This is the last installment of the training tips series for the summer! We saved the big one for last: ULTRA MARATHONS! In case you missed the other training tips, you will find links in a previous post on running a marathon, half marathon, 10k, 5k, and training here. Today we have a FABULOUS runner named Danielle! Danielle and I first connected because we both ran our FIRST marathons on the same day! While I was preparing for a belated birthday party/marathon celebration and a few weeks of REST, Danielle was getting ready to amp up her running prowess! I've enjoyed following her journey from casual runner to a BEAST runner.
Be prepared to be inspired! ENJOY!
Name: Danielle
A mere two months after running my first marathon, I found myself
lining up at the start of my first ultra- the Croom Zoom 50k Trail Race.
Anxiety, excitement, giddiness, and fear were all flooding my little brain as I
huddled with the 78 other runners trying to stay warm in the 20-degree weather.
I was about to begin the journey of a lifetime- I was about to begin my first
ultramarathon.
An ultramarathon is simply any distance longer than the 26.2
miles of a marathon. The most common distance for the ultramarathon newcomer is
the 50k, or 31.1 miles. Other distances include 50 miles, 100k, and 100 miles.
The most famous ultramarathon is the Western States 100 Miler (WS is to the
ultra community what the Boston marathon is to the road racing community) and
arguably the most difficult ultramarathon is the Badwater Ultra (a 135 mile
journey through the desert in the middle of summer). Of course there’s the
Barkley Marathons, but that’s an entirely different kind of crazy.
So what on Earth possessed me to run an ultra? Simply put:
to see if I could. There’s an unexplainable power to conquering our fears and
pushing our bodies past their limits and then some. In a way, it makes you feel
superhuman. It makes you feel like you can do anything.
Some people might argue this, but I think that if you can
run a marathon, you can run a 50k. Completing 26.2 miles will give you
“adequate enough” training to cover 31.1 miles. But if you want to really enjoy
your first ultra, I would recommend a different approach.
Most ultras are on trails but my first marathon (and most of
my training) was on roads. When I was preparing for the Zoom 50k, I kept my
basic marathon training schedule but added two new components: more trail
running and back-to-back long runs.
Running on trails is a different ballgame than running on
roads. Your stride changes, you slow down, and you trip more often (some more
than others). There’s really no alternative to getting trail experience than
running on trails. Plus you get to see some pretty awesome parts of Nature that
you wouldn’t see otherwise.
The purpose of back-to-back long runs is to prepare you body
and mind to run on tired legs. I ran a 20 miler one day followed by a 10 miler
the next day. Another week, I ran three back-to-back 10 milers.
Additionally, your long runs will give you an opportunity to
practice your fueling strategy. I’ve found this is the one thing that greatly
differs from marathon running. You MUST eat, there’s no getting around it. If
you’re body isn’t metabolizing food and giving you constant energy, you might
as well just embrace your DNF (did not finish) before you even start.
Of course ultrarunners use energy gels and such, but after
10-12 hours, these things can get cumbersome. Common foods found at ultra aid
stations include: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, candy (such
as M&Ms, Snickers Bars, cookies, etc), pretzels, bananas, boiled potatoes,
orange slices, watermelon, and Pepsi/Coke. If you’re trying to imagine how
someone might possibly stomach said foods while running, don’t forget that in
ultras, you slow down and do more walking (two things that road runners ABHOR!).
Just a handful of these items can do wonders for your energy levels in the
middle of an ultra!
Back to the Zoom 50k- about 6 hours and 47 minutes after the
bullhorn sounded (and 33+ miles… I got a little lost), I finished my race and
could officially call myself an “ultramarathoner.” It was amazing, horrible,
empowering, and painful all at once.
There were three things that really stood out to me on my
first ultra experience. The first was the greatness
of camaraderie. The race began before daylight, so we were all running
behind each other down the single-track trail with headlamps on. It was very
cool to see the string of lights up ahead of me and hear the banter of my
fellow runners.
The second was the beauty
of Nature. As I ran through the dark, I could see the dew hanging in the air
like frozen snowflakes as armadillos were scurrying off to my sides. The frost
on the ground sparkled like silver from the light of my headlamp. When the sun
rose, everything turned a beautiful golden color. You could almost hear Mother
Nature yawn. You just don’t get these things on the roads.
The third thing about my first ultra that stood out was
about myself: conquering my inner demons.
In marathons, it’s all about how to avoid hitting The Wall. In ultras, it’s
about how many walls you hit, because you WILL hit them. Despite my meticulous
calorie intake, I still bonked around mile 27. I felt like I had nothing left
in me. I wanted to quit. I questioned my ability as a runner and felt so, so
inadequate. My wall was more than just physical, but also mental. Yet somehow,
I dug down deeper and found more strength, more confidence, and more
perseverance than I thought I had.
In order to see what you’re made of, you have to push
yourself to your breaking point. And when you’re faced with the decision to
quit or keep going, and you chose to keep going, you know you’ve achieved
something fierce.
“Your body can achieve
what your mind perceives.”
(For more info on training for ultras, check out Bryon
Powell’s book, “Relentless Forward Progress.”)
THANK YOU, DANIELLE! That was an awesome post! You've made me consider an ultra...uh oh!
How about you?! Have you done an ultra? Do you WANT to do an ultra?! Did this post make you feel tired just thinking about running more than 26.2?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!
113 days until the ING NYC MARATHON!!!
