Ultra Marathons
As you will know I have entered my first ‘real’ ultra marathon early in the New Year and a week before I turn 50. I have ran 16 ultra marathons before with the longest being the Comrades ultra in South Africa (http://www.comrades.com ). This race varies between 87k and 89k depending on road closures and race direction, they have an UP year and the following year a DOWN year, so to complete Comrades you have to run them both, a marketing man’s dream. (They even gibe you a back-to-back medal if you run the UP and DOWN in consecutive years for your first two Comrades. A free medal, what runner could resist that, not mo that’s for sure!)
The ultra in January is 100k but on a flat 12.5k loop, ( http://australiadayultra.com ) which means you run the out and back loop eight times. The midnight start will also be challenging as grabbing any sleep pre-race will probably be difficult, especially when you add in the pre-race nerves. It will also take an hour or two to set out all the food and drink I intend to consume over the 100k race, it is an ultra remember. I have described running an ultra in another post as an ‘eating and drinking competition’ with the first person to consume enough food and drink to get them to the 100k mark first the winner. More about the eating and drinking apparently ? Remember my mate Jon put on weight after running this event last year. He also finished second ! Could he have eaten less and done better , who knows as it’s a fine balancing act. Eat too little and you’ll burn out and not finish as you’ll run out of fuel. Eat too much and you’ll probably go to sleep, only joking, you can do as much damage with too much fuel onboard, probably blow a seal or worse the head gasket; love my engine comparisons. Saying that I’m typing this while consuming an apple crumble and ice cream so does this count as ultra training , interesting concept, my mate Jon would probably concur with me that eating is actually ultra training as much as the exercise part.
The other 13 ultras I have run have all been less than 64k and as such have needed no extra training on top of the regular marathon training I embrace weekly. I adjust my target pace down and then off I go, into the ultra world with a skip and a jump. Can this approach also get me to an end of a 100k ultra and , on top of the distance factor, will it be able to allow me to compete for a podium finish. No point running if you haven’t got a serious goal to aim for, otherwise we’d all be ‘joggers‘ and that would not do at all.!
100k with no real long runs over 30k, probably not the best way to train for an ultra but I’m relying on my double days and high average mileage (currently around 140-160k a week) to get me through this one. I’m betting my cardio fitness coupled with my stubborn running personality will be enough to get me through the hard times which, apparently in ultras, is a given. Never DNF’d a race in my life and won’t be starting any time soon. I’ve got my race goals all set out of course, there’s a few of them. 1. Podium, less than 8 hours finish. Highly unlikely given my lack of real distance in training. 2. Podium, time unimportant. 3. Sub 9 hours and a finish that doesn’t kill me. 4. Sub 10 hours. There is no number 5. Funny even typing this post I can see the major flaws in my master plan but hey, it’s ultra running.?
I’ve added an article on some tips for ultra success. Reading through these I may have a few ‘challenges’ ahead but if it was easy everybody would be doing it, wouldn’t they ?
The Medics Know Best: 10 Tips For Ultramarathon Success
Crossing the finish line at an ultra requires a sound gameplan.
The medics at ultramarathons get a first-hand look at where races go wrong. Here is their advice to get you to the finish line.
When it comes to participating in ultras, the medical team is one group of volunteers you usually don’t think about until you need them. And they have the privilege of seeing you at your worst—from ankle sprains to dehydration, vomiting to compromised kidney function, blisters and more.
Runners are a stubborn lot, often viewing the medical team as a last resort. But, believe it or not, their goal isn’t to pull you from a race.
“I want everyone to finish,” says Dave Heckman, a firefighter paramedic from Engine 7 of Woodside Fire District in the San Francisco Bay area and a 12-year volunteer at the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race in July through the California desert. “I always hope people recover and keep going.”
The medical crew at Badwater sees its fair share of heat-related sickness, dehydration, exhaustion, sunburns (cover up!) and blisters. Many of the medical team members are ultrarunners and endurance athletes themselves, a benefit when it comes to understanding what racers may be experiencing–not just physically, but mentally as well. During the 2014 race, members of the medical crew shared lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Thanks to Heckman (who circumnavigated Death Valley National Park in 2012 during the hottest month in U.S. history), Chris Frost (an EMT from Parker, Ariz., with nine Badwater 135 finishes to his credit) and Dr. Darryl Macias (an Albuquerque, N.M.-based ER doctor, runner and climber who has climbed Aconcagua and runs mountain races) for their insights.
Preparation is 90 Percent of Success
In addition to running and training, ultra preparation involves studying the course, knowing what conditions to expect, dialing gear, testing hydration and fueling strategies.
Practice Hydration and Electrolytes
Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance can end a race. Practice it during training and stay on top of it while racing.
Train For the Race Environment
That may mean sauna or heat training for hot temperatures, hill running for a course with significant elevation changes or spending some time at altitude for a high elevation race. It’s important to acclimatize yourself and know how you’re going to handle the conditions.
Keep Moving
That is, unless you need to take a break. Constant forward motion gets you to the finish line, but sometimes a few minutes of sitting or resting can be an energizing boost. It’s important to know what works for you. And remember, walking counts as moving.
Recover on the Run
Learning what to do when you feel bad and sticking with your goal, even through low points (because there will be low points), is critical. Taking on food, water and electrolytes can help you recover physically, and mental diversions (talk to your pacer, sing, map out a truly relaxing vacation) are often useful in making it through low points.
Keep a Positive Attitude
This is supposed to be fun, relatively speaking! At some point in time, you actually wanted to run whatever race you are in. Remember that and stay positive.
Take Good Care of Your Feet
Address small hot spots before they turn into angry blisters. Put on fresh socks when needed and try to keep your feet dry. Your feet are your transportation to the finish line, and proper foot care cannot be emphasized enough.
Eat Real Food
Many runners get to a point during a race where not only can they no longer stomach gels and chews, but nothing sounds appetizing. Have options and test food during training. Know what works for you. Peanut butter, honey, bananas and soup are good options. When you do take on food, slow down for a few minutes to allow your body to absorb the calories. Your heart rate needs to be below 160 to absorb calories. Take advantage of slower uphill portions to take on food.
Trust Your Crew
You chose your crew for a reason. Their goal is to help get you to the finish line. Remember that when you’re exhausted, sore and (possibly) grouchy. Listen to them, pay attention to their advice and trust them. Being kind is always appreciated too.
Accept That Ultras Are About Suffering
There is nothing easy about an ultra. Accepting that before you get to the starting line means you won’t be surprised when things become difficult. Pain management, sleep deprivation and low points are all part of it. But they also make your successes that much more rewarding.
The things you do for your blog. Realising I could be ostracising a whole group of runners who cannot relate to most of my posts, (Because of my constant highlighting of race pace not because most of the time I’m talking….<inset comment > … be nice.) I’m talking about ultra runners, I have entered a 100k ultra marathon a week before my 50th birthday. ( http://australiadayultra.com) These runners would consider what I post normally alien to themselves and their fellow ‘long is the only way to run’ brothers (or sisters) in arms. Not for them the ‘gush of the pain train’ as you explode into a 5k sprint or the mental torture of the 7th and 8th kilometre in a 10k race. Ultra runners are all about the slow drip-drip mental torture of going long and consider marathon runners and any distance runner less than 50k as show ponies. It gets even worse when you add trails and mountains into the equation. That’s when they all turn a bit weird in my view but each to their own. As I love my concrete big city marathons they love getting out there and reconnecting with nature. (I much prefer to connect with nature via a nice cafe selling decent coffee and fruit, albeit cocooned in a muffin?)
I’m not a complete novice to ultra marathons having ran 16 in my time ranging from 46k (remember anything longer than a marathon, albeit it even 4k, is considered an ultra.) up to 89k but I have never broken triple figures. My ultra running career includes seven 6-inch finishes, ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) (ranging from 46k to 50k, I have got lost twice on this run.) four WAMC 40miler finishes (64k), two 50k’s (including the ADU last year http://australiadayultra.com ) and three Comrade finishes, albeit 6 years ago now. ( http://www.comrades.com )
In Perth the marathon season begins with the Bunbury marathon in April ( http://bunburyrunnersclub.org/3-waters-marathon/ ) and then moves onto the Perth marathon in June, Geraldton next before the City to Surf marathon in August and finishes with the Rottnest marathon in October. Between October and May it’s ultra time with the 6 inch ultra in December, last Sunday before Christmas, then the Australia Day Ultra in January, as well as the new WA Ultra Series which adds in another three ultras. We really are spoilt for choice in Western Australia at the moment. This is why I realised there must be ultra runners out there who I need to connect with.
I want to feel that mental pain that they gush about when describing their ultra exploits. To this end I have decided to make it more interesting by not changing my training specifically for the 100k race in January. I enjoy my long Sunday runs with the ‘BK posse‘ but 30k is enough even for me. My training for the ADU100K will consist of a good weekly distance but no runs further than 30k, bar the 6 inch ultra on December 18th. No point wasting all that ‘ultra-high’ in training, I want to feel the full monty on race day, probably at 80k when my legs give way? There’s more of course, it’s not about just finishing the 100k I need to give myself a target time, it is after all a race no matter what distance. 8 hours sounded reasonable until my friend Rob showed me the Australian record for the 50-55 age group (the one I miss by a week) is just shy of 8 hours. No point aiming low then so 8 hours it is. I’ll certainly get to 50k at 8 hour pace, the rest so they say is in the lap of the gods.
Last tear I had entered the ADU100K but dropped down to the 50k after a particularly bad run the week before in the heat when I targeted a long 34k and pulled the pin at halfway. This, in hindsight, was the right thing to do as on the day I ran well enough for a podium finish but would have been in no state to continue for another 50k. I feel this year I am better prepared after a stellar 2016 racing season and hope basic good old fashioned running fitness will get me to the finish line rather than long slow runs to build endurance. Even typing that I can see flaws in my master plan but what would life be without the odd gamble? On the bright side I get to run a long time (and I love running) and also I get to eat a lot of high calorie , high fat ‘tukka’ as well as lots of carbohydrates. How bad can this be? I may even pout on some weight like my mate Jon last year. (who is also competing again more for the food than the glory I feel.)
So this is the first post in the ultra marathon category and I will use this to document my path to the 6 inch ultra late December and then the Australia Day Ultra late January. It will be an interesting journey and a challenging one but I wouldn’t have it any other way.