24hr MTB Team Endurance Event - Training Advice and updates on my progress

Training
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I will update this thread as I go through the various stages of my journey.

I have just completed SSBLV1 got a small increase in FTP as well as weight loss and really enjoyed my MTB last week a lot more than previously due to the improvements in fitness. Next year I am looking to challenge myself by competing in a few events. They are mainly social in nature but I want to do better than just getting around!

So I have my A race 33 weeks away. The A race is a 24hr MTB marathon event which I am doing as part of a team of 3. It is a short lap (around 45 mins a lap) event. However in reality we would probably be doing 2-3 lap stints to give people decent rest periods (especially through the night). It is a fun event (but obviously you want to be competitive!).

My current plan is as follows (counting down in weeks to the event):

Weeks 33-28 – SSB LV2
Weeks 27-25 – Xmas holidays – I will do some filler workouts around planned family holiday activities
End of Week 25 – B Event – 50 miles MTB charity ride
Week 24-19 – SSB LV1 or 2 – depending on which I prefer to continue building base fitness
Week 18-17 – 2 spare weeks that will be family holiday. They likely won’t fall on these weeks but 2 other weeks during the rest of the plan but are spare at the moment.
Week 16-9 – General Build - I was torn here as the laps are pretty short but I want to be able to do 2-3 laps at a time so though General Build might be more suitable than the Power Build variants (in order to be more rounded)
Week 8-1 – Short Track Cross Country – I am not sure which is the best to choose between Short Track Cross Country, Cross Country Olympic and Cross Country Marathon.

Essentially my plan until I am 16 weeks out is to build base fitness and focus on losing weight. After that I could do with some advice on the best options to choose for this event.

Also about 3-4 weeks after the A race (waiting for confirmation of dates) is my other big ride for the year which is a 100 mile MTB bikepacking ride but I think the fitness I will have built in the previous training should see me through this without major issues.

This is my first structured training (I did some Zwift training plans prior to the 100 mile MTB event this year which got my round but not with the fitness that I desired).

Essentially I am not looking to win any of these and 2 are just social event really but I am looking to be the best I can be for these events this year with thoughts of doing more racing next year following a build in fitness.

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Given you’ll be racing ~8 hours in your A race, Short Track seems like overkill, I would personally go with Marathon.

Good luck!

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Go with marathon for speciality. Think about how it’s raced, not about the length of the laps. Short track is an all-out blast from the start. You won’t be doing that in your race, or if you do, you’ll be paying for it in your second and third stint.

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In my experience, dialling in the nutrition is as important as dialling in the training for these events.
Maybe plan some sessions at a trail centre, alternating laps with your team and trying out your nutrition strategies. Even so, bear in mind that what works at hour 8 might not be palatable at hour 20 when you’ve had a nap.

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Cheers for the responses. Should be plenty of opportunities to test nutrition. I have never planned for something so far in advance before so looking forward to it making a real difference.

I will look at he marathon plan. As I say I was undecided so the guidance definitely helps.

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