Mix it up and have a little fun on your next run

Next time you head out the door for your usual run, strap on your shoes or go barefoot, and jog easily to your nearest trail or park and survey the area. It’s now your playground. You are the hunter, pick a jogger, any jogger, and let him or her gain some distance on you. Now, jog after your target. Keep your eye on the target, but let it gain ground on you. This isn't a race, remember. It’s a battle of wits, of picking and choosing your spots.

When your target is a few hundred meters ahead, start to jog. Don’t let it range too far ahead, but don’t over exert yourself. Kiss the ground with a soft stride, making as little noise as possible. If you’re not barefoot, run like you are. You wouldn't want to tire early.Keep that pace for a couple minutes. Now speed up a bit. If you begin to gain ground, stop before you catch up completely. Now sprint for thirty seconds, and really push it, but do not pass your prey. You’re not ready to finish just yet.

Stop. Let them continue on. Once they’ve turned a corner, passed behind a bend, or otherwise disappeared from sight, continue on. Jog, but jog with variety, start, stop, and run in spurts. For this portion, you aren’t breaking up the hunt into jog/sprint/walk sections; you’re melding them all together on the fly. Sprint for two seconds, stop for three, then jog for ten. Leap over branches, vault over bushes. Be creative.

Once you catch sight of your target, catch up by any and all means. Sprint if you have to. Just pass them up and take a breather. You’ll probably need it. Jog easy for as long as you like and as you rest up start the process of selecting your next target.

If there are multiple joggers zigzagging all over the place in all directions, you might try switching to a new target every time a new one passes in the other direction. Follow one for a couple minutes, then switch to another going the opposite way. Sprint after that one, then jog back in the other direction. How close can you get and for how many times without any of them knowing you’re there? The possibilities are endless.

The success of a workout. Whether you actually motivate yourself enough to begin and complete it, your performance throughout, and your intensity hinges largely on your state of mind. Persistence hunting in the park (yeah, I know, I thought about calling it “stalking” in the park, but somehow that sounded wrong) is a fantastic way to visualize and compel you to workout without “working out.” You’re in the moment, but that moment doesn't’t occur on a treadmill while zoning out to the TV; you stay engaged in the act of movement itself. You’re aware of your muscles contracting and extending. You feel each footfall, every tiny pebble, every expansion of your lungs. You can’t ignore your physicality, nor should you want to, because we are physical creatures whose physicality must be nurtured and stimulated for us to be whole and healthy.

Primal Running

The following is a list of a few things I have been developing over the past year with regards to my own training and lifestyle which I thought might be of interest, the most recent is the idea of going primal or in other words getting back to my ancestral roots. After reading Simon Witfields blog a while back I stumbled onto the idea of going primal, with the Primal Blueprint and have slowly incorporated some of those ideas into my lifestyle.

Long Run : Over the past year and a half, I have reduced my long run considerably, but I still set aside one day a week for an easy recovery run as a way to return my body to its natural state, this run is never longer than 90mins and run at a very easy relaxed pace on grass and generally barefoot.

Sprint: One thing I have noticed since starting to run ultras, is my loss of raw speed, so I have added a series of short sprints into my overall training program. The idea here isn't necessarily to be the fastest on the block, but rather a chance to give it my all over a very short distance.

Train Hard and with Variety: In keeping with the idea of primal training being random my aim is to complete a variety of interval workouts three days per week at a variety of paces, over a variety of terrains for various lengths of time, no two weeks are alike.

Ditch Grains and Sugar: To keep it primal, I avoid all grains, including bread, pasta, rice and noodles, and all refined sugar.

Eat Meat and Fish: Not only is fat integral to health, it will also help keep you feeling satiated longer!

Eat Berries, Nuts and Unbridled Amounts of Veggies: I focus on having a huge salad every day for lunch and dinner. The Primal diet recommends berries, which are low in sugar and packed with vitamins, antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients, and nuts, including walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamias and almonds. When it comes to vegetables, seek out root vegetables including carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, leafy greens, tomatoes and other brightly-hued vegetables.

Drink Water: I have been also been getting back to my primal roots by ditching the Gatorade, the soda and especially the juice. All you really need is water and for my longer events I use coconut water and beef jerky as my protein source.

Sleep Smart: I have struggled with insomnia for many years so I have been trying the following ideas to help with my recovery. When the sun went down, early man started prepping for bed. To sleep like our ancestors, I have removed all electronics from my bedroom and have been focusing on creating an environment that is dark, quiet and serene. Also, while it might seem counterintuitive to not close the blinds, allowing natural light to be your wake-up call is far more refreshing (and natural) then waking to the shrills of an alarm clock.

Developing Your Ultra Marathon Nutrition Plan

A marathon and 100km Ultra need different nutrition strategies. You can effectively hold a sugar high for about 4-5 hours max. However, sugar highs tend to fall apart after the 5 hr mark. The GI track gets upset and the sensitivity to the sugar influx decreases.

Nutrition Basics

• 20oz of fluid per hour - small sips every 10mins
• 300mg of electrolytes per hour
• 300 calories per hour – 5 calories per minute can be assimilated

The ultra marathon plan I would recommend to you would be a combination of the following;

Breakfast: Include 3 eggs + banana + 1/2 bagel w/ PB 90mins prior to start or banana 10mins before start if you wish to sleep in:-)

• 0-1 hrs: water only ~ 1hour ~ 12.5%
• 1-4 hrs: protein based sports drink ~ 3hours ~ 37.5%
• 4-7 hrs: regular maltodextrin sports drink + watered down gels ~ 3hours ~ 37.5%
• 7-8 hrs: full strength gels or coke plus regular sports drink ~ 1hours ~ 12.5%

Note: this strategy would need to be adjusted based on the duration of your race

Developing Your Marathon Nutrition Plan
Over the years I have learned the importance of proper marathon nutrition while racing;

Nutrition Basics

• 20oz of fluid per hour
• 300mg of electrolytes per hour
• 300 calories per hour – 5 calories per minute can be assimilated

One thing I do is drink frequently throughout my marathon, drinking 4-8 ounces every 15 to 20minutes. If you are using the aid stations it is a good idea to grab a cup as you enter the aid station and another as you exit.  Since you’ll undoubtedly spill some just grabbing the cup, you’ll now have a good chance of getting the 4-8 ounces you want. Be patient in the aid stations and don’t just gulp the fluid and toss the cup.  Crimp the top of the cup and run with it as you drink.  Then, grab the second cup and do the same.   I estimate that across the marathon (2:45), I consume around 60 total ounces of fluid using this method and this is probably as much fluid as I can absorb and tolerate.

My first 2 aid stations (at 5K and 10K for me), I just drink water. I do this because I am trying to relax into pace and utilize my fat burning system as well I want to make sure those pre race jitters are gone and my stomach is ready to take in sports drink.  After that, every aid station is sports drink. 

Just for security and because you never know for sure if you will be able to get all the drinks down,  I will carry a gel flask with two gels mixed with water and sip on this though the race.  I generally never consume gels straight out of the package as it is hard on the digestive system, I always mix them with water.

I believe this maintains my blood sugar level, delivers energy to my muscles during the marathon and restocks my energy stores afterwards. I feel it also helps in my post marathon recovery, so I can be back on the roads training again with minimal loss of fitness.
Post-Marathon is Important Too!

After finishing the marathon, I always drink a recovery drink. That way I begin the recovery process right away.

Thoughts on race nutrition
Over the years I have learned a few simple ways to improve my athletic performance through proper nutrition while racing;

Keep fluid intake during exercise to 20 ounces per hour;

• In general, most athletes, under most conditions, will satisfy hydration needs with a fluid intake of 20ounces/hour - the equivalent of one 20oz Nathan water bottle or two 10oz Nathon flasks.

Restrict caloric intake to 300 cal/hr during exercise;

• If you want to achieve your best performance, replenish calories in amounts you can effectively assimilate, allowing your fat stores to make up the difference, which they will easily do. Approximately 5 calories per minute can be assimilated during exercise.

Exercise over two hours requires protein;

• Carbs alone won't satisfy all of your energy requirements once you exceed two hours. Protein will have to satisfy roughly 10% of your energy requirements.

Use liquid fuels as your main energy source;

• There's nothing wrong with consuming a little solid food during prolonged exercise as a pleasant diversion from the monotony of liquid fuel consumption, but make solid food consumption the exception, not the rule. Solid food is harder to digest than liquid, and it requires more time, water, and electrolytes. Relying too heavily on solid foods can leave you feeling lethargic, bloated, and nauseated. Liquid fuels digest and absorb readily, so you avoid those unwanted feelings of being lethargic, bloated, and / or nauseated

Replenish 300mg of electrolytes per hour during exercise;

• For correct electrolyte replenishment you need a balance of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium as all these minerals play key roles in the maintenance of many important body functions.

Be flexible with your fuel consumption during a race;

• You may need to consume slightly less calories in a race than you did during training due to increased anxiety and pace, each of which can lead to the possibility of a less-than-optimally functioning digestive system.

Don't over-consume food the night before the race;

• Increasing and maximizing muscle glycogen stores takes many weeks of consistent training and post-workout fuel replenishment. Excess consumed carbohydrates are only going to be eliminated or stored as body fat. Eat until you're satisfied, but not more.

Don't sacrifice sleep to eat a pre-race meal;

• Do not sacrifice sleep just to eat. If you've got an early morning race start, the best strategy is to eat a high quality meal the night before and get an adequate amount of sleep and have 100 calories of easily digested fuel 5-10 minutes prior to the start of the race. If you must eat before the start of your race, a pre-race meal of 200-400 calories, comprised of complex carbohydrates, perhaps a small amount of soy or rice protein, and little or no fiber or fat consumed three hours prior to the start of the race is quite sufficient.

Thoughts on core strength

When an injury occurs we look to muscle imbalances and weak muscle groups and perform traditional strength and core strength training to correct these imbalances but we also need to look at our neutral strength and our ability to maintain a neutral joint position. The spine, hip, knee and ankle all need to be able to hold their optimal joint position in order to function properly.

Some thoughts on barefoot running based on some personal experimentation

The human foot is an amazing shock absorber and the idea of running barefoot isn't crazy if you want to run faster. A stronger, more supple foot and ankle will allow a runner to race faster. In my search to find a way to strengthen my feet to withstand the rigors of running ultra marathons I came to barefoot running over four years ago. I started slow running barefoot for 5mins every other day and built up to being able to run 90mins straight over a period of two years.

What I found over time, with my feet getting stronger, I started using racing flats as my main training shoe. The problem was, the more I was using minimalist shoes, the more fatigued my feet were becoming to the point where I was not recovering between training session and up to last week when I switched to regular cushioned shoes I even had to skip workouts as my feet were just too tired from the previous workout.

Basically though my strengthening I kept reducing my shoes to lighter and lighter shoes with less and less cushioning which was great through the summer as I run on grass but though the winter I was on the paved bike paths and the pounding was building in my feet so when I switched to regular cushioning shoes the extra cushioning allowed my legs to recover faster and allowed me to train more.

Running barefoot and in minimalist shoes is great but I think there is a balance. Through barefoot running, maybe 3% to 5% of your weekly mileage, I think you can move yourself from a stability shoe to a neutral shoe over a period or 8 to 16 months. Which ultimately is the best thing for your foot and then from there you can add options by wearing a cushioning shoe for your core mileage, a light weight trainer for your tempo runs and possibly a racing flat for your fast intervals and races, while maintaining your 3% to 5% of barefoot running. The same will hold true for trail shoes.

My suggestion would be, from my experience, use a cushioning shoe though the winter, as you will be on pavement and will not have access to soft grass, this will reduce the pounding and allow you to recover between training sessions. The same would hold true in the summer if you do most of your mileage on pavement. If you run predominately on grass though the summer then you can receive the cushioning through the softness of the grass and use a more minimalist shoe. Your choice of shoe will depend some what on the terrain you choose to run on.

I have been running a little under a 80km's a week and I run two or three times a week on squishy sport-turf, treadmill or with the snow melting on soft grass barefoot. That only adds up to three percent of my weekly running volume and in terms of the Nike Frees, I do not run in them much anymore but I do a ton of drills in the Frees and probably spend an hour or two a week in those shoes.

My point is that if you're running 30-40 miles a week and wanted to run the same percentage of your weekly volume barefoot as myself, a strong promoter of barefoot running, then that is just one mile a week, broken up into 800m one day and 800m another day. So if you think it's something to add to your training program avoid the temptation to go out and run five or six miles a week barefoot, it may lead to an injury. Take it slow and allow your body time to adjust and over time your feet will gain strength, your stride will improve and you will be able to withstand more training without breaking down. After a period of time maybe you can look at increasing the amount of barefoot running you do, but I would only suggest doing this on soft grass.

Through my own experimentation I can midfoot strike just as easily in a cushion shoe as I can in a lightweight trainer or racing flat, for me it is more a issue of correct pelvic position and core strength that allows me to midfoot strike and not necessarily the height of my sole on my shoe, but that only relates to myself, everyone has had different experiences adapting a midfoot strike.

The Snow is Melting

As spring approaches and you slowly start to run more outdoors and increase your mileage or intensity it is a good idea to use some barefoot running as part of your warm up and warm down. This is a great tool to improve your running stride and efficiency as well as strengthen your feet and hips. By doing this you prepare your body to adapt faster to increased training loads.

Simply run 5 min's barefoot on the grass, once the snow melts, or treadmill before putting on your shoes and heading out the door for your main workout. When you have finished up your workout slip off your shoes for another 5mins of barefoot running.

Strength Training To Improve Speed

What if every stride you took was easier and you went farther with every foot strike and you looked better on the beach instead of looking like a skinny marathon runner:-) Well, over the past few months, going though the progression of strengthening my back though a new specific strength program I developed, I have found not only is my back stronger but my running and skiing stride are also stronger allowing me to run/ski at higher speeds with less effort.

The trick to this is too keep your strength workouts very short and to have them have a specific transfer to your sport. The goal is to do the following workout in 15 to 20mins including warm up and warm down and complete the workout in a continuous fashion with no breaks between exercises;

Warm Up

• Treadmill @ 15% - 5min

Workout

• Chin Up - 3 sets of 3 reps
• Leg Raise - 3 sets of 3 reps
• Squat - 3 sets of 3 reps
• Box Jumps - 3 sets of 10 reps
• Treadmill @ 15% - 3 sets of 30sec sprints ~ this is the specific transfer component, ideally as a skier you could hop on skis and do a 30sec sprint and then come back into the gym, but the logistics are near impossible.

Warm Up

• Treadmill @ 15% - 5min

The secret as with anything is to start slow with very light weights and progress as your body adapts, have fun!

Sinister 7 & Death Race Training

So what will it take to complete Sinister 7 or the Death Race solo, excellent question! First and foremost it will be good to have completed a few 1/2 marathons and full marathons and then a couple of the shorter 50km and 50mile Ultra Marathons before stepping up and attempting either of these races solo. A good approach would be to do the following in progression;

1. 1/2 marathon
2. Marathon
3. Trail 50km
4. Trail 50mile
5. S7 or Death as a two or three person relay
6. Attempt S7 or Death solo

There are many factors that will go into your decision to do either of these races solo, training, nutrition, equipment, support ext. and I will try to cover each of these items for you. So lets get started, you have signed up and well, now what do we do, the first thing is to take a deep breath and relax, it really is not that hard, you can make it hard but if you stick to the basics and keep things simple you will come out a champion!

I should rephrase that, the race itself, is very hard, and at times it will bring you down, but the training is not complicated, in fact it is very simple to prepare for if you follow a few basic rules.

Training ~ Race or Training Session: 10 + hours

The training that I suggest is speed based training with intervals three times per week over hilly terrain with approximately 75miles per week of running. (This mileage will increase every forth week, due to "EPIC"). The intervals should vary in length and intensity and should have short recoveries. Every forth Saturday you should replace your normal Saturday interval workout with something in the nature of EPIC!

When I say EPIC, I would suggest packing up the mini van and heading to the mountains or Blackfoot recreational area and completing a 3 to 10hr run / hike though the mountains up and down as much terrain changes as you can possibly find. As in all things, I would suggest some progression, starting this EPIC at 2hrs and add 1 hour every 4weeks, the sooner you get started with EPIC, the better as you want to build up to 10 hours of EPIC three weeks before the start of the event!

Within these EPIC run / hikes try to run as much of the downhill's as possible to strengthen your legs for the pounding you will receive in the event itself, with each consecutive hill you run down your legs will grow stronger and your downhill technique will improve. You do not want to gain time on the downhill's but you do not want to lose time on the downhill's.

If you can complete EPIC on Saturday it will give you Friday to travel, Saturday to kill yourself in the mountains and Sunday to recover, completing your normal recovery workout, as well, all ultras are on Saturdays so it is a good habit to start.

Basic Program

• M ~ Recovery workout
• T ~ 75min to 90min Interval workout
• W ~ Recovery workout
• T ~ 75min to 90min Interval workout
• F~ Recovery workout
• S ~90 to 120min Interval workout or "EPIC" every forth week
• S ~ 45min Recovery Workout

Additional Training

Other than the above basic training you should aim to complete as much core and hip strength you can fit into your schedule, all the hill training you do will take care of all the keg strength you need.

Nutrition ~ Race or Training Session: 10 + hours

For nutrition for training and racing lasting longer than 10+ hours, keep it simple. The goal of this training session / race is to maximize performance over an ultra-long duration. Critical preparation includes making sure electrolytes and glycogen stores are maximized before the session begins. All athletes will require electrolyte, carbohydrate and amino acid supplementation in order to maximize performance and recovery. Most athletes will prefer some additional solid foods. Nutritional practices for sessions this long need to be replicated consistently in training, not just on race day. Exercise sessions greater than 10 hours require caloric density greater than typical energy drinks (7% solutions). In heat and latter portions of long duration exercise, electrolytes, drink osmolality and solution concentration are critical to absorption. Athletes will vary greatly in the ability to absorb calories above 300Kcal per hour, therefore it is critical that practicing high caloric intake becomes a staple in all long training sessions in order to develop an individualized caloric demand schedule. Athletes should use these recommendations as the foundation for fueling ultra long workouts, but will need additional calories which can come from gels, bars or other solid foods. A Multi Vitamin should be used daily for improved training, health and recovery.

Pre Training / Racing

For 30 to 60 minutes pre-exercise, consume up to one serving of caffeine and one serving(350ml) of carb based sports drink.

During Training / Racing:

Consume 1 serving(350ml) of carb based sports drink for every 30 minutes, sipping the solution every ten minutes. Consume an additional carb / protein based bar(250 calories) once every 1-2 hours as needed. Consume 1 serving(350ml) Protein based recovery drink at the half way point of this long session, and for added kick consume some form of caffeine as well. Consume additional, gels, bars, snacks or solid foods as necessary and based on preference and your individualized caloric demand. Additional electrolyte pills may be necessary depending on your weight, heat and sports drink of choice.

Post Training / Racing:

Consume 1-2 serving(350ml) of protein based recovery drink. The recovery drink you use should not exceed 2 servings, so if a serving is consumed in the latter half of the exercise session, only one additional serving is required afterwards. If no recovery drink is used during the exercise session, then an athlete can consume up to 2 servings post-exercise as needed. Consume an carb / protein based bar 30 minutes after consuming post-exercise recovery drink.

Gear

What do you need, everyone is different, but what I can say is, keep it simple and keep it light, the more you carry, the more you carry. You of course need your mandatory equipment as suggested by the race organizers and after that you need your carb based sports drink, gels and bars, any real food you eat should be done in transition, only carry the essentials! I would suggest one of two options;

1. Bladder pack plus two hand held's
2. Waist belt with two water bottles and two hand held's

• The bladder will hold roughly three water bottles and then two water bottles in your hands for a total of five hours of running. From there decide which legs will require this much nutrition, for instance if you predict the leg will take 3 hours only take the bladder pack and leave the hand held's for the next leg that might take four hours to finish. If the leg is going to take you longer than the five hours of supplies you have, utilize the feed stations on course to supplement your nutrition.
• Note, if you wish to make this transition a thing of beauty, have two bladder packs and extra hand held water bottles and then all you do is slow to a walk exchange packs, hand held's, grab some solid food and continue to walk out of transition while nibbling on your solid food, again avoid all temptation to sit down and relax, getting back up is not pretty:-)

In a effort to keep things simple I would also suggest using one pair of shoes and one pair of socks for the entire event, if you sit down to change your shoes and socks you may not get up again:-) Definitely have extra socks, shoes and clothing in your transition bag for the "just in case" but do not make it part of your race plan, the more things you have to think about the worse you will make it on yourself.

With this plan, I do not suggest using poles, using poles can lead to poor eating habits, ie by having poles in your hands you have a tendency to forget to drink and eat as your hands are always occupied and you would do better to train on hilly terrain pre event to increase leg strength and you will end up running the hills in a better position putting less impact on your body.

Support

If you are going to attempt either of these races solo I would strongly suggest finding yourself a support person who will meet you in each transition to refill your water bottles, bladders, gels and bars. The support staff can make or break your event.

So there we are, "Bob's your uncle",we just completed Sinister 7 and or the Death Race, it's hard, it's painful but the reward at the finish line lasts a life time!