Warrior Dash

Thanks for this thread. I'm doing the one in OH in June and these are some great tips!

Did it last year and signed up again for this year's race.

My tips:

1) Ignore the hype. It's not nearly as bad or as intense as it sounds. That's just part of the marketing.

2) Focus on the running. Although every course is different, there are long stretches of nothing but trail running.

3) And speaking of trail running, do that instead of street running while training. It's easier and better on your joints to use the trail, and it minimizes the chance of injury before the race.

4) There's no shame in walking the course during parts of it. I did it to conserve energy for the obstacles, and so did most of the people around me.

5) The obstacles are not nearly as bad they seem on the pictures. Those are the result of tricky camera angles and lighting! For example, the "inferno" is nothing -- it's just leaping over some Duraflame logs!

6) There will be bottlenecks at the obstacles, so there's no need to rush through them. In fact, those are great places to catch your breath!

7) Take caution when going through the obstacles, but don't be afraid of them. The WD organization isn't trying to kill you

On race day, soak in the party/festival atmosphere. Bring old shoes that you won't mind losing. Bring plastic sheets or tarps to lay out in your car for the ride back, or bring a change of clothes and a large towel to hide behind. Soak some handtowels or wash clothes and put them in plastic bags to wipe your face and clean your ears after the race. Consider bringing a cooler of beverages and food so you can tailgate instead of spending outrageous amounts of money inside the grounds on food and drinks. Take advantage of their gear check-in to check your camera and personal belongings.

Prepare to get soaked and muddy

And if you go with a bunch of people, have a GREAT time!

This is PERFECT advice. I agree 100% - I did the WD last August. I am hoping to do it again but yes, it is mostly hype. and LOL about the duraflame logs. I was stressing about jumping over that raging inferno, and then saw that little pathetic line of dying flames and was like.... REALLY???

I was NOT expecting the huge steep run uphill when first starting out the race (it was in Windham NY, so I should have known since it is a ski resort!!!) so that took me by surprise, so I tell everyone the same thing - practice your traul runs, and make sure they are steep inclines if you know you are going to be on a mountain!!!!

I wore my Vibrams, but my tread is about wore off. Like QuickPE said, you want something with traction, cause you is gonna slide.

You won't ruin them. I have KSOs. I've used them on the creek at our camp on the mud trails prior to the Warrior Dash and again this weekend. I just wash them out before throwing them in the washing machine.

Training for a Mud run or obstacle course race like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, or warrior dash should include workouts that are focused on strength, cardio, and race specific skills. I have competed in a number of obstacle races, triathlon, and ultra marathon and found this type of training to be most effective.

Your main training goals should be to:
• Increase strength relative to bodyweight, cardiovascular and muscular stamina, durability, and mental toughness
• Learn, execute, and improve efficient biomechanics of functional movements like running, lifting, climbing, jumping, and landing
• Develop core strength and stability through functional, compound movements
• Improve balance, lower limb strength, and muscular recruitment and coordination under weight-bearing loads

Look to include compound, functional movements like kettlebell swings. Train under a weight-bearing load, over an extended period of time completing resisted runs, sprints, hill climbs, and stadium stairs. Finally, train skills specific to the race including relative strength, grip strength, core strength/stability, dynamic, unilateral, and non-linear movement, transfer of force/power, and transport a load.

Some workout suggestions include:

Strength Training:

Bodyweight exercises: squat, lunge, push-up, pull-up, dips

Loaded bodyweight exercise: adding weight/an additional load to pull-ups and dips

Kettlebells: in the strength training category kettlebells are paired with Olympic or compound movements during circuits that incorporate a heavier weight and fewer repetitions

Cardiovascular conditioning: Even if you are not a runner or endurance athlete, cardiovascular exercise still needs to be factored into your training program. In addition to some longer distance efforts try interval training.

High Intensity Intervals: working at or near max effort to fatigue the muscles and lungs. Alternate between periods of all our effort and shorter periods of rest.

Example: 400m all out sprint followed by a rest period that is half the amount of time it took your to complete the 400m sprint. Repeat 6-8 times

Intervals/Hill Sprints/Track Workouts: Mixed work periods from intense effort to low/moderate effort.

Example: Hill sprint that takes 60-90 seconds to complete, then walking or easy jog to start line. Repeat 8-12 times.

Tabata: High intensity working set for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeated for 8-12 sets.

Example: Overhead kettlebell swings for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat 8-12 times.

Try implementing these strategies and feel free to email me at joe@hybridathlete.org for additional workouts.

You can get more info from my free download here: http://www.racedaydomination.com/free-download/



Here is a bodyweight workout to get you started!

Warm-up:

Jog@ 2-5 minutes

Lunge @25 yards

Reverse Lunge @ 25 yards Walking

Broad Jump @ 25 yards

Training:

2 Round

50x Step-up (each leg, add weight vest or resistance if possible)

20x Push-up

30x Bodyweight Squat

50x Step-up (each leg, add weight vest or resistance if possible)

20x Push-up

30x Bodyweight Squat

50x Step-up (each leg, add weight vest or resistance if possible)



3 Rounds @ 50 yards each movement

Bear Crawl

75% Sprint

Plank Crawl

Walking Lunge

Bounding Jump Squats

Do Work and let me know if you have any questions!

Joe Vennare
Hybrid Athlete and Race Day Domination