Fetcheveryone Member of the Month

Hills of Death (HOD) asks: Congrats Mike have you got any tips for a long distance improver what is your favourite session to improve

MikeR. says: Some people might not agree with my way of thinking but this is how I started.
Time on feet – get as much as possible, if you cant stay on your feet for 10hours running slow or walking then you cant expect to run or 10 hours.

Walking is training if you are doing a 100mile race you are not going to be running all the time or if you are then you will slow down by the time you get to 80miles. Running slow is uses different muscles that if you were running at your natural faster pace, train for this and you will be faster at your slow pace and overall it should be easier.
Change things! As the saying goes “do what you’ve always done and your get what you’ve always had”. Do the same training all the time and you will not improve (well not much)

Consistency, I don’t really fallow a training plan but I have an idea in my head how many time a week I need to run, what days are faster other days are recovery and an idea of the miles. Before I had this “plan” I would just run when I felt like it and nothing changed.
Last and probably the most important for me is nutrition. For years I thought like many, I run enough I can eat what I want an I will just burn it off. While technically I was staying the same weight that was all I was doing. After talking to a nutritionist at www.foodforfitness.co.uk I now think more about what I am eating, giving your body the correct types of food is vital, I also now eat a lot more than I used to, approximately 3000Kcal a day

My favourite session is a long run in the hills, the one where I know is doing the most improvement is hills reps.

3M asks: Well done - and some v. impressive distances under your belt! A couple of your (shorter) races seem to have been "beach" related - do you enjoy running on sand? What is your preferred surface?

MikeR. says: Don’t be misled by the Beach 10k although it sounds like it is on the beach, it is in fact the beach prom and very much tarmac. Unless its howling a gale and you get sand blasted in the face. I do most of my lunch time runs on the prom so in winter this happens a lot. The beach bum present race is on the beach and its a fun race run by my running club. 20p to enter plus a christmas present worth up to £5. you are set off in waves based on your 10k time slowest first and the winner is the person who gets home first. the prize for winning is you get to choose the first christmas present out of the pile, hint choose the bottle shaped one unless you want to risk soap or ear rings.

Terrain wise my I prefer to run on hard packed dirt trails but because I do most of my training on the prom I fear I am turning into a better road runner. Least preferred is gravel it just zaps your legs

Boab asks: Well done on the MoTM. Simple question from me really, Hokas?

MikeR. says: Simple answer is NO. not so simple answer is no because… not because I think they look like clown shoes (they do) but for two actual reason. First is over the years I have experiment with shoes and not through choice. When I first started out I went to the local running shop and they did a gait analysis and sent me running with a pair of motion controlled shoes 200miles later I got really had knee pains. New pair of shoes and same thing happened 200odd miles and knee pain. After experimenting with vibram five fingers, normal road shoes, inov8 f-lites and many others I find the ones that suites me are the ones that have minimal cushioning. I managed 1500miles from a pair of Merrell trail gloves before they started falling apart. Turns out the knee pain I was getting was actually ITB pain and it was caused by the cushioning going in the shoe. This is probably because my feet land funny and I cause the shoe to fail. Minimal shoes cause my feet to land in a way the rest of my body is happier with. You have got to use what will work for you and I know Hokas will not work for me.

The second reason is everyone just assumes that they are the answer to all their problems, go out and spend £120+ and you will be able to run like a god and they then still break. Yes it will work for some but I would rather look at the cause of the problem and work with that.

.B. asks: congratulations on MOTM. Which was your first ultra, and what factors do you think are important when choosing the first one?

MikeR. says: My first one was going to be the highland fling (53miles), but between me signing up to it and it happening the D33 was invented so since it was local, I knew the race director and it was the perfect training distance for the fling it was D33.
The most important thing about choosing any race race is are you going to enjoy it? They means different things for everyone. Your first ultra, good location, you dont want to travel round the world and not succeed also beautiful scenery make it easier when things start to hurt, a race distance that will challenge you but is realistic would be a good start.

Ron Burgundy asks: Congratulations! Who has the world's best beard?

MikeR. says: All beards are awesome, its just some beards are more awesome than others.

Siouxsie asks: Very well deserved winner. Well chuffed for you. So, when did you start running and why, and what was your first race?

MikeR. says: I started running Aug 2008, when someone from work was having a midlife crisis and had signed up to a 10k in Inverness he asked a group of people from work to join him. After the race Dave_m who was running the Lochness marathon on the same day asked if I wanted to join him at Edinburgh marathon 6 months later, soon after that I got talking to Loon_Dod and it all went downhill and up and down some more hills from there.

shanksi asks: Well done mate. So, what is the best beer/cheese/chutney combination?

MikeR. says: Punk IPA, Strathdon Blue and a slightly spicy tomato chutney on a plain oatcake

Neilio asks: Nice going Mike. Red sauce or brown sauce?

MikeR. says: Red

Duchess asks: What's your dream race? You've done UTMB (running as I type!), does Western States appeal?

MikeR. says: I honestly have no idea whats next. Western states does appeal but I have not thought of anything post UTMB.

_andy asks: Awesome, brilliant, fantastic. But that's BrewDog for you, eh?
Question, question, question... which one to go for... let's try :
Toughest race? Which of your races had been the toughest and why?
And if this isn't editted - how did you get to be so good at these ultras? What has really made the difference over the last couple of years?
Massive congratulations mate!

MikeR. says: Toughest -UTMB by a looooong way, other doesnt compare, the hills you cant train for them in the UK, the terrain is like the "technical" parts of the WHWR but up hill and all the time.

Consistant training.

The real difference I think is food, more food in genreral and lots of veg and less crap.

Corrah asks: Many congratulations and very well deserved. My question is how the heck do you keep running for such a long period of time? My mind boggles at the thought!

MikeR. says: switch off. people ask me what I think of when running and I find it hard to tell them because I think so of the time its nothing.

Torry Quine asks: Congratulations on your UTMB race (looking forward to the blog). I Hardcore You or Everyday Anarchy?

MikeR. says: Everyday Anarchy

Drell asks: Congratulations! Where does the slippery slope to being an ultra runner start?

MikeR. says: As soon as you go to the pub with loon_dod, although some would say going to the pub with any ultra runner and you will be signing up to a race before you know it.

andr3wht asks: Well done Mike! - After UTMB this year, what are you planning for next year?

MikeR. says: as soon as i know I will tell you. its been a long time leading up to UTMB and I deliberately had no plans after it.

mrs shanksi asks: Well done chum. Who's Ray?

MikeR. says: Ray is a legend!

M1nty asks: Two ultra race wins this year and a top 250 UTMB finish. Superb year and well deserved motm award. What do I have to do to emulate your success?

MikeR. says: Eat well.
Sleep as much as your body needs too.
keep changing your training when you know something is not working.
Rest.

Argie asks: Congratulations on MOTM.

Should Greg grow a fucking pair and do a IM in 2015?

MikeR. says: Growing a pair is always a good idea. IM well havning never done one i cnt comment on that. turn the question round WTF is Greg waiting for? Grow a pair!