How To Train For The Coastal Five
Join Coastal Five Founders and International Coaches, Mark and Suzanne, as Suzanne asks Mark for his advice on how to train for the Coastal Five and how your training programme should differ from training for a standard marathon.
This video covers how you can successfully adapt a standard marathon training programme to prepare both physically and mentally for completing all 5 events of the Coastal Five.
You'll also learn about the custom-built [Online Coastal Five Training Programme] which provides week-by-week guidance on how to prepare for the full Coastal Five event with 1-to-1 personalised email coaching support. Regardless of where you are in your training for the Coastal Five, this online training programme can be customised to fit your training schedule and running level.
Video Contents
- What's the Coastal Five about: 00.00 - 1.59
- Introduction to Mark, Coastal Five Founder & International Running & Multisport Coach: 2.00 - 2.59
- How to train for the Coastal Five Individual and why's it's different to a standard marathon: 3.00 - 7.09
- Example of marathon training session vs. Coastal Five training session: 7.10 - 10.59
- Upcoming training videos & custom-build Coastal Five Online Training Program: 11.00 - 15.45
What is the Coastal Five about?
It's a running event that's about exploring the scenic beauty of Taranaki but it's also a real challenge with the option to complete the marathon distance over 2 days or the option to choose your own challenge, selecting from the following events.
Who is Mark Turner, Founder of the Coastal Five?
Mark's first-love is running, he has been running for more than 30 years and coaching for 25 years. Mark started coaching in Australia, initially focusing on middle-distance events. He has also run at a national level in Australia, representing Queensland in cross-country running. Mark has a wealth of experience in running as an athlete, as well as in a coaching capacity and is also an international triathlon coach.
How to train for the Coastal Five Individual and why's it's different to a standard marathon
There are some subtle differences between training for a marathon and training for the Coastal Five. For the Coastal Five, you've got 5 events over 2 day to complete the 42.2 km marathon distance. So how do you train for this?
The first thing to note is that most marathons today are predominantly run on flat courses to allow for mass participation. Key differences between the Coastal Five and a standard marathon are:
- Multiple events over 2 days
- Mixture of terrain
A standard marathon is about minimising fatigue or improving fatigue resistance - so your training is focused on improving your ability to not slow down as much or hold the same pace and run efficiently over the 42.2 km.
Whereas for the Coastal Five, you run one event, have a rest, run another event, have another rest etc. Your training therefore needs to be focused on building endurance and strength and your ability to back up your previous event. Because of this, you have to train differently for this specific event than you would for a marathon. The law of specificity applies - prepare as well as you can for the different distances and terrains to take on the dynamic nature of the events.
Example of Marathon training session vs. Coastal Five training session
Here are some examples of standard marathon training sessions and how they can be translated to a Coastal Five training session.
Example 1: Standard marathon training session
- 4 x 1 km on road at high intensity ie. 5km race pace
- Recovery: If 1km takes 5 minutes, your recovery period would be about the same time
Example 1: Coastal Five training session
- 4 x 4 minute intervals on trails and over hills to improve strength and help get used to running on different terrains
- Recovery: 3 - 4 minute jog recovery
Followed by...
- 4 to 6 x 20 - 30 second reps fast to help prepare for one of the shorter events like the Devon Mile and train for the ability to be able to run fast on tired legs
Example 2: Standard marathon training session
- 2 hour easy aerobic run on relatively flat terrain
Example 2: Coastal Five training session
- 90 minutes aerobic run on road terrain, then 30 minutes uphill
For the Coastal Five, you should get used to running twice per day over regular weekly intervals ie. in the morning do an easy 30 minute aerobic run then interval training in the eventing. It's about preparing the body physically and mind to take on the challenge of the Coastal Five.
Upcoming training videos & custom-build Coastal Five Online Training Programme
We'll be hosting more videos like these each week in the lead up to the Coastal Five event on 20/21 November. Make sure you're following Coastal Five on Facebook to catch us on Sunday at 5pm.
As this is the only event of its kind in the world, we've developed a custom-built Online Training Program that enables us to help participants prepare in the best way for the Coastal Five.
Here's what you can expect:
- New training videos and training schedules released weekly
- Join the training programme any time
- 1-to-1 personalised coaching support via email
- Custom weekly programs available for 3 different levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) with 3 key weekly training sessions for each level
- Flexible training programmes to fit into your weekly schedule
- Free 5-day trial
- Only $10 per week
- Cancel any time