Saturday, October 29, 2016

Ultramarathon training and preparation

My last few posts have been race reviews and my thoughts on my experiences with running my first two ultramarathons. First was my 12 hour event, followed by a 40 mile race. Both of these were big jumps for me transitioning into the ultra world and essentially tests to see if I think I have what it takes to eventually pursue my ultimate running dream—running a 100 miler.

In those posts, I didn’t really go into any details regarding my preparation in training for these two important events. With some inquiries about how I did train for these events, I thought it was worthwhile to share my approach—so that’s the focus of this one.

With any long race, I think a lot of runners get asked the question somewhere along the line of “isn’t that hard?” Well to some degree the answer is yes. But mostly, if you trained properly, then the answer should lean toward no. I’ve heard and read of many people saying they want to run—and I’ll use the commonly mentioned marathon—only to do so and say they can barely walk for a week and then think running is horrible. In all likelihood, for whatever reason, they just failed to put in the work beforehand (in my opinion.) To have a good race experience, you really do have to have dedication in your training. From my past experiences, I have found this to be very true—and if you follow it I think you will be very well rewarded and surprise yourself on race day.

I’ll be honest about my training—it was only semi-structured. To be a tad more specific, each effort had it’s purpose and certain aspects of training had a focus, but scheduling how to work each of those efforts into my work week was…juggled, to say the least. During the vast majority of my training, I was working two jobs split between first and second shift, sometimes close to 60 hrs/wk. And there were a few weeks where I had worked 7 days a week, so long runs (run/hikes) didn’t exist. I didn’t stress about this. I knew I had an erratic work schedule and that fitting in long efforts would be challenging. It was just what had to be done. So while I like structure in my training, and these races were important to me, with my work situation at the time I was just going to have “wing it” to some degree on this whole ultra training thing.

My first two ultras were only 3 weeks apart—so in effect training for the first was the same as training for both. The longer race was first too, so I couldn’t use the first as a tune-up for the second. Tackling a 12 hour event—I went big(ger) for my first ultra.

Having these races already on my calendar for a long time, my training started very early in the year. Having a solid 8 months to build up my mileage was important since it would reduce the risk of me getting injured in pushing myself farther than I ever have before. After all, the quicker you ramp up your mileage, the more likely you are to develop an injury. While this is common sense, it is often forgotten.

Knowing these ultra’s I wanted to complete would be hours on end, I really didn’t focus my training on mileage. My main focus was building up the time I was spending on my feet. I think that is an important concept and one of the key points I’d like to stress. While I did have a mileage goal in mind (40-50 miles) for my first 12 hr ultra, I was realistic in knowing it would take me the vast majority if not all the 12 hrs to complete that goal. Plus there was the fact I had never ran/walked/hiked for anywhere near that timeframe either. I knew the miles would rack up for me—but only if I keep moving! If I’d stop because I was too tired after 6 or 8 or whatever hours, well then obviously mileage stops as well. So you can see how time and NOT distance becomes so important. On my long weekly efforts, I would only increase about 45 minutes to the total time I would complete, safely adding only 2–3 miles depending on terrain. My goal was to work up to a the equivalent of a full work day (8 hrs) of near constant movement (some combination of running, power hiking, etc.) I got in a few efforts around this time and figured that would be a good test for race day and that on race day I’d be able to dig a little deeper to complete the 12 hours.

Then within that focus of time for my training, it was just covering as many miles as I comfortably could without wearing myself out. I knew there was no way I could run the entire time for these ultras—and I was totally fine with knowing that. Very early in the year, my training did consist of solely running. My base for starting was around 7 miles. As I transitioned away from just running, one of main focuses was finding a good run/walk ratio. This is my second key point and was something that really challenged me! I experimented with different number of minutes walking and at different intervals for those walks, but most of that flies out the window so to speak when you’re on trails. The constant elevation changes would force me to hike when I “should” be running and other times the terrain would present me with opportunities to run when I was scheduled to walk. In experimenting with this run/walk ratio, what I eventually learned was two things—two very important things. Those were: 1) let the terrain ahead of you dictate whether you run or walk, and 2) listen to your body. These two items make up another key point and one I would definitely recommend for anyone training for an ultra distance event. What I found was discovering that perfect run/walk ratio only works if you’re running flat surfaces—which on most any trail ultra you are not! So I would follow my aforementioned two learned rules and then if my run/walk ratio worked within following those rules, I would apply it. If not, oh well. Expanding on my mentioning of terrain, I learned to play the hand you’re dealt so to speak. You see the hills in front of you won’t get any less steep no matter how much you wish and the rocky sections won’t suddenly become smooth either. So if you find yourself seeing your heart rate (HR) keep climbing and climbing (I’ll discuss this key point too shortly) but you feel like you’re barely moving, then honestly just ditch the running. What I’ve found is I can power hike just as fast on steeper inclines and keep your HR lower and conserve energy—trust me, you’ll need it. I also wouldn’t worry if I had long stretches of running because of a long downhill section during a time when I thought I should take a break with walking. Why not let gravity help you out? Unless you’re in actual pain, there’s no reason not to let gravity be your friend and cover the same distance using less energy.

I also tailored my training to the type of terrain I would face, and another point I can’t stress enough. Knowing the events I wanted to do were on trails, that is what I trained on.  There was no way I wanted to be unprepared come race day. As much as I could, I sought out hilly, technical trails which would constantly challenge me—and they did! Not only would it prepare me mentally for that terrain, but I knew it would strengthen the stabilizing muscles in my feet and ankles, delaying the time these areas would fatigue. I know when I first started trail running I would feel a soreness afterward in my ankles so I knew strengthening was important for truly long distance. A few times out of necessity I trained on hilly roads, but believe me, it is just not the same. I would always suggest training on as close to the same surface and type of terrain as you’ll face on race day as much as you can.

Another item that helped me a lot was stair climbing. One of my jobs I averaged 7 to 8 miles of walking each workday. I believe this job helped me with my ultra training. Even though I obviously wasn’t running, I was spending long durations of time on my feet—again, my main goal. Also in this job was the availability of stairwells. Walking—or sometimes even jogging or running—as many flights of stairs as I could was also a substitution for any lack of running and a secondary method of hill training. For me, any day less than 15–20 flights of stairs was a disappointment. If I tackled 30+ flights—OK, now we’re talking’. Hit about 50 flights of stairs—now that was good day! Sure, it was hard, but I knew in the long run this was going to help strengthen me. I don’t have that job anymore and it will be interesting to see in the future if I notice a difference. I miss those stair workouts and really suggest if you have the opportunity to incorporate stair climbing into your training that you do so. It will really prepare you for steep climbs!

Now I’ll touch on the aforementioned topic of heart rate. Another aspect of my training that I incorporated was heart rate monitoring—and more specifically within that was what is known as zone 2 training. I had both read and heard about this concept in researching running and upon learning about it, thought it made sense and was applicable to what I was trying to accomplish. By no means though do you have to follow zone 2 training.

Many HR monitoring watches come with preset (or you create your own) training zones relating to a percentage of your maximum HR. A lower number zone relates to a smaller percentage of your max HR. The different types of workout you do fall into different zones—for instance a tempo run would fall in zone 3 or 4 since you’re running a bit faster and would have a higher HR or a speed workout on the track might fall in zone 4 or even 5 depending on the purpose of the workout. The thinking behind utilizing this method of training is since a ultramarathon consists of long distance running done at a slower pace, training should be kept at a slower pace and stay within zone 2. There’s little benefit to having a higher HR from running faster when realistically most runners while not be able to keep up that faster pace the entire time of their event. Eventually you become more efficient with your running within zone 2 and you do become faster.

One of the easiest and most common ways to determine your zone 2 is the formula: 180 minus your age. The result is the number you want to keep your HR below for distance training. If you are a seasoned runner who has been staying in shape then there is a slight deviation allowable to add 5 beats per minute to the result of your number but if you are new(er) to this training or newer to running in general then just stick to the basic formula.

I will attest to zone 2 training being difficult at least in its initial stages, and this is something I heard from many others. It was difficult to keep my HR that low. What I thought was slow running was actually raising my HR about what my max should be for zone 2—especially for hills and inclines. This showed me I likely wasn’t as fit as I thought I was. While this was frustrating, I did slow down (the vast majority of the time) and continue following this training regimen. There were many times where I needed to slow down to a walk (or hike depending on terrain) in order to keep my HR within zone 2. I will tell you that you do need to be patient with this regimen and it will take time to see results. For me it took a few months, which is rather common. However, if you stick to following zone 2 training for your distance running then you will see results and be able to run at a faster pace and still keep your HR lower.

One of the ways I learned to more easily stay within zone 2 was to alter how I breathed. While I realize some of you won’t be able to incorporate this, it was an effective method for me. To stay within zone 2, I would (in effect) force myself to breathe strictly through my nose. Obviously this restricted the amount of air I could take in within each breath. This lower volume of air would force me to slow down in order not to be out of breath. Thus the slower running kept my HR lower. Basically as long as I could solely breathe through my nose I was going to have a lower HR and stay within zone 2. Don’t get me wrong, this was not easy to do! I had to make a very conscious effort in my initial stages of trying this approach—but with practice I found this to be a very effective technique. At times, yes, I did need to breathe using my mouth but regardless I would always make a effort to keep my breathing controlled! I can’t stress enough using controlled breathing in order to follow zone 2 training. This is a great topic to read up on and one where you can do a search and find a ton of info on—perhaps a topic of a future blog post.

Transitioning back to other training techniques, something else I would do within my training efforts is I would envision myself being in an ultra. My suggestion is picture yourself adjust to all the feedback your body gives you. Learn to become confident in making changes as that feedback changes. Picture yourself having a good race and reaching that next aid station or the finish line. You’re going to experience lows in an ultra and the easier it is to break any negativity you have mentally or make changes based on how you feel physically the better off you’ll be.

For instance, in my 12 hr event, I started moderately too fast and only 20 miles into the race my quads basically felt like they were mostly spent. They were already tired and sore and I had over half my day still ahead of me. I remember the spot where I had to have a talk with myself—as if I was talking in third person. I told myself that I have to slow down or else you’ll never reach your goal or if you do you will feel worse than you ever expected to post-race. In my second ultra I was experiencing more prolonged discomfort in the back of my left knee and again I had to listen to my body and back off the running and do more walking/hiking. In each of these instances, it was adjusting my mindset in order to successfully complete the event—just as I had practiced in training.

Additionally, beyond the physical and mental prep with my training, was training and experimenting with other aspects of running I would face on race day. Within training, was learning what, how much, and when to eat. Same thing for hydration. Your training efforts is the time to experiment and nail down what works and what doesn’t—don’t be afraid to learn in your training so you have less stress and can have a better experience on race day! I also experiment with how I even carried my food and water, completing some efforts with my new hydration pack and others with my Fuelbelt to find out what worked best for me.

Overall, take some time and make a checklist of all the variables you can face on race day, and prep for these in your training—again, training is place to make mistakes and find out what work and what doesn’t. And if a mistake happens then learn from it and progress.

I realize this article is somewhat long—hey, just like an ultra! So I thought here at the end I’d try and pick out and list the best pieces of training advice and put them in quick list for you to sum up the article.
  1. Take your training seriously—don’t think that it’s all just going to “come together” on race day.
  2. Specificity—train as much as you can in conditions you’ll face on race day.
  3. Envisioning—picture yourself in a race while you train and learn to be confident in your ability to face different situations you encounter.
  4. Listen to your body—it’s giving you feedback for a reason and use that to get to the finish line.
Will all of these training strategies be right for you?—likely not. What I do hope though is that a look at my training will give you some ideas or you’ll pick up at least something that you’ll find helpful and grow as distance runner. Thanks for reading and good luck with your running!