obstaclemudrunner.co.uk
26
RACE : TRAINING
Chris is the Director and co-owner of the Better Body
group, a chain of personal training and performance
centres in the South East based in Sevenoaks,
Blackheath and coming soon to Henley on Thames.
Chris has completed over 10,000 hours of personal
training sessions, training elite athletes, Olympians
and Pro OCR runners out of his 15,000sq foot
performance facility in Sevenoaks
Q:
What is your top training tip for those taking
part in OCR’s?
A:
With the novelty and variety of obstacles that
all OCR’s require, it’s easy to get carried away with
obstacle preparation, and forget that there is a hell
of a lot of running to be done in-between. Don’t
neglect your road work. Be sure to have built up to at
least 90% of the race length as part of your running
training. Avoid this and you are likely to run out of
gas before even attempting your first dip in the mud.
Ideally your road work should account for 60-80% of
your training schedule.
Q:
What should I eat before and after my OCR?
A:
Obstacle courses are hard enough without having
to worry about nausea, cramps, dehydration and
fatigue. Making sure your pre and post race nutrition
are on point will help swerve the above and keep you
focused on the task at hand.
Follow these simple guidelines to maximise
performance:
Two Days from race day
: At this stage you should be
carb loading. Make sure 70-80% of your nutrition is
coming from decent sources of carbohydrates like
brown rice and pasta, oats, wholegrains etc. This will
help increase your energy stores, something you’re
going to need a lot of come race day!
The day before race day
: Stick to digestion friendly
carbohydrates that you are familiar with. Don’t go
trying some fancy new recipe or risk feeling nauseous
and bloated at the start line.
On race day
: The timing of your breakfast is all
important. Experiment in the weeks running up to
race day with training after your breakfast. I would
recommend a small, carb heavy meal (150-170g) and
a small amount of protein around 2-3 hours before
the starting gun. Avoid anything too high in fat, even
your good fats such as avocado, although these are
good at increasing satiety they are harder to digest.
Post race
: At this point it’s tempting to head straight
to the bar! I’m with you on that one, but make sure
With Chris Wharton
Co-owner
Better Body Group
ForEliteAtheletes toFunRunners
Q&A
Ideally your
road work
should account
for 60-80% of
your training
schedule
