Chapter 2
The aspiring heart has no fear…
The aspiring heart has a flame,
A burning flame that
Mounts towards the Highest.
Where there is Light, there cannot be fear.
Sri Chinmoy
Training
The requirement for this years 3,100 was a marathon distance. Having
to run thousands of miles in training to be able to perform at that
level is not necessary. Having said that, preparing the body for these
endurance runs will enable one to become more aware of the necessary
focus and attitude required as well as some of the issues that arise
during multidays.
What do I need to run the 6 day race?
This is a fundamental question and first of all you have to have the
confidence and belief that you can do it. Most people could run a six
day race if the mileage requirement was not too high. Then comes the
desire: you have to want to do it. That is the first thing, that desire
and then with training comes the confidence that it can be done. Lots
of other people have run long distances. It has been done. It will be
done. The 6 & 10 day races have minimum mileages to discourage people
from taking a cheap holiday so the question is –
a) How many miles do I need to run?
b) How many miles do I want to run?
If you set the bar fairly low then from the outset you are in with
a chance of going the time limit. So here you have to decide why you
are running and what is it that you want to realistically achieve. Quite
often a runner’s mileage will fall far below an expected estimate
due to the unforeseen injuries or problems that beset the adventurer
and once the race has begun and everything starts crashing down to earth
then reality is what you have to deal with and so plan B is necessary.
Ted Corbitt and Arpan
 Multi-Day
Racing Strategies: Arpan DeAngelo
Running a multi-day race is quite different from running shorter races
that last less than a day. The multi-day race itself does not usually
involve fast running which is the most essential element in shorter
races. Even a 24 hour race, which is quite long compared to a marathon
of 26.2 miles, can be considered a speed race for multi-day runners
who are racing for the most mileage they can get our of their legs,
body and mind day after day.
Perhaps the most crucial physical elements in the races longer than
one day are the endurance factor and the ability to recover as you go.
Knowing how much you can keep moving before resting or sleeping while
trying to avoid injury is a matter of experience and experiment as well.
The other important elements of nutrition, health care, equipment, inspiration,
and the training that was involved all add up to having a most successful
race. Any race, especially a multi-day, should have a strategy or plan
to follow, however loosely.. Your own previous experience, a helper's
advice and assistance, and the advice of those who have run multi-day
races before, should give the serious multi-day runner most of the necessary
ideas and concepts from which they can derive a practical race strategy.
Once a general plan is formed, one can get ready for the race .
Getting ready
Getting ready means that you really want to do the multi-day with enthusiasm
and serious effort. This psychological element is crucial in allowing
you to give the necessary energy and time involved in training for and
running the race. The training aspect, which I am not discussing in
this particular article, depends on the length of the multi-day race:
48 hours, 6 days, 10 days, 700 miles, 1000 miles, all the way up to
the longest official race which is 3,100 miles or about 5,000 km.
Deciding the strategy
Once you have learned how to train and have done the training to the
best of your ability, then you are basically ready to decide on a race
strategy. The race strategy depends on how fit you feel you are after
the training phase and what your goals are in the race. The goals not
only depend on your training, but also depend on your previous experience
in running, racing in general and ultra racing. If you are new to ultra
racing in general, then your goals should be quite modest.
Time vs. Mileage
It would be easier to start multi-day races in a timed race rather than
a mileage race. A timed race would be a 48 hour, 6 day, ten day, etc.
with no fixed mileage to reach. In these races there is less pressure
to reach a certain mileage goal. Although you may have your own mileage
goal in these races, your strategy would be based mostly on surviving
the whole race. If you want to average 50 miles a day, for example,
you would split the day up into sections of time. You should decide
on how much sleep you want to get at night, perhaps 4 to 5 hours sleep.
That would give you about 19 hours left in the day if it is not a stage
race .In those 19 hours you will need rest breaks as well. If you decide
to take a 20 minute break every three hours, that would be another two
hours of break time. That means you will be on the track only 17 hours
if there are no problems, Then you can factor in a bit more time out
for toilet stops, etc. Time in medical may also take away from the time
on the track. So we can estimate about 16 hours on the track which means
you need to cover a little over 3 miles an hour to reach your 50 mile
per day goal. If your goal is higher, say 60 miles per day, then your
will need almost 4 miles an hour if you take all the breaks and rest
times.
This initial strategy gives you the basic idea of how to structure your
day and your mileage. Of course not everything may go as planned so
you will be changing the schedule slightly as you go. But if you know
in your mind the basic structure of each day. then you will better be
able to run and/or walk with consistency while still getting your needed
rest and recovery time.
Considerations
In a mileage race, such as 700, 1000, 1,300, or 3,100 mile races, you
have to consider the amount of time allotted to cover the distance when
you structure your day. Starting with the average daily mileage again,
you subtract all the time needed to sleep and rest and eat, etc., and
as before, you figure out how many miles per hour you must average.
In this case with fixed mileage, you may have to average more per day
than a timed race simply because you goal is to reach the final mileage
destination. In this way, this type of race will involve more pressure
both physically and psychologically simply because you do not have as
much freedom to arbitrarily choose your mileage for the day if you want
to reach the goal.
Physiological aspects
Physiologically we all have a basic idea of the need to keep our energy
level up as we burn many more calories than we would in a normal work
day for example. Food intake on a regular basis is important, to say
the least. Deciding on what foods to eat or not eat is p personal preference
but should involve a basic knowledge of nutrition. Many runners have
discovered the importance of a good amount of fats and proteins in their
diets if they are spending a majority of the day running and/or walking.
Also, regular amounts of smaller portions of food is preferable to a
few bigger meals as we usually have in our normal lives. Keeping a consistent
blood sugar level means many regular intakes of food with lots of snacking.
Keeping your fluid levels up is also extremely important. Water should
be the first and foremost thing that you drink every few miles
or so. Then if you prefer other drinks such as energy drinks of electrolyte
drinks, they should be spread out between taking water and eating. These
are just the general and basic elements of the nutritional factors in
a multi-day race.
Psychological factors
Psychological factors are also extremely important in a multi-day race,
more-so than in shorter races. In planning your strategy for a multi-day
race, you must consider how to stay happy, cheerful and positive most
of the time. Listening to music, singing, chanting, or other methods
of keeping your mind positive and focused are important things that
should be involved in your race strategy. Ultimately, experience alone
will determine how much you need to use these and when. Positive input
from a helper or personal handler is very useful especially when you
may be too tired and sore to concentrate on positive things. Having
someone to remind you how well you are doing or to cheer you up when
you are down will help you to keep moving when you otherwise feel like
giving up or resting too much. This could make the difference between
finishing the mileage and coming up short. Our state of mind and our
consciousness have a great influence on our physical abilities. A good
race strategy has to involve effective methods of keeping the mind focused
and positive.
Other elements
Other elements that should be involved in your the multi-day race strategy
such as health care and equipment are basically self-explanatory. It
is quite obvious that we should be as healthy as we can go into a multi-day
race. We should also do all we can to stay as healthy as possible. You
should decide ahead of time the types of nutritional supplements you
should take, for instance. You should have a good idea of the types
of clothes to wear for all the weather possibilities as well as running
shoes, socks. etc. Try to have numerous pairs of shoes in good condition
so you can alternate them and also discard the ones that are too worn
out. Running in very worn shoes can cause problems that will slow you
down or even stop you from finishing the race. Trying to prevent blisters
can be a science, but in the end again depends on your own personal
experience. Having the right kind of socks, creams and supports for
the feet is very important when planning what to bring to the race.
You may not always get it right at first, so you should ask others with
experience what has worked for them. Most well organized races have
a good medical area that should have most of the things you need to
keep the feet and body as healthy as possible under the stressful circumstances
encountered in a multi-day race.
Conclusion
A multi-day race strategy involves many factors that should be carefully
thought out before even leaving for the course. Your basic daily schedule
as well as all your equipment and nutritional aids should be in your
mind or your baggage when walking out the door to go to the race. In
contrast to other shorter races, the multi-day race is more than just
covering a distance as fast as possible without stopping. It is a way
of life for the duration of days involved. Therefore, the strategy involved
to survive the whole time and reach the goal is as important as the
actual running itself. These few tips on planning a multi-day race strategy
are but a few of many possibilities of approaching such a lofty goal.
They have been learned and tested over many years of racing and helping
in multi-day races. More specific details can be explored by finding
someone who has had some experience and success at completing a multi-day
race.
Finally, no matter what your strategy and well thought out planning
you may take into the race, you are most likely to find that you have
to be flexible in your approach as you run the race. Things do not usually
go completely as planned so it is important to have an open mind and
be adaptable to unforeseen circumstances.
Arpan has run over a hundred marathons, many ultras and several multiday
races including the 1000 mile race. He has recently published a marathon
training guide called Seven Steps To A Successful Marathon available
online at www.srichinmoyraces.us
*
If we become only the
Instrument for carrying
Out God’s Plans,
God’s Will will act in
And through us.
God does the acting
And He is the action.
He is everything.
We only observe.
Sri Chinmoy
 Tsvetan
Tsekov - 22 Sofia, Bulgaria
Tsvetan won the 2002 700 miler for the men in 11 days 18 hours. This
spring in the Ten Day, Tsvetan finished second with 622 miles, a personal
best. Tsvetan has run five multidays. Here he talks about his training.
This is my point of view about training for the multiday race. For my
training I use mainly my intuition and how the body responds to my daily
runs. But still I follow one basic principle which I realised is working
for me: 3-4 months before the race I start doing long runs, like 7 hours
10 hours, 12 hours so that the body gets used to being under continuous
stress, so at the end of the training after 5, 6 or 7 runs like this,
the body is no longer stressed by running many hours in a row. Its better
to run somewhere in nature where the air is more richer in oxygen. The
blood of the trained muscle is richer with oxygen.
If the long runs are shorter (7?10h) then you might do them every week,
but in one day, or if you feel tired one week you might do it the next
week. The most important thing is to feel if the body needs rest or
intense training. In this way with your intuition or feeling for the
body you can avoid over training.
If the long runs you do are over 10-12 hours, then you can do them 4-5
times and have longer time between them.
Except for these long runs, what I do is also a minimum 10 miles a day.
Of course if I feel tired or am extremely busy I just run 40 minutes
or take (the) day off. It also helps me a lot to gain more strength,
very important in the ultra races, when sometimes I do the 10 miles
or 40 minute runs as fast as I can. For the ultra races the strength
or to develop speed is needed because during the race your speed goes
down and at this time you have to be able to keep a good pace. To develop
strong and endurable muscles its very helpful if you can run up hills
no matter how fast.
Another rule I follow is to finish with the long runs at least 4-6 weeks
before the multiday race.
For me the training is not only preparing the body but also mental preparation
and something which gives me inspiration to run the race. I noticed
for myself, that by training seriously my mind becomes more concentrated
and firm and in this way I am more mentally strong, and I am able to
develop the will power of the soul or rather to reveal and manifest
the light dynamism and infinite
capacity of the soul in the multiday races which to me is one of the
great goals of these races.
Footnote. In the recovery weeks before the race I run 3-10 miles a
day, the last 1-2 weeks I run no more than 4-5 miles a day.
*
Tsvetan`s approach is guided by a combination of his intuition and
feeling which emerges from his training like a blossom and he also stresses
the importance of the long run. Nidhruvi also remarks that this is important
in preventing injuries, because for a lot of runners, the first multiday
usually involves a lot more walking than anticipated due to muscle over-use
injuries and damage arising from skeleto-muscular issues that we shall
discuss later
Training/ Preparation
• Get some ideas and training plans from experienced multiday
runners.
• But besides their advice you must find your own way of running
and training.
• Everybody is different, nobody is the same.
• Listen to your body, be careful of over-training.
• If you plan to train for about 1 year more or less is very good,
it gives you enough time and also to take it easy in case you injure
yourself etc.
• With about 1 year preparation you can easily avoid stress and
pressure.
Daily Mileage
About 1 to 1½ hours or between 11km (7miles) to 16km (10miles),
is enough, vary it don’t run the same every day.
Your weekly mileage could be around 80km (50miles) to110km (69miles),
also vary here, you can do more or less, try and see, experiment, listen
to your body.
Take once a week off, just relax and do something else: swimming, cycling
weights.
Speed
once a week you can do some speed work or hill-training which creates
some speed, strength and endurance, the body & mind needs different
workouts so it doesn’t get bored or stuck.
Long run
Once a week do along run (or every second week) like 2-3 hours.
Endurance
To get a little idea about long races participate in 6 hour,
12, 24/48 hour races: there you can try different things out, it’s
really a good practice.
The most important thing is to get mentally strong, develop more faith
and confidence in yourself and God. Focus and visualize your goal, treasure
your efforts! The way is your goal at the same time in which you progress
and transcend yourself. See the training preparation and the actual
race as a unit they always belong to each other, none can exist without
the other. Remember there is never a failure, it is all only an experience.
What counts most is your gratitude, willingness, effort… and your
surrender towards your spiritual life. This is your real progress. Be
cheerful and enthusiastic.
*
Confidence and faith in oneself and
positive thinking, strengthen our capacity
and our belief in our capacity.
Developing endurance
Developing endurance is the primary goal of training. The body needs
to be programmed to enable us to run for extended periods with minimal
rest, so that we can most comfortably cover more mileage in less time
and recover quicker and this involves those systems that feed nourish
and support the muscles, ligaments and tendons.
So as we place a progressively heavier burden on our bodies then we
also need to optimize our nutrition to facilitate this process. Whenever
I go on a 20 mile plus run it isn’t long before I start thinking
about food. Usually I like to take a substantial meal on the previous
night so that my glycogen reserves are at maximum capacity, the famous
carbo-load. Today’s food is tomorrow’s energy. However it’s
not just the glycogen levels but the immune system that also needs enough
materials to maintain its defences which come under pressure with the
long run. With short runs the bodies reserves are not deeply depleted
and so recover quickly and the overall function of the body returns
to its equilibrium. The long run encourages the body to create and operate
at a different level, one that can maintain a high energy output efficiently.
Another factor is the ability of the mind to adapt to the long run.
One has to arrive at the point where the 22 mile Sunday morning run
holds no psychological barriers of any sort. Its just ok, I need 4 hours
to get this done, leave at 5:30, back before 10:00 and go. The run becomes
a meditation. I have never been bored during a long run or even a race.
This is an opportunity to let go of all the worries and issues and just
run, enjoying the fresh air, the light, the views, maybe conversation
with a running partner. This relaxed running feeds our inspiration and
also reduces the stress levels in your body because if you are happy
and laughing and joking during your run, the presence of those chemicals
in the bloodstream imprints the being with positive images and once
the mind is relaxed then our energy can flow.
The long run then is an integral feature of the overall training program
which ideally extends over at least 3-4 months and is gradually increased
as the strength increases and the endurance develops.
One must remain aware throughout the training of the need to build adequate
rest into the program. If, the day after a long run one feels weak,
sore or injured then taking a day or two out to recover is just common
sense. Numbers are not as important as the quality of the run. High
mileage is a smaller picture though it may offer a little extra inspiration,
keep in mind that the goal is the top of this particular mountain and
a sustained climb is necessary to summit.
Overtraining
Overtraining may lead to physical and mental fatigue, ill health and
or injury and may not become obvious veiled behind excellent and improving
performances. This is why experience in training is so valuable as one
is able to go through this and discover where the boundaries are at
any given time and what going beyond those boundaries will entail and
the likely results and how to shape the program with this knowledge.
This is where the keeping of a log book can come in useful as a reference
point to detail the physical state, mental state, environmental conditions
as well as mileage and duration. This information can be priceless in
detecting subtle patterns and trends in the training and may offer additional
insight into the adaptation process.
Injury
The prevention of injury is an important aspect of the training because
understanding how the injury arose will, theoretically, enable us to
learn how not to do that again. Easier said than done, because invariably
an injury will manifest itself some time after the actual damage occurred
obscuring the root cause especially if the injury is an overuse type
event. If the body is continually being depleted then recovery will
be delayed or the situation may degenerate and recovery and healing
will necessitate a timeout.
Injuries sustained during the race are usually of several types.
• Overuse
• Mineral/vitamin deficiency
• Blunt injury
• Heat injury
Overuse
Usually these type of problems arise through an imbalance that generates
too much stress on a very specific muscle or muscle group. Correct body
posture is essential. Rupantar has been enthusing about the Egosque
method and several runners I know are availing themselves of their techniques
and again it seems common sense that the body needs to be correctly
aligned for everything to work in harmony and until it is, then imbalance
problems will occur.
Ashrita once “the abdominal muscles seemed to be at the core of
every event” he was training for
Blisters
The feet take a lot of beating during these races and it will quickly
become obvious, if it isn’t already, just how important shoes
are in not only providing protection from the hard concrete or tarmac
but also supporting the structure of the foot as it goes through the
series of motions that constitute running. Even if one doesn’t
take injuries to the feet, then they are at best going to :
a) swell
b) be very tender
c) blister
Fortunately I don’t usually suffer from blisters though again
last year I starred in famous video concerning a painful blister. I
was not alone. Trishul suffered and Stefan’s blisters also had
celebrity status.
Taking care of blisters is an absolute priority. Do not delay.
My personal approach is to puncture and drain as soon as I feel them.
Before they even get to this point however the area has been heating
up. Something is causing pressure be it a sock seam, some part of the
shoe or little stones that have invaded the inner fortress of the shoe.
Several times a day one has to shake out the accumulated debris. After
draining and cleaning the area with some kind of sterilising fluid one
can tape the area or protect it in some way. Again the remedy may or
may not be helpful. Adding a bulky bandage or surgical tape to an already
swollen area may exacerbate the problem.
Cutting shoes now becomes a serious option for those who have held
out this far because not only will a surgical strike relieve pressure,
it will also allow in air which will cool the poor feet also as Nidhruvi
suggests, soak the feet in ice whenever you sit down to eat/rest.
Nidhruvi said “If you get blisters easily then open them, apply
some healing cream or even an antibiotic cream and tape it well
If its hot then at least once a day in your break put your feet in cold
water with Epsom salts to cool the feet and body down
Another way to cool your feet is to put some fresh Aloe Vera on it.
You can also put a piece of Aloe inside your socks during running.
It really works, try it”
Matt discovered how to get a good zing and talks about surgical procedures
on beautiful brand new shoes out of the box.
“Day 31
About this time I got some nice new shoes. Two new pairs of Asics 2080s
arrived by mail order. Also, some nice blue "Ultra" inner
soles, made of some space-age compound that was supposed to absorb 93%
of the impact, or something like that. The first thing I did was get
a pair of scissors and cut the toes out of the new shoes.
There's something satisfying in performing such wanton vandalism
on perfectly good shoes, and feeling justified in doing it. You're saying,
"I know better than all those experts at Asics what's good for
me." The reason was that, despite ordering shoes in a big, extra-wide
size, my feet were swelling. The pressure on the top of my left foot
was such that some nerve running down to my big toe was being squashed,
and stroking that part of my foot produced an unpleasant "zinging"
sensation (there's no other word for it.) After a while, I even cut
the bottom of the tongue of the shoe, to give my foot some relief.”
One has to go beyond any attachment to any aesthetic or fashionable
statement. So an essential piece of kit to bring with, is the utility
knife or some such sharp equivalent to perform those surgical procedures.
Quite often the heel tabs are a source of irritation to the Achilles.
Once heat begins to be generated and inflammation begins to spread up
toward the calf muscle… Oh yes. Get the knife out.
Nutritional deficiency
The second type of injury stems more from problems associated with the
bodies nutritional needs and as such tend to resolve themselves when
the deficit is neutralised. The continual replacement of electrolytes,
potassium, sodium as well as other minerals like calcium, magnesium,
iron, zinc needs to be maintained as well as a range of vitamins, sufficient
protein and carbohydrates in a form that the body can utilise most efficiently.
Sugar is to be avoided on the whole although they are usually in plentiful
supply in the snacks available on the tables or in the kitchen. Everyone’s
needs are different. George Jermalajevs used to drink bottles and bottles
of soda and sometimes a little sweet thing or cookie gives a little
helping hit especially in the middle of the night. But like all drugs,
coming down is a drag.
Eating becomes such a significant part of the race during the 3100,
in fact fuel is the most important factor in energy production. If you
don’t eat then don’t be surprised when the pace slows, the
mind begins to struggle and the body starts complaining in numerous
ways.
Shushovita does a great job in the spring and fall races. She has had
years and years of experience watching what the runners like to eat
and when they like it. She also provides food that complements the weather.
If it’s cold then the hearty soup comes out, too hot - the watermelon
plates get stacked up and there’s always plenty of it. I’ve
never gone hungry due to lack of food in the kitchen and the variety
of offerings covers all the basic needs the body has. However it’s
not a good idea to take a sleep break 10 minutes before evening dinner
is served…
But I digress. Though a runner may be eating as well as he/she thinks
they should, a handler may notice something missing or something the
runner has not thought about. It’s good to check with medical
if anything unusual crops up.
Heat Injury
This is another area that requires great care. The rising and setting
sun provide an ever changing source of warmth and sustenance but too
much can be disastrous
Heat cramps are due to muscle spasms and occur in the arms, legs, or
abdomen caused by dehydration and loss of salt and other electrolytes.
Heat exhaustion is due to more profound loss of water and electrolytes.
It is characterized by generalized weakness, headache, dizziness, low
blood pressure, elevated pulse, and temperature elevation.
Heatstroke is a life threatening condition and represents severe dehydration,
high body temperature, and a shut-down of the cooling mechanisms. The
athlete may be delirious or comatose, and half of the victims have stopped
sweating. The pulse is rapid and weak, the blood pressure is low and
body temperature high. Damage to the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and
other organs may occur.
This page was last updated:
March 4, 2005 8:21
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