Fitness

How to train for 175km race

The Straits Times Virtual Run's 175km race, which begins tomorrow and ends on Dec 17, can be broken down over eight weeks, with the aim of clocking an average of 21.9km weekly.

Individuals who plan to kick-start their running journey and aim to complete the 175km should proceed with careful planning to avoid injuries along the way.

You can start by clocking 20-30 minutes or 4-5km per session three to four times a week for two weeks or so (see chart below).

A healthy progression would be to increase your weekly mileage by between 5 and 10 per cent.

Alternatively, you could choose the same mileage for two weeks to allow your body to adapt to the exercise load and routine. Rest days are planned in between because they allow muscles to recover from exercise-induced fatigue.

They also allow your body to adapt to the training load, let your nervous system regenerate, reduce chances of overtraining and of suffering stress fractures and more.

Those who run regularly and clock 8-15km per session may simply break it down to two or three sessions a week to complete the challenge in less than eight weeks (see bottom chart).

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on October 18, 2020, with the headline How to train for ST Virtual Run 175km race. Subscribe