Race Planning & Training

Video: Tackling the Downhills | Athlete Tip - Do I Need a Coach? | Athlete Tip - Wearing a Heartrate Monitor | Athlete Tip - Race Day Preparation | Athlete Tip - Race Strategy | Athlete Tip - Running Flat-and-Fast | Athlete Tip - Running in the Dark | Athlete Tip - Aid Stations | Athlete Tip - Training for a Mountain Course | Athlete Tip - Post-Race Recovery

Nikki Kimball Video: Tackling the Downhills

Do I Need a Coach?

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - Kami Semick
Everyone is different. Some people flourish with the advice of a coach, others don’t. If you choose to use a coach, I recommend working with your coach to come up with your "key work outs" over the course of a few weeks or a month. Then, work with your own rhythms to figure out when to execute on those key training days. Rigid schedules dictated by a coach can distance you from what you know about your body, how you are feeling on a given day, and how you can manage your schedule to fit in the best work-recover cycle.

Wearing a Heartrate Monitor

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - Nikki Kimball
Heart rate monitors can be helpful, particularly for those runners who aren’t otherwise able to control the intensity of their workouts. I used one throughout my training in high school and into college. During those years I trained with groups of athletes and found that, if not wearing a monitor, I often went too hard to achieve the goal of the workout. I believe some people use monitors to ensure they are training intensely enough in interval or speed sessions. But most people are more likely to have the problem of training too hard on their easy days. This common error leads to runners feeling flat at races and during their speed work, when high intensity is needed. It also increases the risk of injury. Slow days are meant to be slow. We need to recover before the next intensity session. If you find yourself feeling flat or tired on race day, or running too fast on recovery days, a heart rate monitor is a great tool for you. Once one has used a monitor for a while, s/he becomes more in tune to her body and recognizing how it feels to move at differing intensities. Once this occurs, the monitor may no longer be needed.

Race Day Preparation

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - James Bonnett
For me setting up the night before is KEY and that is just becasue I like to sleep as long as possible before the race. I usually get up about a half hour to an hour before the race depending on how long of a drive it is to the starting line. I will lay out all my cloths, pin my number, and have my bottles filled (with sports drink and water) and packed. As for the rest of my stuff, I like to get my crew together the night before and go over what I want and where (i.e., which aid station). I have a box of stuff w/ everything I need and I have them transport it to every place I will see them. Other than that I just relax and try not to worry about the race.

Race Strategy

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - James Bonnett
The number one goal in any ultra-distance race is to make it to the starting line and then FINISH! Competing happens as you get better and more experienced.

Finishing a race requires a lot of training. Back-to-back long runs are important and I use physical therapy to prevent injury. I also do speed workouts and run at a semi-fast pace on my training runs to get faster. As far as getting through a race and executing a strategy, I like to break the race into sections: usually from major aid station to aid station. Another big part is staying on top of your metabolic game—if you slip up on that, you might as well say good-bye to a fast race or a finish at all.

Some beginners truly struggle with the mental aspect of a race. And it’s justified: you may feel mentally worse than you will ever feel in your life and being able to fight through the low points will be extremely tough. The best way to get through this is to push forward and try to get your energy up again. Eventually you will get over the hump. This might happen a few times in a really long race, so be prepared.

Running Flat-and-Fast

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - Kami Semick
Practice your race pace. If you think you can handle eight-minute miles for 100K, then run at least 30 miles at that pace over similar terrain. Use tempo runs to increase your lactate threshold. For tempo runs, start at 20 minutes and build up to 45 minutes. If you can get on the track and stay out of the injury zone, then work on repeats spanning 800 – 1600 meters. Start with a total of around 3,000 meters (i.e., 4 x 800 = 3,200 meters) and work your way up to 10,000-meter total track workouts. For recovery between intervals on the track, I wait until my heart rate has dropped down to around 100. Sometimes that’s 20 seconds, sometimes it’s two minutes. I know I’m done when my times start to significantly slow down.

Running in the Dark

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - Diane Van Deren
The key to running in the dark—whether before sunrise or after sunset—is using the correct lighting system to keep from injuring yourself. When I train at night, I use a headlamp with three or more LEDs plus a lamp that is strapped around my waist. This way I have more shadows on the trail and I’m able to measure the height of obstacles better. A reliable lighting system also results in less fatigue on the eyes. When running on the roads, you must wear reflective clothing. Make sure that not only you can see clearly but also they can see you!

Aid Stations

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - James Bonnett
The right approach to an Aid Station can save you a lot of time during a race. Think about what you want before you get there. After all, you do have 5 or 10 miles to think about it. Things I look for in an Aid station are: M&M's, Potatoes dipped in salt, and gels. I fill my hand-held bottles with one water and one sports drink, pick up salt caps if they have any, a banana, soup if it’s night time. I look to my crew for a boost.

Knowing what you need gets you in and out fast to save time, but sometimes staying a while can be a good thing. For example, when you are down and you need your spirits lifted. Aid station volunteers are really good for that. Be sure to thank them every chance you get!

Training for a Mountain Course

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - Diane Van Deren
Training for a mountain course it is best to train in the mountains itself. Then again, some runners don’t have this access to run in such terrain. Don’t worry – you can still find trails that mimic the hills and the course that will be run. Some runners use a treadmill with a steep incline to give them the feel of running uphill. It’s important to condition yourself for the uphills AND downhills. Practice how your footing is affected by running rocky terrain. In general, running a mountain course takes more energy and requires closer attention to the trail for footing. To me, running the mountain trails is always entertaining and being able to use all your senses when running captures the beauty of the sport.

Post-Race Recovery

The North FaceŽ Athlete Tip - Sam Thompson
My number one priority post-race is always calorie intake and lots of it. Typically I’m not that hungry after a race, but no matter how much I’ve eaten on the course I know my body is still operating at a huge deficit. So I munch down pretty much whatever high calorie food I can get my hands on immediately after a race and this helps a lot with my body staying strong and generally recovering more quickly.

Stretching is also very important post-race to aid in muscle recovery. I know it’s not the most appealing thing to do after you’ve been running hard for hours on end—but, man, what a difference it makes the next day. Even if I just muster up the energy to do a few basic yoga stretches, the difference is huge.

Lastly, I do definitely recommend as the ideal post-race recovery (if you can make it happen), getting a nice basic massage and then taking an ice bath from the waist down. A nice cold mountain stream can easily substitute for the ice bath and is a lot more pleasant. If it’s a cold winter race, I’d forego the ice bath though and just focus on staying warm.