Building Durability for Trail Ultras with Jaume Lloria-Varella

From Born on the Trail: Going Longer · 1:26:01

Show by Niki Micallef

How do you build the strength and durability to keep moving well in a trail ultra?Jaume Lloria-Varella is an exercise physiologist, researcher and CTS coach whose work takes durability out of the laboratory and onto the trails. Following my conversation with Michele Zanini, this episode looks at how these ideas translate when within a mountainous trail and ultra context.We discuss why being durable on runnable terrain may not prepare you equally well for steep climbs or descents, and why hiking should be trained deliberately ahead of your ultra trail race. Jaume also explains how the terrain his athletes train on matters ahead of what they can sustain on race day.We also get into strength training, including a bold claim that he would advise in favour of replacing a running session with heavy resistance work, and the distinction between muscular endurance as a quality and the workouts used to develop it. We discuss the evidence behind heavy lifting and the questions that remain around weighted uphill sessions.The other practical thread is understanding how to tell whether your durability is improving. Jaume outlines ways to compare fresh and fatigued performance on the same terrain, and I describe the uphill test I have used myself. We also touch on breathing metrics and where their application on trails still needs work.The question running through this conversation is how well your preparation matches what your race will actually ask of you.Looking for coaching or guidance? Learn more at the link below.RELATED CONTENTAssessing Physiological Durability in Trail Runners: Terrain-Specific Responses to a 90-Minute Submaximal Run: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41130463/Trail-Running Durability During Race Simulation at Moderate Altitude (1850 m): Speed Decline, Force Loss, and Ventilatory Adjustments Without Increased Energy Cost in Well-Trained Runners: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42632632/Pacing analysis and comparison of TOP-10 and NOT TOP-10 Ultra Trail Cape Town 100-km finishers: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39526871/RELATED BORN ON THE TRAIL CONTENTHow to Fade Less During Your Next Ultramarathon: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/how-to-run-faster-further-into-yourWhy Do Ultra Endurance Athletes Get Better With Age?: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/why-do-ultra-endurance-athletes-get-better-with-ageYour Watch Doesn't Understand Trail Running Performance: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/your-watch-doesnt-understand-trailCan You Train Durability? The Science of Fading Less with Michele Zanini: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/can-you-train-durability-the-scienceWhy Trail Running Breaks the Rules of Exercise Science with Dr. Simon de Waal: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/why-trail-running-breaks-the-rulesFOLLOW JAUME LLORIA-VARELLAResearch Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jaume-Lloria-Varella-2CTS: https://trainright.com/coaches/jaume-lloria-varella/WATCH THIS SHOW ON OTHER PLATFORMSSubstack: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/podcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bornonthetrailSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6o5yHthUidO0No4VA3xdVbApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-on-the-trail-going-longer/id1857231629YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvFOih1rUBA2F_3Bi7Ii-cAqieAQSumU_FOLLOW BORN ON THE TRAIL ON SOCIAL MEDIASubstack: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bornonthetrail/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bornonthetrailFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bornonthetrail/ Get full access to Born on the Trail at bornonthetrail.substack.com/subscribe

More episodes of Born on the Trail: Going Longer

More episodes

PodSearch is a free, independent podcast search engine. Read about PodSearch, the privacy policy or contact us.