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What have you learned?
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 2012-03-22 11:45 AM |
Expert  1145    Ann Arbor, MI |  Subject: What have you learned?Training, racing, and everything in between. What have you learned from running long? This is my first year running the 50mi and 100mi distances, so I have a lot to learn. Thus far: - Trails are soooooo fun to run. I feel instantly like a kid whenever my feet hit the dirt. I've rediscovered the sense of adventure that I'd lost recently doing tri's. And hardly anyone in my area runs trails compared to the paved path, so the woods are like a playground all to myself. - On long training runs, as in races, I need to start out EASY. - Fueling for running long is going to be a long slow process of experimentation. - Hills are the scotch of trail running. - Ultra runners, on the whole, are the friendliest endurance athletes I've met in almost 4 years of training. |
| 2012-03-22 10:15 PM in reply to: #4108399 |
Champion 7547   Albuquerque, New Mexico Bronze member | Subject: RE: What have you learned? Race grub at marathons is a distant, distant second to the offerings at trail marathons and ultras! It's really like an outdoor buffet. I'm capable of far more than I attempt on a regular basis. |
| 2012-03-22 10:54 PM in reply to: #4108399 |
Expert 944 Waller County, TX | Subject: RE: What have you learned? Ditto your points above, especially the comments about fueling and starting slow (talk about discipline). For me it is the challenge of dealing with the physical and mental aspects that only occur after you've been going 10, 20, 30 hours, whether it is running an ultra or doing any long race. Unless a person has been there, it is hard to understand. |
| 2012-03-23 9:40 AM in reply to: #4108399 |
Master 1883 San Antone, Texas | Subject: RE: What have you learned? I couldn't agree more with everything that has been stated above. I will add this: Not only start slow in terms of speed, but in distance! Follow the 10% rule. If not, you'll end up like me on crutches with a stress fracture. I'm finally off them after 4 weeks of no running, but it was a painful 4 weeks! Ultra's are the best though. I'm hooked, and think I prefer them to triathlon actually! |
| 2012-03-25 12:51 PM in reply to: #4108399 |
Champion 5312 Calgary | Subject: RE: What have you learned? I have learned lots in 4 or 5 years of running. I remember when I fell in love with running and ultras were always that girl that you never had a chance to be with. And then I did. I have learned that in preparing for ultras it is more about total fitness than specific run fitness. I have also learned it is more about total run fitness than specific long run fitness....that hitting 90k a week for 6 months with a 20-30k long run a week is better than hitting 70k a week with a 30-40k long run (which for me would be impossible anyways.) That for me, the back to back long run is definitly not where it is at (at least until I get to the 100 mile a week range) and that a solid 100k a week marathon program pays great dividends. Consistency over binging. That my weight is appointment and quickly becoming a limiting factor. That I can go further on less food or water than I thought possible. Although running long distance does appear to be about excess, and it is indeed a very selfish act, it is when you do it with as little as possible, in terms of gear/support/people that it means the most. That while it is okay to have at km 30, you best not have too much fun as it is good to have something left as the day wears on. That the longer you run the less there is to know and, obviously, the closer you get to knowing it all. That there are no egos at an ultra....but as humble as you may be throughout the day you will be humbled. And, the less you bring to the race the more you offer, and in fact the more you are able to take. |
| 2012-03-26 8:09 AM in reply to: #4108399 |
Extreme Veteran 487 | Subject: RE: What have you learned? yeats - 2012-03-22 12:45 PM - Trails are soooooo fun to run. - Ultra runners, on the whole, are the friendliest endurance athletes... Agree wholeheartedly with those. I really enjoy the sport of triathlon, but not so much the scene. Especially the hyper focus on gear and the cold/I'm-too-cool-for-school attitude (not all triathletes, but many). I've found the ultra scene super refreshing after that. Running trails is borderline spiritual for me, and I think it will become more so as I do it more regularly. It's humbling and refreshing and calming and invigorating.... if I'm going to have a 5 - 20 hour/week hobby, it's hard to imagine what could be better for me, holistically speaking. Also, trail race destinations are awesome. As I've been scouting races for this summer, I keep seeing pictures while reading race reports and thinking "I have to get to that one one of these years!" In what other races do people carry cameras! |
| 2012-03-26 10:25 AM in reply to: #4108399 |
Elite 3656 West Allis, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What have you learned? the last two years i have done two 50 milers, on the road. Have learned that i can put myself thru hell and come back and still feel strong. this year i am upping the ante and tackling the 100 mile distance, on trails. in prepping i have done more trail running than i ever have and have come to realize, once again, that i love the "not so clean" aspect of the trails!!! (wife doesn't appreciate all the mud and dirt, but hey, i do most of the laundry anyway!!!) |
| 2012-03-26 10:48 AM in reply to: #4108399 |
Expert 1073 scottsdale, az | Subject: RE: What have you learned? I have done a 100 miler, 75 ( dnf at 100), 100k, and 50's. Ultras are addicting. There is something so special about running on the trails for hours at a time. Yes... most trail ultras are like buffets. haha! It's one day I do not feel guilty eating M&M's.  Ultras keep me outta trouble during the weekends, college is a crazy time. |
| 2012-04-07 3:50 PM in reply to: #4108399 |
Regular 71 Citrus Springs, Florida | Subject: RE: What have you learned? I have been into ultras on and off for almost ten years. I have run a 50 miler and several 50ks. I just had my worst ultra experience ever at Dances With Dirt Green Swamp where I had to walk the last 16 miles of a 50k because of an IT band breakdown, but I still love it. Here are some of the things I have learned: 1. After about 25 miles, the physical pain does not change that much for me (injuries excluded). Then it becomes all a mental contest. This was a real revelation for me in the 50 miler. 2. It doesn't just keep getting worse. If I am feeling bad, eventually if I do the right things (hydrate, eat, electrolytes), I will feel better. 3. Just because I feel bad doesn't mean I have to stop or can't finish. 4. Even in my worst day in an ultrarun, I am still having fun. 7 hours and 30 minutes into that day from hell at DWD Green Swamp, I found myself singing a Jimmy Buffett song on the trail (no, I was not delirious). 5. It is the little irritations that can drive you insane in an ultra. A tiny chafe spot, a place where your pack is rubbing, or a blister on the foot is somehow way more irritating than the big pains. It is like something like that just sucks the energy right out of you. Be sure your gear is comfortable for the long haul. On this last run I learned that I can't wear my hydration pack without a shirt under it. I did not know this before because I bought it in the fall. (A very unpleasant surprise that will probably leave scars on my back.) 6. I will confirm what others have said here. Ultra runners are the coolest, nicest, friendliest, and goofiest of all endurance athletes. (When was the last time you saw a guy in fish nets, body paint, and feathers at an Ironman or road marathon?) |
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