Topo Winter Training Challenge
2008/2009 Off-Season Adventure Race Training Challenge
November 15th, 2008 - February 28, 2009
| Challenge Days So Far: 104 |
| Challenge Days Remaining: 0 |
| TRAINING CHALLENGE MESSAGE BOARD |
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PARTICIPANT LIST
Hello fellow adventure racers and outdoor enthusiasts! We are going to start a little contest to keep everyone’s competitive spirits smoldering for the 2009 racing season. We invite you to join the fun.
We are starting a training challenge that runs from November 15th through February 28th. If you choose to participate, you will just need to send an e-mail to challenge@topoadventuresports.org. We will then reply with a link to your own Google Spreadsheet where you can enter your training workouts for each day. See a SAMPLE WORKSHEET.
The challenge will place an emphasis first on consistency and second on volume. The main goals for the training challenge are based on the average number of training sessions per week and there are four goal levels to shoot for:
BRONZE LEVEL - an average of 3 training sessions per week (45 total workouts in the 104 day challenge)
SILVER "Sprint" LEVEL - an average of 5 training sessions per week (75 total workouts in the 104 day challenge)
GOLD "24-Hour" LEVEL - an average of 7 training sessions per week (104 total workouts in the 104 day challenge)
PLATINUM "Expedition" LEVEL - an average of 10 training sessions per week (149 total workouts in the 104 day challenge)
The training sessions each must be at least 30 minutes long to qualify. Each session can last longer and often will, but each session will only count as a single session. So if you do a 2-hour bike ride it will count as one session not four. Another example: if you run for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at lunch and then come home and squeeze in 30 minutes on the trainer you have 3 thirty minutes sessions. Likewise, if you do an hour run in the morning, a 2-hour bike ride at lunch, and an hour paddle after dinner, you still have three sessions.
We will have a Google spreadsheet that will pull in the entries from each person. We'll publish the top performers on this site. In addition to individual awards, we may also compare states to each other (Ohio vs. Michigan vs. Georgia, etc.), and maybe groups as well (Infiterra Message Board vs. Trailblazers vs. TopoAdventureSports, etc.).
You will have the option to enter distances in the training log, and we will track the top performers for distance, but, again, the emphasis is on consistency. It's no problem if you just want to enter training time and nothing else. This helps make it an even playing field for all participants, from beginners to veterans, and (hopefully) helps eliminate the "intimidation factor" for someone just getting started.
Additional Details
• Let’s stick to aerobic training sessions for this contest, so NO Yoga, Pilates, Pro-BodX, Kettle bells, Cross fit or whatever else you are into.
• In the Google Spreadsheet, you will be able to track running, biking, paddling, and other aerobic activities. The following are examples of workouts that fit into each category:
-- Running: Trail running, road running, orienteering, and treadmill workouts.
-- Biking: Mountain biking, road biking, trainer/roller workouts, and spinning.
-- Paddling: Canoeing, kayaking, and rafting.
-- Other: Miscellaneous aerobic workouts, including: swimming, inline skating, elliptical machine, stair climber, basketball, racquetball, bag workouts, rowing machine, etc.
• The main prize for this challenge is bragging rights. But also, you have the opportunity to enter the 2009 season in better shape than ever before! If you accept this challenge and meet the goals you set for yourself, it could be a great start to the Spring!
• In a given workout session, you can get credit for up to one workout per discipline. So, for example, if you do an adventure race involving running, biking, and paddling, it would count for a total of three workouts. This clarification is partly to help prevent someone from padding their stats be doing a 5 hour workout that's bike, run, bike, run, bike, run, etc., each for 30 minutes, and getting credit for 10 workouts in one day. Again, the goal is training consistency over time, not a super long workout once a week!