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| Jason is still smiling after 50 miles! |
I started writing this post several months ago after supporting my fiancé, Jason, through his first ultramarathon – the Bear Mountain 50 mile Ultramarathon. My own running of the New York City Marathon on November 3 was motivation to return to, and finish, this piece.
An aside – if you get a chance to run the NYC Marathon, I highly recommend it! Millions of people participate as runners and spectators. The energy is palpable. Running the race injured, there is no way I would have made it through without the crowd’s motivation – truly unforgettable.
Before Jason’s ultra, I had dabbled in sports nutrition and
created a solid nutrition plan for my own marathons, but I had never planned
crew and nutrition support for an ultramarathon. Luckily, the plan was successful – phew! However, I learned that training and
nutritional support for an ultramarathon of 50 miles and longer is MUCH
different than what is required for a marathon.
Below is my interview with Jason about his training, crew
and nutritional support during the race.
First, let’s take a step back to make sure we’re all on the
same page.
Ultramarathon
Some know what this is.
Many have heard the word, but don’t know exactly what it means. Others are thinking, “what”?
An ultramarathon (aka. an “ultra”) is generally thought of
as a running race that is longer in length than a traditional marathon, which
is 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers. In
reality, both running and walking are often involved. Some ultramarathons are a specified distance
and while others are run over a specified period of time in which the winner
runs the longest distance in the allotted time frame. Some common distances
covered are 50 kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers and 100 miles. A common time-based ultramarathon is 24 hours
in duration. That said, races can be
many days or thousands of miles long.
They can take place on streets, mountain trails or tracks. Some take place under extreme conditions.
Some examples of particularly difficult ultramarathons are:
- Shi Chimony, according to their website, is the world’s longest certified footrace at
3,100 miles that must be completed in under 52 days – an average of nearly 60
miles per day. In my opinion, the most
difficult part of this race, aside from the mileage, is that it is run around a
single block in Queens, New York.
-
The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as “the most
demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.” It covers
135 miles (217km) from Death Valley to the trailhead of Mt. Whitney, California
and has 13,000 feet of elevation gain, finishing at an elevation of 8,360 feet. The race takes place in July when Death
Valley temperatures can reach over 120 degrees F/48.8C.
-
The Arrowhead 135 Ultramarathon runs 135 miles through the coldest part of
Northern Minnesota with runners regularly experiencing temperatures of -40
degrees F/C.
OK – now we all know what an ultramarathon is. Just reading these descriptions evokes a
range of feelings. For most
ultramarathons (the exception being Shi Chimony which sounds like the most
boring, monotonous, grueling thing imaginable – though I suppose that’s the
point), I fall into the camp of, “wow, that’s amazing!” I think people that are
able to run them are really inspiring. However,
my body has made it pretty clear that it has no interest in running ultras. I am
happy to resign myself to helping others and thinking that maybe someday I’ll
make the leap from marathon to 50K.
How I finished strong in a technical 50-mile footrace
through mountains
Interview with Jason Wimmert
1. How did you train?
I used The Lore of Running by Timothy Noakes, MD to craft a training plan. (This is just an image, but if you want to download the interactive version,
go to Dropbox). The race was scheduled for May 4. I started training October 15 with 22-mile
weeks. This was up from a baseline of 15
miles per week that I’d been stuck at due to recurrent injuries.
Highlights and surprises:
- I never ran more than 7.4 miles
on a weekday.
- Some
shorter runs ranged from 3 to 7.4 miles.
- My longest
training run was 30 miles (50K).
- Long runs
started out not long at all – 7 miles in the beginning up to the 30 miles
mentioned above. I aimed for 37 miles
but the timing never worked out.
- There was
usually one “off,” or rest, day per week after the long run. That is, unless the
long run was marathon
distance or further. I took 2 days off
after these longer
distances.
2. Food/Fuel.
What didn’t work?
- Shot Bloks
(or anything that takes a lot of chewing). You get too tired to chew and
breathe
at the same time. Some people were
attempting beef jerky. That’s crazy!
- Goo (aka.
sports gels)
worked pretty well for
the majority of the race, but once nausea set in around mile
38 there were
nearly impossible to stomach. All I
could tolerate were savory, salty
things that dissolved in my mouth, like broth
and potato chips.
What worked?
-
Jason: I think you should explain this part.
-
Me: No problem.
It is essential to have a thorough nutrition and hydration
plan that accounts for miles, time, calories burned, fluid and electrolyte
balance as well as how much can be carried over the distance from one aid
station to the next. It is important to
keep a relatively even calorie and fluid balance during the run. This requires a lot of planning. For example, Jason consumed 5,830 calories on
the run (and burned 6,015 calories). He
drank 12 quarts (3 gallons) of liquid – six quarts each of water and
electrolyte solution. Obviously, this is
far too much liquid and far too many calories to consume over a short period of
time. If you get behind, it’s very
difficult and sometimes impossible to catch up without distressing your body
(think nausea, vomiting, cramps, dizziness) or putting yourself at risk of
medical complications. Severe electrolyte disturbances can lead to
life-threatening brain swelling, abnormal heart rhythms, muscle breakdown and
seizures.
Work with whomever will be your crew to create your nutrition and hydration plan. Time for another definition - "crew." In long races, it is helpful (some would argue essential) to have one or more people to help the runner to create a nutrition and hydration plan and decide what equipment to bring along. They also work with the runner to plan which aid stations to meet them at and which food, water, electrolyte solutions, pieces of clothing and medical items they'll want available at each stop. They follow the runner throughout the race, bringing all of the things above, tracking time, helping keep pace, keep up with calorie and hydration needs, provide minor first aid, and most importantly, cheer the runner on.
Sometimes, one or more members of your crew will also be a pacer(s). A pacer is defined as a "trail companion." They serve to help the runner combat fatigue by running portions of a race with them - sometimes just a short distance, sometimes many miles. In the Western States 100, pacers can run roughly 40 miles with you! Pacers can give no physical aid to, nor carry food or water for, the runner except for emergencies. This type of aid will disqualify the runner.
Work with whomever will be your crew to create your nutrition and hydration plan. Time for another definition - "crew." In long races, it is helpful (some would argue essential) to have one or more people to help the runner to create a nutrition and hydration plan and decide what equipment to bring along. They also work with the runner to plan which aid stations to meet them at and which food, water, electrolyte solutions, pieces of clothing and medical items they'll want available at each stop. They follow the runner throughout the race, bringing all of the things above, tracking time, helping keep pace, keep up with calorie and hydration needs, provide minor first aid, and most importantly, cheer the runner on.
Sometimes, one or more members of your crew will also be a pacer(s). A pacer is defined as a "trail companion." They serve to help the runner combat fatigue by running portions of a race with them - sometimes just a short distance, sometimes many miles. In the Western States 100, pacers can run roughly 40 miles with you! Pacers can give no physical aid to, nor carry food or water for, the runner except for emergencies. This type of aid will disqualify the runner.
Creating a Nutrition and Hydration Plan:
1) Draw out a map of the aid stations including the
distances between each of them.
2) Review the landscape online or read past runners' comments to check which sections
are particularly challenging and more time-consuming
than expected.
3) Based on this information, and your average
time-per-mile on your long training runs,
guesstimate how long it will take you
to run from each aid station to the next.
Record
these times on your map.
and during
the entire race. Record these numbers on
your map.
5) Review the race website to find out which
snacks/fuel and hydration options will be
available. Look these items up online to find calorie
counts and adjust as needed to find
the number of calories in a serving that
can reasonably be eaten/drunk while running.
6) On your map, make list of items that the runner
can ingest at/between aid stations that
meet estimated calorie needs. The crew
will need to coach the runner at each stop what
s/he will need to eat at each
station – or at least grab to carry and eat on the run between
aid stations.
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| Starting line, Bear Mountain, 5am |
Race Day:
1) The runner should eat a caloric, but not heavy, breakfast 1-2 hours before starting the
race.
Record the caloric content of breakfast at the top of your map.
2) Draw boxes next to each aid station to record
actual intake and cumulative intake. Use
the actual intake box to record how many calories the runner ate since the
previous aid
station. Use the cumulative
intake box to keep a running total of the runner’s calorie intake.
3) Crew should motivate the runner, make sure s/he
keeps an even calorie balance and has
a minimum of 2-20 ounce bottles (or the
equivalent) that are refilled at each aid station –
one with water, the other
with electrolyte solution. See hydration, below.
4) Check in with the runner at each aid station to
see how they’re feeling. Be ready to
make
suggestions if they tell you, “I’ll throw up if I have another gel,” or “my
jaw hurts too
much to chew anymore.”
Hydration:
Luckily, this race was under near ideal conditions – not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Because of this and because Jason is not a big sweater nor does he tend to overhydrate, my job was easy. I didn’t have to be as scientific and detail-oriented as might be needed under different conditions or for someone who falls closer to the extremes of hydration and sweating. For this race, I relied on my usual distance running strategy of alternating water and electrolyte solution. Specifically, Jason used a waist belt that held 2-20 ounce bottles. One was kept filled with water and the other with an electrolyte solution. I always had two additional 20 ounce bottles with me that I would have filled and ready to swap out for his empties at each aid station to help get him moving again as soon as possible.
I had Jason start with Nuun which are dissolving tablets that can be added to water to produce a lightly
flavored, slightly effervescent electrolyte solution. Unfortunately, Nuun tabs don’t come with sugar
that is necessary for good hydration (see Gatorade post for details about why
electrolytes and sugar are needed for proper hydration and how to make your own
hydration drinks). Initially, this wasn’t an issue since
he was eating sugary and carbohydrate-rich foods and using gels, which are essentially
sugar syrup plus electrolytes, vitamins and sometimes caffeine. Still, I began to second-guess myself and
decided to leave nothing to chance. I
was determined that Jason’s dream of running an ultra would not be crushed by a
poor nutrition or hydration plan. After
the first aid station, I had Jason switch over to the Clif Shot drink mix provided, already mixed and ready to go, at each aid station. There’s nothing magical about the Clif brand.
Others containing potassium, sodium and sugar work just fine, too. Alternatively, if I’d planned ahead, 1-1/2
tablespoons of sugar could have been added to each bottle of Nuun for the same
effect.
If you notice that you’re having difficulty maintaining good
fluid balance on your long training runs, I suggest that you take a more
scientific approach to hydration. This
involves calculating your sweat rate and planning to replace your fluid losses at a rate you’re able to absorb
them. The alternating of water and
electrolyte solution as above should also work for this in most cases. However, hydration in extreme hot weather is
beyond the scope of this post. Signs
that you’re not hydrating properly are nausea, vomiting, decreasing or absence
of urination, dark or tea-colored urine.
If you have anything beyond mild nausea, seek medical attention at the
aid stations. Most will happily advise
you on a recovery strategy or tell you if it is unsafe to continue.
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| Second aid station, Jason's crew is taking in the beautiful scenery. |
3. Things to Bring – or not:
(Back to Jason)
-
Garmin
(or other GPS enabled) watch. It
was helpful to know how far I’d gone and helped me stick to my planned
pace. It helped me keep up with timing
of hydration and food. There are downsides,
though. Plenty of people tripped while
looking at their watches on the rocky trails. The battery only lasted 37 miles
(about 7-1/2 hours) on my Garmin Forerunner 405, so I had to swap it out for
Michelle’s Garmin 210 (which only has about 5 hours of battery life) to finish
the race. Most people don’t have 2
Garmin’s at home, but if you can borrow a friend’s for the day, it’ll be
helpful. Finally, the GPS tends to run
ahead of the distance on every course I’ve ever run, so I’d psych myself up
that there was only a mile left to go to an aid station, but really there might
be 2 miles. It was still better than not
having an estimate.
-
Music. I brought my iPhone loaded with podcasts and my
favorite running songs, but never used it.
There were too many nice, interesting people to talk to – which are a
much better motivator than music! I just wanted to be in the moment and enjoy
nature. Most people do not run ultras with headphones on.
Head lamp. The race started in the dark and you were not allowed to start without a head lamp. Due to the time required to run ultramarathons, many have significant portions that are in the dark.
Head lamp. The race started in the dark and you were not allowed to start without a head lamp. Due to the time required to run ultramarathons, many have significant portions that are in the dark.
-
Compression
socks. I am amazed how much
these help. On training runs, I tried
with and without compression socks. They
really helped prevent lower leg swelling, soreness, cramping and fatigue. During the race, I could feel my calves cramp
up, but the cramps were never disabling.
I’m sure it would’ve been MUCH worse without them.
-
Compression
shorts. I didn’t wear them, but
should have. I just wore loose North
Face running shorts, but feel like wearing the compression shorts underneath or
alone might have helped with the quad cramping as well. It was killer!
Layers. Even races that are run under near ideal conditions require layers. Starting in the mountains at 5am, there is a lot of milling around in the dark waiting for the beginning of the race. Even at nice times of the year, it can be COLD. Many ultras have a lot of elevation change which means you also need to be prepared to run in both cold and hot weather.
Layers. Even races that are run under near ideal conditions require layers. Starting in the mountains at 5am, there is a lot of milling around in the dark waiting for the beginning of the race. Even at nice times of the year, it can be COLD. Many ultras have a lot of elevation change which means you also need to be prepared to run in both cold and hot weather.
-
Body glide. I put this on almost everything before dressing for the race. I reapplied body glide to my feet after I started to get blisters at mile 22. Put body glide anywhere anything rubs together – like between your arms and chest, between your thighs (if they rub together), anywhere. The chaffing can be horrible otherwise.
Body glide. I put this on almost everything before dressing for the race. I reapplied body glide to my feet after I started to get blisters at mile 22. Put body glide anywhere anything rubs together – like between your arms and chest, between your thighs (if they rub together), anywhere. The chaffing can be horrible otherwise.
-
Moleskin. I started to get blisters at mile 27, put on
moleskin, and the developing blisters never progressed. Unfortunately, I forgot scissors. Thank goodness for a park ranger who carried
everything!
-
Athletic
tape is useful for putting over chaffed nipples (mile 34) and for any
athletic taping that needs to be done for minor injuries, aches and pains. (Michelle: There is no need to go out and
spend a bunch of money on Kinesio tape.
The jury is still out on its effectiveness.)
-
ID,
cell phone, emergency contact numbers. To be left with crew or in drop
bags for pick up at the end of the race.
This is just in case something happens to you, you’re lost or you can’t
find who you need to meet up with at the end of the race.
-
Extra
sport gels, energy bars and other snacks . Carry extra along with you,
stash them with your crew or place them in “drop bags.” Drop bags are bags that
race coordinators with take to certain aid stations on the trail. These are useful at aid stations where crew
is not allowed or you can have them placed at certain stations if you are running without crew.
-
Hat.
Sunglasses would have been tough on this technical course because it’s
difficult to see the contours of the ground on the darker portions of the
trail. A hat designed for running keeps
both sun and sweat out of your eyes.
-
Flip
flops and clean clothes. You’ll definitely want these at the end of the
race. Your feet will ache for a breather
after all the pounding on the trail.
Barefoot might be fine if you’re used to it, but my feet were too
tender. The thought of stepping rocks
wasn’t worth it.
-
Ice
and heat packs. The chemical-release
ones are nice because you don’t actually need ice or a way to heat anything up.
-
Anti-inflammatories
and analgesic balm. I didn’t end up using any anti-inflammatories, but I consider myself
lucky. I can imagine a lot of scenarios
where it would be nice to have Aleve or Ibuprofen. I used a lot of IcyHot at the end of the
race.
-
Water
bottles or vest. I carried 2-20 ounce bottles (as discussed above) with
me at all times. I carried them in a
waist belt. I had to keep stopping to readjust the belt because it seemed like
my waist kept shrinking during the race.
It took a lot of time to stop and do the adjustments. Next time, I might try a water vest since
they are adjustable while running. On
second thought, I’m not sure how I’d carry both water and electrolyte solution
in a vest. Hmm…I’ll have to think more
about this.
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Extra
socks. Forget them. I took them
but didn’t need them. Just wear a pair
of socks that held up well under your long runs and you should be fine (unless
it’s freezing, of course).
-
Shirt
with UV protection and sunscreen. Being outside in the elements for
nearly twelve hours, I got a lot of sun.
Luckily, I learned on training runs that sunscreen cream is a
disaster. Because of sweating, sunscreen
has to be reapplied regularly. Mix this
with the dirt and grime you accumulate on the run and it’s not pretty. I wore a t-shirt with UV protection and
covered exposed skin with sunscreen spray which was much less messy than the
cream.
-
Insect
repellent. Unless it’s winter, you’ll need this out on the trails.
-
Pacer. Pacers are a much-needed mental distraction, especially in the
later portions of the race. I had a good
buddy run the last 10 miles with me. Pick
someone who can run your pace and will push you and make you feel like you can
do it! Don't pick someone that will push
you to injury, though.
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| Running down into the foothills |
4. What shoes did you wear?
La Sportiva Wildcat Trail-Running Shoes worked well for
training and didn’t disappoint during the race.
Wear trail running shoes! My
pacer wore regular running shoes and had a lot of issues with slipping and a
couple of minor falls.
5. What would you do differently or what other tips do you have for someone planning their first ultramarathon?
- I would not plan an ultra during a time when I had to do a lot of traveling for work. My last two months of training really suffered due to international travel to areas where it was not possible to do trail runs. I wasn’t able to do my longest training run – 37.2 miles – due to traveling.
- Choose a flatter race for your first ultra. In other words, don’t pick one that has the with high technical and difficulty ratings, with 14,000 feet of elevation change. What was I thinking?!?
- Practice lots of up and downhills in training. The downhills were quad killers!
- Try to train based on elevation and course type. For example, if you’re running at a very different elevation than you live/train in, you need to make sure to acclimate and get some training at the course elevation. As for course type, I wish I would’ve gone to the ski slopes near where I live during a non-snowy time of year and run up and down them.
- If you’re running a very technical (read: rocky) race, you must train to do this or risk rolling your ankles – or worse. Well, you actually risk this no matter what, but proper training lessens the chance.
- Find a group or partner to train with if possible. It makes the time you spend training more interesting and bearable. I found a running group with several members that had run ultras before. I did trail runs on the weekends with them and learned some of the things I’m sharing here from them.
- Don’t anticipate running up significant inclines. Practice power hiking. This helped me to both pass people and save crucial calf strength for the end of the race.
- Most importantly, have a trusted source for the aches, pains, nutrition and hydration info along the way. Improper training and recovery WILL lead to injury and potentially dangerous medical consequences of fluid and electrolyte imbalance. Luckily, I have a chef, doctor, nutritionist at home. Without her nutritional advice, I would have been dehydrated and halfway behind on my caloric needs midway through the race. I credit one big race accomplishment to Michelle – not throwing up!
