Incoporating footy into ultra training

Howdy all,

I am hoping you can help with some training questions I have.

I have ran few marathons/ halfs in the recent past and whilst training for those have managed to carry on playing football twice a week (5 a side and 7 a side).

I have just signed up for my first ultra (the trailwalker 100k in July) and was wondering if anybody could tell me if they carried on playing football (or equivalent sport) whilst training for an ultra. I have scoured the net and bought a few books, but they all seem to say the training needs to be slow and steady.

 Any help would be appreciated.

Comments

  • Well famously Scott Jurek bust his ankle in a friendly footy (American: soccer) game just before he ran (and, iirc, won and set a new course record). So clearly even the greatest do, but that would be the main concern - the risk of doing yourself a mischief. 

    Ultras are obv a long way and so in training you need to practice ... well, running (and walking) a lot. If you  don't have energy for proper ultra training and footy that's an issue. But if you have the energy and are willing to take the risk I'm not sure why it would be a problem playing footy for a couple of hours a week?

  • Thanks Fido,



    I suppose my reticence in playing football and training for an ultra is to do with recovery. I push myself hard whilst playing football and ache for days afterwards. I suppose I will just have to suck it up and train through the pain!
  • if you ache for days afterwards and then run on tired legs then you are more at risk from injury..

     It does depend on how fast you are and what you want to get out of the ultra..a good time or are you content just to finish..

    most ultra plans will have you doing a long run followed by the next day a semi long run.......so have you decided where you can fit these two in.......for those working monday to friday this is usually saturday and sunday.....If you play football on these days then you are in a corner....

    so does depend on your available free time..........and your priorities.....plenty of people could probably do both....but have maybe done a few ultras and know how their bodies cope and recover...

     

  • if you ache for days afterwards and then run on tired legs then you are more at risk from injury..

     It does depend on how fast you are and what you want to get out of the ultra..a good time or are you content just to finish..

    most ultra plans will have you doing a long run followed by the next day a semi long run.......so have you decided where you can fit these two in.......for those working monday to friday this is usually saturday and sunday.....If you play football on these days then you are in a corner....

    so does depend on your available free time..........and your priorities.....plenty of people could probably do both....but have maybe done a few ultras and know how their bodies cope and recover...

     

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Well if smashing your feet, kicking things and people and being kicked by people is the way to train then do it.

    🙂

  • VDOT52VDOT52 ✭✭✭
    I'd guess that you would ache a lot less after a game if you got fitter via running.



    Inagree with Ric in his message that football will not be a good combo of training for an ultra. I'd pick one or the ohers as a pastime and then just enjoy it. Doing both would most likely mean you will just be less good at 2 things.
  • If the ultra is important to you then the risk of injury isnt worth it....but if you get a lot of enjoyment from the football then it doesn't matter so much if you get injured and miss the ultra

  • Thanks for all the advice guys/gals. I think it will see how it goes in the first couple of weeks of training.
  • Well instead of back to back weekend runs, doing one after football will have the same effect which is running whilst knackerd a bit image 

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