Expedition notes 6: Preparations for running 400km

Though insights from undertaking the expedition gave me some lessons, which I scribbled into notes, the preparation period was challenging by itself. Hence following the style of previous articles, here I give brief notes about what kind of actions I had to take before even starting the venture.

As with any important endeavor or project, this one started long before its execution. The preparations were longer than the expedition, and together they built an adventure. Actually, they are inseparable parts of the adventure.

So, I began with the premise that I don’t know what I am preparing for. Then, the preparation and training should simulate states of body and mind to cover as much as possible upcoming situations. In this way, I hoped that the body and mind would respond more or less adequately when faced with a challenge. And the lack of experience with this kind of endeavor was pretty much aggravating. This all presented a mental challenge of problem-solving, as it included a plan of training sessions and dieting while running, a plan of the route, booking accommodations, considerations of dieting routine before and after running sessions, and gear purchase, alongside keeping everyday life uninterrupted as much possible.

This is probably not the best solution to the organizational problem I had to tackle, but one of many possible solutions. After making the plan for training sessions, I was aware that some workouts would be modified and adjusted to the current state of fitness, fatigue, working, and family responsibilities. I also caught a cold a few weeks before the start of the adventure, though I wasn’t ill for years. And a couple of times, I was very anxious regarding the whole project, as it included many unknowns. But how do you cope with the anxiety about the running adventure when you usually use running to cope with anxiety? A pretty tricky and loopy thing. Well, with the support of my surroundings and faith, alongside my prevailing inherent curiosity about knowing the world, I overcame it.

In consultation with my Red Star Rowing Club coach, the first step was to divide the fitness preparation period into two parts. The first lasted approximately four months, focusing on hill repeats, progression runs, and tempo runs, alongside maintaining speed and endurance with fast-paced short and long runs. Then it was followed by three months before the endeavor with an increased duration of long-running sessions. At the same time, the intensity of training maintained more-less the same. In other words, I have added more days with long-running sessions.

Adding these long-running sessions was followed by experiments with dieting and running with the backpack since the whole expedition was self-supported. After training sessions, when I arrived home, I often started cooking so that the whole organism got used to being on my feet for an extended period. On the other hand, as cross-training activities, I practiced on the ski- and rowing ergometer. Maybe atypically, these activities alongside the gym were included, most of the time, after regular running sessions.

Applying these diverse training strategies aimed to prepare the whole body and mind system for unexpected challenges as much as possible. The lessons learned from complexity science inspired me to presume that diversification of training through breaking the routine of only running was crucial in giving me confidence and fitness.