When I ran my first ultra and struggled with the whole race, I thought I knew how to train. After trawling social media for ideas, the reality was that I was out of my depth and got the training completely wrong. Everything from no structured sessions or specificity, nutrition made up on the go, enough kit to survive the apocalypse, and zero ideas on pacing a race. Sound familiar? Do you want to run faster and go further, whatever your distance, but don't know how? Sign up below and start your journey.
Journey2Ultra - Regular Newsletter and Planning Your Training
|
Hi Reader, You want to run those races you have signed up for at your best (I know you say you just want to finish!!). Have you ever wondered how to plan your racing year to achieve this? I have you covered below with a section on planning ahead. I am also going to touch on the Olympics with lessons we can learn from the pros and a comment about AI following my previous email. Planning AheadAs we crawl out of winter here in Aus, it is a good time to start planning for the coming year and any races you are running. I wrote a piece for Trail Run Magazine about how to approach this last year and it can be read in full here - "Setting out the Training Year." and summarised below. This piece dives into planning your racing year after a period of disruptions in schedules. It talks about figuring out why you love racing and which races matter most to you. The idea is to plan your training around these races so that it's fun and aligns with what you're aiming for. It suggests splitting races into three categories: A, B, and C. A races are your big deals, where you put most of your training focus. B races are like practice runs for your A races, where you test out stuff like pacing or new gear. C races are more like part of your training or just for fun. When it comes to planning, it's all about starting from your main A race and working backward. You want to focus on the specific things you need for that race closer to the date, like if it's a hilly trail race, practice those hills and technical bits nearer the event. And work on your weaknesses earlier in your training blocks. The advice at the end is to start planning and training ASAP. Don’t wait for some future date to kick things off. The earlier you start, the better and more fun your race day will be, no matter when it's scheduled. OlympicsI have been putting regular comments and lessons learnt on my social media pages. Covering varying subjects as they pop up in the Olympics and how we can relate them to our training and racing. There is a lot of sport going on and a lot we can learn from the Pros over in France. Interesting they don't always get it right! I've briefly covered subjects touching on:
Head over there for these and plenty of other tips. Comments AII wrote previously on AI and how it is ineffective in providing quality training plans at this stage. I do however believe AI at some point will be used by coaches, (data analytics, patterns, predictions) with the right learning, it's just not there yet. Plus its never going to replace those person-to-person conversations and soft skills that a good coach should possess. Time to get signed up for your next race and start training! Cheers, Ash |
Journey2Ultra Running Coach
When I ran my first ultra and struggled with the whole race, I thought I knew how to train. After trawling social media for ideas, the reality was that I was out of my depth and got the training completely wrong. Everything from no structured sessions or specificity, nutrition made up on the go, enough kit to survive the apocalypse, and zero ideas on pacing a race. Sound familiar? Do you want to run faster and go further, whatever your distance, but don't know how? Sign up below and start your journey.
Hi Reader, In my first trail race, when I arrived at the first aid station, I knew I had made a mistake. I was still carrying over four of the five litres of water I had stood on the start line with. A rookie error and not my first of that day. Here are the 6 lessons I wish I'd known when I started running races. From training to race day planning and preparation. 1. Sign Up Early Congratulations on signing up for an event! You have passed the difficult part and committed to running a race....
Hi Reader, The dread is palpable, your lungs have the size and capacity of chip packets, whilst your legs are burning with hot pokers. Nope, not a race at all but that first run back after a break on the all-you-can-eat buffet and cruise. Whilst it may feel like this after missing time from your running due to a holiday, work, or injury, what can you do to prioritise certain aspects of your training and what changes can you make to minimise the impact of having time off your feet? Let's look...
Hi Reader, 120,000 runners completing 150,000 marathons can't be wrong, can they? How can we look at a large group of runners and link that to the most frequent question I am asked as a coach, "How do I run faster?" The answer is pretty simple and not what some people want to hear or might think. By reviewing the training data of non-elite athletes and looking for any indications and what variables predict the best marathon times, based on a runner's performance, a recent study was able to do...