Running Training & Bike Choice
The following tips and advice are courtesy of Peter O Farrell - 5 times winner of Gaelforce West.
The running tips are for more experienced runners.
Running Training
It's hard to advise exactly what you should be doing but in general terms you should be running at a low intensity for 2 - 6 hours per week, at a moderate intensity for 1 - 3 hours per week and also fit in one speed session and one hill session per week.
These two sessions are the key components as they stress your legs in unusual ways and hopefully you will adapt and grow stronger as a result. The speed could be Tuesday evening and the hill Saturday morning before your cycle.
A hillclimb session could be;
20 minute warm up
10 x 2minutes hard up a steep road/path with 2 minutes recovery jog between
each hard 2 minutes
20 minutes cool down
Or
20 minute warm up
3 x 8 minute hard-steady uphill efforts with 10 minutes easy jogging between
each one
20 minute cool down
(obviously you need a hill that's 8 minutes long for this one)
Speed sessions are myriad and my advice is join a running club or talk to a runner about speed training!
In terms of the race you should be moving at a pace that feels nearly too easy for the first stage or you WILL find the pace too hard by the final stage.
Choosing a Bike:
A cyclocross bike is best with fast rolling semi slick cyclocross tyres. If you cannot get a cyclocross bike it depends upon how fast and how much risk you are prepared to take.
Less risk and less speed - MTB bike with semi-slick tyres.
Worst of all - cheap MTB bike with knobbly tyres.
Liquids for your bike: Don’t forget to rehydrate before the final running section.