An adventure race pushes athletes to the extreme in multiple disciplines, including trail running, mountain biking, kayaking, orienteering and ropes challenges. The race course and miles are kept secret until the night before the race. Race organizers often throw in additional physical challenges such as Rollerblading, kick scootering or river boarding, adding to the adventure. Not knowing exact distances or placement of events requires you to train faithfully, becoming competent in each discipline.
Base Phase
The base-building phase of training, the most important part of your training, should not be overlooked. Building a base requires a slow start and patience. Moving too quickly is a mistake that many people make. Weekly increases in distance and intensity should not exceed 10 percent of your current workload. For example, if you run 100 minutes the first week, the next week you would not exceed 110 minutes. This principle also applies to biking and kayaking. The base phase includes familiarizing yourself with the skills necessary to complete each event. Orienteering and rope challenges require specific skill sets such as map reading and rappelling. Starting slowly gives you an opportunity to fine-tune technique or learn new skills before focusing on increasing performance during the speed phase.
Speed Phase
The speed phase is when you start introducing your body to the intensity levels and distances expected during the race. Emphasis is put on increasing the pace you are reaching and maintaining it over longer distances. The second half of this phase is sport specific, meaning you mimic the conditions you will be racing in, such as running in soft dirt or sand, training at appropriate altitudes or mountain biking steep hills. In introducing new elements into your training plan, the rule of building gradually still applies. Introduce the new condition, such as sand, in small quantities, gradually increasing the time spent in the sand.
Taper Phase
Tapering is a time for your body to recover and, with sufficient rest and nutrition, rebuild itself in preparation for the race phase. Tapering effectively involves gradually reducing distance, intensity and overall training volume in the weeks preceding your race. The body uses this time to revamp fuel supplies, ensuring the body is at 100 percent come race day. This phase is not a cold-turkey stop from training, but rather a subdued effort that allows the body to maintain gains achieved in the base and speed phases of training.
Race Phase
This is the phase you have worked so hard for over the past months. With everything is place and a well-executed training plan behind you, you are ready to see what your body is capable of during this phase. Adventure races span a number of hours to a number of days, requiring proper nutrition and hydration along the way for optimal performance. Have confidence in your training and abilities. Double-check your gear. Pay attention to how you feel and what your strengths and weaknesses are so you can make specific changes in your training plan for the next race.
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