Ultra training for beginners

170 watchers

Derby Tup 14 Jan 7:21pm, 14 Jan 2024 63,709 posts	0 Derby Tup I'm currently focussed on basically time on feet / stamina, plus climbing. When we were going to the Lake District it was generally downhill and rough ground; the rougher the better
Anna Bomb 14 Jan 9:05pm, 14 Jan 2024 2,330 posts	0 Anna Bomb Best advice given to me is walk like a walker not a knackered runner and having seen the pace some walkers can maintain during ldwa events this makes so much sense. Also make sure you can navigate and if you can't navigate get a GPS system which takes away the majority of the thinking as you will get to a stage in an ultra where thinking is difficult. Same with a fuelling plan, take the thinking during the event away by trying different strategies then sticking to what you know works. And if all else fails suck a hard boiled sweet, glucose straight to the brain and you'll be able to think straighter and make better decisions
Jen HB 14 Jan 9:31pm, 14 Jan 2024 2,011 posts	0 Jen HB If you can buy food enroute some food vans are cash only..... (as my sister found out last weekend as she's training for Spine Challenger north this summer)
Badger 14 Jan 10:34pm, 14 Jan 2024 16,888 posts	0 Badger I don't tend to blister, but I appreciate the advice to focus on looking after my feet. Nor do I, but just the title of this blog will tell you that can change in the wrong circumstances. fetcheveryone.com/blog/1684/2019/9/397827 Didn't stop me moving but I was paying for it for a while afterwards. I tried Injinji toe socks and they blistered my toes; Teko work brilliantly for me, and carrying a change of socks in case pair 1 get saturated and start sticking to you can be really helpful. One thing you need to know, and it's hard to learn, is what you can stomach when you've already been going a long time; I carry a couple of SiS gels because they're watery enough that I can get them down when I can't stomach much else.
paulcook 14 Jan 11:20pm, 14 Jan 2024 4,100 posts	0 paulcook Ditto to that. Two of my biggest races and I've blistered, when I barely do. And going back to my previous post about dealing with a problem straightaway, if you start to feel a blister do something about it pronto.
flanker 15 Jan 12:55am, 15 Jan 2024 21,113 posts	0 flanker I've not blistered this decade, and probably for far longer. I've had the same socks and almost the same shies throughout that period. I know I can go for days in them in either the heat or with constantly wet feet and no issues. Interestingly Teko socks were the answer for me too. I hated injini - nothing but pain.
fetcheveryone 17 Jan 10:40am, 17 Jan 2024 30,081 posts	0 fetcheveryone I've done a wee blog about walk vs run proportions in ultras: fetcheveryone.com/blog-share.php?id=478013 TLDR: I need to walk more.
Derby Tup 17 Jan 10:43am, 17 Jan 2024 63,789 posts	0 Derby Tup I don't really understand the Meriden thing but guess practising navigation might be useful too
fetcheveryone 17 Jan 11:12am, 17 Jan 2024 30,082 posts	0 fetcheveryone What bit don't you understand about it?
Derby Tup 17 Jan 11:49am, 17 Jan 2024 63,793 posts	0 Derby Tup Why anyone would want to do it mainly My wife was interested and it sounded a mega pain in the backside to me, but I'm lazy, hate naviagation while running, and quite like running in circles