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This beaut little ultra , my words this time, is one of many ultra marathons popping up in WA at the moment. All started by runners who love the tight knit ultra community and the characters it contains. Ultra and trail runners are ,for the most part, normally like-minded people working toward the greater good of this planet we spend our time destroying. They tend to work off the grid and their time on the trail is them reconnecting with nature and the very basic urge to just run , self supported , for a long time. Pushing themselves to the limits of their ability with the encouragement and friendship of fellow runners, all sharing the wonderful experience of just running in the most beautiful places untouched by man and all his vices.
The best thing about the ultra and trail community is without doubt the comradery amongst the runners. These guys genuinely care for each other and the environment. Probably because they get to experience the best of it and want to keep it pristine. Whatever the reason their cause is just and this adds to the whole feeling of enjoyment they experience when they ‘do their thing‘. Now I’m not suggesting we all ‘run to the hills’ (that would make a great song title..) but once in a while the odd foray to dance with Mother Nature is certainly good for the soul.
Another great addition to the ultra calendar is the ADU, Australia Day Ultra ran by my good friend Ron Mcglinn, in Ron’s words… ( http://australiadayultra.com )
Welcome
After being drawn to the beauty of this area, and running along this stretch of coast in and around the Leschenault Peninsula over many years, I have have felt drawn to share this beautiful area with other like minded running enthusiasts. I have looked for a slot in the Ultra running and Marathon calendar where there was very little happening for an opportunity to open this beautiful gem up to the running community.
One slot that did not seem to interfere with any other major events was the weekend of Australia Day …………….the dates may change slightly each year, but hey let’s just call it the Australia Day Ultra !
The course is mapped out as a 12.5 km out and back ( 2 x laps for 25km, 4 x laps for 50km and 8 x laps for 100km + 6km Kids Event) along the Australind Foreshore, taking in the scenic Cathedral drive through the paperbark walk. ( This was the old Bunbury road once apon a lifetime). There will be an aid station at each end of the course (6.25km) apart along with a self serve water station at the 3km mark so there would be no need to carry water or supplies other than the mandatory gear. There are amenities at the Australind end with decent parking a service station and shops. Toilet blocks and playgrounds are located at the Start/Finish line and at the 2 km mark ( Fees Field). There are no significant road crossing and the foot traffic will be separated from vehicle traffic, though you can park on the side of the track all along the length of the proposed course.
We are set for a Midnight start time for the 100 km, 3 am start for the 50 km, 6 am start for the 25 km, and a 9am start for the Kiddies 6km run to beat the heat!
This is going to be Very Flat and Very Fast, the perfect PB course.
This is AURA Approved and we offer discounts on the entry fee for AURA members. This is a certified course, so records will be up for the taking for those willing to push themselves that little bit harder.
Hope to see you out there.
This one is special to me as I saved Ron’s life once , the first time I met him actually. We were doing a recon run for the 6 inch ultra (see below) and we set of as a group and ran the whole 46k point to point, had lunch and then drove back to the start to pick up our cars. Ron has set off by himself and we met him on his way back about 15k from the cars. Anyhow we carried on another 30k , had lunch at the Dwellingup Pub (an experience in itself I can tell you.) and drove back to the start to see his car still parked, with no sign of Ron. Being totally unprepared we didn’t have his phone number and after a frantic call to Dave Kennedy, who also didn’t have his phone number, we started up Goldmine hill in my Prado. When we got to the top we saw a disshelfed Ron walking towards us. He had got lost and wondered about ‘bush’ for 3-4 hours totally lost. There was tall stories of looking for fish in brooks and Crocodile Dundee like encounters with nature. Anyway, to this day whenever we meet I remind him how I saved his life the first time he met.
Ron helped me drop down from the 100k to the 50k last year at this event which really is special at you start at 3am so the first 2 hours are in the dark and last year was a full moon. (I wonder how Ron arranged that? It’s the little things these Race Directors do that make all the difference…. ) Which was lucky for me as my ‘I don’t need a head torch I’ll run with the lead group’ plan backfired when I got dropped quicker than a Hilary Clinton victory speech and found myself alone in the dark. Lesson learnt for next year, don’t get dropped !
Last ultra-trail marathon I’m going to talk about in this post is the infamous 6 inch ultra marathon where I pit myself against the heat, hills and trails of the Munda biddi track. This ultra started 12 years ago as a fatass (free entry) but has morphed into a 350 runner sell out and it is one of the highlights of the year to run this with good friends. ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/?page_id=92 ) I’ve mentioned it before but it is well worth running this bad boy if you are ever in WA around the last Sunday before Christmas. Although I treat is as more of a long run with a bib on I still try and run sub 4 hours , which I have done 5 times out of 7. The difficulty of the course is obvious from this as it’s only 3-4k’s longer than a normal marathon but takes me over an hour longer, trail running is hard work!! I’ve attached a great finishing shot taken a few years ago which sums up the experience…
So from midnight tonight for the 12 hour race, if you’re anywhere near Yellagonga Regional Park, Ocean Reef Rd, Woodvale, I reckon you get down there and watch some seriously great runners doing their thing around a beaut 2.5km track, again and again and again………I’m assuming the 6hr will start at 6am and the 3hr at 9am so they all finish at midday. (seems logical anyway ? Check the website to confirm because these ultra/trail runners aren’t one to conform to what we would expect, otherwise they be concrete junkies like me !)
Every time I see the sunrise I think of all the people asleep in bed who just get up , crawl to work in a zombie like state and never get to experience the ‘sunrise that could cleanse the soul‘ that I experience almost daily. These same people look at me with disgust when I tell them what time I rose and embraced the day, explaining that I’m running in the middle of the night. Maybe their night not mine. On a good day I get to experience the sunset over the ocean if I can get to the bike path in time. On many times I’ve ran with the sunrise in the morning and finished the day racing the sunset. How good is that ? I’ll tell you , bloody good.
As well as experiencing the sunrise you normally get to run through your local park alone or experience the city waking with very little traffic, well I do in Perth, it’s probably different in major cities but it’ll be quieter anyhow. Th early morning really is a magical time experienced by the few and that’s the way we like it. Living in Perth we are blessed with such a runner friendly climate. Nine months of the year it’s just about prefect all day and for the three summer months, where the temperature can get brutal, you take solace in the early morning when the temperature is kinder. I then bring out the bike and cycle to and from work after my morning run as this is great cardio (I’m an old fashioned cyclist who actually pedals. With the number of motorised or electric bikes on the bike paths actually meeting ‘normal’ cyclists is rare. When did it become the norm to ‘cycle’ to work on an electric bike without actually doing anything ? The world has gone crazy people with the same people then ‘clip-clopping’ into the local cafe and sipping their frothy light frappacinos’s cacooned in lycra. ) I have been known to say the odd derogatory remark about cycling but as a means of commuting in the Summer heat there really is nothing better. As for the lycra and coffee addiction, I can put up with it. Actually any excuse to drink good coffee should be embraced anyway. The lycra and headscarf, testing but after a while you get use to it and before long you’re ‘clip-clopping’ into cafes with your cycling gear fitting right in. (Although I’ve never drank a soya, light, frothy frappaccino , yet ?)
So what was the point of this post. I do seem to have ‘dribbled ‘on for longer than normal. The point is get up early and go and enjoy the sunrise and then run late and experience the sunset. They are both worth the effort and who knows if you running around King’s Park in Perth one morning you may end up in a ‘Paul Harrison classic’. (see below)
I attached a great photo of the sunrise in Perth take by one of my favourite photographers Paul Harrison, a very talented man.
Looking at my training log for the last 8 years I have has no real down time as such. Maybe a week off after the Rottnest Marathon as I vacation with the family counts ? Not as long as recommend by Greg in his article. I do have a ‘reduced workload’ period for 2-3 months over the summer months in Perth where most of the major races dry up due to the heat. Maybe this has been enough to keep me focused while still maintain the intensity and running goal times in the ‘running season’. Truth be told it isn’t reduced that much though when it gets really hot I jump on the bike and commute to work and reduce my running to once a day.
Maybe I’m actually following Greg’s advice without actually realising it ? Like all things running it is not a ‘one shoe fits all’ sport. What works for one person will not have the same affect with another. What Greg preaches is common sense and well worth considering and I will take it onboard. (maybe this will justify a trip to the local deli and another muffin ?) Spending more time with my family, that always put a strain on the marriage ? I’ll consult with my Wife before I embark down this road. I’m not so sure the family will appreciate more BK time…
THE LOST ART OF RECOVERING BETWEEN TRAINING CYCLES
I see a bad habit forming in many runners: the lack of a recovery cycle after their big races or racing seasons. Today, far too many are simply finishing one race (often a marathon) and immediately starting to train for the next one. You can get away with this a few times, but usually runners get burned out and leave the sport for new activities after doing this too often. The grind of always “training” weighs you down. Runners may also reach a performance plateau after a few races and fall well short of their true running potential, simply because they don’t allow a proper recovery phase.
In fairness, I understand this drive to move from one race to the next. I love running, too, and there is nothing better than being fully engaged in training for a big race. But never taking a break ignores one of the most important principles that we learned from great coaches and athletes over the last century: Top runners require a regular, full recovery cycle.
Great athletes build annual breaks into their training year. Not a reduced week or two of training every now and then, but weeks of complete rest. They don’t only rest, but they gain weight, too. Some add 5 to 15 pounds to their normally light frames while they enjoy time with their families, take vacations and generally do things they normally can’t because of their training.
If you follow many of today’s great runners, you’ll see that they, too, take the time to get away from the sport. Nick Symmonds goes fishing after the track season. Bernard Lagat talks about getting “fat” during his downtime, and the Hansons require their marathoners to take two weeks completely off after a marathon.
How can they do this? How can great athletes allow themselves to get out of shape? How can they tolerate the downtime without worrying about the competition?
While we worry about losing our fitness level, or that the competition is training and we’re not, these athletes know that planned annual breaks rejuvenate the body and mind in ways that outweigh losses in fitness. The worriers who plow through often take similar breaks, but rather than planned vacations, they are mandated by injuries, overtraining and burnout. Planned breaks take the pressure off — you don’t feel that your training is never-ending, jumping from one goal to the next. Science is discovering that the chemistry of the brain, the hormonal system and the immune system are compromised during hard training. Breaks rejuvenate these systems, allowing us to train better, more consistently and with more zeal across the next training plan.
Will you lose fitness? Yes. How much is hard to calculate and will depend on how long a break you take. But it’s not about how out of shape you get, but about how recovered you are and how ready to attack the next training cycle.
Remember that the recovery phase isn’t just the downtime, but also the time needed to rebuild mileage and pace. Many runners fail even when they do take time off, because upon their return, they jump right back into full training — again feeling the need to “get in shape.” You’ll need to plan on three to five weeks of rebuilding to your full training load. I usually start at 50 percent of full mileage, then increase 10 to 20 percent each week (with a recovery week of lower mileage every two to four weeks) until I’m back to 100 percent. Use common sense and build back slowly.
In the end, what’s the rush? A few weeks of downtime never ruined anyone’s running career — quite the opposite.
COACH’S NOTES
I took nearly a month off after my last marathon. I gained a few pounds. I enjoyed some new hobbies and time with family. But most of all, I rediscovered the desire, motivation and passion that drive me as a runner, and I couldn’t wait to challenge myself to do better. The next training cycle went even better than expected because I carried all the fitness from the previous cycle, plus my recharged motivation. I was able to run 2 minutes faster in the 15K than I had the year before. I’m convinced the recovery phase played a large role in this breakthrough.
The week after the marathon is a magical time when really you get to do what you want without the constant fear of not training. If you want you can do no exercise the week after a marathon and this has been shown to do as much good as gentler recovery. The only reason I run in the post marathon week is I love running and my treat to myself after a marathon is to run, albeit slowly. Can you treat yourself after so much running with more running, not sure ? Anyhow this is the week to go large on the ice cream scooper make multiple visits to your favourite deli and order that high fat, sugar laced muffin you normally just stare at in wonder.
Basically let yourself go (to a point) while you reload before your next goal, because people there is always a next goal. A runner without a goal is not a runner. With no goal why would you push yourself into the pain box on those interval sessions, run yourself close to vomiting on the VO2 sprints or push yourself to the limit on a fartlek and then go past that limit on the next sprint. All these things are done with a specific goal in mind, be that a marathon, an ultra or even shorter distances, runners need goals. This week though you have no goal but to enjoy being a ‘normal’ person. Not worrying about weight gain, fitness loss or recording every step you take on Strava. Imagine that, that’s why I go for a run.
So what do I consider letting myself go ? I do take Monday off running and maybe an extra coffee for a couple of days with a piece of banana bread. That’s about it, actually that sounds party sad really as reward for 3 months of running between 10-14 times a week but when you actually enjoy the running what are you really rewarding yourself for doing. ? If running is what you love than you can’t really reward yourself for doing it, can you ? Funnily enough you can because it is meeting your ‘goal’ you are really rewarding yourself for , which is why we needs goals. With goals you can do the thing you love and then still reward yourself for doing it via goal setting.
This week I will stand by my advice with slow and steady runs only. No double up days for a few days anyhow and no pace work for a week or two. The odd extra coffee and a few sweet tweets will be embraced off course but I’ve never been one to go mad or let myself go, too many goals to look forward to.
The week after a marathon can be a wonderful time but remember this is what normal people do and as runners we ain’t normal. We like early mornings, early nights, time in the pain box and hours upon hours of running. Life as a runner is a privilege, an honour and a joy, and once a week we even add the odd muffin, how good is that?
The other train of thought (an apt description) is you just ignore the fact you’ve run a marathon and continue training like it never happened. This is what my good friend Tony ‘T-train’ Smith does on a regular basis and always posts his splits on Strava to wind me up. That was until today when I saw on Strava a very reasonable recovery run at a pedestrian pace, compared to the normal T-train sub-4 minute recovery sprint. I put this down to one of two things. 1. He is starting to listen to me and realises the error of his ways. (unlikely) 2. After finding him in the recovery position next to the bin at the end of the finishing chute yesterday he is still totally suffering from yesterdays beating he took at the hand of the World Masters marathon (likely)… NB. There really isn’t two trains of recovery, there is only one, slow and steady is the only way.
I use to give myself three days off and then start training on Thursday but these days I take the day off after the marathon and then it’s back into it, albeit at a very relaxed pace. I am now a firm believer in running on tired legs (and my legs are seriously tired at the moment!) is good training and as I have discussed before don’t underestimate the good work you could be doing just by getting out there. Thus I can’t wait to get on my compression tights (another good article of clothing to have for these recovery runs) and go for a very relaxed 10k tomorrow morning. With Spring finally sprung over here in Western Australia the mornings are glorious and I’m finding running tracks everywhere. Even this morning while walking from the train station I snapped this photo of what I see as great running track compared to what the general public just see as a bike path. I just can’t wait to get back into it.
This week is all about ‘smelling the roses’ with maybe a small gathering on Sunday for some pancakes and some ‘Masters Marathon debriefing’. As I said before only one thing better than running a marathon is talking about running a marathon, over pancakes and decent coffee of course. Next week is also another easy week , just adding distance if I feel I can. (Very important to listen to your body for the next two weeks). Recovery weeks three and four are similar but maybe the odd steady or tempo run and longer on the weekends but at a slow pace; more time on legs. After four weeks you are generally good to go.
So what next ? The World Masters has been my goal since June this year and now this goal has been achieved it’s time for a few short term goals to keep me honest. The first of these is my favourite off -road trail race the 6 inch ultra marathon, named after it’s big brother the 6-foot which is an event over east in the Blue mountains. ( http://www.sixfoot.com ) The 6 inch was started 12 years ago and has grown from a ‘fat-ass’ free entry race to a 350 runner sell out that it is now. ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/?page_id=71 You’ll recognise the athlete bearded runner in the link.) This will be my 7th year of running it and it is always a challenge given the terrain, the elevation and the heat. It is another special WA event though and, as the last run of the year, very sociable, it’s like a private party where the entry is a 48k pre-party run.
Finally an article from coach Jeff from Runners Connect gives you a few pointers about recovery. Funnily enough doesn’t mention the T-trains ‘train like it never happened approach’.
Recovering from a marathon is a critical component to a perfect training plan that runners often neglect.
Unfortunately, if you don’t properly recover from your marathon, you’ll increase your injury risk, increase the total marathon recovery time, and limit your long-term potential – making it harder to break your PR and stay healthy.
As a running coach, I’ve heard all the arguments from athletes wanting to jump back into training or racing immediately after their race.
More often than not, runners who do not follow a proper post marathon recovery plan find their subsequent performances stagnating or they suffer from overtraining symptoms.
Today, we are going to give you the best ways to recover from a marathon; this article will outline the science behind post marathon fatigue, so you can feel comfortable knowing you’re preparing your body for optimal performance down the road.
Then, I am going to provide you with an optimal post marathon recovery plan to help get you back to running your best as soon as possible.
Marathon recovery is critical and often overlooked. This article will provide you with the ultimate marathon recovery plan and the time it takes to get backWhat Happens To My Body When I Run A Marathon?
Marathons are tough on the body – there’s no way to sugar coat this fact.
Muscles, hormones, tendons, cells, and almost every physiological system is pushed to the max during a marathon race.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Boston qualifier or it’s your first marathon, 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles and your body has undergone tremendous physical duress, let alone the stress you have put on your body running according to your marathon training schedule.
Here is a list of some of the scientifically measured physiological systems that are most effected after a marathon and how long each takes to fully repair.
Skeletal Muscle
Muscles soreness and fatigue are the most obvious case of damage caused by running the marathon distance.
One scientific study conducted on the calf muscles of marathon runners concluded that both the intensive training for, and the marathon itself, induce inflammation and muscle fiber necrosis that significantly impaired muscle power and durability for up the 14 days post marathon.
Accordingly, it will take your muscles about 2 weeks post marathon to return to full strength.
Cellular damage
Cellular damage post marathon, which includes oxidative damage, increased production of creatinine kinase (CK) – a marker that indicates damage to skeletal and myocardial tissue, and increased myoglobin levels in the blood stream (which often results in blood being present in urine).
One study concluded that CK damage persisted more than 7 days post marathon while another study confirmed the presence of myoglobin in the bloodstream post marathon for 3-4 days post race.
Both of these studies clearly indicate that the body needs at least 7-10 days of rest post marathon to fully recover from the cellular damage caused during the race.
These markers, along with a suppressed immune system, which is discussed below, is the primary reason that the optimal marathon recovery schedule avoids cross training the first 2-3 days.
Immune system
Post marathon, the immune system is severely compromised, which increases the risk of contracting colds and the flu.
Furthermore, a suppressed immune system is one of the major causes of overtraining. A recent study confirms that the immune system is compromised up to three days post marathon and is a major factor in overtraining syndrome.
Therefore, it is critical that you rest as much as possible in the three days following a marathon and focus on eating healthy and nutrient rich foods.
The research clearly indicates that the marathon induces significant muscle, cellular, and immune system damage for 3-14 days post race.
Therefore, it is essential that all marathon runners have a 2-3 week marathon recovery protocol that focuses on rest and rejuvenation of these physiological systems.
How To Recover After Running a Marathon
We’re going to outline a nutrition, rehab, cross training, and running plan for the 3 weeks after a marathon. This rehab plan is guaranteed to help you recover faster and return to training as quickly as possible.Immediately post race
The immediate post race recovery protocol can be a little difficult to plan ahead of time, so I wouldn’t stress about it pre-race.
Focus your energy on pre-race nutrition and race strategy. These notes are simply to give you some guidance after the race.
After you cross the finish line, try to get something warm and get to your clothes. You’ll probably get cold very quickly, and while it won’t help you recover, getting warm will sure make you feel a lot better.
Try to find something to eat. Bananas, energy bars, sports drinks, fruit, and bagels are all good options.
Many marathoners can’t eat soon after finishing, so grab a handful of items and make your way to friends and family.
When you get back to the hotel room, you should consider an ice bath.
Fill the tub with ice and cold water and submerge your lower body for 15 minutes. You don’t need the water too cold, 55 degrees is optimal, but anything colder than 65 degrees will do.
After your ice bath, you can take a nap or walk around to try and loosen the legs.
At this point, you’ve done about all you can do for the day. Relax and relish in your accomplishment.Days 1-3
Running: None
Cross Training: none
Recovery Tips and tricks:
Soak in a hot tub for 10-15 and stretch well afterwards.
Each lots of fruits, carbohydrates, and protein. The Carbs and protein will help repair the muscle damage while the fruits will give you a boost of vitamin C and antioxidants to help combat free radical damage and boost your immune system.
Light massage will help loosen your muscles. Don’t schedule a deep tissue massage yet, just a gentle effleurage massage or a light rolling with the stick.
Days 4-7
Running: One day, 2-4 miles very easy
Cross Training: Optional – Two days, 30-40 minutes easy effort. The focus is on promoting blood flow to the legs, not building fitness.
Recovery Tips and Tricks:
Continue eating a healthy diet
Now is the time you can get a deep tissue massage if you have areas that are really bothering you or that are injured.
Contrast bath your lower body. To contrast bath, take large trash cans and fill one with hot (hot bath temp) water and the other with ice water (cold enough so some ice still doesn’t melt) and put your whole lower body into the cold. Hold for 5 minutes and then switch to the hot for 5 mins. Repeat 2 or 3 times, ending with cold. This helps rush blood in and out of the area, which facilitates healing.
Epsom Salt Bath. About an hour before bed, massage your legs out with the stick or self massage and then soak in a hot/warm bath with 3 cups epsom salt and 1 cup baking soda for 10-15 minutes. After the soak, stretch real well and relax. This always perks up my legs quite a bit and you’ll also sleep great.
Days 7-14
Running: Three or four days of 4-6 miles very easy.
Cross Training: Optional – Three sessions total. One easy session and two medium effort sessions for 30-45 minutes.
Days 14-21
Running: Begin to slowly build back into full training. My suggestion is four to five runs of 4-8 miles with 4 x 20 sec strides after each run.
Cross Training: 1 easy session, 1 medium session, and 1 hard session of 40-50 minutes.
Don’t worry about losing any running fitness during this recovery period.
First, it’s much more important to ensure proper recovery so you can train even harder during your next training cycle.
If you don’t let yourself recover now, you’ll simply have to back off your workouts when it matters and put yourself on the verge of overtraining.
Likewise, you won’t lose much fitness at all.
In my experience, it takes about 2-3 weeks of training to get back into good shape and ready to start attacking workouts and planning races.
Try not to schedule any races until 6 weeks after your marathon.
I know you may want to avenge a disappointing performance or you’ll be coming off a running high and you’ll want to run every race under the sun.
However, your results won’t be as good as they might be if you just wait a few weeks and let your body recover and train a little first.
Patience is a virtue, but it will pay off in the end.
I know this sounds pretty dramatic but ask everybody who finished today and they all have their stories containing questions that had to be asked, time in the pain box, mental battles with fatigue and generally we all come out better at the other end. Funny thing now is I can only really remember the good things, like the last 10k with a tail wind and legs that had something left for the run home, finishing strong and getting a sub 2:45 time, 7th overall finish and 2nd in my age group. The feeling of running down runners who are far quicker then me (albeit they were probably injured.) and the relief when you see the finishing chute finally. Man, running gives you so much on days like these.
First of all lets break the race down into manageable chunks. With all marathons I’m a big believer in the first 21k is really where you should be relaxed and if you start to question yourself before halfway you are in for a world of pain. Proper training and a realistic goal should make the first 21k hard but achievable. Today was different. I had been second guessing myself since the Rottnest half. The week on Rotto’ after the half was probably not the most ideal training and although I ran twice a day I was certainly fatigued. This manifested in a good Masters 5k but not the PB I was hoping for. Thus the seed of ‘self doubt‘ was planted and then along came his partner in crime ‘weight gain‘ when I weighed myself yesterday and found to my horror I was 2kg heavier than 3 weeks ago. (I remarked to my Wife Karen in Yelo Saturday morning, while eating a chocolate and banana muffin, I had ‘let myself go‘, to her amusement !) Thus for the first 21k I was certainly running quicker than I should have really , given the conditions, but knew I was running in 3rd place in the age group so this is where I needed to be.
So as the course is a two lap course we started the second lap into a head wind which I knew would be my partner until the 32k mark and the last turnaround before the run for home. This was a double whammy as I felt this was not going to be my day and could feel myself thinking about all the (wrong) reasons to justify a slower second half. When I started to do the maths, adding on 1:30 for the second half, I knew I was in trouble. I managed to struggle to the narrows bridge and into the head wind from hell (I am assuming in hell you would probably be faced with a head wind as I suspect Lucifer is the sort of demon who would find that amusing. I, of course, will never find out as we all know BK will one day be God’s training partner.)
I digress. My mate Jeff managed to catch up with me at 28k (on his bike) when I was at my worst, slowing down and thinking of so many reasons that I could justify stopping. This is what running a marathon is all about. These times when you ask yourself some really hard questions, give yourself the easy way out and then decide to get back in the pain box and shut the door behind you. I reached a decision to get to 32k and introduce myself to the tail wind I knew was waiting for me.
32k, as already discussed, the ‘death zone’ for runners. If you are going to have a bad day it will normally start around this distance. Training, character, nutrition, fuel all get you so far, at 32k it’s time for the mental part of marathon running to take over. This is what running marathons is all about, the last 10k. As I have already discussed this is where the Noakes ‘Governor’ kicks in and the mind works with his old friend ‘fatigue’ to slow you down. (Commonly known as ‘hitting the wall‘) Surprisingly this time I had managed to convince myself that if I could get to 32k the tail wind would ‘caress’ me home. This was all I needed, instantly with a tail wind I was reinvigorated and knew the last 10k would be challenging but do-able. My race was saved. This proved to be the way it panned out and I even managed to move from 3rd to 2nd in my age group and catch a WA running legend Todd Ingraham , albeit an injured Todd Ingraham. Finished 7th overall, 2nd in my age group and even part of the Australian team who won gold as our combined times was nearly 2 hours quicker that the British who were second.
So what did I learn about today. When you race a marathon it never gets any easier. I certainly had to dig deep, real deep, to pull this one out of the fire. The City to Surf and Perth earlier in the year were both a lot more pleasant, I won’t say easier. I went out too hard and ‘trusted my training’ to get me home in one piece and with the help of the tail wind I got the job done. For marathon number 41 I may have once more managed to avoid ‘paying the piper‘ but this time he was close, real close.
Other highlights of the day. The support on the course was just amazing. I tend to keep my head down and try and zone out during a marathon so if it looked like I ignored you, believe me I didn’t. Every shout of ‘go bk’ was registered and helped, trust me. Of course I must mention Tom Millard and his family for the ‘Run BK Run’ sign at South Perth, that made my day and I certainly made a big effort not to let them down as I passed. Thanks guys.
Myself, Mike and Mark stayed around for the awards ceremony which actually took longer than the marathon but was worth hanging around for just to be inspired by the runners taking the stage. We learnt a lot from the national anthems and specifically Chile has the longest national anthem in the world. Hearing it for the first time we all assumed the recording was stuck as it seemed to go for ever. Imagine our amusement when about 10 minutes later it was played again. Those Chileans love their national anthem, and why wouldn’t you when it starts sounding like a Mozart tune and ends up more like Justine Bieber. We were also concerned for the two oldest Japanese runners who took to the stage when the wind was virtually at typhoon stage each holding large Japanese flags. At one point I was convinced we were going to lose them in a scene reminiscent of the opening scene of the Wizard of Oz !
My training posse also preformed admirably with Damien and the two Marks grabbing silver in their age group as the second fastest 35-40 age group team ‘in the world’. Well done lads. Mark C. also threw in a 29 minute PB , bringing his marathon time down from 3:33 to 3:04. I can’t take all the credit , the City beach pancakes and a ‘speed beard’ would have also contributed to this biblical PB. If he keeps repeating this feat he’ll be the first man to run sub 2 hours at the City to Surf in August next year. Now that would be worthing blogging about !
Finally a big thank you to the West Australian Marathon Club ( http://www.wamc.org.au ) and the army of volunteers. An outstanding job and it sounds like this could be the last time the World Masters holds the marathon as part of the bi-annual games, which is a pity but what a way to go out.
Right I may treat myself to another cup of tea…….
So 24 hours to go and it’s all about finishing off the carboloading (day three), arranging logistics to get to the event (normally means me driving, thanks lads ?) and mentally preparing yourself for the big day. Let’s start with finishing off the carboloading. By day three of a successful carboloading campaign you’re normally quite sick of the sight of carbohydrates in all forms. My go-to favourite, honey on wholemeal toast, does test you as you prepare it for the 6th time in 3 days. I reckon Winnie the Pooh would be over it by now, though looking at the size of Master Pooh I would suggest he could be a good fit for an ultra runner, more distance than speed; honey fuelled of course.
Important to stay hydrated of course so lots of fluid with electrolytes added in preparation for then heat tomorrow. The meal tonight shouldn’t be too large, big meal I find is better 48 hours out. I try for a small meal tonight, small portion of pasta and a couple of slices of garlic bread. I found this by trial and error and on two occasions when I have over eaten the night before a marathon I’ve paid the price. I think on both occasions I was trying to make up for lack of training. Not sure about my logic, not fully trained, solution, eat as much pasta as you possibly can the night before, ‘she’ll be right’. On both occasion she certainly wasn’t right.
Logistics is next. I’m driving , for a change, and have Mike and Mark scheduled to turn up at 5am. Twenty minute drive to the start. (it’ll be quiet at 5am on a Sunday morning, strange that?) , twenty minutes socialising, 5 minute toilet stop, 10 minute warm up and 5 minutes for ‘stuff’… what could go wrong ?
Finally mental preparation. This should have started earlier in the week really. Talk yourself up, trust in your training, hay in the barn, you can do no more etc. etc. Whatever it takes to get yourself in marathon mode. I’m a big ‘trust in your training‘ and drawing on experience man myself but each runner has their own ‘go to’ place for motivation. This will be marathon number 41 so I know what to expect and I’m coming off a great block of training and racing. This will mitigate any risk but the marathon is not one to follow the rules and I’m always prepared to any curve balls that will come my way. Remember the three goals, each one slightly less ‘exciting’ than the last but as long as you hit one of them the day will be considered a success.
Don’t worry too much about sleep tonight, if you get some great but really last night, and all week really , was the time to catch up on sleep. This is hit and miss with me. I sometimes feel if I sleep too well I’m not worried enough about the race and this can be a good or bad thing. I’m really not helping much in this post am I ?
Now it’s all about getting to the start line coiled like a cobra about to strike. Remember this is why we do what we do, enjoy the day and I recommend pancakes, and lots of them, afterwards. (Use this a mental go-to place if you struggle later in the race, have that one on me.)
This is why we taper, carboload and drink until we spend more time in the toilet than out of it pre-marathon so we are as ready as we can be for the final 10k sprint, after the initial 32k warm-up. On our long Sunday runs we regularly run 30k without stopping ,and without drink, but we do make up for it afterwards with pancakes and decent coffee. This in itself is enough to help up push through those last 5k, normally with a spring in your step. Could we carry on a run another 12k ? Probably not as we are training so not running marathon pace for the full distance, so although we run the distance we’re not running the pace required. This is a big game changer of course.
So how do we make sure we have enough fuel to finish strong ? The answer it seems these days is in the form of carbohydrates on tap in digestible packets, i.e. Gu’s, carboshotz, Chomps, Hammer Gels, caffeine shots , the list is endless. All are designed to give you a quick hit of fuel to get you firing on all cylinders again and propel you the the finish and through the last 10k of a marathon. These days at all marathons you see camel backs, running belts and shorts full of Gu’s and energy shots, it sometimes looks more like a confectionary store near the back of a marathon pack. There is some justification of course as the runners towards the back of a marathon are spending more time ‘out there‘ so it must make them very hungry. (Maybe this is why a lot of slower runners than start running ultra’s, as I have mentioned before a ready made excuse to eat more.) I have mentioned my friend Mark on a number of occasions who was famous for his belt of many pockets and also Rhys who I swear had at least 10 Gu’s on his race belt once for a marathon. That’s probably a kilo of extra weight right there, no wonder he needed the extra fuel. !
Lead runners of course survive on just water and maybe the odd electrolyte drink strategically placed on the course. They have their hydration and nutrition plan worked out before and will have also trained using said plan. The normal runner goes for the scatter gun approach and if offered drink or food will normally grab it with both hands towards the end of a marathon.
I have friends who survive on just water and run great times. My friend Michael Ho is now running sub 2:35 marathon times just on water and the T-train is another who considers ‘eating is cheating‘ and relies on water only. Myself I’m a Gu before the start, as well as a banana, and then a GU every 10k. If they’re free on the course I’ll take them when offered as I have a strong stomach and I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Do they make a difference ? I think so but maybe more of a placebo. A bit like all these vitamin tablets I take religiously but deep down wonder if they aren’t just a massive con.? Hard to say but I’ll go with the ‘everybody else is using them so they must work‘ approach. (very similar to smoking in the seventies I suppose? That’s not going to help is it…)
So my advice is to probably go for the extra help a Gu may provide as assuming you can stomach them they won’t do any harm. One every 45-60 minutes is normally the recommended dosage but anything is better than nothing so experiment in training. Somewhere between the T-train and Rhys is a happy medium.
Last thing about Gu’s, or any nutrition, that needs to be carried is the method of transport. In 2012 I lost the Melbourne Marathon after setting off a sub 2hour pace I was comfortably in the lead at 200m, looking forward to being the first man to break the 2 hour marathon mark. Unfortunately I was overtaken by the eventual winner as I was checking my Gu’s which I had pinned to my shorts. (Thanks for the idea coach Dan ‘the man with a plan’ Macey!) Anyway as you can clearly see from the photograph below the winner took advantage of my mistake and I never recovered. I ran a 2:43, which although a PB, was 44 minutes slower than planned. So there’s a lesson there, if you think you can run sub 2 hours for the marathon hand carry your Gu’s, it is a mistake I will take to the grave.
Being the second run this week (and it’s Thursday, when I would normally be on run 7 for the week) my legs felt heavy but this is to be expected at this stage of the taper week. It is normally around this time of the taper period you experience ‘niggles‘ , you’ll find you can just about finish your run and convince yourself you are about to have a major meltdown. I read on a tri-website that these niggles are just your body recovering but they don’t feel like that I can tell you. Fortunately this morning I was ‘niggle’ free, which should probably worry me.
Reading the article below by Isaac Walker it reiterates several points I have already mentioned in previous posts. Hay in the barn , trust your training etc. all common sense advice but worth a second read, if nothing else to put your mind at ease. Taper time is a testing time at best, helped only by the extra ‘tukka’ on offer for the last 3 days. (just before my old friend ‘weight gain‘ comes a calling…)
Must admit I’m tempted to sneak out tomorrow morning because it will be glorious and I hate missing glorious mornings. I must be strong, the right thing to do is lay in bed and relax but the call of old faithful, my favourite 10k, may be too much.
9 Ways to Deal With the Big Event Taper Blues By Isaac Walker
Sixteen weeks. Four months. One hundred and twelve days of early mornings, sore legs, injury worries, emotional highs and lows, and long hard weekend runs. And now you are supposed to ease right back on the throttle and cut your training. By a lot. You start to get moody. You have so much energy you feel like you are going to jump out of your skin. Your partner has had enough of your complaining. You think every little ache, sniffle and niggle is a catastrophic event-cancelling injury or illness. You start feeling sluggish and lazy. It sounds like you are going through what many runners experience leading up to a big event – the ‘taper blues’.
Tapering (for most) is a critical part of training plans. Whether you taper two days prior to a 5km road race or three weeks or more for an ultra distance, you are basically performing the same function. After stressing our bodies for so long the taper is there to let us heal and recover to a point where we can then operate the most efficiently and to our maximum ability on race day.
There are many differing views on tapering out there. My advice is simple – the shorter the distance the shorter your taper. The longer the distance the longer you taper. Reason being shorter and sharper training sessions will usually take a lot less time to recover from than long hard distance runs. Long runs beat your body up and you need that extra taper time to recover.
So the symptoms of the ‘taper blues’ usually kick in after a week or so of taper and are usually associated with longer distance events. If you have never had them before they can be quite discouraging and even a little scary. So here are a few tips and general points to help you pull through the taper blues and onto race day.
1. The taper blues are completely normal! You are probably not getting sick. You most likely do not have an injury that has decided to rear it’s ugly head one week prior to your big day. And yes, your other half is getting annoyed with your grouchy mood. Accept you are a little down then address it. Remember you are not alone. Chat with friends doing the same event or others who have been through this taper nonsense before.
2. Look back on what you have done. And be proud. One of the reasons we get taper blues is regret for what hasn’t been done. Think of the countless hours of training, early mornings and/or late nights and all the other strings that come along with training for a longer distance event. That is an achievement right there, regardless of what comes next.
3. Evaluate. Go back over your training and write down all the positives. All the things you enjoyed about your training. Then also write the negatives down and the things that may have not gone so well. These are the things to keep in mind and perhaps improve in your next training programme.
4. More events? It is a little crazy but many of us use the taper time to plan more events after the one we are tapering for! You don’t have much time to wallow in taper blues when you’re busy getting excited about your next goal. If you don’t have an event in mind then plan for something else. A personal fitness goal. A family holiday. Home renovations. Anything you can do to keep your brain ticking over and stimulated.
5. Taper means taper! You may be tempted to go out and get one last long run under your belt or smash out a hard tempo track session. You might be fine but my advice is once your taper period has begun, it is exactly that – taper time. Plus, this won’t rid you of your taper blues anyway. This means sticking to your plan and not being tempted to go out and possibly undermine some of the training you have done by adding fatigue to your system this close to your big event.
6. Active recovery more than ever. Taper time is a perfect opportunity to fit in more active recovery. Playing with your kids, massage, walking, swimming, stretching, rolling on your foam roller – anything that keeps you moving can be very beneficial. Don’t feel guilty for not going hard, that just leads to more taper blues. Enjoy the easy, liberated movement your fit trim body is allowing you.
7. The hay is in the barn and there is nothing much else you can do to enhance your training. You can however undermine your training by not tapering efficiently. So rest! Chill out! Make up some of those hours with the family and friends that you used for training. Spending time with loved ones will also help ease some of the tensions and stress prior to an event.
8. Last minute checks. Most people will have their nutrition and game plan locked down by now. It is a good time to run over everything and double check you have all your supplies ready to go. The last thing you want is to discover the night prior to your event that you left your favourite pair of socks in the washing basket.
9. Visualisation techniques. Visualisation can be a very good way to prepare your mind for an event and propel you out of your taper blues. Picture yourself standing at the race start. Imagine how you feel. Put yourself in a bad situation during the race and visualise how you would like to react to that situation. Place yourself being surrounded by your friends and family cheering you on as you come towards the finish line. Visualising these situations will help you prepare your mind for dealing with them in real life.
This can lead to weight gain apparently (no kidding!) but allegedly the benefit outweighs the negatives. (one of which is looking like Jabba the Hutt as already discussed!) The weight gain is mostly water retention so don’t be too afraid of a few extra pounds. As you tuck into your 4th round of toast for the day just think positive thoughts, carboloading done right is good for 3-5 minutes I reckon.
Points to note of course is you need to avoid too much high fat and sugar if possible, just low fat and carbohydrates. Protein is still ok as it will help with muscle recovery and everybody loves protein. Not sure where the go-to meal for runners, the humble muffin, fits into this diet but we can always find an excuse to scoff down a muffin.
So far this week I am feeling remarkably relaxed which is a two edged sword as I feel you should be nervous as this will focus the mind on the challenge ahead. Too relaxed and you won’t be focused enough. I’ll try and get nervous tomorrow, I’ll make a mental note to self to get nervous.
I’ve tried to avoid thinking about the heat but mentally have already written off a PB run due too the predicted temperature. Of course on the day I will re-evaluate but currently I’ll be aiming for position first and time second. When I say position I am targeting top 3 for my age group and/or top 3 Australian (age group) to go with my 2nd fastest Australian in the 5k last weekend. It will be difficult to see who I’m racing against on the day as I’m assuming all the race bibs will be similar ? In the end you run what you run and we’ll see how the cards fall, most important piece of advice is to run your own race.
Over the next few days it’s time to dial in a pace to hit your target finish time. This is your first goal. Next it’s time to dial in ‘plan b’, if you can’t make your target what would be your next target time, finally ‘plan c‘, this could be as simple as finish ! I’ve mentioned the different goals before and if nothing else they keep you busy over the remainder of the race, and it’s always nice to achieve your goal, no matter what it ends up being.
So one last article on carboloading from my main man on just about anything running, Matt Fitzgerald. ( http://mattfitzgerald.org ) It seems you have 3 options. The good old fashioned 3 day binge (my favourite), or the Western Australian 3 minute of VO2 max exercise and then binge the day before (risky) or ignore the whole thing and eat carbs on the run using Carboshotz etc..
No one said this running lark was easy….
You aren’t still putting yourself through a depletion phase, are you?
The practice of carbo-loading dates back to the late 1960s. The first carbo-loading protocol was developed by a Swedish physiologist named Gunvar Ahlborg after he discovered a positive relationship between the amount of glycogen (carbs stored in the muscles and liver) in the body and endurance performance. Scientists and runners had already known for some time that eating a high-carbohydrate diet in the days preceding a long race enhances performance, but no one knew exactly why until Ahlborg’s team zeroed in on the glycogen connection.
Subsequently, Ahlborg discovered that the muscles and liver are able to store above-normal amounts of glycogen when high levels of carbohydrate consumption are preceded by severe glycogen depletion. The most obvious way to deplete the muscles of glycogen is to eat extremely small amounts of carbohydrate. A second way is to engage in exhaustive exercise. The stress of severe glycogen depletion triggers an adaptive response by which the body reduces the amount of dietary carbohydrate that it converts to fat and stores, and increases the amount of carbohydrate that it stores in the liver and muscles as glycogen. Ahlborg referred to this phenomenon as glycogen supercompensation.
Armed with this knowledge, he was able to create a more sophisticated carbo-loading protocol than the primitive existing method, which was, more or less, eating a big bowl of spaghetti.
Ahlborg came up with a seven-day carbo-loading plan in which an exhaustive bout of exercise was followed by three or four days of extremely low carbohydrate intake (10 percent of total calories) and then three or four days of extremely high carbohydrate intake (90 percent of total calories). Trained athletes who used this protocol in an experiment were able to nearly double their glycogen stores and exhibited significantly greater endurance in exercise lasting longer than 90 minutes.
After these results were published, endurance athletes across the globe began to use Ahlborg’s carbo-loading plan prior to events anticipated to last 90 minutes or longer. While it worked admirably, it had its share of drawbacks. First of all, many athletes weren’t keen on performing an exhaustive workout just a week before a big race, as the plan required.
Second, maintaining a 10 percent carbohydrate diet for three or four days carried some nasty consequences including lethargy, cravings, irritability, lack of concentration, and increased susceptibility to illness. Many runners and other athletes found it just wasn’t worth it.
Fortunately, later research showed that you can increase glycogen storage significantly without first depleting it. A newer carbo-loading protocol based on this research calls for athletes to eat a normal diet of 55 to 60 percent carbohydrate until three days before racing, and then switch to a 70 percent carbohydrate diet for the final three days, plus race morning.
As for exercise, this tamer carbo-loading method suggests one last longer workout (but not an exhaustive workout) done a week from race day followed by increasingly shorter workouts throughout race week. It’s simple, it’s non-excruciating, and it works. Admittedly, some scientists and athletes still swear that the Ahlborg protocol is more effective, but if it is, the difference is slight and probably not worth the suffering and inherent risks.
Note that you should increase your carbohydrate intake not by increasing your total caloric intake, but rather by reducing fat and protein intake in an amount that equals or slightly exceeds the amount of carbohydrate you add. Combining less training with more total calories could result in last-minute weight gain that will only slow you down. Be aware, too, that for every gram of carbohydrate the body stores, it also stores 3 to 5 grams of water, which leads many athletes to feel bloated by the end of a three-day loading period. The water weight will be long gone by the time you finish your race, however.
A friendlier carbo-loading strategy was devised in 2002 by scientists at the University of Western Australia. It combines depletion and loading and condenses them into a one-day time frame. The creators of this innovative protocol recognized that a single, short workout performed at extremely high intensity creates a powerful demand for glycogen storage in both the slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers of the muscles.The researchers hypothesized that following such a workout with heavy carbohydrate intake could result in a high level of glycogen supercompensation without a lot of fuss. In an experiment, the researchers asked athletes to perform a short-duration, high-intensity workout consisting of two and a half minutes at 130 percent of VO2max (about one-mile race pace) followed by a 30-second sprint. During the next 24 hours, the athletes consumed 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of lean muscle mass. This resulted in a 90 percent increase in muscle glycogen storage.
Runners have cause to be very pleased by these findings. Doing just a few minutes of high-intensity exercise the day before a competition will not sabotage tomorrow’s performance, yet it will suffice to stimulate the desirable carbohydrate “sponging” effect that was sought in the original Ahlborg protocol. This allows the athlete to maintain a normal diet right up until the day before competition and then load in the final 24 hours.
The Western Australia carbo-loading strategy works best if preceded by a proper taper — that is, by several days of reduced training whose purpose is to render your body rested, regenerated, and race-ready. In fact, several days of reduced training combined with your normal diet will substantially increase your glycogen storage level even before the final day’s workout and carbohydrate binge. When you exercise vigorously almost every day, your body never gets a chance to fully replenish its glycogen stores before the next workout reduces them again. Only after 48 hours of very light training or complete rest are your glycogen levels fully compensated. Then the Western Australia carbo-loading regimen can be used to achieve glycogen supercompensation.
An even newer carbo-loading protocol calls for athletes to eat a normal diet of 55 to 60 percent carbohydrate until three days before racing, and then switch to a 70 percent carbohydrate diet for the final three days, plus race morning. As for exercise, this friendliest carbo-loading method suggests one last longer workout (but not an exhaustive workout) done a week from race day followed by increasingly shorter workouts throughout race week.
Having said all of this, I would like to note finally that carbo-loading in general has been shown to enhance race performance only when athletes consume little or no carbohydrate during the race itself. If you do use a sports drink or sports gels to fuel your race effort — as you should — prior carbo-loading probably will have no effect. But it doesn’t hurt to do it anyway, as insurance.
