good for the people around me.

Some destinations are easy. Miles of running, biking, and hiking routes in the mountains or on the beach; a hotel with aerobics classes, fitness studio, a lap pool, or even tennis courts, and your workouts are fun. But other destinations are not so easy. Enter: Nepal.

My husband and I decided to schlep our four kids to Nepal for 12 days-some cultural sightseeing in Kathmandu (a reality-check for our spoiled beloved children), a little hiking in paradise, and a jungle safari to top it off.

But I knew Nepal would be a difficult place to get in some longdistance running, though I was hoping for some decent fitness centers and swimming pools to fill in the gaps (unfortunately disappointed by both). Here's what I ended up with.

Sign posted on a tree in the gardens of our hotel in Dhulikhel, Nepal

HOLLY'S TRAINING LOG: NEPAL

Day 1:

After 24 hours of travel door to door, the only sport I was doing was lifting a cocktail glass to my lips and then hopping into bed.

Day 2:

Five-kilometer run on 400-meter "track" (quaint path) in the garden of my hotel in Kathmandu. I was the only runner, but there were several middle-aged Nepali men walking who were rather amused at my presence. Thirty minutes of strength training in the hotel gym.

Day 3:

Thirty minutes of strength training. Forty minutes of fartlek running on treadmill in hotel gym (sporadically disrupted by power outages).

Day 4:

One-hour yoga class at hotel in Dhulikhel. One hour of yogi-instructor-led meditation. (You think that's not sport? Give it a try.)

Day...