Hell and Back Titan: It's on!

soooo prettyyy

I change my mind quicker than I change my socks and on a semi-whim I've decided to do the Hell and Back Titan race in November. I know I know I said in the last post I wasn't but as it turns out I'll have that day off work and 7 weeks is plenty of time to get back into the swing of things and honestly, I really really want the purple t-shirt! The vertigo medication is a god send and I've been able to put some really good work in this week, I think I've managed to work out 5 days this week without even realising it so I'm definitely getting back on form! What really spurred me on to do it again though is a tough walk up forest trails with some friends this week, I really enjoyed the challenge and I knew the steep ass hills were the perfect training ground for the race. Also, I really want to blog about it again because it's what I love to do and I want to train differently this time so I'll enjoy documenting it! I did too much talking last time and not enough actual work, which is pretty much the story of my life.

If this will be your first Hell and Back race welcome to the blog and I hope I can put your mind at ease a little bit! The first race I did was tough, the second was tougher and I can only imagine what this one will be like with the added distance and added obstacles no doubt. It is not easy at all so I won't be easing your mind in that respect, you need to train and prepare for it, there is absolutely no short cut to doing this race, whatever you put into your training you will feel it on the day of the race! But what I can do is keep you up to date on what I've learned from doing the last two races and how I'm going to apply these lessons to my training and preparation for the next one. The only important tip I have for this introductory post in the series running up to the race, is to get out as much as possible. Be it for a run, jog, bike ride or just out for a walk, keep your cardio up and if you can do some strength training that is brilliant!

So, without further ado, here's a summary of the blog posts and training I did for the 8 weeks running up to the last race!


1: Introduction and Training Tips for Hell and Back Apollo

2: Hell and Back Apollo, update and training plan.

3: Hell and Back Training Update

4: Sportswear and What I'll be Wear For Hell and Back 

5: Course Map and Training Update

6: Hell and Back Apollo Race Tips and Final Chance Workout

7: Hell and Back Apollo Race Review 

Workouts This Week

For old times sake, here's a summary of the workouts I did this week:

Monday: Arms, Shoulders + Stomach.

Warm-up:
15 mins cross-trainer

Bench press:
12kg dumb bells, 6-8 reps x 2
14kg dumb bells, 4-5 reps

Shoulder press:
10kg dumb bells, 6-8 reps x 3

Tricep Dips using bench:
20 reps x 2

Wide grip front lat pull-down:
30kg, 6-8 reps x 3

Iso Row:
30kg, 10 reps x 3

Leg raises, incline bench situps, situps with ball, plank.

Treadmill: 2 km sprint.

Wednesday: Legs

Warm-up: 10 mins on bike

Squat with bar:
30kg, 5-8 reps x 2
40kg, 3-5 reps

Backward lunge:
12kg dumb bells, 10 reps x 3

Forward Lunge:
10kg dumb bells, 20 x 2

Leg extension and Leg Curl:
8-10 reps x 3

10 minute run on treadmill.

Thursday:

5km hike on steep forest trails.

Friday: Arms + Shoulder

Repeat Monday.

Saturday:

10km run on road.

So that's it for this week anyway, it's safe to say I won't be doing a tap again until Monday! In my next post I'll talk about my exact training routine I'm planning on doing to prepare for the day, I'll go over some brilliant strength exercises that are easily done at home if you don't have access to a gym and I'll definitely be touching on form and a more in depth explanation of workouts because it's so so important. I've said this before but just to be warned, I am in no way a certified instructor, just a girl with a passion who likes training, racing and writing, so exercise caution, but most importantly, just exercise :) Thanks for reading!