Ultra training for beginners

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Derby Tup Dec 2015 8:53pm, 11 Dec 2015 18,916 posts	0 Derby Tup Mudroc 290, Mudclaw 270 - 272 - 330 - 333, Roclite 285 - 305 - 315, Road 233 - 255 I wore Inov-8 the day I met my wife and for my BG, but wore Walshes on our wedding day
mulbs May 2016 1:08pm, 11 May 2016 11,805 posts	0 mulbs hello all can I ask what might be a series of numpty questions please: * do any of you generally do a reccie run or two before undertaking an ultra? * if you do then how do you go about equipping yourselves with the route in a format that's easy to travel with and understand on the hoof? * is there a benefit in some sort of gps wrist thingy that can display your route with markers and presumably an indication of where you are even if you go astray from the route? * should I just assume it'll be fine if I keep my eyes open on the day? * am I getting my knickers in a twist when there's no need? I've got the GPX files for the london to cambridge 100k (which I know is rather short and flat for some of you but will be a challenge for me), but I'm struggling to find a way to get enough of the route visible in enough detail to be of any use without carrying either a full OS map marked up or a sheaf of A4 printouts.
Rosehip May 2016 2:24pm, 11 May 2016 7,272 posts	0 Rosehip mulbs - what mapping capability does your phone have ? mine has been very useful when lost in London and Plymouth and I think the L2C should be mainly in areas of a decent signal. Which bits are you thinking of recce-ing and when?
mulbs May 2016 3:03pm, 11 May 2016 11,806 posts	0 mulbs I've got a free-ish day tomorrow where I was planning to look at the bit from where the route appears to leave lea valley park up to the first 50k, and then in a couple of weeks time was going to try and look at maybe the last 10-12 miles because it'll be dark if I get that far on the day . .. I've got a Nokia Lumia and I've no idea what it can do . . . had felt like I wanted the security of something like we had for the Thames path where the route was A5ish chunks that were easy enough to read . . .
Gromit May 2016 3:04pm, 11 May 2016 777 posts	0 Gromit Having only done 3 so far my answers Mulbs would be - if I can get to do a reccie then break up into chunks and do so - if you cant reccie the whole thing then look online at reviews of previous years races - there are often "problem" spots where people always get lost so maybe focus on those areas if you can .. I have moved to a Garmin Fenix which has the longer battery life but can also have the route plotted - whilst not a map will indicate when a turning is coming up and will let you know if you've gone off the plotted route ..... its a reassuring back up - but OS mapping on your phone is also good but you will be draining the battery ......... as for having the route in an easy format I also will print out the route and cut up into little bit sized pieces so you can have a page at a time rolled up and handy rather than a whole massive OS map in your bag
Rosehip May 2016 3:19pm, 11 May 2016 7,273 posts	0 Rosehip Haven't they issued the route properly yet? I haven't checked!
HappyG(rrr) May 2016 3:21pm, 11 May 2016 25,651 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I think it's hugely beneficial to know the route before race day. Though some friends of mine would say half the fun is being somewhere completely new! So take your pic! I'm lucky that some of the ultras I've done have been all v. popular routes, so a. well marked, b. I've done them before I ever dreamt of doing the race! c. there are organised runs on the route for people to use as recces and training runs. Where the above didn't apply, I just turned up on the day and hoped/assumed I'd be able to tag along with someone else if route finding on the day wasn't obvious. I've never tried the Navigation function on my Garmin(s) even though I've had it available for last 7 years! I'd take a map, but I'm rubbish at using it. Maybe the verbal description on the race website would be useful to have to hand? Good luck and enjoy! G
Rosehip May 2016 3:29pm, 11 May 2016 7,274 posts	0 Rosehip Mulbs - I used gpsies to convert their KML file and it's now a gpx file as a route on here, cos I find that easier to see 9 and I can look at the conquercise zones too http://www.fetcheveryone.com/routes-view.php?id=1759904 I'm sure we won't get lost on the day (unless the locals play fast and loose with the signage) - though the idea of checking through the in-the-dark bits is a good plan I may have a wander over in half term- but there do look to be some places where it would be easy to miss a turning on a recce
mulbs May 2016 3:51pm, 11 May 2016 11,807 posts	0 mulbs ok - daft fetch question next - is there a way to get the fetch map of the training route full screen?
Rosehip May 2016 5:45pm, 11 May 2016 7,275 posts	0 Rosehip um - not sure - I can ctrl+ and slide it around to fill the screen. I've used zooming into a tricky bit of route and printing that with the snip tool thingy in the past Once you have the gpx file you could try mapmyrun or gpsies or bikehike to get a more printable version maybe? hmm and on closer inspection there are a couple of points where the route plotted doesn't look quite right ( Broughley at 30.5 miles for one) I'll be disappointed if it's only 98K too