I want to answer questions like
I have entered two 24 Hr races, the Summer Wuhoo last year, which we DNF'd, and then the first Trioba 24 Hr race of the 2004 season at Wenatchee, which we finished in around 28 Hours
Looking back on the experience of finishing that race, I think I would quantify the physical requirements for finishing as
I dont think of myself as tremendously fit, for example, I run at around 10-12 minute mile pace, yet I still managed to finish a Trioba 24 Hr race in 28 Hours.
Its more important to be able to keep going than to be fast. In fact we where overtaken during the first 4-6 Hours by a lot of teams that then dropped out after only 12-16 hours of racing. Its essential to find a pace that you can keep up for 24 + Hours, and stick to it as much as possible.
At the same time, you have to maintain a certain minimum forward speed, and be able to deal with the arduous nature of the terrain you will have to traverse. This requires a certain base level of both strength and endurance.
The best way I have found to qualify this question is in reference to a scale I saw in a running book that rated performance relative to world class athletes, and graded everyone from World Class down to beginner on times relative to the World record.
For example, the winners of a Trioba 24 Hour race are going to take around 15 Hours. The last finishers would be around 30 Hours, I think finishing a Trioba makes you at least an Intermediate level racer.
THat gives us a table that looks something like this
Finding a team can be a time consuming task. Although perhaps I should restate that slightly, as finding any old team can be relatively easy. Finding a "good" team is what can take time.
There are several dimensions to finding a good team fit. First of all you need to find a team that wants to enter the same races as you do. Then you need to find a team with similar goals for their racing, a team with similar athletic abilities, of if very dissimilar abilities the ability to deal with a wide variety of paces during the events of the race. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you need to find a team that is a good fit for your personality.
Periodization and specialization are the cornerstones to my AR training. Periodization means breaking the year down into different periods, and planning different goals for each period. Specilization means training the sports you want to do, at or near the pace you wish to race at.
Right now ( December 30 2004) We are doing base training to build aerobic base, and muscle strength.
For me this consists of