Long rides to prepare for the UTMB®

Doing long runs will be imperative to prepare the body for long efforts. They are an essential part of your training plan for the UTMB® in order to ensure that you have the necessary endurance to face the event.

The value of long runs

Long runs are necessary in your training to check that you can cope physically and mentally with a long run. They will also allow you to gradually get your body used to prolonged effort. In addition, they will allow you to see if injuries occur over time, such as warm-ups, tendonitis, blisters or muscle damage. Finally, long runs will allow you to get used to your equipment and to manage your nutrition and hydration over a long period of time, which is radically different from short runs.

What kind of long rides?

A long run is one that lasts at least 3 hours. In your training plan, you should see such rides with efforts lasting between 3 and 5 hours, depending on how far along you are. Ideally, you should do one per week. Finally, of course, it is better if the route has a difference in altitude. At the very least, it is advisable to do sessions with about 1500 metres of positive difference in altitude over 4 hours.