HOW TO TRAIN FOR TRAIL RUNNING AT NIGHT
Trail Running at night is fascinating, you experience particular and different emotions but can, also, be scaring. If you train the qualities and characteristics required and take the right precautionary measures, even if it represents something new and unknown, you will face your races with greater confidence.
Infact, all long trails, ultra trails and endurance ultra trails have race sections that take place at night. Usually, but not always, these are easy and runable parts, in total safety for the athletes. There are also competitions, which take place at night, mainly on slightly undulating, dirt or asphalted paths, including several urban trails or eco-trails.
During the night, it is important to know that the athlete can lose over 30% of running efficiency due to a mix of factors, primarily due to a reduction in the visual field, but not only. By carrying out specific training sessions, already in the preparatory period, by testing the lighting system, nutrition and apparel, it is possible to reduce the inevitable loss of speed to 10%.
The night run, during this time of the year, can be planned 1-2 times a month, on terrains without technical roughness and important differences in height (dirt roads, asphalt, easy paths). In early spring, the milder temperatures will allow you to extend your workouts, also increasing the technical component of the terrain.
Here are the advice of the TRM Coaches for specific sessions dedicated to running at night.
- Start experimenting with running at night on flat-slightly undulating paths which you know well, free from roughness. The duration will be between 40′ and 1 hour, increasing by 10′ at a time
- From the end of the 2nd month, create a circuit that includes a climb of about 15′-20′ with a gradient of 5% -6% that allows you to run. Perform the training in this way: run 20′ on flat-slightly undulating + 15′-20′ uphill / downhill on the same path + 20′ on flat-slightly undulating. In the following weeks, you can increase the uphill session by 5′ and the flat-slightly undulating part by 10′.
Do not miss the next articles, we will talk about lamps, thermal clothing and power supply and integration in the night run.
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