Anyone who wants to become a better obstacle course racer will need to master the skill of distance running. Most OCR courses range between 5k and 10k (or 3 to 6 miles) and the Abominable Snow Race is at the top end of that range. So learning how to cover those distances quickly and efficiently will go a long way to improving your abilities as an OCR athlete.

Many newer runners (and even some experienced runners) make the mistake of thinking that if they want to run faster, then they need to spend a lot of time running hard. But that’s not necessarily the case.

Most elite runners actually run easy the vast majority of the time. More and more people have been moving toward an 80/20 balance with their training volume. That means about 80% of their running is slow and only 20% is fast. Some measure their training in minutes and some measure in miles, but the basic idea is that 80% of their running is done at a very easy pace and only 20% is at a hard or fast pace.

The nice thing about this principle is that both beginners and advanced runners can benefit from following this training structure right away. If you’re only running 5 miles per week, then run 1 hard and 4 easy. If you’re doing 50 miles each week, aim to do 10 hard and 40 easy.

Everyone is a bit different and some may find themselves running closer to an 85/15 or a 75/25 split. The bottom line is that if you can be disciplined and keep the bulk of your running slow, you’ll improve your aerobic capacity, limit your risk of injury, and be fresh for your speed workouts.

This is one of those areas where it definitely pays to train smarter, not harder. With patience and consistency, following the 80/20 rule will help most runners learn to run faster, longer, and with fewer injuries.

For more tips on training for The Abominable Snow Race, follow Mark HERE.