Ultra Marathons

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NDWDave Jun 2018 9:38pm, 18 Jun 2018 7,051 posts	0 NDWDave 30 miler is a marathon with a bit of extra food. However if is a trail one, you might need to get used to running with a backpack. If it is hilly, don’t worry about run/walk, just walk the hills and run the rest
PAJ89 Jun 2018 9:45pm, 18 Jun 2018 25 posts	0 PAJ89 Thanks Dave. The one I've already booked in April is trail with some elevation, the 30-miler I'm umming-and-arring on looks to be almost flat with the exception of one moderate hill. I've got some experience running shorter distances with a pack when commuting to work, but little to none for 5+ miles so I'll keep that in mind as something to work into training as the year progresses.
NDWDave Jun 2018 10:01pm, 18 Jun 2018 7,052 posts	0 NDWDave Depends if you are trying to win it... Should just be a nice day out with a bit extra compared with a marathon but none of the crowds/faff. Good luck
flanker Jun 2018 7:29am, 19 Jun 2018 17,631 posts	0 flanker Personally I never do any specific run/walk training, on the basis that I'm training to enable me to run as much as it as possible and I'll never use a pre-meditated timed run/walk. However that may be because I'd never to a flat road or 24hr+ track ultra where this may be more relevant. For all off-road ultras I'll walk some climbs based on perceived effort; judging the point to change to a walk takes a bit of practice, but it's basically when running uphill starts to feel like an effort!
PAJ89 Jun 2018 12:54pm, 19 Jun 2018 26 posts	0 PAJ89 Definitely not out to win, just to finish relatively well! I've only ran the marathon distance three times (and only one of them was a race/event, other two training runs) but getting into ultra distances has been more appealing. Thanks for advice both!
NDWDave Jun 2018 6:13pm, 19 Jun 2018 7,053 posts	0 NDWDave My first ultra was the NDW50 which had loads of hills (at least for a Southerner) so walked the hills and ran everything else until the last few miles. Second was Thames Path 100 which was flat and needed a pre-planned run walk (for me at least). Sounds like you will probably be fine with a pace a bit slower than marathon - probably not even walking unless it is a meaningful hill
57.5 Degrees of Pain Jun 2018 11:03pm, 19 Jun 2018 3,913 posts	0 57.5 Degrees of Pain Some simple ideas for your 'proper' ultra PAJ89: - practice walking fast uphill, and transitioning from run to walk as you go up a hill - get plenty of training that will strengthen the legs - practice eating on long runs - get good gear for all possible weather and wear it in all possible weather
PAJ89 Jun 2018 5:32pm, 21 Jun 2018 27 posts	0 PAJ89 Thanks 57.5, will add those to my plan!
PAJ89 Jun 2018 6:22pm, 24 Jun 2018 28 posts	0 PAJ89 Just a little update on my progress: took on board a lot of the advice from you kind folk, I completed a 32.5 mile run-walk session today. Worked on a 'flexible' 15:3, walk:run ratio whereby I walked the hills and took a slightly longer walk intervals in the second half (closer to 14:4 and 13:5). Made a conscious effort to keep my pace up on the walks, though it is tougher than I thought when you get into the latter stages. First half walking on flats felt fairly brisk in the 14:00/14:30 min/mile range, but that slowed down to more the 15:00 range by the end. As I type this I'm relatively unscathed - besides natural fatigue and a bit of an ache in the lower left abdomen at mile 27 which subsided after my walk interval and didn't return - but can see that I'm going to need to get a bit more serious with core and lower body exercises. Nutrition went down fine (isotonic and regular gels, flapjacks, some leftover pasta, some fried black-eyed beans and black lentils) and no stomach distress, and my two 500ml bottles held enough to get me to the end plus a quick swig before I bought some more. Hot today down my way but the walking kept my body temperature down and I sought shade where I could. An extra 250 - 500ml of water would have been the ideal scenario, but in a race context I'd have the aid stations/refill. I read that taking on food/water during the walks is easier on the body to digest, it seemed to be the case today. There's plenty more I can experiment with in term of nutrition I'm sure, so that's a work in progress. Happy that I managed to be on my feet for 6 hours, constant moving besides a couple of pee breaks. My running felt alright even in the latter stages (seemed to be in the (9:45 - 10:00 min/mile region whenever I glanced) and I averaged about 11:05 pace over the whole activity. Really pleased to have got this in the books and its a big confidence booster to know I've covered that distance. Focus on rest and recovery for the next half a week at the very least, which I'm sure is a topic in itself!
paul0 Jul 2018 3:57pm, 11 Jul 2018 145 posts	0 paul0 Hi all. Anyone doing Race to the Stones at the weekend? I'm having a go as my first Ultra