OCR Training - 5 Beginner Tips

DB Max are delighted to have taken over the running of the Battle of Lansdown. Their first edition will take place on Saturday 30th March (ENTER HERE), and they look forward to adding their professionalism to an already well-established, hugely popular event.

The Battle of Lansdown attracts many first-time obstacle course races, and DB Max wanted to help those newbies with a few initial training tips. So, let’s get stuck in…

Break your rhythm
An OCR like the Battle of Lansdown is very stop-start, unlike ‘normal’ running races. You need to train for this! It’s simple to do: on a run, just once you’ve found a comfortable pace, stop! Maybe do a couple of press-ups or squats and then crack on.

Do this a few times throughout the run, forcing yourself to break your rhythm even when you don’t want to. It’s surprisingly hard at first but will become easier with practice.

Get a grip
Many obstacles will require hand and grip strength. You don’t need to be a pull-up guru to get through a course but developing the ability to “hang out” will benefit you on the big day.

Use a doorway, pullup bar or even the monkey bars at the playground and develop your hand and forearm strength by gradually increasing the amount of time you can hang for.

Hit the hills
Strength is a big factor when it comes to obstacle course racing. Whether you’re climbing a travellator or ascending a rope net, the ability to repeatedly lift your weight is crucial.

Run on hilly trails, do hill repeats and add squats to your exercise routine just a couple of times per week. Focus on strengthening your quads, hamstrings and glutes and you’ll not only have a more enjoyable day at the event but will also reduce your risk of injury.

Don’t neglect the long run
Even though an OCR is mainly about the obstacles, don’t neglect run training.

An obstacle course race may “only” be 10km, but the time on feet and energy required is more akin to that of a longer race! Doing a fortnightly long run will build endurance, strength and mental toughness, all of which will help you on the day. Plus, the cardiovascular gains are always welcome.

Train with a group
As with any event, training can get boring and lonely at times. Having a group to train with makes it much easier.

We’re in contact with a few local training outfits with whom we hope to start some training sessions, which we’ll share when we have more info!

Once you’ve read through this and are confident you can tackle an OCR in 2019, get a group of friends together and enter one of the south’s premier obstacle course races, the Battle of Lansdown.

By James Eacott