Sri Chinmoy "PUFF PADDLE & PUSH"

Sunday 4th May saw the 3rd running of the Sri Chinmoy adventure race "Puff, Paddle and Push". Kaliegh and dearest friend Gab got up early, braved the cold and embarked on a 2.5km run, 3km kayak, 15km mountain bike and another run of 4km.

What a top event! The weather was sensational and as usual the Sri Chinmoy Races Team keep the spirit of endurance sport alive here in Canberra.

Since the week end i have told everyone that is willing to listen how good these types of events are especially if swimming is just not your thing. Why you wouldn't like to swim in one of Canberra's lakes is beyond me but hey, maybe murky brown lakes just aren't inviting anymore.

So i wanted to divulge a few insights on how to prep for an event such as this and give you a few key workouts that will ease the pain on race day.

Firstly endurance sporting events generally range from 30min- 50hrs. Most events that are "FUN" are around the 1-3hr mark. 5hrs+ is actually for the mentally insane and very damaging on the human body. So given that the main energy system used in these events is your "Aerobic Endurance System" your time in training is best spent building a good aerobic foundation. The "Aerobic Energy System" is reliant on fat for energy. This takes place in our bodies in the presence of oxygen (the air we breath). This process is called "Beta Oxidation".

So to train this energy system you would need to complete training sessions in each discipline of 1-2hrs 2-3 times per week. That's 2 rides, 2 kayaks and 2 runs per week, minimum. I would suggest doing this for 6-8 weeks. This will help teach your body to become more efficient at burning fat for energy. Then once you have completed your first phase of training you would then embark on another 4-6 weeks doing the same sessions but with a slightly greater intensity. This would mean adding in some intervals, surges, sprints and hills to lift your heart rate and fitness level. This will help get you "Race Ready" and help you adapt to the high heart rate of competing in races.

A typical Bike session in the "Race Ready" phase would look like this:

Ride 90mins at an easy -moderate pace and include 3x 30sec-5min intervals @ 90% (hard) with a 30sec-3min recover between intervals.

The same principles can be used in run and paddle work outs.

Simple..? I thinks so.

Go for it.

Ross