Enough has been said about pain. Let's admit it, we just include it to look tough. Really, we're not getting any sympathy for self inflicted pain. If it was really so bad, we'd back off on the ultra-running. Right?
Ok, maybe it's not that simple, but the point is you're going to have some well developed pain management techniques by the time you're done your first ultra-marathon. (The less it relies on pharmaceuticals, the better.)
Now that we've got that out of the way, we can get to the important stuff.
Physically speaking, regardless of training and pain management, your body is not going anywhere without the proper nutrition. And I'm talking about the nutrition you bring on your run, not whether you have snacks in your cupboard with refined flour or you're a little light on your fruits and vegetables.
Sure you might be able to run for a while with little thought to in-flight nutrition, but at what cost? And what about the rest of your training plan when you inevitably burn out? That burn out is your body telling you to smarten up. Better listen to it.
Unfortunately it's not quite as simple as just replacing lost calories and water. Just like pain management, when it comes to nutrition, there is no one size fits all, magic bullet. Gatorade will not keep you moving for more than a couple hours.
Yes, its true that your body will switch from burning glycogen (ready store of carbs) somewhere around 20-22 miles of flatland running. But this is not necessarily a smooth transition. Especially at first. When you hit the wall on a long run and you are not dehydrated, chances are you are feeling the effect of this switch. Better get used to it. Make it your friend. It's going to become an important milestone in each of your long runs 'cause after that point in your run you are training your body to run on the nearly endless supply of fat stores currently keeping your six-pack warm. That is what is going to carry you beyond about the 22 mile mark.
To regularly get out to these distances and beyond you need to figure out 2 things:
1) how much and what type of calories can you stomach while running?
2) how much water and electrolytes do you need while running?
For number one, the typical range for most runners seems to be 275 calories per hour give or take 25. And the default method for calorie intake seems to be the "Gel" aka "Gu" This is to food as GatorAde is to Hydration... Try it, and see how much you can handle, but be prepared for the fact that it may not be the complete solution for you. Most people I know have a tolerance of maybe a half dozen of these before they stop going down so use them sparingly. To me they are like spraying a squeaky wheel with WD-40. Works great, and it works right away - but lasts for a really short time.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Fathoming 68,000 Fathoms
When most people try to imagine the challenge of running an ultra-marathon, especially any of the more extreme events such as the Canadian Death Race, they understandably equate the difficulty to the distance. I say understandably because the extended distance is certainly the reason that ultra-marathons are difficult in the first place.
Zooming in on some perspective:
1 day
24 hours
80 miles
125 kilometers
17,000 feet of elevation gain
20,000 calories burned
68,350 fathoms
125,000 meters
250,000 steps
410,104 feet
12,500,000 centimeters which are often gained and lost 10 centimeters at a time.
People grasp that running further than a marathon is physically demanding, but other than trying to put the magnitude into perspective, the description of the physical demands really just boils down to a litany of the pain.
If running further was simply a matter of "just keep going" , like 125km is simply a matter of being out there 3 times longer than a marathon then a lot more people would be entering and most of them finishing these events.
As it stands, very few people run ultras compared to marathons, and the drop out rate of the extreme events is approximately 50% for many of them. This should be the first indication that it is not a simple matter of scale, but rather exponentially increasing difficulty with every additional mile.
Working through the pain is the first and foremost challenge of any long distance runner, so lets make it the first topic in this guide.
Much like child birth, no one who hasn't done it themselves can begin to imagine the pain, the discomfort and the shear agony involved in running mountain trails for 24 hours straight. There is the typical "wall" that any distance runner is familiar with that attacks around 22 miles where the body depletes all glycogen stores and drags the body through the slump of switching to using fat for fuel.
There is the fire raging in the quads as they are used for hours on end to summit three separate mountain peeks, fighting to claim and often reclaim elevation inch by inch on the way up and bracing to keep the whole body from simply rolling down the other side.
There is the feeling of soft synthetic performance fabrics slowly but surely removing skin from your nipples one skin cell at a time.
Zooming in on some perspective:
1 day
24 hours
80 miles
125 kilometers
17,000 feet of elevation gain
20,000 calories burned
68,350 fathoms
125,000 meters
250,000 steps
410,104 feet
12,500,000 centimeters which are often gained and lost 10 centimeters at a time.
People grasp that running further than a marathon is physically demanding, but other than trying to put the magnitude into perspective, the description of the physical demands really just boils down to a litany of the pain.
If running further was simply a matter of "just keep going" , like 125km is simply a matter of being out there 3 times longer than a marathon then a lot more people would be entering and most of them finishing these events.
As it stands, very few people run ultras compared to marathons, and the drop out rate of the extreme events is approximately 50% for many of them. This should be the first indication that it is not a simple matter of scale, but rather exponentially increasing difficulty with every additional mile.
Working through the pain is the first and foremost challenge of any long distance runner, so lets make it the first topic in this guide.
Much like child birth, no one who hasn't done it themselves can begin to imagine the pain, the discomfort and the shear agony involved in running mountain trails for 24 hours straight. There is the typical "wall" that any distance runner is familiar with that attacks around 22 miles where the body depletes all glycogen stores and drags the body through the slump of switching to using fat for fuel.
There is the fire raging in the quads as they are used for hours on end to summit three separate mountain peeks, fighting to claim and often reclaim elevation inch by inch on the way up and bracing to keep the whole body from simply rolling down the other side.
There is the feeling of soft synthetic performance fabrics slowly but surely removing skin from your nipples one skin cell at a time.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Holistic Guide to the Ultra-Marathon
With just 64 days left until my second attempt at completing the Canadian Death Race, I find I'm spending a considerable amount of time thinking about the event.
Thinking about my physical training and whether I've done enough and enough of the right stuff. Thinking about what it is going to feel like, the burning quads, the screaming ankles, the retching stomach.
Thinking about what will be running through my mind and whether I will be able to supplant thoughts of quitting long enough to reach the finish line under my own power within the 24 hour time limit.
The third aspect of my thoughts fall into a more metaphysical realm.
Thinking about the role of faith and the spiritual part of my being.
How much of a role does it play, and should I expect the event to have a spiritual element.
I have decided to record my thoughts as best I can during this time as I attempt to unravel the holistic view of the ultra-marathon.
Thinking about my physical training and whether I've done enough and enough of the right stuff. Thinking about what it is going to feel like, the burning quads, the screaming ankles, the retching stomach.
Thinking about what will be running through my mind and whether I will be able to supplant thoughts of quitting long enough to reach the finish line under my own power within the 24 hour time limit.
The third aspect of my thoughts fall into a more metaphysical realm.
Thinking about the role of faith and the spiritual part of my being.
How much of a role does it play, and should I expect the event to have a spiritual element.
I have decided to record my thoughts as best I can during this time as I attempt to unravel the holistic view of the ultra-marathon.
