Runners
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@Nik That’s a good point. It can often be lonely out there….
Have you done many spurred ultras in the past?
And if you like seeing other runners, have you ever done, or considered running a track ultra?
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@Nik Oh, trails are definitely the best, but the track is different beast if and when you want a new challenge.
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Autumn 100 mile ultramarathon starts at 9am British time this Saturday 12 October. I’m bib 262, here’s a live gps tracker if anyone’s interested.
https://live.opentracking.co.uk/A100-2024/
Going to be cold, some big puddles but mostly dry. I’m getting excited. -
Centurion Autumn 100 mile Ultramarathon
5th out of 252 starters.
Went out fast. Had the usual struggle before halfway point. After 50 miles was able to catch some people on hills, then on the last leg forced more carbs in and just ran my own race.
The 4 out and back spurs/legs were fun because it meant seeing all the other runners out there. Must have said/heard ‘well done’ about 200 times. Centurion organised a great race again, would recommend.
Some thoughts about kit and nutrition: waterproof socks work well for when you have to step in standing water. Same strategy again of mostly tailwind drink and sometimes water supplemented by gu gels worked well. Eating a gel every two miles is tough and I couldn’t manage it the whole time but it does keep the engine running.
Also I got stung by a bee towards the beginning.
Gear was satisfy running techsilk and cloud merino followed by arcteryx norvan tights and iron heart fleece western for the final cold 25 miles. Shoes were hoka tecton x 2 the whole time with two sock changes. No blisters.
Most importantly: these extended endurance events use up my whole body, including my lungs, heart, and brain. At times I got emotional and had little whimpers of almost tears. I imagined everyone I love alive and dead with me pushing me forward. I felt them with me through the race. I did not do this on my own.
For any strava users here's a link to the activity https://www.strava.com/activities/12641853197
Two 100 mile belt buckles
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Brilliant result. Well done! I don’t think I’ve ever looked that good at the end of a 100.
Love the fact that you ran in some IH too.The belt buckles are a bit more fancy than they used to be; I like the race specific designs.
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Just signed up for a 24km trail run/race next month. Looked yesterday and all of the slots were full for the 24km, emailed and they confirmed it was full. Today I popped onto the site, a spot had opened back up, and took it as a sign. Will be just out of my comfort zone and should be a decent challenge. I've trained hard this summer (and last year) so hopefully will be able to finish without any ill effects.
Have just under a month to finish getting ready...excited but also experiencing a bit of trepidation.
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@goosehd fun. Race energy is really its own thing, pretty fun to see what happens in that environment.
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@goosehd I’m excited for you; it’s good to push the boundaries. I look forward to hearing about how it goes.
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Random question: How do you guys use your smartwatches during a competition? Are you paying attention to any of the data or do you throw it all out the window and run by perceived exertion level?
"I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)
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For ultras I like having a map screen and for my last event had average pace, distance, and time alongside the map. I get an alert for every mile with total time and mile time so in the past have just had map and average pace. For road races I’ll take more data. But often the purpose of that data is to slow down, because if I just go by feel I might go too fast and blow up, although that hasn’t happened yet so maybe in the future I’ll let myself go faster….
Feel is by far most important. The watch just adds a bit of fun numbering to quantify feel. -
I'm three weeks out from my race and was a little worried about the distance. Decided to do a training run today mimicking the race which consists of three loops at 6.5 km, one 10 km, and the final 7.5 km for a total distance of 24 km's. I just finished the 24.13 km's in 3:03:36. Feel pretty good and not exhausted but know trail running will be a bit different than today's run which was primarily on road/asphalt. Average pace was 7'36"/km and my heart rate was steady at 149 bpm.
Plan to spend the next three weeks at about 50 km/week in training and hopefully that will be enough.
Thank you all for your stories and support. It means a lot and please know that you guys are an inspiration to me.
"I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)
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@Dmart Thankfully it is hard packed with minimal roots and rocks, but enough that you have to be mindful of foot placement.
Today’s run was where I working out the fuel situation and used gels and a strop waffle. A decent breakfast this morning (almost too much) and took a gel at 1 hour, strop waffle at 1:50, and didn’t need another. Extra’s in my vest just in case along with enough water for today’s conditions. The race has 3 aid stations so not worried about running out of liquids.
Also was working out pacing so I could gauge what I need to run to be steady in the race. 7’30”s felt good and I could easily manage my breathing and heart rate.
"I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)
