So you want to do an Ultra Marathon?
There is no hiding the fact that running has become more and more popular over the past 18 months with 1 in 5 over 16 year olds looking to run in 2024. You may be sitting there having already completed a 5k, 10k, half marathon or even a marathon and be thinking what next?
Let me introduce you to Ultra Marathons, these events are for the hardy folk looking to test themselves on all terrain and taking on what seems like impossible events with the goal of reaching the finish line within the cut off times. This short blog will give you an idea of how to approach training for an ultra marathon and things you will need to consider before race day.
What is an ultra marathon?
Well it’s a foot race that is more than 26.2 miles (42.2km) in length and with some races going over 300+ miles and over multiple days just to reach the finish line. You have some flat races such as ‘Queen of the Suburbs’ in London and then you have others such as the one I recently finished ‘Beacons Way 100’ where you cover the width of the Brecon Beacons and climb over 6000m in the 100 miles climbing Pen Y Fan and then scrabbling across boulders late on. These races don’t just require physical fitness but also mental resilience due to the length of time, the only thing you can guarantee is that something will go wrong and you will need the ability to think and adapt on your feet to overcome these situations.
How can I prepare for an ultra?
The first thing to remember when training for an ultra is that it is all about developing that aerobic engine (zone 1 / zone 2), and that you will be on your feet for hours which you may not be used to.
Let’s throw it back to the age old saying ‘You need to walk before you can run’ this is very true within the ultra world, you will have periods of walking whether that be due to the elevation, the terrain or to take on nutrition. Switch your mindset from always having to run like you would in preparation for any road race to it’s ok to walk, however the difference with this walk is that it is with purpose and is not the same pace you would go round your local supermarket scanning for the food you want to fuel your training. So when you are walking, focus on power hiking as this will keep you switched on and moving forwards nicely.
So when it comes to running or a jig jog as I like to call it, this is where you need to switch from pace and distance, to effort, time and HR. The reason you ignore pace and distance is because once you go off road, every kilometre is different, whether that be terrain or elevation you will need to adapt to all the elements as you go through your route, and distance is irrelevant as it comes down to time on feet in preparation for your race.
Now we have that out the way, key workouts are your long run/walks however the longer you go the longer you will take to recover from this so the big big days are not done on a weekly basis. You will need to factor these into your plan to ensure you get race simulation runs in ahead of the day to test out kit, nutrition and if you are able to get and do some recce of the course then even better, but make sure these big days are followed with some lighter days to allow the body to adapt. You will want to do back to back longer days to get the legs used to moving when under fatigue. But not all of your training needs to be jig jogging, you can factor in cross training and cycling specifically. The top athletes in this sport combine running with cycling as it is non weight bearing which allows for higher volume to be done in preparation.
Should I do gym work?
100% if you are looking to complete an ultra you will be putting your body under a huge amount of stress, building in 1-3 gym sessions a week will help prepare the muscles for the demand and help minimise the risk of injury.
The hill climbs in races are one thing, but the descents are what ruins the legs due to the force being put through them as you jig jog down yet another hill. In the gym you will want to focus on single legged exercises and ones that eccentrically load the quads which will help with the impact on those descents, incorporating heavy lifting along with plyometrics will see you get to race day physically stronger than ever and ready to take on the elements.
If you have any questions on Ultra Marathons or want to find out more about how we can help with your preparations then get in contact to organise a call.