Rather than write about the experience I thought I’d add some video. My Daughters both got GoPro’s for Christmas so I ‘borrowed’ one and recorded some footage throughout the day. What do they say a video tells a thousand words ?
First offering is the start. You’ll notice we actually deliberately go the wrong way as it’s tradition after last years navigational cock-up when the whole field went left when they should have gone right. Not a good start to a 200 mile race when you get lost in the first 1o metres ? It’s amazing any of them even found the finish line !! I was actually following Jen on this footage and we ran together for most fo the fist 70k before she dropped me and ran an amazing race to finish second female and top 5 finisher. I should have hung on for longer ! (https://vimeo.com/396109352 )
Next we are an hour or so into the race , still smiling . I think at this point we were top 10, mainly because everybody in front of us got lost. Discussing our breakfast which consisted of waffles with bacon, ice cream, poached eggs and lots of maple syrup. The joys of ultra running. (https://vimeo.com/396110335 )
Fours hours in and still enjoying it, lots of walking and running, it was starting to heat up at this point, just before midday and after aid station 1. Certainly underestimated the distance between aid stations. ( https://vimeo.com/396112207 )
Four and half hours in and we’re starting to have second thoughts !!! Scenery is still awesome but I regret not putting on sunscreen around this time ! (https://vimeo.com/396113019 )
Around eight hours in and we’re both goosed ! Really hot at this point and some serious walking ! ( https://vimeo.com/396108801 )
Eight hours in and we’re starting to worry ! Realising we’re not even 10% into the race… oh dear.! (https://vimeo.com/396113815 )
This was after the 75k aid station, not happy , quads were locked solid. !! Around the 10 hour mark, still loving the scenery but dehydration and lack of nutrition was starting to take its toll. (https://vimeo.com/396109049 )
An hour later legs were good, pancakes and bacon finally kicked in. Probably around the 80 mark, eleven hours. ( https://vimeo.com/396114361 )
Sunset , feeling pretty good at this stage, 6k into the next aid station and had managed to put together a good 10k of running. Legs had recovered at this point but unfortunately I went through one more aid station before pulling the pin. (https://vimeo.com/396114936 )
After little training for 2020 I took on the 350k (218 Mile) Delirious West Ultra, it was never going to end well truth be told. As regular followers of my blog (Mum?) will know I have struggled with my running mojo since August last year, actually probably longer. I managed a few reasonable results last year but overall I was struggling with form and motivation. This culminated in a total of 108k for 2020 up to the race, ( 7 weeks of running!) I’d normally call this total ‘Thursday‘ , so I knew the Delirious West Ultra would be a big ask. ( http://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) On the Monday of the race I was lucky enough to get a lift down to Northcliffe from Perth with the Race director, his right hand woman, Mel, and three other runners. We had a convoy ! After stopping at a KFC because Shaun, the RD, loves his bucket , Donnybrook for a pie (in the local bakery we found a pie-pizza, that’s right a pie with a pizza topping ! Genius ! ) a Woolworths in Manjimup , where Shaun dropped nearly $3000 getting food for the 22 aid stations !! (there was a lot of food, my running buddy Georges reckoned he put on 5 kilograms after finishing the race !) we eventually made it to Northcliffe late afternoon Monday. The race itself runs on the Bibbulmun track from Northcliffe to Albany, through some of the best scenery WA has to offer, apparently. ( https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/ for anyone living and running in WA you need to get on this track !)
Northcliffe here we come….notice the KFC sign, this was not a coincidence !
Right , Northcliffe is about 347km from Perth and about as country as you can get ! The hotel doubles as the pub, convention centre, holiday park and generally the catalyst of everything social in the town. The pubs landlord, Duncan , and landlady, Helen, are true blue Aussi’s who, if you cut them , would bleed green and gold. ! Such wonderful hosts and perfect for the event, they embrace the Delirious and for that few days in February become a runners dream location. The only downside to their wonderful establishment though is the rooms are a tad basic and my room, number 3, was right above the bar. On Monday night it felt like I was with Shazza as she dominated the pool table ! Luckily it was all quite Tuesday when I had ear plugs at the ready incase Shazza returned to kick some more pool table ass. The food at the pub is outstanding, steak on Monday , pasta on Tuesday and waffles both days, you got to love ultra running where you really can eat what you want this close to the event, no worrying about putting on a few pounds when you’re running over 200 miles. What a difference to running a marathon where you’re calorie counting weeks before the event and you spend more time on the scales than with your family. Ultra running really is the event that keeps on giving, one waffle at a time.
The Northcliffe Hotel, a classic country pub, as country as you could get really …
To show you how small Northcliffe is I had attached a photo of the train station, is that not the smallest train station EVER !! I’m assuming thee platform is for first class and the rest have to stand behind the painted line, brilliant.
Northcliffe train station, standing room only apparently?
Last year , it’s inaugural one, there was just over 30 runners for the event, this year that number doubled to over 60 starters and 15 , or so , defers to next year. Next year I’m sure it will sell out early and maybe even before it goes out to the public if Shaun offers entries to past runners and volunteers. I’m hoping that I’m on the list of past runners albeit a past starter rather than finisher as I’m going back 100% ! (with a full support crew , pacers , poles , better legs and a decent head torch!) Anyhow as you can see from the photo the start is epic , surrounded by like minded, nervous runners who are about to challenge themselves like never before and have an adventure of a lifetime . (or in my case DNF horribly about a third of the way in !) Its a wonderful place to be.
The Delirious Start, a thing of beauty !
The photo below shows the race winner , Jon far left, who ran the race of his life. Destroyed the field on the first day, destroyed himself on the second and then came good to battle to victory on day four , before driving to the local parkrun and running the 5k. He has gone down in folklore for that trust me ! Will anyone ever repeat that ? I’m not sure but I’m pretty sure there’s a few people (myself included) who will try next year, the Delirious +5 !!! You have to finish before 7am on Saturday morning to make the Albany parkrun by 8am. Jon did it hard , with Peter Duff as his support crew driving his white BMW sports car through some seriously dirty outback roads, needless to say it was the colour of George’s shirt at the end of the adventure. Next to Jon you have my barista Georges. He, or his son Ben, make me and my Wife our morning coffee most weekdays. Over the last year I had been trying to persuade him to enter the race and he relented on the last day. Georges is recovering from shoulder and knee surgery a few months ago and, like myself , was undertrained .A cortisone a few days before the event got him through and he revelled in the adventure. I haven’t told him we’re going back next year, me to try and get into the Delirious +5 club and Georges for his double plugger, plenty of time for that and plenty of coffee to drink discussing it.
To my left in the photo is my good friend Amy who had been suffering , pre-race , with shortness of breath and also a tight calf. Unfortunately a few kilometres into the race the tight calf turned into a calf tear and although she stumbled on there was no way you can run 350k with a tear, impossible. Things went from bad to worse after Amy stopped as her calf swelled up and lots of blood blotches started to show up , as the calf continued to swell. The medic called an ambulance and off to Albany hospital Amy was whisked, rapidly. Turned out she had blood clots in her lungs , which explained the shortness of breath, and both her calfs. She is one tough mother though and already talking up next year. My goal is to try and recreate this photo at the start in 2021 and also at the finish……
Jon (the eventual winner) Georges, Myself and Amy. All smiles at the start… (This was slim Georges, at the end of the race he had put on 5 kilograms and that shirt was dirt brown!)
The course is well marked and up to 112k you shouldn’t get lost, assuming you have a good head torch and the course on your watch . After that I don’t know as I was on a bus home to Perth, tail between my legs.
Follow the snakes signs to the finish, easy right ?
Theres a tradition , after one year, at the Delirious where you actually deliberately turn the wrong way 100metres into the race and run for about a kilometre before turning back. This was because last year this actually happened and most of the runners ran around 5k the wrong way before realising their mistake and returning,. Imagine the spectators watching all 30+ runners disappear running North instead of South and then, 20 minutes later, seeing them all come charging back and go the right way, priceless ! Shaun decided that because of this from now on all starters run the wrong way for a couple of kilometres, I suppose when you going to run 350k and extra couple should not be beyond you ? There was lots of giggling going on during the detour and the track, truth be told, was awesome. (I had actually walked that part of the track the day before believing I was going the right way myself, it’s easily done.)
The Delirious Start, remember to turn left , the wrong way, it’s tradition!
The start of the race is biblical, you are full of beans and if you see a photographer you have to strike a pose. In the image below me and Georges are moving freely though the field, loving every step and excited about the journey ahead. This my favourite part of any ultra, well this and the finish, the hundred of kilometres in between can get a bit tedious ? I jest of course, in an ultra you really can enjoy the whole journey and still avoid the pain box if you have trained well and make the right nutrition and hydration choices along the way. Remember an ultra really is an eating and drinking competition, with running between aid stations.
All fun and games for the first 2k!
More fun and games below, about 100 meters from the last photo, at this rate it’ll take weeks to get to the end , not days ! Can’t avoid a camera though, it’s be rude !
Even time for a Usain Bolt !
Right that’s it for Delirious part one.. I need a break and I’ll leave you with the image that will start the story tomorrow… some races are so long they need two posts !!
On the 27th April I ran my first DNF at the 12hour Lighthouse ultra and it has taken me this long to even think about typing a post on the experience, well over a month. This is a post I thought I’d be writing many years from now and never envisaged penning this particular post so soon in my young (?) career. Right some background to the event. The Lighthouse is a 2.5k loop that starts at midnight and continues through to midday, as 12 hour events do of course. The plan was to podium at minimum and maybe even sneak a win, this , with hindsight , was to be my undoing..
I have said many, many times that marathon and ultra running , actually any distance racing , is to a large proportion a mental struggle with oneself. If you haven’t questioned yourself in a race you ain’t running fast enough. The human body can go so much faster than we allow it but the safety barriers, we put in place to protect it, prevents us from reaching our true potential. Training allows us to move those barriers and thus we run faster. Trust in your training is a mantra I live by and better training always equals faster racing. I believe this is because we have persuaded the mind (the main instrument in protecting the body) that we can run that little bit faster and not do too much damage. This is why better training equates to faster racing, simple really.
Coming into the 12hour ultra I was unprepared mentally. I questioned the reason for the event even upto driving to the start line, not a good idea. The previous two weeks I had moved house and this had mentally , and physically, exhausted me, not ideal preparation. Also this was to be my first ‘time rather than distance race‘ where the idea is to run as far as possible in a given timeframe, again not a good sign. The few days before the event my running had been substandard with my heart rate higher than it should have been given the pace, another sign I ignored and this culminated in a nasty cold after the event. Typing this I’m surprised I actually lasted as long as I did.
Right , lets cut to the chase and describe the race. I arrived tired, remember it starts at midnight which is way past my bedtime, and set up my esky full of drink bottles and Gu’s. Jon joined me and we decided to go off around the 5min/k pace and try and hold this for the 12 hours. Simple really but when we started Jon found another gear and we were motoring along at around the 4:40min/k pace and leaving the rest of the field behind very quickly. This should had been a sign to me that this was too fast as there was some great running experience behind us, and along way behind us. I tried my best to calm Jon down but he was having the run of his life and I was hanging on for dear life, a situation which could not go on.
Lesson learnt, when Jon is in this form hide in the toilet !
To add to my tale of woes I was struck down with toilet issues and had to make an unscheduled toilet stop at 18k. This was also an excuse to let Jon go on his merry way and give me some respite from the relentless pace. The only downside to this pitstop was it was totally dark in the toilet cubicle as I was using Jon’s headlamp when we raced, sitting behind him. So here I was, just before 2am, rummaging around in a dark toilet cubicle questioning why I was there and not even thinking about the 9-10 hours ahead of me. Eventually I did the ‘paperwork’ and started on my merry way , alone. As you can see from the image below I did manage to hold 5min/k for around 7 kilometres before another unscheduled stop, this was now becoming an issue.
Jon lapped me around this time and all thoughts of a podium were well and truly finished. I managed another 6k before my third, and final, toilet stop and trust me I was now in a world of pain. Pace was steadily decreasing while the heart rate was rising, not good indicators so early in the event. The final straw when when we changed direction at 3 hours, turning back to the finish line I knew I could not continue for another 9 hours, as it was the I was lucky to make another 9 minutes. So at 3:19:22 into the 12 hour event I packed up my gear and stumbled off into the night to drive home to bed, destroyed. I must admit it was long and lonely drive home but it was the right decision at the time but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, big time. Getting home around four in the morning one of the dogs had decided not to wait for their scheduled toilet stop and left me a nice coming home present on the tiled floor of the kitchen, things really couldn’t have got any worse as I cleaned up their ‘gift’, it seemed to be a recurring theme of the night !
Not pretty reading…
So what to take from this tale of woe. For me it highlighted how mentally unprepared I was for the race but, more importantly, how badly I had started , setting unrealistic goals that in the end destroyed me. Being my first time over distance race I should had prepared myself for the long haul and setting off at 100k pace, when I was not in the form to do so, was always going to end in failure. With hindsight, and this is so easy to type, I could have taken an hour to compose myself and got back out there, hell I could have gone for a 6 hour sleep and still ran for another 3 hours ! The possibilities were endless with the nine hours I had left in the event but in the end I did nothing and just sculked off home, a beaten man. Could I have carried on ? It’s a question I ask myself on a regular basis and I truely believe I couldn’t at the time. Three in the morning suffering from sleep depravation, toilet ‘challenges’ and a heart rate rising quickly, I was in no condition to continue, yep, stopping was the only answer but it could have been so different. Will I go back next year ? Hell yeah, for redemption and to prove to myself I can give the 12 hour a good tilt.
What will I do differently ? Just about everything. I’ll mentally prepare myself for a start, really want to finish and finish strong. The pace will be dialled in early and it’ll be sustainable. Jon will be running the 24 hour version so I can stay away from his suicidal pacing and finally I’ll avoid my home cooking as No1 Wife will be home, so no toilet stops ? I’m really looking forward to it, truth be told, but of course there are plenty of other fish to fry before I return to the LightHorse next year.
Confidence wise , mine took a beating of course. My first ever DNF hit me very hard, it’s taken me weeks to even think about typing this post. On the bright side I have taken so much from this , I will never take on an event unprepared and always give the ultra events the respect they deserve, not just turn up and think it’s may right to finish and finish high up the field and strong. In ultra running nothing can be taken for granted and just assuming you are going to go well on past performances is threat with danger. The only thing that semi-guarantee’s results is training, trust in your training not historical data from past experiences.
They say that the opposite of love is not hate, but rather indifference. That is exactly what I was experiencing. I was completely indifferent to the event. I didn’t love it or hate it, I just had no interest at all, indifference. I asked myself whether this was just frustration; it was not. I had been replaying all the times I’ve heard people say they regretted dropping out of a race and that their advice is to just walk if possible…finish it. But, finishing was not part of my reason for entering the race. I’ve completed 100k races before, with nearly twice the elevation change. I had nothing to prove with finishing. I knew I could finish and that held no absolutely no meaning to me. So, I dropped out.
I was totally indifferent to the event at three hours, I was not enjoying myself and the thought of another 9 hours filled me with dread. It was this I suppose which in the end made my decision for me. I was not in the race to finish but to podium or at least finish high up the field, when this started to slip away (when I DNF’d I was sitting 6th) the race held nothing for me.
‘You learn more from your failure than you do from your success‘, is that true, maybe. I have certainly spent more timing thinking about what happened and working on ways to make sure they never happen again, so from that point of view you do take more from failure. To sum up how early I pulled the pin on the race I ran 33k the next day at 4:37min/k pace , comfortably. Mentally I was in a better place and the legs felt great, imagine that after a 37k race I was running a quick long run faster than race pace. What a difference a day makes, or even a goodies night sleep. I’ve managed to string together a semi-reasonable few weeks which culminated in a 35:38 10k last week and this is a confidence booster with the Rottnest Marathon in two weeks. I certainly feel a lot better going into a race and distance I know and love and there will be no mental challenges on Rotto. (Bar the normal marathon ones of course?) The goal is to run sub 3 for the 7th time and set a new record which I currently share with Mark Page. ( The two of us have six sub3 Rottnest Marathon Finishes). For those of you who don’t know Mark Page has finished Comrades second on two occasions, which is a pretty big deal. He was a pretty handy runner in his time and set numerous records so to go one better than Mark will be a massive honour. Looking at my training I’m in with a shout and I’ll certainly give it my all.
Right it was good to get that post out of the way and I can continue to motivate rather than depress people. With what I have learnt from this race I hope to avoid writing ‘My second DNF’ for a very, very long time, remember I’m at the beginning of my career and time is my friend… yours in running…
Maybe the Piper has started warming up….and it’s time to pay him ? No way…..
200 miles, how hard can that be, you have 104 hours to finish ?
Last week I spent most of my time watching 40 or so dots move along a map from Northcliffe to Great Southern Distillery Company, Albany, on the Bibbulmum track, a distance of nearly 350km’s. ( http://deliriouswest200miler.com.au ) The race started at Wednesday 7am and there was a 104 hour cut-off, yep you read that right, 104 hours !! There was a sweeper but it looked like he was more a pacer than a sweeper and the few people that did drop out where not ‘swept up‘ but chose to bail on their own terms for a number of very valid reasons. The scenery was stunning running along the West Australian coastline and the elevation was brutal, chuck in some serious heat and you have all the ingredients for a life changing experience. I was so close to entering so many times pre-event and in the end decided discretion was the better part of valour , at least for 2018 anyway. Watching the dots move along my screen (there was live tracking via a competitor and their ‘spot’ which was compulsory) I was very envious and regretted my decision but consoled myself with the knowledge that 2020 would be even bigger and maybe the 100 cap could be nudged, which meant more competitors and better racing.
Ultra running in WA is going through a bit of a boom at the moment with the Shaun Kaesler inspired Ultra Series WA ( http://ultraserieswa.com.au ) , the Perth Trail Series ( http://www.perthtrailseries.com.au ) as well as Ron McGlinns Australia Day Ultra ( http://australiadayultra.com ) and Dave Kennedy’s various events including the 6 inch ultra ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) ; there would probably be an ultra a month available if you were mad enough to take them all on. Of course the Delirious West is a step up from all of these events being over double the distance of the longest alternative but the stepping stone races are now available and you can work yourself up from 25k (from the Perth Trail Series) through the distances to the 335k (335k is an estimate; the final distance of the Delirious West will probably change annually on Shaun Kaesler’s whim; with the number probably always going up !) ) Delirious West main course.
Ultra running has some benefits as I have mentioned before in a post below, the main one being people are impressed by the longer you take and the distance. This means if you were to finish last you get more kudos than the eventual winner. Ultra’s really are the events that just keep giving…
Running has become more and more popular , not seen since the days of the Sony Walkman revolution of the early eighties when for the first time you could run with music. (To the young generation amongst us we used a thing called a ‘tape’, analog not digital music. ) People new to running inevitably join a running club or run with more experienced friends and before they know it they’ve signed up for their first race. This is a good thing as I believe you never push yourself as much as when the competitive juices start to flow with a racing bib on your chest. One thing leads to another and before too long you’ve entered your first half or full marathon.
Invariably this distance is conquered and you’ve informed all your friends via Facebook and normally your work colleagues via daily updates on your progress. The problem arises though when the marathon doesn’t seem to cut it for kudos like it use to. In the office there seems to be quite a few marathoners and worse most are faster than you. You start to get compared to John in accounts who ran sub3 or even Sheila in Purchasing who ran has ran 10 marathons while juggling family commitments and a busy career. So these days to get some real kudos it’s time to take this running to the next level, the ultra-marathon.
The ultra has the added benefit of the slower you run the more kudos you get, where as the marathon is, these days, about not only completing it but also setting a good time. Non runners are getting use to people telling them they’ve ran a marathon and have responded asking how long they took. Again they are wise to what they consider a good time and if you reply ‘4 hours’ they look at you with pity and ask ‘what went wrong’? Not so with the ultra-marathon. Because it is still not mainstream a non runner has no idea what a good or bad time is for an ultra and even if they did the distance can be varied to confuse them. Remember an ultra is anything longer than a marathon distance, it can be 42.3k upwards.
The ultra gets even better, they tend to be in far flung locations and have pretty serious titles, again earning kudos points. How good does an ‘ultra-marathon in Death Valley‘ sound. Death valley, c’mon, if that doesn’t get serious kudos around the drink fountain nothing will. Ok, Sheila from Purchasing has ran 10 marathons but she’s never ran an ultra-marathon in Death Valley. They have no idea where Death Valley is or even what an ultra-marathon is but who cares, you are now the running god in the office, someone who wouldn’t waste their time with silly ‘girl distance’ like marathons. The universe is realigned and you can ‘strut’ around the office yet gain.
The only downside to this new running adventure is the office folk then look to you for more and more longer distances and/or exotic locations. After your first ultra you can never repeat that distance as non-runners , although initially impressed , soon become impervious to distance running unless there is a serious upgrade or the location adds some spice. e.g. The Marathon Des Sable ( http://www.marathondessables.com/en/), the toughest footrace on Earth. ! ( ..On Earth? are they saying there’s a tougher footrace not on earth, the Moon 100k maybe? Now that would be worth talking about !??)
A word of warning of course, you may come across the non runner who knows a thing or two about ultra-running and while you strut around the office sprouting off about a 100k race on the local trails, basking in the adulation of the finance department, they walk past and grunt it was ‘no Marathon Des Sables’. Instantly your credibility is destroyed and you sneak off back to your desk plotting your next adventure.
So to sum up, an ultra marathon may fill the void in the office kudos states. It has the benefit of still being relatively hardcore, in the view of the uneducated, allows you to focus on distance and not time (to counter that nasty sub3 runner in Accounts) and even allows you to slow down and take your time as the longer you take will actually earn more brownie points. I won’t even start to mention the extra equipment you get to buy and use on ultra-marathons. The wardrobe options are endless and include camelbacks, gators, water belts and my mate Mark’s favourite, a cappuccino machine. ! (He doesn’t actually bring along a cappuccino machine but he wore a water belt once that had so many accessories he might as well have!) This can become more of a hindrance than a help as I always remember feeling my mate TB’s camelback at the end of the 6 inch ultra-marathon ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) and it must have weighted 10k; and that was at the END of the race not the beginning !!
The 6 inch is a good example of the small step up needed from the marathon distance. Remember anything longer than a marathon is classed an ultra. The 6 inch is 46k (assuming you don’t get lost, which I have on a number of occasions!), so for that extra 4k you get to shoot down Sheila in Purchasing as you’ve ran an ultra-marathon and ,as everybody knows , so much harder than the silly marathon…
So lookout Sheila, we’re coming for you ?
Am I mad enough to tackle the Delirious West in 2020 ? Hell yeah, I’m gutted I missed the inaugural running but I’m certainly looking to get to the start line next year. As soon as entries open I’m in, the only fly in the possible Delirious West ointment is the possibility that it will the same weekend as Daughter No2’s ball, I’m sure she’ll understand, eventually and the best bit is I have Daughter no3’s ball to go to assuming I don’t run the Delirious in 2025 ? (I am a creature of habit as I missed Daughter No1’s graduation meal when I was running the Rottnest Marathon!)
In WA at the moment we are blessed with a smorgasbord of ultra events put on by the Ultra Series WA ( http://ultraserieswa.com.au ) as well as the famous 6 inch ultra in December, ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) Dave Kennedy’s year ending event of choice. Looking at the Ultra Series WA website I found there’s also a four race Forest WA series as well as the races listed below. !! Thats 11 ultra events before you start to factor in the Perth Trails Series. ( http://www.perthtrailseries.com.au ) These guys have 17 events over the year, so now we’ve got nearly got 30 trail/ultra races in WA including a track ultra. How did this happen ? Five years ago WA was a desert of ultra running with the only oasis being the 6 inch ultra, which was in its infancy. Bernadette Benson then started the Trail Series but it was also in its infancy. There was the famous Hoka OneOne Kep Ultra which in my opinion had the possibility of becoming as big as the 6 inch is now but for the powers that be not granting the clearances needed. Rob Donkersloot ( http://whywalkwhen.com/ ) was another trailblazer of race directing in WA but his time was cut short by red tape !…
How good does that look !!! The Hoka One One Kep Ultra. Picture includes some WA running legends, Mighty Mick ‘Yoda’ Francis, Scotty Hawker and the elusive “Coops”..
Now we are the shining light of ultra and trail racing in Australia and this was certainly the case when two of the biggest names in ultra racing, globally, have just entered the newest, and longest, WA ultra in its inaugural year.
Trail and Ultra races in WA, There’s a few!
The Delirious West is another brain child of Shaun Kaesler, the godfather of WA Ultra running. ( http://deliriouswest200miler.com.au ) A 200 mile (and then a few extra as Shaun is famous for adding on ‘free miles’, bless him!) trail run on the world famous Bibbulum track. To quote the webpage :
It is finally here!! After more than 18 months of planning, we are beaming with pride to welcome you all to Australia’s first annual point to point 200 Mile Trail event.
The Delirious W.E.S.T. is run almost entirely on the Bibbulmun Track in the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia from the old logging settlement of Northcliffe, to the Historic port city of Albany.
The event will take place from Wed 20 February with a 7am start time and with a 104hr cut off, runners will have until 3pm Sunday 24 February to make their way to the finish line at the Great Southern Distillery Company in Albany.
The Delirious will traverse you through some of the most remarkable forests, unforgiving coastal scrub, stunning beaches, water crossings and some of nature’s finest landscapes along the World Famous Bibbulmun track. Although not the vert of many of the other World’s great 200 Milers, don’t be fooled by its charming elevation profile as the Aussie landscape can be unrelenting in its punishment of unsuspecting victims!
The latest and greatest trail ultra in WA. It’s getting hard to keep up..
So who is crossing the pond to come to this new event, well the one and only Catra Corbett for one and her bestie Candice Burt, ultra runner and race director of the ‘Triple Crown’ of ultra running. A prettier version of Shaun Kaesler in my opinion, sorry Shaun but it’s true. With these two already lined up for the event next February you are going to get some worldwide attention and I’m sure the 100 spots will start selling fast so I’d recommend start thinking about this bad-boy of an event sooner rather than later. I may even take the plunge myself, just got to persuade No1 Wife to let me spend four figures on a race entry!!
Ultra racing royalty, Catra Corbett.
Candice Burt, race director of the Triple Crown of ultra running.
Once more into the breach… Photo reference . another Dennis Tan classic. Paprazzi on the run. Zac totally over dressed for his first trail race? Rookie error.
Entries for one of the best trail races in WA opened this week and of course me and the boys all entered immediately. ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) The race itself is on Sunday December 16th , 2018 and this will be the 14th running, I think, and it’ll be my 10th time. (In a row if you don’t mind. Only Nate ‘Dog’ Fawkes has run all races with Jon “Trailblazer” Phillips second with 12 finishes..) This race is a perfect end to the year and sets you up for a long Xmas break before the Australia Day Ultra in January. We always stay the night ,or weekend, of the race at Dwellingup which is such a beautiful place and the race itself is a feast of trail running. I have written posts on my last two races , probably worth a read…. https://www.runbkrun.com/2016/12/19/sometimes-6-inches-is-enough/ and https://www.runbkrun.com/2017/12/18/its-not-a-good-trail-race-unless-you-get-lost/ There’s probably more on the blog, just type in “6 inch” in the search dialog box. Anyhow if you live in WA , or even Australia, you need to run this race, trust me it is that good. So many good memories over the years, well mostly good, I do tend to get lost on a regular basis but that’s trail running I suppose.
I think the photo below was 2015, Jon was made to wear pink arm bands after falling in the only puddle on the whole course the previous year. He out did himself later in the race by falling in a ‘rut’ up the ‘escalator’ hill, it was big enough he had space to lay down for a rest as Michael ‘Barts’ Barton jumped over him. The following year he was forced to wear some rock climbing rope as punishment for his latest misdemeanour. Also in the photo is Jon ‘trailblazer’ Phillips giving us his best ‘blue steel’ stare. Jon has finished 12 times, a try WA running icon.
Helium filled arm bands, an Ultra runners best friend?
In 2016 I grew the biggest beard I could for the race in an attempt to be more”trail ready”, it didn’t help as I think I got lost even with two Garmin watches. No worries, the 6 inch is more than just a finishing time, it’s a trail running , life changing, experience. More about the journey than the destination.
After the 6 inch ultra it’s time to smell the roses and eat the pancakes.. (Photo from 2016, early on in the race as I’m ahead of local ultra runner champion Richard Avery)
Sometimes you got to smell the roses…
Even I smile on a trial run, a rare sight when racing ! This was 2017, half way and knowing “I had this”, a great feeling.
Masters Award with the RD and WA running legend Dave Kennedy. 2017. Masters Trophy, officially first “old person” to finish, bless. Hope to defend this title in 2018.
As regular readers of my blog know I’m a Marathon runner first and foremost. Of course to compliment the marathon I also race anything from 4k upwards as good old fashioned ‘fast running‘ is one of the many ingredients needed in the successful marathon running recipe book. It is also good fun running fast and I recommend all runners throw in the odd tempo or threshold session once they have finished with building the ‘running engine’ with the main ingredient in any running recipe, distance. (Can you tell I’m writing this post hungry with all the cooking analogies?)
Once in a while though it is also good to test yourself and dip your toe into the ultra world. I run the 6 inch annually ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) but it is an ultra really in name only, the distance varies from 46k to 48k depending on trail closures and the RD’s warped sense of ‘evilness’. You never know when a new hill (or wall as I call them) will appear! A few years ago my running buddy Ron Mcglinn created the Australia Day Ultra (ADU) , a 25K/50K OR 100K race on a 12.5k flat loop. I missed the inaugural year which featured the closest finish in racing history with my good friend Tony ‘the T-train’ Smith running over the top of Andy Wait. Andy had held off Tony until the finish straight and after, 50 kilometres, it came down to a good old fashioned sprint. What a finish and as you can see from the image below it didn’t end well for Andy. When the T-train runs over the top of you the only way is down… great racing lads. Funnily enough I had the same experience the following year when Tony was running me down on the last 2-3 laps, luckily I had enough to hold him off and grab the last podium place but, trust me, when the T-Train is chasing you it focusses the mind !
The T-Train runs over the top of Andy with the finish line in sight.
In 2017 I raced the 100k for the first time and my journey was recorded by Rod Donkersloot on his website http://www.whywalkwhen.com , his video is available at https://vimeo.com/201134104 , worth a viewing. The race went well and I managed second place after most of the field in front of me dropped out. In an ultra it really is survival of the fittest and you can gain significant places just by continuing. Time becomes secondary to distance in an ultra, it’s not when you finished, it’s just finishing. I was thinking about this on one of my runs yesterday and came to the conclusion that time matters less and less as you add distance. For example in a 5k run time is all important , where as finishing is just assumed. This is the same up to around the half marathon but after that, for the new runner, it’s about finishing. The non-runner doesn’t really care about time for a marathon upwards as they have no idea, normally, what a good or bad time is, just finishing is enough to gain kudos. Actually as your distance increases the longer you take becomes even more impressive, it’s a double kudos scenario around the drink fountain at work afterwards. As always I have digressed from the subject.
ADU 100k , 2017 , smiling my way to a second place finish, just over 8 hours.
Everything went well and as you can see from the finish line photo below I was very happy to finish and , trust me, the runners high does improve with distance !
2018. The finish line after a 100k race is a biblical like experience, trust me !
As the race starts at midnight sleep depravation can become an issue after you finish. I was dragged from my hotel room for the presentations early , after arranging a late check. Just as I beginning to dose off the T-Train rang me and informed me they were presenting the trophy’s early. This proved to be a mistake on Tony’s part (??) and I ended up waiting another two hours in the blazing heat of an Australian summers day. Not happy and by the time the presentations came around I was just about comatose, as the photo below shows. I then had a three hour drive home to look forward to, the joys of ultra running ?
2018. Being held up by the Race Directors at the presentations. (I’ve looked better !)
Right, finally, the point of this post. I received in the mail yesterday my certificate confirming that I had broken the AURA ( https://www.aura.asn.au/ ) record for the 100k for the 50-54 age group. Truth be told I remember seeing one of these certificates years ago and thinking to myself I would love to get one. It may have taken a few years, mainly waiting to get into the 50-54 age group, but I finally have one. This certificate is not just reward for the race itself but for everything leading up to the event. The early mornings getting up in the dark to run alone, the lunch time sessions in the heat, the tempo and threshold sessions where you fear for your life and the long runs that seem to go on forever. It is also for everything you give up in your pursuit of your goals, that could be quality time with family, potential career aspirations, social nights out with friends or just other hobbies that are sacrificed. As I have said many, many times “Running is an honest sport”, it rewards effort but also punishes runners who do not give their all; nobody has ever finished a marathon and said they did no training and surprised themselves ! (Unfortunately?)
It’s not about receiving certificates breaking records, although that is a nice to have, it’s more about setting yourself a goal and achieving it. Ultra races give you that sense of achievement and you will find out things about yourself that may, or may not, surprise you. Emile Zatopek was quoted as saying “If you want to run a mile, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon”. There is an ultra addition to this quote of course, “If you want to speak to God, run an ultra”. I personally have been lucky enough not to speak to God just yet but you never know what may eventuate in the future ? I would suggest speaking to God wouldn’t be an issue, it would be hearing his reply that would unnerving ?
The Ultra crowd also seem to be more sociable than the shorter distance runners and I would put this down to an earlier point about time not being as important with greater distances. There is certainly more of a feeling of ‘belonging‘ with the ultra scene and there seems to be a more relaxed atmosphere as the burden of achieving set times goals is secondary to surviving the distance. There is a ‘in this together’ sense of comradery there is sadly missing in smaller distance events. Anything less than a marathon really is you against the clock, above a marathon it’s you against yourself, with the time secondary. In Western Australia at the moment we are blessed with a new breed of Race Director who are providing amazing events, in amazing locations. Dave Kennedy ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/ ) , Ron McGlinn ( http://australiadayultra.com/ ) and Shaun Kaesler ( http://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) are leading the way in making WA a hot-bed of Ultra running activity, and long may it continue. Australia wide there is the AURA ( https://www.aura.asn.au/ ) and it seems there are races available nearly every weekend, so many opportunities to talk to God, you’d be mad not to really ?
ADU Course, a thing of beauty when the sun eventually rises.
I’ve raced the Australian Day Ultra the last two years and managed a podium on both occasions. The first year I ran the 50km and nabbed a third place after dropping down from the 100km after a few bad runs in training had drained my confidence. I figured to run 100km I needed confidence in my ability and without this I wasn’t sure I’d complete the distance. As it turned out it was probably the right decision as even on the 50km race I fell off my goal pace early and had to work really hard for a 3 hour 38 minute finish with the T-train (that is Tony Smith) chasing me to the finish, and trust me having the T-train in hot pursuit is not pleasant, the man is relentless ! Last year I stepped up to the main event and off the back of a good training block ran 8 hours 4 minutes and a second place finish. It was a great day and as much as I enjoyed the experience (I use the word ‘enjoy’ loosely) I vowed not to return and retired on the spot !
Of course this was instantly forgotten when the event opened up in July and I must have been one of the first to put my name in the hat, how does that happen ? Anyhow the race was put on the back burner as other events came and went but after the 6 inch ultra in December the ADU suddenly became my next ‘target race’ and one that now demanded my attention. I must admit to not being that enameled with taking on the ADU again as the event got closer. To be prepared for this race you have to train very hard over the Christmas period, which is in the middle of a Perth summer, heat becomes your running partner and this makes all runs that little bit more ‘challenging’. It also comes at the end of the race calendar when you are looking forward to a break pre-Perth marathon in June. It can be very easy to drop the ball on this one , which would be a problem of course come race day.
Training wise I was on a good wicket and managed to put in three solid training weeks after the 6 inch ultra. Weeks of 118k, 130k and 154k had me feeling that training wise I was ready, it was just the mental side that needed work. I hadn’t fully convinced myself running again was such a good idea after a solid debut last year. Would I run as well again and was I risking too much taking on the ADU for a second time? These thoughts stayed with me in my 2 week mini-taper (do you taper for an ultra? I wrote a post on that where the answer was no if I remember correctly? ) and even the night before the event I was still questioning my reasons for racing.
I spoke to my Wife the night before the event, from the hotel room before I treated myself to two hours sleep, and made her promise to never let me run the event again. She asked me to make a video of me proclaiming this which I luckily conveniently forgot to do. Anyhow I digress, needless to say I got my two hours sleep awoke at 10:30pm , had some toast and honey with bananas on top, the breakfast of champions and made my way to the start which was scheduled for midnight. So yet again I found myself in a high visibility vest (council stipulations) wearing a head torch staring into the dark about to set off on another 100km adventure.
There was another carrot dangled in front of me, and probably the main reason for my return to the ADU after retiring last year (?). The Australian Ultra Runners Association M50 age group record was a tantalizing target after my 8 hours and 4 minutes debut 100k time in 2017. Bryan Smith, the current holder of the 50-55 age group, was an Ultra Running Legend who died while competing in the Big Foot Trans-Atlantic footrace in 2001, coincidently enough on my birthday, February 2nd. Bryan still holds the Australian record for 1,000 miles (1609km) which he ran in 11 days, 23 hours, the second fastest time anywhere in the world. Although I never knew Bryan it seems really was a ultra running great and he is considered one of the best ultra runners Australia has ever produced. To beat his time would be a great honour.
Right so off we go into the night, I had persuaded my good friend Jon Pendse to run with me for one lap as the T-train was shying away from our pace and was set to run his own race. Last years winner Richard Avery set off like a scolded cat and I could tell he was aiming for a sub 7 hour finish. So myself and Jon settled down into 4:30 min/k pace and enjoyed the unique atmosphere of running at midnight. Due to logistics and volunteers the course is a 12.5k loop 8 times which sounds boring but due to the night start it actually works quite well. The first four laps you run within yourself but because it’s dark you don’t feel like you’re repeating yourself. There is an aid station at the start, after 3k and at the far end of the out and back , so basically you’re never more than 3k from an aid station, plenty of opportunity to eat and drink on demand, an ultra runners dream course really. As I have always maintained an ultra really is an eating and drinking competition with running between refreshment tables. Basically get your hydration and nutrition right and you’re in with a good chance to finish, get it wrong in an ultra and you have a long way to think about your mistake. This year, like last, I had my esky full of ‘tukka’ at the middle aid station so passed it twice a lap. My plan was to use a 600ml drink bottle of electrolyte and a carbo-shot every lap with banana’s, protein bars and revvies ( http://www.revviesenergy.com ) as backup. (I never used these backup options, just too hard to think about and I never got in a state I really needed them.) This worked well for the first 6 laps but after that I couldn’t stomach any more electrolyte so moved to flat coke at the middle and end aid stations with water as backup.
So I managed to persuade Jon to stay with me to about 48k which was very good of him as we were a lot quicker than his target goal pace and I was worried after I left him he’d be swallowed up by the chasing pack. He actually carried on and finished with a massive PB of 45 minutes, a time of 8 hours 6 minutes. This was way beyond what he expected and again backs up my theory that sometimes you got to put yourself out of your comfort zone to achieve ‘great things’. So thanks Jon, as always I enjoyed your company and it helped the kilometres tick by. After I left Jon I knew I had just over 50k to go and would be alone bar passing other runners (and being passed by the 50k and 25k runners) . It was time to buckle down and get the job done. Time wise I was ahead of schedule and lapping the 12.5km loop consistently under the 60 minutes. I think my first 4 laps were all 57 minutes so everything was looking rosy. At the turn around for lap 5 I went past the race leader drinking at the aid station and his race was obviously run. Richard had set himself a goal ‘A’ deliberately with no Goal ‘B’, it was an ‘all or nothing‘ run and unfortunately this time it was to be nothing. A very brave roll of the dice and one Richard will learn from. I suspect next year he will realise his sub 7 hour dream and I hope to be there to witness it, albeit only as he cruises past me on each lap.
I passed Jon and mentioned to him I was in the lead and he had moved up to second place, all we had to do now was run for another three and a half hours and we’d be podium bound, easy really ? As it was the race panned out as most 100k ultras normally do. The first 50k you should be relaxed and aim to get to halfway feeling good, any other feeling and you are in for a world of pain of course. 50k -70k and things start to get real, 70k – 90k and the race begins in earnest. These 20k or so kilometres is where the race is defined, (similar to the last 10k in a marathon really.) run strong through this part of the race and you set yourself up for success. After running for 90k you can normally find something for the last 10k, ok it may not be pretty but if you get to 90k you are going to finish, eventually. This is what happened, lap 5 was bearable and I started to notice the spring in my step was not as ‘springy’ as in previous laps (is springy a word?) . Lap 6 and 7 is where you dig deep, 25k of pain really and if you can get to lap 8 you are there, after 7 laps you can always find something for the last one, trust me.
Personally when I run a race this long I break it down into smaller manageable chunks or goals. The ADU is easy as it’s an eight lap course (I typed in ‘course’ wrong and the spellchecker changed it to ‘curse‘, interesting?) so straight away you have eight smaller races, for me each 12.5k loop needed to be less than 60 minutes. Add in a halfway split and you have two 50km races. Trust me running 100k takes a long time, surprising that, and you need to be patient. The first 50k really is a jog to the start of the race which starts in earnest after halfway. On both occasions I’ve had great company for the first 50k of the ADU so it becomes more of a ‘Sunday long run with friends’ before morphing into a race. When you initially start the thought of running for eight hours is frightening so you need to just concentrate on enjoying the run and interacting with company, in a similar vein to a Sunday long run. Trying to get into ‘race mode’ for eight hours would be difficult and I admire runners who race from the first kilometre to the last, personally it’s too long mentally for me and I save my racing for laps 6 and 7 when its time to enter the pain box. I remember thinking on a number of occasions will this race ever end ! Eventually though it does…..
I finished in 7 hours 47 minutes and 29 seconds which was an AURA record and good enough for a maiden victory at this distance. (Ignore the clock in the photo below, that is the time of day I’m assuming because the other side showed the race net time? I’ll mention this rookie error to the race directors!) ) Jon came home in second place with my training buddy Tony ‘T-Train’ Smith completing the male podium places. It really was a perfect day. Other notable times for the day was the two first female runners setting times good enough for Australian Ultra Team qualification and the women’s winner, Bernadatte Benson, setting another Canadian record for her age group, beating her time she set in 2015, this was also another course record. Margie Hadley, who ran a strong second place, is one of my favourite runners as she probably runs more than me and certainly more times a day than me. I admire hard work when it comes to running and I don’t think many people work as hard as Margie, there is more to come from this young lady mark my words.
One happy runner, smiling on the inside, not so much on the outside?
After finishing I did the obligatory ‘I’m retired’ speech again to all who would listen but I feel they don’t believe me as they’ve heard it twice before and each year I keep returning. I must admit it doesn’t take long for me to forget about all the pain of the previous 8 hours after a few minutes and if I see a camera I’m smiling instantly and show boating with my medal, funny that ? I think the photo below shows this.
Two minutes after finishing and I’m all smiles, funny that. Different story three minutes previous….Adam Scott looking on in ‘awe.
Best thing after finishing an ultra is the ‘I can eat what I want‘ feeling you can give yourself for a few days after the event. Traditionally for me and Jon this starts at the Dome cafe about an hour after we finish. Pancakes, bacon, berries and maple syrup is the order of the day as we sit down and dissect the race, blow by blow. The last few years it’s always been ‘we ain’t doing that again‘ but this year was different, I think we both knew we’d be back but this was unspoken for the moment. As you can see from the photo below we are two very happy ultra runners in all our splendour with fresh medals proudly displayed for all to see.
My favourite part of the ADU, the post race debrief with Jon.
All that was to do now was return to the event for the presentations and also to encourage the last few runners on their way. The event started just after midnight but there were still runners on the course when the presentations started just after midday, some with multiple laps to complete. This is Ultra running , where the runners at the back of the pack work so hard just to finish. Running can be a cruel sport but as we are in awe of their determination they seem to be equally in awe of the leaders pace. Both sets of runners appreciate the other and that’s what makes the whole community feel of ultras running. It really is a special type of event where you make great friends and meet great people, as well as getting to run for a long time, it really is the event that just keeps on giving
Finally to quote Dean Karnazes, who knows a thing or two about ultra running, “If you want to run a mile, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon. If you want to talk to God, run an Ultra.”
With Ron and Shaun, two of the best Race Directors anywhere on this planet. (I think they’re actually holding me up at this point?)
I asked this question this time last year just before the Australia Day Ultra ( http://australiadayultra.com ) . A year later I can report I ran a good first 100k ultra and finished just over 8 hours with a constant pace throughout. It seems my ‘no tapering for an ultra’ strategy worked. This year I’ve ran 118k / 130k / 154k and 100k this week , since the 6 inch ultra in late December. The 100k this week was my ‘taper’ week before the final week where I’ll probably run 10k a day similar to last year. Is this a guarantee of success come the race ? In an Ultra unfortunately not. For any race, upto and including the marathon, I can probably predict my finishing time to within 1-2 minutes, with an ultra there are just too many variables to be really confident of a predicted finishing time.
In a marathon it’s all over in less than 3 hours so the time period for things to go wrong is small, assuming you have experience at the distance of course. I’m talking personally here and with 43 marathon finishes to me it is a fast long run, one I have completed many times. With this experience comes confidence, confidence to go out at a pace I know I can maintain and confidence to know that at 32k when most people are worried about ‘hitting the wall’ I mentally switch over to finish mode. There have been no unpleasant marathon experiences since 2014 when I was defending my Bunbury title and mentally fell apart at 15k. I learned from that mistake and its all been good since. (Note. the distance still hurts but ‘been good since’ really means as good as any marathon can be. Sorry people but if you race marathons you are gong to spend serious time in the pain box, there is no sugar coating this.)
An Ultra though does not give you the benefit of confidence because of all the variables that come into play. Last year was a great year for me and it all fell into place beautifully. I even managed to grab a second place finish when two runners in-front of me dropped out, the lead runner (who shall remain nameless) even pulled a hammy while going for an unscheduled call of nature, how lucky is that ? (for me of course , not the lead runner.) My nutrition and hydration strategy was spot on, again more luck than judgement, and the conditions were perfect. Because it was my first time I wasn’t under any real pressure (bar the video shot by Rob where I mentioned a 8hr 30min target time.) and truth be told actually enjoyed the whole experience bar lap 6 and 7 (it’s a 8 lap 12.5k course) Who is going to enjoy laps 6 and 7 though, this is when you are settled in the corner of the pain box in the foetal position asking yourself some serious questions? (the joy of running an ultra?) Lap 8 is bearable because it is the last one and every step you take you know you won’t repeat it, it’s one step closer to finishing rather than starting a new lap.
So in a few days I come out of my retirement (I retired as soon as I finished last year !) and take on the ADU again. Can I run a sub 8 hour 100k and grab an AURU age group record ? We’ll have a good crack but with so many variables you can never tell and the Piper may come a-calling this year and ask for payment. If he does , that’s cool, it’ll give me something to blog about when I eventually crawl over the line, after my pancakes, bacon and maple syrup of course, somethings will be constant in a world of variables.
Do you taper for an ultra ?
Being mainly a marathon runner I’m not as confident or sure of the taper period for an ultra. For the 6 inch ultra marathon in December last year I experimented by not tapering nearly as much as I would for a marathon. On the week of the event I actually ran twice a day Monday through Thursday and only had 48 hours rest before the race. Admittedly all runs on race week were slow and easy but I still managed over 80km’s pre-race. On the day I felt great and ran a good race for a 7th place finish but more importantly I was 4th quickest over the second half of the race. I actually ran my first negative split for an ultra. The week before the ultra I had ran 140k so there really wasn’t a taper period to talk off. ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com )
Could this work for a marathon ? I don’t think so. The ultra is normally ran at a more subdued pace and although longer I feel not as testing as ‘racing’ a marathon. (Well ultras less than 100k, when you get above 100k I’m sure it becomes a tad more testing that a marathon. Once I run further than 100k I’ll confirm?) In an ultra the race pace normally decreases brings your overall cardio fitness in to play more than resting the legs a few weeks before. If you haven’t got the fitness a two week taper will not help, you’ll still be underdone. With a marathon, as the distance is less, you normally have the fitness required to finish the event, the tapering helps more by letting tired muscles recovery.
Also I feel running a good ultra is more dependant on the nutrition and hydration plan, get this right will benefit you so much more than a taper period. Again get this plan wrong and the taper will not save you. In an ultra any mistakes will be paid for, that is a certainty. In an ultra there is no where to hide.
Researching tapering and ultras on the web and there are stories advocating no tapering and setting PB’s while others advocate a 3 week steep taper and lean more towards relaxing rather than stressing about the event. All have their pro’s and con’s and as with all things running there’s no one shoe fits all. It really depends on the runner and also their experience and fitness. The more experienced runner with a good foundation of distance training under their belt will be more likely to be able to go into an event without tapering. They will not need the confidence boost that comes from a good taper as much as someone with less experience. Remember a good taper will also aid confidence and going into any race this is important, anything that helps put you in a positive mindset is welcome and needs to be embraced,
Of course if you have any niggling injuries an enforced taper may be called for. When this happens there is nothing you can do about it, just sit back and smell the roses concentrating on things you can influence like carboloading. Now carboloading, that is a whole new post and one I shall tackle next. Until then enjoy this article below by Ian Torrence which highlights ‘peaking’ rather than tapering as a benefit, pre-ultra. Ian is part of the Greg McMillan stable of writers so has a wealth of knowledge and experience to call upon. (Please note I do not advocate the Joe Kulak method of peaking described below but as you can see in the photo below my friend Jon is convinced it works… ?)
Jon practicing the Joe Kulak method of peaking !
The final weeks before an event are the toughest to get right. The common notion that all hard work must cease and inactivity must ensue is incorrect. It’s also foolhardy to continue amassing mileage and tough workouts as race day nears in hopes of improving fitness. Depending on your approach to this all-important time period, you may be left feeling lethargic or simply exhausted. A runner with the proper peak will feel rejuvenated and ready to go on race day.
Greg McMillan, my mentor, has devised a set of rules to live by as race day approaches. Greg explains, “By studying peak performance research – both physiological as well as psychological – as opposed to just the tapering research, I’ve been able to dial in how to truly peak on race day. It works for all athletes no matter where you find yourself in the pack come race day.” By placing Greg’s simple and effective system into context, let’s get you prepared for your next ultra.
1. Do not drop running volume drastically
Though there are some that prefer three weeks to peak, two weeks seems to be the most popular choice. During the first week of a peak, drop the length of each run by 10 to 20 minutes. The week before your event, drop volume by 20 to 30 minutes per run. I recommend that ultrarunners limit their last long run(s), done a week before the key event, to 90 easy minutes (regardless of the distance of the event). This is enough to give you that long run feeling, but short enough that muscle recovery and glycogen-storage continue. Light, non-impact cross training can be done in lieu of runs, but only if you are used to those forms of exercise.
2. Keep the routine
Run, eat, sleep, work, and socialize when you do normally. Your body and mind have achieved stasis over the past few months of training. Keep them both happy and the keel even. Now is not the time to experiment with new workouts, forms of exercise, foods, and social events. Use the extra time not spent running for sleeping and sticking to “safe” hobbies.
3. Keep the intensity and build confidence
Before the 2007 JFK 50 Mile, I had an exchange with fellow competitor Andy Mason. Nine days before the race, he completed a round of very quick mile repeats on the track; his last quality workout before the race. I knew he was fit and feeling confident. That year, Andy finished in the top ten.
Though most ultrarunners do not need to perform a tough round of mile repeats before their next race, they might consider doing some sort of confidence-building workout 10 days to two weeks out from their event. This workout, however, should be in tune with recent training. Running a 30-mile training run or time trialing up and down Hope Pass (like the author) a few days before a race is neither smart nor beneficial. A moderate length workout that you’re familiar with, that is aerobically challenging, allows for adequate recovery before race day, and demonstrates your fitness should be the order of the day. If you don’t routinely perform hard hill, stamina-building, fartlek, or fast finish workouts then this is not the time to start. Maintain your current training and follow the guidelines for reduction in mileage as mentioned above.
Now is also the time to reflect on all of the training you’ve done thus far. Remember that you’ve done the work necessary to get you to the finish line.
4. Stick to the original race plan and have fun
No one starts a race without a goal. Whether it be to keep your Grand Slam hopes alive, finish your first ultra, or win the event outright, don’t lose sight of why you’re out there. Be deliberate in your actions and calculate each move you make on the race course. Run your own race and enjoy the time you’re having on the trail or road. Greg McMillan sums this up perfectly, “Let’s face it. Most of us aren’t going for an Olympic gold medal here. We are simply enjoying the challenge of doing our best. There is no real pressure, so quit putting so much on yourself. We run for fun, and you should remember that. Have fun!”
PEAKING FOR MULTIPLE RACES
What if you’re gearing up for several important races that are separated by a few weeks or less? The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, as well as others of that genre, and several race series like the NorCal and SoCal Ultra Grand Prix are perfect examples. In essence, you are recovering and peaking in unison between events. There are two ways to approach situations like this:
1. Reverse taper
This is like returning from injury. Gradually and slowly increase the length of your post-race easy runs and avoid fast and difficult workouts. You won’t reach your normal training level, but you’ll satisfy the need for a few runs before your next event.
2. The Joe Kulak Method
When I asked Joe Kulak what he did between each of his four 2003 Grand Slam record- setting 100-mile races, he quipped, “I sat on the couch and drank beer.” If beer is not your drink of choice, water works just as well. The reality is that you can’t gain fitness in the two or three weeks between long ultras. Recovery will be your best “workout” while preparing for your next event.
Running has become more and more popular , not seen since the days of the Sony Walkman revolution of the early eighties when for the first time you could run with music. (To the young generation amongst us we used a thing called a ‘tape’, analog not digital music. ) People new to running inevitably join a running club or run with more experienced friends and before they know it they’ve signed up for their first race. This is a good thing as I believe you never push yourself as much as when the competitive juices start to flow with a racing bib on your chest. One thing leads to another and before too long you’ve entered your first half or full marathon.
Invariably this distance is conquered and you’ve informed all your friends via Facebook and normally your work colleagues via daily updates on your progress. The problem arises though when the marathon doesn’t seem to cut it for kudos like it use to. In the office there seems to be quite a few marathoners and worse most are faster than you. You start to get compared to John in accounts who ran sub3 or even Sheila in Purchasing who ran has ran 10 marathons while juggling family commitments and a busy career. So these days to get some real kudos it’s time to take this running to the next level, the ultra-marathon.
The ultra has the added benefit of the slower you run the more kudos you get, where as the marathon is, these days, about not only completing it but also setting a good time. Non runners are getting use to people telling them they’ve ran a marathon and have responded asking how long they took. Again they are wise to what they consider a good time and if you reply ‘4 hours’ they look at you with pity and ask ‘what went wrong’? Not so with the ultra-marathon. Because it is still not mainstream a non runner has no idea what a good or bad time is for an ultra and even if they did the distance can be varied to confuse them. Remember an ultra is anything longer than a marathon distance, it can be 42.3k upwards.
The ultra gets even better, they tend to be in far flung locations and have pretty serious titles, again earning kudos points. How good does an ‘ultra-marathon in Death Valley‘ sound. Death valley, c’mon, if that doesn’t get serious kudos around the drink fountain nothing will. Ok, Sheila from Purchasing has ran 10 marathons but she’s never ran an ultra-marathon in Death Valley. They have no idea where Death Valley is or even what an ultra-marathon is but who cares, you are now the running god in the office, someone who wouldn’t waste their time with silly ‘girl distance’ like marathons. The universe is realigned and you can ‘strut’ around the office yet gain.
The only downside to this new running adventure is the office folk then look to you for more and more longer distances and/or exotic locations. After your first ultra you can never repeat that distance as non-runners , although initially impressed , soon become impervious to distance running unless there is a serious upgrade or the location adds some spice. e.g. The Marathon Des Sable ( http://www.marathondessables.com/en/), the toughest footrace on Earth. ! ( ..On Earth? are they saying there’s a tougher footrace not on earth, the Moon 100k maybe? Now that would be worth talking about !??)
A word of warning of course, you may come across the non runner who knows a thing or two about ultra-running and while you strut around the office sprouting off about a 100k race on the local trails, basking in the adulation of the finance department, they walk past and grunt it was ‘no Marathon Des Sables’. Instantly your credibility is destroyed and you sneak off back to your desk plotting your next adventure.
So to sum up, an ultra marathon may fill the void in the office kudos states. It has the benefit of still being relatively hardcore, in the view of the uneducated, allows you to focus on distance and not time (to counter that nasty sub3 runner in Accounts) and even allows you to slow down and take your time as the longer you take will actually earn more brownie points. I won’t even start to mention the extra equipment you get to buy and use on ultra-marathons. The wardrobe options are endless and include camelbacks, gators, water belts and my mate Mark’s favourite, a cappuccino machine. ! (He doesn’t actually bring along a cappuccino machine but he wore a water belt once that had so many accessories he might as well have!) This can become more of a hindrance than a help as I always remember feeling my mate TB’s camelback at the end of the 6 inch ultra-marathon ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) and it must have weighted 10k; and that was at the END of the race not the beginning !!
The 6 inch is a good example of the small step up needed from the marathon distance. Remember anything longer than a marathon is classed an ultra. The 6 inch is 46k (assuming you don’t get lost, which I have on a number of occasions!), so for that extra 4k you get to shoot down Sheila in Purchasing as you’ve ran an ultra-marathon and ,as everybody knows , so much harder than the silly marathon…
So lookout Sheila, we’re coming for you ?
6 Inch Trail Ultra, only 4k’s more than a marathon but to the untrained eye a whole different animal, an Ultra !!
