24HHH Training

[jace]

On a whim, me and a buddy entered the 24 Hour Horsehoe Hell lottery and got a slot in the competition this year. Now: how the hell do I go about training for a 24 Hour climbing competition? We will probably be climbing significantly below our max for the most part so should I just ARC a ton? What should I focus on?

[jcm]

Skin preservation, foot pain, and sleep deprivation?

[Lundy]

I've never done 24HHH, but I have done some multi-day adventure racing, and while it's incredibly hard to train for suffering, I found the biggest difference in my performance was having my diet dialed in to ensure my ability to do hard work over such a long period of time.  So that might be something you play with in the coming weeks before the event.

[Chris W]

What are your goals for the event? I have a climbing partner who has been to many of the HHH events. From what he's told me, there's a lot of tactics and tricks involved in doing well.

[jace]

Well Insines up in the intermediate category because it was the appropriate category at the time, but I've since climbed hard enough to be in the advanced (thanks, RCTM!). Obviously winning would be cool but unlikely. More just want to push myself to the limit and see how far I can go.

[jetjackson]

I've thought about this. Personally, I would train similar to training for the Marathon, crossed with the Anderson Bros. program. Probably a bit late in the game for this, since you're about 2 weeks out, but here are my thoughts;

Set a goal footage for 24HHH, eg. 6000 feet. ~100 routes at 24HHH.

16 week program. Every Sunday is a full day gym session, or better - outdoor session if you can swing it - sandstone would be even better if you have access to it. In Marathon training, you do a Sunday run each weekend, that you build up to about 70-80% of the total distance you will run at the final event, which you complete about 2 weeks before the actual event before a taper. My idea mimics this.

1-4 weeks - endurance build, ARC'ing, and heaps of it. Building up to 3x per week of min 1500 feet sessions - you want to finish this first 4 weeks doing endurance sessions at the same spread of grade levels you expect to climb at 24 HHH. This program isn't about improving your grade, but helping you climb at your current level nonstop for 24 hours. 

5-7 weeks - 2x per week, Tuesday/Thursday - Hang Boarding, for 3 weeks. Each Sunday climb 2400 feet, and increase 400 feet each Sunday, so 2400/2800/3200. On at least one of these weeks, get only 2 hours sleep on the Saturday night, and then climb all Sunday, so that you get the feeling for climbing off very little sleep. If you can access a crag where you can climb at night, even better, just re-create the conditions of the night.

8 week - Power - limit bouldering Tues/Thurs - Sunday 3600 feet.

Week 9-10 - Power Endurance - linked bouldering circuits, Sunday 4000, and 4400 feet, Week 9/10 respectively. If you can, do a full 24 hour trial run on the Sunday of Week 10.

Week 11- Taper - linked bouldering circuits during the week on Tues/Thurs, Sunday, just do an easy 1500 foot session to keep your body from going rusty.

Week 12 - easier linked bouldering circuits during the week - maybe just do a single one, performance on that weekend at 24 HHH.

All training is with your partner, and on lead. Repeat each route 2 times during training, once after the other, as per the 24HHH rules allow. Mimic the pace you want to replicate on the day in every Sunday training session.

On your Sunday training sessions, use exactly the same gear that you will use on the event day. Eat exactly the same snacks etc.

Not sure if this is allowed, but I would take 2 volunteers to go with you at the competition, to watch you climb in the second 12 hours of the 24HHH - you will be most prone to making mistakes from a safety standpoint in that second half, and would be good to have backup spotters. I'd also get a pair of belay glasses to ease up the stress on the neck.

I would also carb load on the days leading up to the event, but do it in a smart way, don't binge on pasta the day before, or eat food you have never eaten before. I would practice carb loading for the Sunday sessions anyway, so you get used to the feeling of having glycogen heavy limbs.