As I write this, my first ultramarathon – the Vibram Tarawera Ultramarathon in New Zealand – is 194 days away. It might seem like a long time but, considering I can barely get a decent 5k on road these days without limping home feeling sorry for myself, I’d say I’ve got a pretty nasty road (well, trail) ahead if I’m going to run the 60k to that finish line next March.
You see, I’m not exactly the healthiest person you’ll ever meet. I had a whole garlic baguette after my dinner this evening (what? Garlic is great for you!) and I’m typing this with a bag of chocolate chips for baking open next to me, because it was the only chocolate I could find in the house, and midnight is a bit late to venture out in search of snacks. I’m hardly the girl you’d go to for healthy living advice. I’m pretty stubborn, so I’ve got that going for me, but I’m worried that alone won’t get my body through thé entire 60k course.
But, ever the practical one, I do have some tricks up my running shirt sleeve. If, like me, you’re in the run for the laziest runner award – but still want to try to legitimately call yourself an ultramarathoner, then I’ve got some suggestions for you.
1. Break it down into smaller goals
I find it really hard to stay motivated to run unless I’ve got an upcoming race that requires some training. I’ve never been able to follow a training plan (tried a couple of times but gave up within a week) so I follow a run-whenever-possible regimen. Using the NZ Running Calendar, I find races that I can realistically enter (either in my region or in convenient locations to drag friends to for weekends away). From now until the Tarawera Ultra, my calendar includes about one running event a month. This is a way to mentally break down the goal in my head. Rather than freaking out about the giant distance, 194 days away, I focus on smaller, achievable goals (a half marathon in two weeks, another one next month, and increasing my mileage from then on).
2. Run wherever you can
My ultramarathon will be a trail (because I think I’d rather stab myself with a fork than run that kind of distance on the road). This means the vast majority of my training should be on trails which, logistically, for a girl living in the suburbs of the country’s biggest city, can be tricky. It’s easy enough to hit the trails on the weekend but not so much during the week if you’re juggling training and a full-time job. I try really hard to think of every suburban 5k as a training run even if it’s all on paved footpaths and there isn’t a single pot plant in sight. Running is running – and it’s better than not running. How’s that for stating the obvious? But I need to remind myself of it sometimes, so maybe you do too.
3. Pick the right ultramarathon
I didn’t know what I was in for when I signed up for Tarawera. I decided that I wanted to do it because it’s an iconic ultra (in fact, it has just been announced as part of the Ultra Trail World Tour) and because I know how stunning the landscape around the area is. I now know the 60k course is not terribly hilly, which proves I was right to choose it as my first one. If I had accidentally picked a hilly ultra, I wouldn’t be writing this right now because I’d be busy madly climbing up and down stairs trying to get some strength on these legs. I also chose to do “just” the 60k rather than the 85k or 100k versions because I thought that would be the sensible thing to do (non-runner friends will quickly point out there is nothing sensible about running 60k, and I can’t say they don’t have a point).
4. Learn from those who’ve done it
If you sign up for a few events in the lead up to the ultra, you will inevitably come across people who have run the event you are training for. Don’t be afraid to pick their brains about it – the only thing a runner loves more than running is the chance to brag about the run! There are, of course, a number of other ways you can get information on training for a particular ultramarathon or just an ultra in general (books and social media are my favourite methods but do feel free to share where you get your best tips from).
5. Run on tired legs
I’ve read this in numerous places and it does seem to make an awful lot of sense. There’ll come a point in the ultra when your body will be so exhausted that it will be all about playing the mental game. Train for it by pushing through and running even when your body is tired. Back-to-back runs (eg, a long run on both a Saturday and Sunday) are a good idea, as they’ll get your legs accustomed to running while tired. Don’t focus too much on speed; no one cares if you’re going really slow. It’s all about time on your feet, so go ahead and walk up that hill.
6. Don’t feel bad about not running
Don’t let ultramarathon training rule your life. It should definitely be a priority but forgive yourself if the couch looked too comfortable and you skipped a workout in favour of whatever was on TV. It’s scary to think how fine the line is between something you enjoy (a little obsessively, if you ask some people) and something you do because you feel that you have to. The moment you think about running as something you “have to do”, you’re in trouble.
7. Make friends with other runners
If you need that extra bit of motivation to get out there and run, arrange running dates with other runners. Join a running club if you think that will help you get out and run. If you don’t show up, you’ll be letting them down. It’s OK to be lazy but do you want to be lazy and rude? I didn’t think so.
8. Adjust your lifestyle
Here’s something I really, truly struggle with. You’ll never catch me doing a juice cleanse or drinking a green smoothie or anything like that. In fact, attempting massive changes like that would probably just be setting myself up for failure. Instead, I try to think in terms of smaller, more achievable adjustments. I gave up all sugary drinks for months while training for a 35k trail early last year. On race day, one of the stations had cups of Coca-Cola and it tasted like the tears of 1,000 baby unicorns. It made giving it up totally worth it. Don’t confuse these adjustments with weight-loss diets, though. You can’t possibly train for an ultra on salad lunches (or maybe you can, but you’ll be miserable so what’s the point?). Whatever changes you choose to make to try to get healthier, make sure they’re not so hard that you resent running for making you do them.
9. Bribery works
I bribe myself all the time. New running shoes, a giant chocolate bar, a nap … whatever gets me to go out and run. On days when laziness levels are particularly high, a lazy kind of reward works too (“go for a run and then you can watch two episodes of Gilmore Girls instead of just one”). Laziness is totally justified if you’ve gone for a run.
10. Visualise yourself crossing that finish line
I know this sounds incredibly cheesy but just go with it. Believing you can do something is halfway to actually doing it. The problem is that the other half – the physical one – is way harder to get to. But getting there is part of the fun. Yes, I said fun.
Got any other tips to add? Have you ever run an ultra? Am I in for a world of pain? (Actually, don’t answer that last one.)
Vera Alves is a journalist based in Auckland, New Zealand, who is more than a little bit obsessed with running. To try not to bore her friends to death with the topic in every single conversation, she blogs about it on supergenericgirl.com.
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