Ultrarunning is on the rise.
Here, a run coach who runs races longer than a marathon shares her ultrarunning tips.
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Do you run for the entire race?
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This is the most commonly asked question I get when people discover Im an ultrarunner.
The honest answer is no.
Even elite athleteswalk in ultras.
Ultras are a very different beast to marathons.
Personal bests, pace per minute, and positive splits have no place on the ultra trail.
By definition, an ultra is any distance over 26.2 miles.
In reality this can range from 27 miles to 3,100 miles, on single or multiday events.
The field of ultrarunning is booming right now.
So just how do you train for an ultra and go beyond marathon distance?
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Pace like a tortoise
The first thing to shake off is a pacing mindset.
The vast majority of ultramarathons are off road and the terrain can be hugely variable and incredibly technical.
You may be crossing rivers, scrambling up rocks or navigating gnarly tree roots.
Pace soon become irrelevant as it is impossible to keep an even speed.
The longer the ultra the more it’s crucial that you hold off in the first few hours.
Racing off at the beginning because you are feeling great will cost you dearly in the long run.
A tortoise approach of slow and steady will see you overtaking the hasty hares in the latter stages.
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You are also inevitably going to get lost at some point, even on a well marked route.
This is all part of the joy of ultrarunning so always build in extra time.
Eating little and often is the best strategy and the same goes for hydration.
It will also be necessary to drink around 500ml (about 17 ounces) of water and/orelectrolyte drinkeach hour.
This will vary according to your build and external factors like weather conditions.
Planning your fuelling is the most important preparation you’ve got the option to do.
Test out products and real food during training and decipher what you need.
On training runs, ensure you carry enough water or know where you could fill up.
TheRefill appis a great resource for finding free water supplies.
Diagnosed with iliotibial tract (IT band) syndrome, I thought my running career was over.
But my physiotherapist was much more optimistic, and encouraged me toincorporate strength training into my running program.
It completely changed my outlook.
I now strength train religiously, and have had no injury problems even when running multi-day events.
Having a running partner to chat to or share the painful silence with can be a godsend.
This is where having a spare battery to charge your phone comes in handy.
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