The 100k preparation thread

mithril

Quite a few of us have been over the 26 miles at this point, in Connemara, Dingle or elsewhere and are planning to run a 100k for the first time.

I am starting this thread to try and capture some advice from wise heads who have done this before, and try and eliminate some preventable mistakes.

As background, I have a finish time in the Connemara Ultra of 4:59, marathon P.B. 2:58 and ran the Donadea 50K in 3:56, which was not a flat out effort. I am hoping to complete the flat Portumna 100K between 8:30 and 9 hours.

Some questions from me to set the ball rolling:

1. Are there any essential differences between how you should approach a 100K race and a shorter Ultra e.g. the Connemara Ultra (63k)?
2. I used the same approach in the Connemara Ultra as I would generally in a marathon, even effort throughout, which generally means even pace but adjusting this for any hills. Would this be valid for a 100K as well? I noticed that most of the elites tend to run the initial section of the race slightly faster than the overall average in an ultra.
3. Would a walk-run strategy make sense for a 100K and if so in what ratio and what point would it be best to start walking?
4. Would it be a good idea to do preventative stretching during the race? If so, how often?
5. Would it be a good idea to vary the pace throughout the race to reduce the risk of repetitive injuries and pass the time (e.g. alternate laps slightly faster or slower than the overall average) or is a constant pace best for injury prevention?
6. How much water and food should I expect to consume during the race (I am 59 KG)?
7. Would the type of nutrition differ from that typically consumed during a marathon e.g. less gels and more solid food?
8. What would be the longest run that should be done in preparation for a 100K? Are double long runs the best approach or does the risk of injury outweigh the benefits?
   

RayCun

I'm not crazy enough to run that kind of distance, but I am crazy enough to be interested in this thread

Oisin11178

Ill be there but not as fast As you mithril

ultraman1

mithril wrote: »

1. Would it be a good idea to do preventative stretching during the race? If so, how often

mitril,you will be at the business end of the race if you are in the 8:30 bracket,so i dont think a stretchin session will do you any favours position wise,unless you are susestebul(sic) to gettin cramps or pain that are gonna slow you down during the race

ultraman1

mithril wrote: »

1. What would be the longest run that should be done in preparation for a 100K? Are double long runs the best approach or does the risk of injury outweigh the benefits?

imo,time on your feet is more important than distance in your long run,i know from your log that you also do tempos,and intervals so speed shouldnt be an issue for you.for the 48hr race i did the longest single run i did was 50km,but more important was that it took me 5 hours of easy running.last year for the 100k the longest run i also did was 50 km but over 3 runs in the one day,with a sneaki 1 the next day aswell if i remember right.its just a matter of being confident in the endurance you have built up and not lookin to push it too far ,risking injury...

mithril

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Ill be there but not as fast As you mithril

I have set myself a high target, but whether I can meet it is another question. From Connemara last year, and Donadea this year, I would be fairly confident I can grind out a 5 minute KM up until the 70km mark if I can stay un-injured, and after that I have no idea what is going to happen - a large part of the attraction of the event is trying to push yourself to your limits and see how you cope.

Looks like there will be a good group of us running it on the day. Should be a lot of fun!

Aimman

mithril wrote: »

Would a walk-run strategy make sense for a 100K and if so in what ratio and what point would it be best to start walking?

I'm planning on doing a run walk approach for this to see how I'll cope for the Conn100, but I'm not sure of the strategy yet. I'll be trying some different approaches in the next few weeks.

Over the next few long training sessions, I'll try

1. Run one mile, walk a minute, repeat
2. Run four miles, walk one mile
3. Run 9 miles walk one mile

But in fairness, I dont think option 3 will be the winner. I wont be at the same speed level as yourself, but I do know that if you are going to use that approach, you should start with that technique rather then leaving it into the race until it's too late.

ultraman1

Aimman wrote: »

a run walk approach for this

there is a train of thought that says the optimum stragtegy for run/walk is in a ratio of 5 to 1......25mins run/5mins walk,,,,,,5mile run/1mile walk,,, and always walk before u need to.

ultraman1

Aimman wrote: »

Over the next few long training sessions, I'll try

1. Run one mile, walk a minute, repeat
2. Run four miles, walk one mile
3. Run 9 miles walk one mile

and walkin doesnt count in d 1000 mile thread;)..

mithril

Asking around from some of the more experienced guys how they approach preparation and training for a 100K ,and this is the advice I got, which appears very good to me.

"During training I'm more concerned with what I do before and after a session rather than during one which means I start well stocked, train without and put a lot of effort into my recovery depending on what I've done of course.

I mostly train aerobically and would end a session with a carb / protein drink such as Chocolate milk / Yazoo chocolate milkshake or similar. If it's quite a tough session I use Powerbar recovery as overall it would be a better product but intensity & price dictate what I take.

If I was doing something faster as in an Interval session or maybe a short intense race I'd go for a carb drink such as lucozade sport or Powerbar energize.

Apart from that I eat a fairly balanced diet which includes junk & alcohol.
Before a race I will always run 1 or 2 sessions as race prep and practice my fuelling making sure to drink what I'd expect to drink during the race but apart from that I train without.

During a 100K race I would plan on standing on the startline fully hydrated with fuel stores fully loaded which is done during your Taper. I run on empty for the first 30 mins or so and then start taking something on board. As much as possible I try to consume approx 60gr Carbohydrate (CHO) per hour and 400-500Ml of fluid depending on the weather. If it's really warm I take on additional fluids which is usualy an electrolyte drink. I'm strictly sports products during the race because it allows easy monitoring of fuel intake and I think the balance needs to be right. The downside is it can get very sickening after a while especially if it gets warm."

jaymack75

Mithril,

I used the run / walk strategy last year in the 100k. I found that 9min run /1 min walk worked well for me. For the 1min walk, it should focussed, like power walking, similar step rate to the running etc. I think with the walk/run, it's critical to do it from the start. Once you're forced into walking later in the race, it can be really challenging (if not impossible!) to get running again

Time on your feet in training is important - I could have done with a lot more......I'm not great at getting out for long training runs :rolleyes:

Conn ultra was my longest run. A couple of weeks before the race, I also did similar to ultraman, with 2 runs one day, 3 runs the next and 1 more the following morning. This definitely helped me get time on my feet and recover quicker.

Didn't eat much during the race, but was drinking lucozade sport steady for the first 50 - 60k, then went on to flat coke and water for the rest. The r/w helps keep the average heartrate down and probably more in the fatburning zone.

I just found I wasn't really that hungry, but it's worth having some food handy that you can easily absorb - energy bars or whatever you might look forward to when times get tough, just in case