CONQUER THE ULTRA: HOW TO PREPARE FOR A BIG RUN

Ready to go the distance? Ellis Brigham Content Creator and experienced Ultra-Trail runner Ross Litherland shares his top tips on how to train for success.

It’s Friday 28th August 2015 at 17:58 pm in Place de l’Eglise, Chamonix - the start of the UTMB. This is it: eight months of training, racing, and hard work have led to this point. The butterflies have been building from the moment I woke at 6am and the adrenaline is peaking as the first notes of Vangelis’s Conquest of Paradise start to play. I’m struggling to understand why I’m so extremely nervous. After all, this race is not going to be over any time soon; I’ve got a long, long way to go before its conclusion will be known.

I can’t smile at the crowd or get excited; the task is far too daunting. In any case, high-fiving and whooping now will only mean I’ll have less energy in reserve when it starts getting tough. Which it will, at some point. Better to focus on one thing and one thing only: moving forward.

The truth is, I’m absolutely petrified. I wouldn’t mind, but I’ve been on this very start line plenty of times before. Why does it feel like there is so much riding on it? Then I remember that this is the biggest Ultra-Trail race in the world – and that at this precise moment, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Having completed my first Ultra-Trail in 2007 and my fourth in 2015 (after the nervy countdown described above) I thought I’d finally got over my Chamonix addiction. Yet as I type this, I’m only eight weeks away from the start of the famous TDS (les Traces du Duc de Savoie - UTMB Mont Blanc) – gulp! Below, then, are the lessons I’ve learned –mostly the hard way – about how to prepare for a big run.

Play the Mental Game

If I’m wondering about turning off the alarm and having another 30 minutes in bed, I think about those start-line nerves. When I eventually get back there this year, I want my mind to be focused on the training I’ve done, not the training I neglected to do.

Regularly reminding myself of all that preparation –and my previous experience of getting through these challenges – gives me confidence that I’ll be able to finish.

Measure Training Vertically

I can’t recall any flat running during the Ultra-Trails that I raced. Therefore I always set elevation goals and leave the miles to look after themselves. 10,000 ft weeks are a good target three to four months out. Add a 15,000 ft week – or perhaps even a 20,000 ft week – within one to two months of the main event. When it comes to build-up races, I prefer to do a hilly 50k rather than a longer distance on the flat – but whatever the event, it needs to be challenging enough that I’ll have the desire to stop. This builds my experience of having to dig in; an ability I’ll definitely need on the big day.

Put Away the Poles

To be honest, while you should definitely practice using your poles so your technique is nailed, I hardly use poles in training, and I’ve still managed to use them effectively on race day. Getting a good technique is