Ultra training for beginners

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Derby Tup 17 Jan 10:36pm, 17 Jan 2024 63,805 posts	0 Derby Tup Be really aware of cut-off times. It's easy to get confused when you're tired. Write them down. Ask a marshal or other competitor if you're not sure
flyingfinn 17 Jan 11:53pm, 17 Jan 2024 3,694 posts	0 flyingfinn And how do you know the other competitor isn't as tired, confused, ill informed as you? In my experience a lot of competitors haven't read stuff or at least properly (eg take a look at some of the stuff people were posting the day before the Spine) and either have no idea or the wrong one. Marshalls aren't always a lot better but they often have the means to double check for you. But more than anything take responsibility for making yourself informed before the race and saving the vital stuff on your map, in your phone etc. Don't rely on the likes of fb forums and other social media read the race instructions issued by the organisers properly!
flyingfinn 18 Jan 12:02am, 18 Jan 2024 3,695 posts	0 flyingfinn Ditto nav. If it's a nav race then take responsibility for your nav. Don't assume there will be someone to follow or follow others blindly just because they're running confidently. Standing still for 30s seems an age but is nothing. Running any distance further than 100m in the wrong direction will waste over double that and expend energy.
Northern Exile 18 Jan 8:23am, 18 Jan 2024 10,102 posts	0 Northern Exile Top tips FF
HappyG(rrr) 18 Jan 8:30am, 18 Jan 2024 49,190 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) If I understand EfM correctly, you will only be battling yourself - just one cut off, which is 24 hrs, and navigation is your own choice, so you can't be "wrong". You can be better or worse, but not wrong, per se. Good tips for fixed route ultras though. Not even sure you could double up with anyone, so you need to be good at being by yourself. I'm not. I love companionship, esp in races. In WHW, my lowest point coincided with being on my own. I say "point" of course in long races, it was a good couple of hours (4am to 6am and 8am to 10am) type periods. When I met up with crew and had someone with me from 12.00 onwards I picked up massively. Very personal that though. Some love being on their own. I think Sam J blogged he was very happy to run alone. G
flanker 18 Jan 8:24pm, 18 Jan 2024 21,124 posts	0 flanker ff has just stolen my point, which was "take responsibility" Know the rules., the kit requirements, the nav, etc. It's your event, so why put it at risk through being unprepared or assuming someone else will help you out. It only takes one person to turn off the rear light on their lamp that you were following and you can be lost. DT the only DNF I regret is L100 2013. Bailed at Ambleside saying I was too wet and cold to continue safely. Always leave a checkpoint and give it 10 minutes. If you do need to quit you can always turn around at that point, but odds are you'll have got over it.
Joe1970 23 Jan 10:42am, 23 Jan 2024 94 posts	0 Joe1970 Hello crazy ultra people, I've been having a good read through of this thread over the last week or two and there's some great tips, its good to hear a few peoples stories about what went well and occasionally what didn't! Having done a couple of trail marathons and a couple of pretty flat, urban 50kms, the things I've learned are not to go out too fast (yeah, no doubt I still will...), to really think about the course (I was expecting hills, but didn't anticipate sandy ground on one run, and I think that really took it out of my legs more than the hills) and to eat more often than I'd thought about before. I wondered if anyone has any experience of two-day events? I've got one coming up in a couple of weeks, its about 50km each day, staying overnight in like a school hall and then the reverse of the day one route on the Sunday. It's reasonably hilly, for southern England at least, so I'm anticipating walking a bit more than I have done for the same distance on the flat, but am aiming for about 7 hours (basically because I don't really want to be out there in the dark!) each day. I do quite a lot of medium distance runs I guess, 9-13 miles, and reasonably regular back to back days in double figures, but probably fewer genuinely long runs than I might like, while averaging about 50 miles a week. I'm slightly scared about two days in a row of the furthest I've ever run! Any top tips on overnight refuelling?...kinda assuming I should eat as much pasta and cake after the first day finish as possible? And I'm also assuming not as much sleep as I'd get in my own bed, as well as aching a bit, so being a bit more sluggish to start with and walking more on day two and maybe needing more fuel and caffeine to get me through? Event is called the Pilgrim Challenge - xnrg.co.uk - cheers to everyone who has contributed to the thread, it's all useful info
Shades 23 Jan 11:07am, 23 Jan 2024 1,597 posts	0 Shades Joe1970 I haven't done ultras on consecutive days, mostly marathons. But I did do a very hot 35miler on day one then drove nearly 200 miles for a marathon the following day. Day one, eat and drink often and run within yourself. Start refuelling as soon as you can, eat what you fancy and snack your way through the evening. Change into lightweight compression tights after the race and sleep in them too if you can. Day two, high carb breakfast and eat as much as you can. At the start try and wipe from your mind what you did the day before. However your legs will remind you when you start so just run easy, any stiffness will ease and you'll probably just have some spells of tiredness for the rest of the race. Enjoy it 🙂
HappyG(rrr) 23 Jan 12:09pm, 23 Jan 2024 49,241 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I've never had the luxury of a night's sleep in a 24 hour event! Starting on second day must be hard. Because you are not moving and if your digestion can stomach it, fatty foods like a fried breakfast will fuel you a long way. Good luck. G
cackleberry 23 Jan 12:27pm, 23 Jan 2024 3,486 posts	0 cackleberry Definitely a change of clothes for sleeping will feel like heaven. Eat as much as you can, within comfort and a good solid breakfast. (That said, on my one experience of this I had a banana and a yogurt on Day 2 for breakfast. Only thing I could face, but we were up at about 4:30am. Yuk.) As you've already guessed, be prepared to walk. Walk the hills from the start, no point wasting energy! Enjoy the experience as much as you can.