Thursday, December 10, 2009

Wasatch Back--- questions!!!

Hey there gals!

My husband and I have officially registered for the Wasatch Back. We are running it on our 10-year anniversary. We are so excited!!!

I have never run it before, so I have some questions for those of you who have experienced this relay.
Did you use trail running shoes to run the relay? If so, I'm assuming you trained in them as well? What kind of training did you do in order to get ready?

Any other extra info would be greatly appreciated!!

7 comments:

Rachel Durazzani said...

I ran the Wasatch Back in 2008. I did Avon Pass which was all trail running and didn't wear an special shoes for the training or for the race. My other two legs were on pavement. I know my husband, who ran Avon Pass downhill, probably would have benefited from trail shoes, but even he did okay in his regular running shoes.
I did all kinds of training - road, treadmill and some trail. I used the training schedule provided by Ragnar and it worked out for me. I probably would have done more intense hill training, since Avon Pass was straight up hill - something like running the Y. That would be my advice...lots and lots of training on hills. You'll need it!
Good luck! It is an EXCELLENT race. I am doing the Ragnar in Boston (where I live now) in May and can hardly wait!

Tall Girl Running said...

I ran the Wasatch Back this year (with my fabulous teammates!) and also ran the downhill leg on Avon Pass. I don't own a pair of trail shoes so I had never trained in them. That said, I do think they would have been helpful on that particularl leg. It was quite a steep descent with very uneven terrain and while I managed not to twist an ankle or anything, I did come away from it with three black toenails (which I eventually lost).

If you know you're going to be running on trails for the race and have a pair of trail shoes, you might as well train with them. If not, just be sure you have a good pair of sturdy running shoes that provide the control you need.

Good luck and have fun! I'll be there again next year too.

Jen said...

I've run it the past two years, and love it! I always just run in my regular running shoes. To train, run hills (up and down), various distances, and when the race gets closer, run several times in one day, at different times. Like a morning, noon, and night. You will love it!

Mrs. Spencer said...

I've ran the Wasatch Back the last two years and I love it! It is so much fun. I also ran up Avon pass this last year and I didn't do it in Trail shoes...just my regular running shoes. It is a dirt road but nothing that normal shoes can't handle and the Avon pass legs and the Ragnar legs are probably the most "off-road" of the legs.
I don't know if there is a perfect way to train other than to just be in the best shape that you can. Hill training is good to do (running the Y would have been a great thing to get ready for Avon Pass), running at different times of the day would also be good and also somehow training for heat.
I'm also running it again this year and I can't wait!!!

Lisa said...

This is a great website I have found about all things relay. It is great. http://www.runningrelays.com/
I really want to do one.

Enjoy!!

Sarai said...

Just joining the crowd in advicing: Train with lots of hills! Make sure they are very steep and long ones. Have fun!

Christy said...

I've run it the past two years and just wore my regular running shoes. I had the Avon downhill leg, and I felt fine in them. Just watch your footing.

Other than that, hills, hills, and more hills. I'd even do a couple of two-a-day runs toward the end of your training.

I'll see you on the course!