Ultra training plans #10 Pacing for ultras

#10 The final topic! PACING
You can do everything right in your training, fuel properly, plan the race out, get the kit you need and then screw it all up by racing off too fast at the start trying to keep up with others (who are possibly going too fast also)

It's a painful way to run.... Exhaust yourself early on then struggle it in for the second half. Grim. We've all done it. Us blokes tend to be worse... Ladies are sometimes guilty too though.

In my eyes the ideal pacing is that where you are just beginning to fade at the end but can just about hold it together. IF you do a massive 'negative split' eg run the second half loads faster than the first, you probably weren't running hard enough initially. If you get to halfway or 80% through then crash and burn, enjoy the rest ;)

A couple of examples.... first from myself.... I ran 47 miles in 6 hours 6 mins back in 2012 on a trail. The 10km was 42 mins pretty much dead on.... My final 10km was about 55 mins
My eventual average was 7 min 51 mile.
I was psyched up and flying early on it felt easy, relatively comfortable for 4 hours but... Battling a bit of a head wind and just generally running a bit too hard the final 2 hours was very tough. Looking back I probably needed more fuel too and should have had a more detailed look at the route towards the end.

I can think of plenty of examples of others too, I don't like to use positions as a measure of a good performance because you just don't know who is going to turn up, if you go and 'win' an LDWA event it might not be as good of a performance as coming 30th in a competitive race.

In a 40 mile race I did a couple of years ago, the 2nd place runner was sticking with me up until about 18 miles then in the final 22 miles lost over 1 hour on me and barely hung on to 2nd position. You have to run your own race. There's an element of mental games and psyching out opponents in the later stages or in shorter races but when we're talking longer races especially ultras.

Let's suppose we're battling for the 1st and 2nd positions in a race, we're neck and neck for the first half of the race but you are pushing at an unsustainable pace, where as I am just keeping it steady and matching your pace, when we get to the final climb and a few miles to go, I've not been working as hard and can therefore push the pace and keep the intensity whereas you've burnt out and just can't answer to the injection of pace at the end.

Play to your strengths by all means, just to start with, be sensible with your pacing, your overall time will be better and usually that means your position will be higher too! After you've won a few races it might not feel the same, but that feeling you get when you run your hardest and achieve more than you ever thought possible.... That never gets old ;)

Hope you have loved the last 10 articles! Stay tuned for a bonus one tomorrow
;
Happy trail slaying folks ;)

Ultra Running training plans #9 Speed training for ultras

#9 Speed Training for Ultras

Following on from earlier in the series of articles we talked about specificity and training planning along with mileage. Let's jump straight to it....

Initially, your ultra running performance will probably NOT be limited by your speed, you'll be busy making mistakes with nutrition and getting lost along with having a picnic at each checkpoint like I did. There are a couple of factors that come in to play, your running economy, your conditioning, your stamina, mental toughness etc.

Once you've built a bit of experience making some mistakes and practicing different strategies (or learned from someone else's mistakes) you'll be able to keep your body fueled and you'll be finishing some ultras mid pack perhaps in the top half. You'll eventually hit a plateau from just running more. To really make a difference in your ultra running times let's consider this

What are the chances of running at your 10k pb pace for a 30 mile ultra? Much less 50 mile or 100! Exactly....Nobody in an ultra race is 'sprinting' EVEN the 'fast ones'. Every runner is running this at a relatively low intensity compared to their 10k pb pace.

So you do get some variances, some people can maintain a higher % of their maximum effort or heart rate for longer than others but, if someone can run flat out for 10k and it takes them 60 mins they are going to be going a lot slower than this when they run 30 miles.

If this runner improves their speed though, so that they can run 10k now in 50 mins instead of 1 hour then slowing down to run a 60 min 10km pace (or 10 min mile roughly) is going to be much more comfortable and therefore be able to go much further at this pace.

When I started running I couldn't run 10k but I built up to it and then eventually I managed to run quicker than 1 hour. So that was a 10 min mile pace.... Now I can run 10km at about 5.30 min mile pace sooooooo..... Slowing down to 7 minute miles for me feels fairly comfortable. With a proper training plan I'm now able to run under 7 min miles for 50 miles. If I never improved my speed much from starting running this would be impossible as I couldn't even run 1 mile this quick when I first started.

#chorley 6 hour race. Grim conditions but a good friendly race

A post shared by Charlie Sharpe (@charliethatruns) on Oct 7, 2017 at 9:57am PDT

If we take someone who can run a 30 min 10k which is about 5 minute mile.... a 6 minute mile is going to feel fairly comfortable, a 10 minute mile is going to feel like an uncomfortable shuffle.

Bottom line, speed is still a factor in ultra running and shouldn't be neglected, it might not be a prime focus year round every single week but it should certainly feature during some of your training phases.

100 mile ultra training plan #8 Recovery Tips for Runners

#8 RECOVERY 

Often overlooked but as we talked about in the previous article you have different phases of training and there is no magic number of miles per week or training method.

After you goal race where you've trained hard and tapered down before pushing yourself to your limit for hours (and hours and hours in a long ultra) your body is probably going to need a bit of a rest. I've heard all kinds of wild ideas, from having a day of rest per mile you raced (I could basically never run again if that had any truth to it) to saying you should only do 1 race per year or per month or whatever. The real answer.... It depends...

If you have trained well and ran with good form and have finished the race simply with fatigued muscles then you might need a day or two to a week or two before you can get back to easy running or at least some cross training.

#snow day in Warrington

A post shared by Charlie Sharpe (@charliethatruns) on Feb 27, 2018 at 2:23am PST

If you've finished the race and were hobbling a bit because your legs were dead before half way then everything stiffened up and you got a blister and were running 'funny' you might have been straining one of those knees more than the other and also got an achey calf or Achilles or whatever on one side more than the other... In this case you might have caused a bit of damage that's in excess of the usual fatigue. Similar to if you're running with poor movement like tightness in the hip flexors and rounded shoulders from hunching over a desk and a smart phone too much. If you've actually got an injury then you'll need to go and see a relevant professional and wait for it to heal before beginning some rehab work.

If you're dragging yourself out the day after a race and your legs are hurting simply for the sake of continuing a run streak etc then it's risky... Would you be better doing something with less impact like an easy spin on the bike if anything?

Honestly I feel better having done some light activity than done nothing at all. I wouldn't run if my legs felt bad or injured, I'd do something more gentle like I just mentioned. To me recovery is active and takes me the way I want to go not the opposite... How many people consider recovery to be going to the pub and eating junk food for 2 weeks? Going off Facebook newsfeed, quite a few. Whilst that's fine if that's what they want to do, it depends on your goals and what you want to achieve. Whilst I don't think sharing inspirational quotes on Instagram helps ones fitness much, remember that you get what others don't by doing what others wont.

I get a few questions about how frequently I race and get back into training after a long ultra. It depends how hard you're running also.... I run my legs off in a couple of races per year not every weekend, I do a lot of events purely for my training as it's easier when there's checkpoints and a nice route and nice to meet new people and bump into old friends too. To meas I write I've a marathon pb of 2hr 41 which isn't anything special but I can happily run sub 3 on the flat without much effort, I maintain a good mileage year round, consistently. Based on that, in something like a 2 marathons in 2 day weekend, my body isn't going to be so worn out compared to someone who has just smashed themselves to hit 3 hours on the first day and begins the 2nd day with legs that are in bits. 

After my first marathon and a 6 hour drive home my legs weren't good for much, a couple of years ago I ran the Berghaus Dragon's Back Race 200 miles in the Welsh mountains before heading over to Spain for Al Andalus Ultimate Trail another 5 days and 140 miles the week later. For me it was more like my summer holiday and a good block of training than my goal events for the year, it just depends on how you train, all those daily choices you make are either helping you with your fitness or they're hindering you.

Key points listen to your body and keep safe so you can enjoy more days out on the trails and less days at the physio :)

100 mile ultra plan #7 Training plans

#7 TRAINING PLANS

HOW many miles should I run each week?
Everyone has wondered this at some point.... It's not a simple answer again. There's no magic amount and it's going to depend on how long you have been training/running for and what your goal is.

A lot of people say the elites are running 100 miles per week, you've got to be doing that if you're serious...
Is your body really going to know the difference between 90 miles and 100 miles per week? Maybe... Maybe not... It's difficult to prove it with a scientific study what the optimal mileage is for anyone, there are so many variables, and then is that optimal for marathon runners or 100 mile runners or what?

Whatever position you're in at the moment, you will likely benefit from different 'phases' of training, briefly you might have a block say 8 weeks where you are running higher mileage before having a block of shorter but faster running say another 8 weeks before a taper and then a recovery period. In each of these phases your mileage will be different.

Let me give you an example from my own training.
AUG 2016. 100 mile race then 2 weeks @ 30 mile per week easy running with some additional easy cross training
SEPT-FEB 16. Avg 75/85 mile per week few races, couple of faster sessions per week focus on speed rather than ascent
FEB - APR Avg 90-95 mile per week including 2 marathons on weekends, long speed sessions
MAY - 2 weeks @ 55 mpw taper
End of may 100 mile in 13 hour 58 mins.

Key thing... If you're trying to race everything every weekend you'll likely be limiting yourself, worth considering the ultimate goal and what you're working towards, by all means use other events in your training, just don't smash yourself to bits on long slogs all the time if you want to build your speed and improve your half marathon time. 

I'm surprised how often I have conversations like this
Runner 'Ohhh I wish I was faster'
me, 'Right I see, when did you last do a faster run/ speed session?'
Runner 'Ohhh I went to the track once last year, I don't like running fast' 

If the thoughts of pain/ suffering/effort etc a runner has associated with doing intervals are outweighing their desire to be a faster runner then they will probably never get faster until they decide to change.

Sure, if you are running at a challenging pace then it's going to feel challenging, maybe a bit uncomfortable at times. If you are struggling here, go back to #1 Mindset. And also focus...

For a bit more insight head to this webinar recording it's the bottom video on this page here
Webinar where I walk you through step by step how I build a plan from the ground up.

If you have any specific questions get in touch, I also include various tips in my Instagram stories which you  can see by following me @charliethatruns on Instagram

100 mile ultra run training #6 Specificity

100 mile ultra run training series #6 Specificity 

When it comes to your long runs, whilst in ultra training....
My top tip here is specificity...
Try to replicate the terrain and ascent that you plan to race on.
For an extreme example, say you enter one of the hilliest 100 milers going Andorra Ultra Trail with 13500m in the 100 mile route (about 45000ft) and your mountain running experience stretches as far as canal paths around London, it's going to be a shock to the system.

So first, find out a bit about the ultra in question, what's the maximum and minimum altitudes? What's the total ascent? Is it a few big climbs or a load of small climbs? What is the terrain like? Sandy, rocky, hard, soft, wet, dry? Find out these numbers, you could take the total ascent and divide it by the distance to give you a rough comparable figure.

Eg IF

Lakeland 100 mile has 6000m over 100 mile =600m per 10 mile

Andorra Ultra Trail has 13500m over 100 mile =1350m per 10 mile (more than twice as hilly based on this)

OR L2M Ultra 100 mile has about 650m = 65m per 10 mile! Aka flat

Equally, training specificity goes the other way around too...
When I was training for the 13 hr 58 min 100 mile in 2017 I did a lot (for me) of my long runs on fairly flat or slightly undulating trails and canal paths, cycle tracks etc Most of the previous year I spent in the mountains so initially these flat runs felt a bit strange on the legs. It doesn't mean you can't do a hilly run if you live somewhere flat, but just consider it and try to prepare as best as you can.

If you only have small hills to work with then you might need to do multiple reps during a longer run to build up some ascent, you might have to drive further afield. 

To clarify the flatter runs aren't pointless but you'll soon feel those quads after a nice 1000m long descent if you're not used to it. 

Specificity can extend further than just the terrain though, think about the time of day, weather conditions, whether or not you'll be carrying a lot of kit, is it multi day? Get clear on the goal and these questions are easily answered.

http:www.charliesharpe.co.uk

100 mile training advice #5 Nutrition for ultra running

#5 Fuelling for ultras

It's usually only a matter of time before an ultra runner gets to learn about fuelling... One long march to the finish whilst being unable to stomach any fluids or sugars or anything at all for that matter, it can wipe out energy levels in no time and before you know it half the field has passed you and there's nothing you can do about it... I generally don't get many issues in this department as I stick to a couple of sources of calories and it works for me... I did manage to run the first 8 hours or so of Trans Grancanaria without taking in any calories, I was drinking 'Pepsi Max' on the checkpoints thinking it was the same as Coca Cola, loaded with sugars BUT it's actually the sugar free version! Doh! I suspected something was up whilst I was barely able to run or focus and kept going dizzy up hills. After investing some time in getting calories in me I ran the later stages totally fine.

I think the main risks with fuelling are

1 relying on one source of calories then getting sick of it, eg setting out with just gels for 24 hours worth of running and being unable to even look at a gel after 6 hours.

2 trying some food or powder or potion that you have never tried before and it throwing you off

3 not taking in enough calories or fluids early on and then being in a giant energy deficit and unable to maintain any kind of pace

4 perhaps not so drastic but worth noting, fuelling inconsistently and just having a bit of a roller coaster in terms of energy levels.

Which brings me to my top tips...

1 - Practice the foods or drinks you plan to race with, try them in a training run and see how you feel.

2 - When it's very hot (talking 30 -40 plus degrees C) I might consume about 1 l per hour of fluids, you might need more or less so listen to your body, depending on size and acclimatisation, try to practice in conditions similar to what you'll race in

3 - Always have a bit of a back up or emergency calories, if you run low on food or water, maybe a section takes you a long time between checkpoints or you get lost or something and miss a checkpoint, being tired and thirsty and not having anything is a grim feeling.

4 - There aren't any magic foods or diets or pills that will make up for a lack of training, sure eating a healthy balanced diet is going to put you in good stead, but going on a crash diet for 2 weeks to try and compensate for not getting the miles in will probably do more harm than good.

5 - Carbohydrate loading... Could almost be a section on its own, carb loading is where you increase the amount of carbs in your diet for 2-3 days leading up to a race to ensure your glycogen stores are topped up and you're ready for a long race. It doesn't involve gorging on junk food for 10 days before your next 10k and it definitely doesn't mean you need to eat your bodyweight in donuts every time you want to go for a run.

There are other considerations but these should definitely get you started. If you are having issues with your stomach in races or long runs, what you're eating might be playing a part. Worth looking into in more detail if that's you!

100 mile ultra run training #4 Kit

100 mile ultra training #4 kit

You can checkout my kit on the 'My Kit' Tab

#4 Kit!

Kit should be straight forwards... However, often the focus for kit is in the wrong direction... Rather than thinking can I get a jacket that's 50g lighter, should we instead be asking, 'Is this going to keep me warm and dry if I get stuck on a mountain?'

When you're out racing for a long time like in a 100 mile ultra, maybe even just a hilly trail marathon, you might experience some poor weather conditions. If your jacket is leaking and you've not slept all night and it's getting cold and your legs are tired but you've got all your kit on, it's very easy to get to a nice warm checkpoint and think 'Bugger it, I'm not going back out in that' as you begin to shiver at the thought of heading back into the cold night.

In reality you aren't injured or anything and physically could keep going but just the discomfort of plodding on in those conditions isn't a nice thought. You end up with a DNF because you took a poor quality jacket and skimped on kit. Perhaps the next people into the checkpoint are at least dry on the inside and heading back out into the rain they are at least shielded from the rain. An hour later the weather could brighten up and clear, maybe it will get worse, either way just having the right kit for the job can keep you in a race! It doesn't mean you need the most expensive fancy things, just something that is 'fit for purpose'

The other big point about kit is make sure you have practiced and are used to the kit you are going to use, don't turn up in new kit on the start line that you've never used. Eg I've met someone totally lost with a GPS in hand because they didn't know how to use it, I've seen some impressive cuts from a poorly fitting backpack grating at the skin all day and more posts online about foot problems than I could ever count.

After a while you should be able to dial down your kit and know exactly what you need so you can confidently turn up to the race knowing that you can handle what you're going to face without any panic or worry that everyone else is carrying something different to you.

See you on #5 for the next thing that'll go wrong on you one day, fuelling and nutrition for 100 mile ultras

100 mile ultra training #3 race plan

#3 PLANNING

We've ticked off some of the basics already, next we need to think about the actual race plan. Now some people turn up and have no idea what they're in for and yes, do get to the end. My best performances and those of my clients have come from having a race plan. It might be as simple as just knowing a few basic things like the number of climbs in a race or which parts of the course you expect to do during the night.

I like a balance between simplicity and detail although it depends a little on the route... For flat races or routes that are lapped perhaps, this is easier as the terrain is consistent... For mountainous races which I like, you might have a couple of hills in the first half then 10 giant climbs during the second, either way good to know this and plan accordingly.

So you should have an idea of what sort of pace you can move from your training and warm up events. Eg my 3rd 100 mile race with about 4500-5000m ascent I had done a 56 mile race with about 2500m ascent and a 40 mile with 2000m at an intensity that was comfortable for me. I figured if I could do 56 mile in 12 hours relatively comfortable and with some navigational errors probably costing me 30 mins total I'd be able to finish the 100 mile about 24 hours all going well (In reality I did 18 hour 23 as I'd underestimated my fitness and pace and over estimated the course!!)

Knowing approximately what to expect time wise, even a ball park, helps you decide on the kit choices (step #4) and fuelling strategies (#5) You might love detail and do everything down to the minute, You might decide that the 2nd half of your 100 mile is going to be about 2 hours slower than the first half, then when you get halfway you know what you're facing.Not having a plan is like setting off driving somewhere when you have no idea of the destination and can lead to complete confusion or overwhelm.

Sure you might hit a bump in the road and have to adjust your plan as you go but at least you can prepare mentally for this.If you are planning a 20 hour finish time and you hit half way in 12 hours, you can realise that you're 2 hours off the plan and decide an appropriate adjustment... Maybe you just massively under estimated the route and potentially could be out for 4 hours longer than you expected, now you can start fuelling additionally to cover it or pickup extra kit from your drop bag because of the cold night you're about to be running in unexpectedly...

Good Luck :)

www.charliesharpe.co.uk

100 mile ultra run training and advice #2

#2 CONSISTENCY

There's no overnight shortcut, it does take some consistent practice to see improvements. You have to make a start NOW, from whatever your current position, you can't spend your life waiting for everything to fall into place so you can do the things you want, just start, start small and be consistent. I wasn't fat or particularly unhealthy when I started but I was basically adapted to climbing and doing bodyweight exercises with additional weight strapped to me.

So what was my 3rd time running 100 miles I went to Spain for Ultima Frontera 160km. By now I'd been running regularly for 9 months and sporadically for the same again before that.

Once I decided to take this running thing seriously I started to train 3-4 runs per week on top of the bodyweight training I was doing I was eating a colossal amount to keep my energy up and was still able to gain muscle mass despite running or cycling daily. I didn't try and run every day or set any goal that was too outlandish (maybe it depends who you ask) but I decided that running every other day was achievable and I kept at it.

Anyhow so October 2011 I'd done a handful of ultras quite a few marathons or similar training runs and trained well through the year, now it was time to travel to a different country to race in the heat of Spain and in some decent mountains. I had made a lot of the mistakes in smaller races but I'd kept my training up throughout all the challenges of everyday life, roughly I did the following in a typical month

weekend 1 - ultra

weekend 2 - long training run

weekend 3 - back to back long runs

weekend 4 - some cycling and a short race 10k/ half marathon

Through the week I'd do about 3 runs,

Run 1 around 90 mins to 2 hours might be 10 mile or 2 x 6 mile depending,

Run 2 faster session, either progressive or intervals or something with some speed

Run 3 - Easy effort could be hills or just local trails

Along with this I was cycling on the days I didn't run mainly to get around, no structured sessions on the bike and training in the gym with bodyweight and kettlebells or going climbing about 5 days per week (This is probably a little high but I was doing both and hadn't picked a main sport at this point)

So vaguely that's what I'd do.... I didn't always feel fresh and ready but I pushed myself and got it done.

When it came to the actual race... That's where I executed #3 ...

www.charliesharpe.co.uk

100 mile ultra lessons and advice #1

You've heard it before 'It's all in your head' and 'Mind over matter' well here's my number 1 lesson from this pile of 100 mile + medals (except for the Trans Grancanaria one actually that's only 80 mile)

MINDSET

I'm not going to take you on a magically journey of self discovery but stick with me a moment.

So my first 100 mile was going to be the Conti Thunder Run in 2011 but for some reason about 6 weeks before I decided to enter the UR 100 mile at the last minute in June.

Now I'd done a couple of back to back marathons a 50k then a 50 mile and a 12 hour race but then I got run over whilst cycling!!

I wasn't able to run without pain and I was told to do nothing for 6 weeks (which I interpreted to mean go out on the bike instead, I couldn't stand up and peddle but sat down and in easy gears I could roll along) I did a couple of easy runs after about a month then entered the 100 mile with the plan to basically walk with some odd bits of running slowly. Set out right at the back and pretty much was the back runner until the later stages, everyone I overtook was dropping out.

It wasn't exactly plain sailing... I had made no plan for the race at all and had no idea of the route or what was really involved, I lost my jacket and head torch somehow so literally did the whole night in the dark with no light, and it rained for most of the night, I had a spare poncho and just toughed it out.

About the only good news was that I made it to the finish and didn't have any injury issues apart from a dead mobile phone from all the rain. Anyhow..... What got me through this whilst everything around me went wrong was my mindset. I was determined to keep moving and therefore I would eventually reach the finish. How hard could it be?

Nowadays I am much stronger mentally but I also have solid race plans and good knowledge of my ability. The mind is focused on how hard to push myself when it gets tough.

I've put mindset first because no matter how fit you are, or how much fancy equipment you've got.... If your mind isn't in it your body can shut down and give up in no time

More on my website http://www.charliesharpe.co.uk