This is the other part to my Thames Path Ultra race report. It details my training plan and some thoughts on the process. This is primarily for my own notes, but it might be of interest to other ultra runners, especially those new to the sport.
The Plan
My program was pretty simple:
Wednesday: moderately long run
Saturday: very long run
Other days: recovery runs or sprints, depending on how I felt.
I had to increase weekly volume aggressively — there was no way around it — but I tried to do so as sensibly and consistently as possible.
I started with 10k on Wednesday and 20k on Saturday, and slowly built from there. I remember 20k feeling almost impossible at first. I remember walking long sections of it. I remember the rest of the day being ruined. I remember showering in a daze, then crawling into bed for a 90 minute nap, then watching TV for the next several hours. But I persevered and things got gradually easier. I was confident my body would do what I asked of it.
As I got fitter, I transformed my Sunday run from a short recovery session into an increasingly long training run.
In my final training block I was doing tough back-to-backs. A 40km run barely registered. One weekend, I ran 40km on Saturday morning, went to the theatre with my in-laws in the afternoon, walked around town, had dinner with them, then went to a friend’s birthday party in the evening, then ran 20km the next morning and felt fresh as a daisy.
Lessons learned
Rather than detail every session, these are my main takeaways.
Injuries need fixing
I had horribly tight calves when I started. Every step felt like an ice pick to my legs. After about 25 mins of hobbling they would go numb and I’d get through the run, but I knew I was screwed. At this rate I’d DNS before I had a chance to DNF. Out of desperation I saw four different physios/massage therapists. Two of them were excellent. I discovered my soleus muscles were chronically short. A combination of dry needling, intense scraping, and regular stretching managed to unstick and lengthen the tissues. After about 6 weeks I was able to run pain-free! Training was no longer miserable and I started progressing quickly.
Equipment
I had no idea what I was doing when I started. I soon realised I’d need a backpack, but none of them fit! Most ultra runners don’t have a 48-inch chest. I tried three different backpacks before settling on an XL Scott Jurek model. I tried multiple makes of t shirts and vests before finding some that didn’t rub me raw (high cotton percentage seemed to help). I also tried several makes of water bottle and hydration pack. This is worth throwing money at. I should have bought a running watch like a Garmin to more accurately measure my pace.
Shoes
I tried makes ranging from ultralight ON CloudRunners to some heavily cushioned Asics with a huge toebox. I don’t over-pronate and my gait is fairly controlled but I found my feet hurt over long distances. I opted for the cushioned shoes for my long runs. A wide toebox seems to be more important for comfort than cushioning.
There is so much to learn
I eventually learnt ultrarunning requires a mechanic-like approach to the body. There are problems to solve, and solutions to those problems. I read Relentless Forward Progress and made notes. The Art of Running Faster, although not aimed at ultrarunners, was good for a beginner runner like me. Ready to Run helped me with mobility and injuries. I listened to the Science of Ultra podcast, and frequently browsed fellrnr’s excellent site. Soon I was scribbling down how many carbohydrates the body can absorb in an hour, working out how many were in a gel, and what my strategy should be assuming I could fill my legs with x amount of glycogen the previous day. It all helped.
Strength and conditioning
I had to put some thought into this. I wanted to work on weaknesses but keep the focus on running. I also knew that I couldn’t only run, without getting injured. In the end I did a lot of bodyweight training, some kettlebell training, plus some occasional moderate squats (100kg for 5x5). In lieu of extra running volume I added extra conditioning, reasoning this would get me fitter without risking overuse injuries specific to running.
This approach meant I was regularly running with residual fatigue, but I figured that process itself was probably good training. Doing an intense 20-minute kettlebell circuit then a 45-minute run was psychologically similar to the final 45 minutes of a four-hour run. When I backed off the gym work one week so I could run without feeling tired, I ran a fast (for me) half marathon time, smashed my 1km record, and broke some other training PBs. It felt wonderful to feel that fitness express itself and assured me I was doing the right thing. I programmed my training in waves so that some weeks were hard and others quite light, and I got a good mix of running against high volume and low volume workouts. It’s possible that I would have been a better runner by losing more muscle mass, but it would have been such a shame to lose the base I’d worked so hard to build. My weight came down to 90kg at one point, then back up to about 93kg.
My overall fitness came on leaps and bounds during this period and I started pushing the bodyweight training into pretty high reps. Sometimes hundreds a day. I finally managed 20 consecutive pull-ups (a goal I’d been working on for years) and I also managed 100 consecutive pushups. One day during a heatwave, I ran 5km to a local park and did Crossfit Murph — one mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, one mile run — in a respectable 60 minutes, despite the rivers of sweat.
Recovery
I knew that my foolhardy plan would require maximum recovery, so I paid as much attention to my recovery as my training. I spent ten minutes a day working on mobility with balls, foam rollers, voodoo bands and the stick. I used ice baths and contrast showers. I did yoga. I bought 10kg tubs of epsom salts for my baths. I got more sleep. I wore compression gear after training. I kept a training journal and modulated my efforts accordingly. I focussed on my diet.
Diet
When I was lifting heavy I used to crave protein, and food in general, when training hard. When I switched to running I noticed these desires diminish. Even after long sessions my appetite was never that high. My bodyweight started dropping, but I wanted to lose a bit of bulk anyway. One day I listened to a Science of Ultra podcast on protein, which suggested ultra endurance athletes might benefit from a higher protein intake than strength athletes. The guest recommended close to 2g/kg of bodyweight, which is about the maximum amount the body derives a benefit from. For me that was 200 grams — a lot. Even though I didn’t feel like eating that much, I decided to try it. I added two large protein shakes a day. That was an easy 100 grams. The rest I got from eggs, milk, yoghurt, nut butter, meat and switching the pasta and rice in my main meals for lentils and beans. Pretty much immediately, I noticed I was recovering better. I also started to get leaner. I was still losing muscle, but the muscle/fat loss ratio was improving.
Supplements
About halfway through my program, work got a bit more hectic and I ignored signs from my body to back off training. I got a terrible cold, lost my voice, and generally felt like shit for a week. Terrified by the prospect of losing more training time, I decide to not get ill again. First of all, I started making smoothies from massive amounts of green vegetables. Every day or two I’d drink a huge shake of blended kale, spinach, carrot, an apple, some frozen berries, some ginger, maybe some garlic. This probably tripled the amount of micronutrients in my diet. I also got blood work done, which showed all my nutrient levels were pretty good, but my vitamin D was at the low end of the healthy range (despite running in the sun for hours at a time with my top off!). I supplemented 3000iu of vitamin D per day and 1000mg of vitamin C. I took ZMA in the evening to increase my zinc and magnesium levels. I didn’t get another cold. In addition, I supplemented 6–9 capsules of omega 3 fish oil, providing around 3 grams of EPA and DHA, in a further attempt to curb muscle soreness. To help with sleep and stress levels, I took the adaptogens ashwagandha and bacopa. I feel all of these things made a difference, but I only took such an obsessive approach because of the extremity of my training plan. I don’t think any supplements are necessary, except maybe vitamin D if you live in Northern Europe and are dark-skinned (like myself).
Speed Work
When I first started, I did “traditional” speed work: shortish sessions consisting of intervals of between 30 and 120 seconds at mile pace and 5k pace. This was a nice break from ultra pace, but after a while I felt like it wasn’t really doing anything for me so I dropped it entirely and replaced those sessions with easy 10ks. This upped my weekly volume, but I then started to feel slow. My ultra pace started to feel “normal” because it was the only speed I ever ran. I wanted my ultra pace to feel slow and easy. At that point I reintroduced speed work but with much longer distances. I’d run intervals of 5 mins or more at a fast pace, over much longer sessions. I also did the occasional 7–10k tempo run. My favourite workout was 3x3km at a 5k (or better) pace. I’d take up to 15mins to recover between each interval and go as hard as possible. I would be floored after the session. But I learned to run fast for longer periods and my ultra pace started to feel easy again. If I compete again and have longer to train, I would do more fast runs of 10–20km at a near maximum pace. I have since read that one of the best predictors of an ultrarunner’s performance is their training pace, not their weekly volume. There is obviously a sweet spot here, but my guess is that some long and fast work, will be better than just long and slow work.
Pacing
My main takeaway is that I could have been more confident in the race. And I could have been more confident by running further during training. I think one or two runs of 65+km would have helped. I slowed because I was tired, but I didn’t know how tired I should be, so I played it safe.
