10,000ft a week

[Derby Tup]

as I've been thinking idly about a BGR next year, I was thinking that training could peak by running both halves of the route on consecutive days - maybe a month before the date. Is that a typical plan?

i.e. 2 x 12-hr runs - or more like 10 hrs each hopefully!

is that leaving too much to chance, in terms of knowing you can go for more than 20 hours at a time?

iirc when half-a-Bob a day for two days was mentioned before the thinking was it wouldn't be much easier if at all than a complete 24hr round

[ZootHornRollo]

iirc when half-a-Bob a day for two days was mentioned before the thinking was it wouldn't be much easier if at all than a complete 24hr round

you'd wake up bloody stiff for day two wouldn't you

[Derby Tup]

you'd wake up bloody stiff for day two wouldn't you

First climb on second day could be a bit tough

[ZootHornRollo]

as someone who will have far to travel to get ascent in the legs and learn the route, I'm thinking I'd do well to combine the two at every opportunity.

[Baggins]

iirc when half-a-Bob a day for two days was mentioned before the thinking was it wouldn't be much easier if at all than a complete 24hr round

I agree and if you aren't used to the ascent/descent it'll take you a long time to recover, time that would be better spent getting fitter for the main attempt

[andy k]

There really is no need at all to practise doing 24 hours or even 12.
All you need to do is go long enough and hard enough to hit a rotten patch (feeling sick and knackered).
Next you have to keep going until you come through it.
Once you know the feeling and that it passes, realise also that you may hit more than one rotten patch, then you are set.

In training these bad patches came for me at something over 5 hours.
Most I ever did in one day, or one weekend was about 8 hours, these came 10, 8 and 6 weeks before the big day.

Particluarly if you cannot get to the fells regularly, suddenly hitting yourself with 2 big big days in the fells will simply destroy you.
I think you need to get to the Lakes, familiarity with the task will give you confidence, which is the main thing you need. Training over the relevant terrain is also a massive benefit.

[stevefoster]

There really is no need at all to practise doing 24 hours or even 12.
All you need to do is go long enough and hard enough to hit a rotten patch (feeling sick and knackered).
Next you have to keep going until you come through it.
Once you know the feeling and that it passes, realise also that you may hit more than one rotten patch, then you are set.

In training these bad patches came for me at something over 5 hours.
Most I ever did in one day, or one weekend was about 8 hours, these came 10, 8 and 6 weeks before the big day.

Particluarly if you cannot get to the fells regularly, suddenly hitting yourself with 2 big big days in the fells will simply destroy you.
I think you need to get to the Lakes, familiarity with the task will give you confidence, which is the main thing you need. Training over the relevant terrain is also a massive benefit.

Interesting reading Andy, my training for the Fellsman was mostly a few 6 hour runs with one run of 8 hours in which i covered 40 miles. On the actual day i felt good all the way round apart from the last 3 miles when we hit the road, couldn't run as my ankles we're paining me. Never got that sick feeling and managed to eat for all 17 hours, felt knackered a few times but always seem to be able to push through it.
Must review my training, don't want to do too much and knacker myself for the actual day, the 24 hour idea has gone now!!!!
The thing that helps my confidence is everytime i run in the lakes i feel inspired, love the area, only had one bad run there, Duddon Valley this year, just been made redundant, still had the Fellsman in my legs and had a few too many Guinness's the night before. It was a red hot day and went through a few rotten patches but still got round.

[andy k]

Agreed, preparing in the Lakes is a total joy, getting to know the fells and how they change, is a tremendous experience. (though it was also rather nice to run a totally different Lakes route come October ;-) ).
My history with Lakes Classics is abysmal - Thankfully this had no impact on my confidence in the run up to the BG. The crux for me came 3 or 4 weeks ahead when from a previously being daunted by the prospect of climbing out of Dunmail up to Steel Fell, my head just switched to looking forward to it - legs one and 2 would just be the preliminary, from Dunmail the real fun would start. A great feeling.

[Derby Tup]

Forgive me if this has already been covered but for followers of the 10,000ft thinking, how many weeks did you do with this amount of climb? And when did you start in relation to your round? Thanks!

[Stolly]

Call me a cynic on the need for 10,000 feet a week BGR training. For a start surely its the steep stuff that you should be concentrating on - I'd say that doing 3 Whernsides or two Robinsons a week (the verticle way), which is I guess a total 4 or 5,000 feet, would be far more useful than running say 6 Ingleboroughs which is maybe 10,000 feet. I have a little run near home that climbs all told 1500 feet but a 1000 of that climb is easy and very runnable - the bit I always hurt on is the 500 feet up the side of high hill!