Start of the Pennine 100

Monday 9 July 2012

Am I ready for an ultra?



The short and maybe cruel answer is, “if you don’t know you are, then you’re almost certainly not”
On the other hand however, if you are worried that you are mad to try and attempt a 50 miler when you may not have managed the total number of miles and all the training sessions advised by most programmes, then WELCOME to the club as almost everyone who takes part in ultra races is in the same boat as you!!
Most people have a life that gets in the way of consistent, regular, quality training – especially when you are talking about putting the miles in required in ultra-racing, and its participants therefore tend to have to make do with whatever training we can get and hope that this will be enough to get us through. Of course, the textbook answer is that you should never go into a race that you haven’t fully prepared for – and I agree. However, the reality is that I have yet to meet someone (at whatever level they are racing) who hasn’t had to make some sort of compromise with their training.
So what am I trying to say?
On my first 100 miler, someone told me that the first fifty miles of the race is run with your body and the second fifty with your head. However, this applies in practice to any ultra race. While your preparation will hopefully get you successfully through the first half of the race, it is often sheer bloody mindeness and an unwillingness to give in which will propel you forward to complete the challenge.
The overriding message from this is that while training is absolutely vital to train for any ultra, a less fit person CAN beat a fitter individual if that person is mentally stronger and is better able to cope with the stresses and strains of racing. As Billy Ocean said, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’. This works as a great mantra to take your mind of the feeling that someone has filled your legs with lead at a feeding station – it always makes me smile!
The mind is a muscle like any other in your body and it needs the same level of training. So – get used to running when tired (that’s one excuse you shouldn’t use for getting out of training!). Visualise the race – it can help you deal much better with problems that arise and one final note. If you are able to reccie any course – do it! As they say in the army, reconnaissance is never wasted and the mental confidence it will give you will always pay dividends on the day.
When your body is strong you feel POWERFUL. When your mind is strong you feel CAPABLE. But when they are both strong you can feel INVINCIBLE!!
Run well and enjoy
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Training Plan

Week M T W TH F S SU
1 Rest 6-10 miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 90-minute run 3-hour run (or about 18 miles)
2 Rest 6-10 Miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 90-minute run 3-hour run
3 Rest 6-10 miles, including 2x2 miles at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP (5:00) Rest 2-hour run 3.5-hour run (or about 20 miles)
4 Rest 5-8 miles, including 3x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 6 miles, middle 2 at MP Rest 1.5-hour run 2-hour run
5 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 3.5- to 4-hour run (or about 20-24 miles) 3-hour run
6 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 3.5- to 4-hour run 3-hour run
7 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 3.5- to 4-hour run 3-hour run, last hour at MP
8 Rest 9 miles, including 3x2 miles at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 2-hour run 2.5-hour run
9 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 miles at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 3.5-hour run, last hour at MP
10 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 miles at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 3.5-hour run, last hour at MP
11 Rest 9 miles, including 3x2 miles at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 2.5-hour run 3-hour run
12 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 5-hour run (or about 27-29 miles)
13 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 5-hour run
14 Rest 9 miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 2-hour run 2-hour run
15 Rest 7 miles, including 3x1 mile at MP Easy 5-mile jog 7 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 1.5-hour run Easy 1-hour jog
16 Rest 6 miles, middle 3 at HMP Easy 5-mile jog Easy 3-mile jog Rest: Stay off your feet 50-mile race Rest. (Duh.)

Key:(MP) Marathon Pace: the pace/effort you can hold in a marathon
(HMP) Half-Marathon Pace: the per-mile average of your best half-marathon
(TMP) 10-Mile Pace: the per-mile pace of your fastest 10-miler
Recovery for HMP/TMP: Jog slowly until you feel fresh enough to start the next repetition.