Preplanning For Your Endurance Challenge
What you need to know before training begins
I completed my first ultramarathon 15 years ago. It was a 50 mile ultra in Wisconsin and marked a day where I ran further than I had ever before. My longest training run going into it was 30 miles. In hindsight, things went well, but these things are never perfect, and on that day my process of fine tuning everything ultra race day preparation began.
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The beauty of ultra is that one of the few guarantees is that something unexpected will happen, and how it is managed will greatly impact how things end. To me, this means that you should be prepared to adjust. It is wise to refine a short list of problem solving techniques that help you navigate these situations. Ideally, it is best to minimize the chances of these situations occurring, especially when they are unspecific to your actual fitness. Nothing is worse than having an event go sideways for reasons outside of your hard fought fitness.
I recently recorded a podcast episode where I covered six areas I find important to consider early in your endurance training cycle, as it will give you the best opportunity to both create a short list of solutions and minimize the number of unexpected situations.
Here are the seven areas and a bit about them. If you find them interesting, check out the full podcast episode for a deeper dive into each of them.
Timeline:
pick one that fits your preparation needs
goal centric: finish? improve? value process versus events
16 weeks, 24 weeks, more?
global fitness followed by event specificity (long run versus ultra long run example)
Lean on available race specific information
event website
social media threads and race pages
race reports
strava/ultrasignup data of individuals finishing near goal time
Gear List
familiarize needs early, so practice is ample
shoes, poles, socks, packs/vests, belts, apparel, hats/buffs, lubes, tapes, watch settings, lights, bottles, cooling protocol equipment,
Nutrition List
understand personal needs
sports products, solid foods, texture
Hydration List
cool, avg, hot fluid needs versus population data anecdotes
electrolytes concentrations range widely (ep. 358 Andy Blow to find yours)
Measurement Tools (endurance training simplified series)
develop a protocol to measure if training inputs are yielding results
my tools: intensity based learning, field tests or races, pace at intensity/heart rate
Programming Mental Training (ep. 363)
reflection and practice is key!
reflect on lifestyle habits for breaking down multi step tasks
reflect on how you break down short interval sessions
visualize course segments during long run
If you are interested in some additional support, I am currently onboarding for my group coaching package. It is designed for all abilities, and race targets that will help you better understand the training and racing process. It includes: access to my complete catalog of training plans from 5km to 200+ miles, two weekly group meetings to help adjust your plan and cover questions/topics, recordings of meetings, future guest speakers, and a private forum for all members. Details can be found here.
Current Picks: here are some endurance training products I currently use, and a list of my favorite endurance books. Enjoy!
Podcast: zachbitter.com/hpo