Steve Prefontaine
Steve Prefontaine
Joe Henderson
Michael Shilling referring to the 26.2 mile distance of the marathon and related to Juma Ikangaa's quote
One of my favorites is from Juma Ikangaa...
Each of us who run, win in our own personal way. For us to win, we must prepare.
Long training runs are one of the key features of a program to prepare for any ultradistance race. The specific details of length, pace, terrain, supplies, etc. will depend on the person, their fitness, and the event for which one is preparing. There are some common principles which are:
1.
Building the duration of the long run

2.
Specificity of the environment for the long run
3.
Mixing in walking
4.
Hydration, hydration, hydration
5.
Eating on the go
6.
Training the mind
Lets look at each of these features in more detail.
First, duration pertains to the length of your longest run each week, in miles or hours. A runner who has been running regularly (3 or more times a week) might start with a long run of an hour. A general guideline is to do one long run a week, or every other week, and to add 10% distance (or time) every other long run. Thus, over a period of a few months, one can build up past the two and three hour barriers. The key is a consistent increase in the duration, without developing injuries or overtraining syndrome. Once you are over two hours, the long run starts to improve your ability to use fat as fuel, and you learn how to "keep going" in the face of some level of fatigue. Individuals will vary, but I generally recommend several long runs of 2-4 hours in the three months preceding a 50k or 50 mile race. For 100 mile runs, the duration for a couple of these runs will be more in the 4-6 hour range.
2. Specificity of the environment for the long training run. Here I mean the terrain over which you do the run, the weather, altitude, surface type, aid frequency and type, and time of day. It is best to try to simulate as closely as possible the conditions you are
LIKELY to face on race day. If the route is hilly, do training runs on trails or roads with hills have similar grades and lengths, spacing, etc. Or even better, get out and do one or more training runs on the actual course. This will also help with mental visualization of running strong, and with preparing a race plan. Try to train some of the time in hot weather if the race is likely to be hot, or at altitude if most of the race is up high. Also, for track or road ultras, train some on those types of surfaces, at least a couple of your long runs should be shorter versions of the race you are aiming for. Have similar types of aid and stops as you will in the race, and run at a similar time of day for some of the long runs you do (especially train at NIGHT for a 100 miler !).
3. Mixing in walking into the long run. The goal of the long run is to get "time on your feet". You can extend this time by mixing in walking "breaks" every so often into the run.
This can be done on a schedule (say 5 minutes on the half hour) or when you encounter uphills. It will depend on the terrain and how you feel. This also teaches you to keep moving forward when you are going through down times, when your energy is lagging. A break of 2 minutes is enough to recover and drink some fluids, while a longer break of 5-
10 minutes gives time to eat some food, and get settled into a good powerwalking stride.
The walking will give the running muscles a break and when you do start to run again and get settled back in, you should feel a little lighter on your feet than before the break.
4. Hydration, hydration, hydration ! Keeping adequate fluid balance is very important in long training runs and races. Try to keep a regular flow of water, electrolyte, and other beverages (soup, soda) going in, so that you maintain a constant weight during the run.

Regular urination of clear urine is a good sign, as is consistent sweating and a stomach that is continually emptying (ie. not sloshing). Drink some fluids with salt, such as
Gatorade or Succeed, these will help replace the salt you are sweating out. A good rate of fluid intake to shoot for is a quart an hour in cool to warm weather, maybe 50% more in real hot or humid weather. Also beware of high altitude, you lose more fluid through respiration in the thin air up high.
5. Eating on the go. Carry food with you on your long run (in your fanny or running pack) or have some food out on the course or with your handler. Try to eat once an hour or more, small amounts of varying types of food that agree with your stomach. Try different foods to see which you like. Some that are likely to be good include fruit, candy, pretzels, energy bars, and soup. One is trying to keep up enough energy input to maintain efficient use of fat stores, and to keep up the blood sugar level. Shoot for an intake of
200-300 calories per hour, unless you are using a drink that has a higher content of calories, such as Carboplex mixed with fruid juice. Some of the best times to eat are during walking breaks and when waiting for friends to catch up, or you can stop at selected point where you have aid set out or will have your crew person meet you. Also, in training for runs of 100 miles or longer (multiday) try to work in small amounts of foods containing proteins and fats.
6. Train the mind on your long runs. There are many things you can do to work on your outlook during the long training runs. First, have fun with friends in doing these runs.
Laugh, be playful, tell stories, and take in the scenery about you. Occasionally run a long run alone (if it is safe) so that one race day you are comfortable if you want to run along alone. During the run, notice how you are feeling, if there are any blister problems, if you feel hungry or are too warm or cold (ie. associate with your body). Tell yourself how well you are doing, that you are strong, and are being patient. Try to picture how you will be feeling on race day at this point of the run, what the weather will be, how you will cover specific parts of the course, and that you are fluid and steady in moving along, enjoying yourself and the beauty around you.
Remember that the key to a good solid training program for ultras is consistency, with recovery time (off days) built in to allow the body time to adapt to the stress. Long runs form the founddation of a good program. They are a lot of fun, and something you look forward to.
Ok, so you are now quickly approaching an ultra you want to run and wonder what the best way to "rest" is. Well, as in many aspects of training plans, the answer is that it depends on the race, and on you as an individual. Some sort of taper is recommended unless you want to "train thru" the event, using it as a long training run having aid stations and people to run with.

The standard taper that I recommend is a two week reduction in training volume. One still wants to keep the effort level at pre-taper levels (for example, if you usually do a fartlek run on Tuesdays, still do this run the two weeks before the ultra, just do fewer pickups, but at the same intensity as before). In terms of volume, a typical taper might involve 3-5 days of running and 1 day of cross training the next to last week, totaling 50-
60% of normal total volume. Allow for at least one and preferrably two days with no training (you can do a short walk, or prerace planning on these days). Then the last week before the race, do three shorts runs, and take two days off completely. The short runs should not be longer than an hour in length.
A tapering plan might look like this: next to last week
Monday off
Tuesday 1 hour run with 6 x 400 meter pickups (normally you
Wednesday 1 hour bike ride might do 12 x
400)
Thursday 45 min. run
Friday off
Saturday 1.5 hour run
Sunday 1 hour run last week
Monday off
Tuesday fartlek run with 5 one minute strides (1 hour total)
Wednesday 30 min. run
Thursday off
Friday 30 min. run
Saturday ultra race
This is a general schedule for tapering. YOU may prefer a different pattern. Variations include taking the day off before the race instead of the next to last day, doing more days of cross training and fewer of running (as long as you usually cross train as part of your schedule), and doing a hike instead of a short run. The real purpose of the taper is to give your muscles and connective tissue time to heal and to build up your energy stores (of glycogen etc.). Be sure to eat a balanced diet with a good proportion of calories from

carbohydrate (60-70%), and drink lots of fluids. Stay on a regular sleep pattern. Take this time to do other things that you have not been as involved with during the time of higher volume training, but don't use all your energy on these. Stay off your feet, do some relaxation/visualization exercises during these two weeks (and at other times !), and come up with a race plan so you and your crew/pacers are prepared and on the same page come race day.
With a good taper, you are maximizing your chance of running to your potential on race day, and giving your body the time to build and heal. Good luck in your ultra. Enjoy your day out there on the roads, trails, or track !
Luke wrote:
* Enjoy it. The thrills of crossing your first starting line and then your first finish line won't be forgotten, and likely won't be matched in future races. The first is the best. Smile for the cameras at the finish line. Then expect to laugh or cry hysterically.
* Stop at a thrift store this week and buy a disposable pair of sweat pants, shirt, sweatshirt, wool cap and pair of gloves. You'll shed the sweat pants right before the race -
- runners throwing their warm-up clothes into the air is quite a scene, in spirit and in appearance like graduates tossing their mortarboards -- and then shed the other layers as your body warms up en route.
* Sleep well the night before? Forget it. You're going to be too amped up, and you'll be waking up every hour for fear of missing your alarm. Instead, focus on banking sleep all week and especially the night before the night before.
* I'm ambivalent about writing your name across your chest. I did it for a few races but don't anymore. For a few miles it's pretty neat to have hundreds of strangers encouraging you on by name, but then it gets annoying. (In my latest race I even avoided running near runners with names on their chest, because hearing "Go, Bob!" and "Go, Jane!" a hundred times was giving me a headache.) And once you've hit the wall and have started to hallucinate, it won't matter, because you won't remember what your name is anyhow.
* You'll be OD'ing on adrenaline for the first five miles. This will tempt you to run faster than you want. Don't. You'll regret it later. Make your goal to run the second half faster than the first.
* That said, line up beforehand at a pace faster than you intend to run. Everyone overestimates their pace (or underestimates it, as it were) and cheats forward. You don't want to get stuck behind a mass of slowpokes. If this happens, don't panic. Just consider it a forced moderation. Whatever you do, don't weave between slower runners. That's an

excellent way to pull a groin (speaking from firsthand [firstgroin?] experience here). Be patient. Holes will eventually open up.
* Hydrate a lot throughout the week, but don't overdo it the day before. And that morning don't have more than a glass or two of water/Gatorade. (Despite following my own advice, I ran Chicago this month and had to spend 20 seconds peeing against a tree during Mile 6. It came back to haunt me when I finished exactly one second shy of qualifying for Boston.) Then drink at every station, whether you're thirsty or not (by this point you'll be sweating it out, not peeing it out).
* Don't overdo the carbo loading. This is the mistake I made my first few marathons: I pigged out on pasta, rice and bagels, and then felt bloated for the race. You want about 70 percent of your calories to be coming from carbs that last week, but your overall calorie intake shouldn't go up from your regular pattern. (In fact, it should go down a little bit, since you're not burning as much during the taper.) Eat normal-sized portions. And keep in mind that it takes 24-36 hours to digest those important complex carbs, so your most important meals will be Friday dinner and Saturday brunch, not the night-before dinner.
* Eat about 300 calories that morning, 2-3 hours before the starting gun. I usually have a piece of toast and two bananas. Make sure you've practiced this routine before several training runs.
* Pocket some salt packets. If you cramp up, pop one of these (water chaser optional) and you'll be fine (mineral imbalance is a cause of cramping).
The only thing marathoners love doing more than running is giving advice about running, so if you're wondering about anything else, just ask.
- Luke on October 24, 2004 at 01:00 AM
A few other first-timer things I thought of on my run this morning (see what I mean about marathoners and advice?):
* Savor the soreness afterward. Each creaky step will be a reminder of all your hard work. Once you're ready to feel like a normal person again, cycling/spinning is a great recovery activity. Also, a massage will never feel so good or so well-deserved. And don't neglect the weight training: I recommend seated arm curls, mugs of Sam Adams with the right arm, handfuls of chocolate-covered peanuts with the left.
* Drinking on the go can be tricky if you haven't practiced it before. Most people have success folding the cups into a V. But don't be afraid to walk through the water stations
(Jeff Galloway is a big proponent of regular walking periods).
* There aren't a lot of good running movies. I prefer "Gallipoli" to "Chariots of Fire," but it ends on a downer. Both of those, however, are about sprinter dorks. For long-distance inspiration, it doesn't get any better than "Rocky II." (Watch this on the treadmill

sometime. When Rocky goes for the run with the children you'll unwittingly start increasing your speed. By the time Creed hits the mat you'll be doing 12 mph and won't even have noticed.)
* Prep your fans for what colors you'll be wearing (red is easy to spot) and when to expect you wherever they're planning to be.
* Chris is right about perspective, and he nails it vis-a-vis the hardest part being over with. It's not these 26.2 miles that are the test. It's the 500 miles leading up to them. And remember that no matter how fast you go, it'll be a PR. What's more, about half the
Kenyans will drop out once they're out of contention, so just by finishing you'll have beaten them.
I think that's it. G'luck! Break a leg!
- Luke on October 24, 2004 at 12:09 PM