Ultra runners of the class of 14 If I could offer you only one tip for the future, nipple-tape would be it. The in-race benefits of nipple-tape have been proved by many, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own plodding experience… I will dispense this advice now. Always smile and wave to the camera Oh, nevermind. You will not understand the amazing things you achieve until you can no longer achieve them. But trust me, in 20 years you will look back at videos of yourself smiling and waving through a midnight checkpoint and it will make you smile again. You are not as fast as you imagine. Don’t worry about pace. Or worry, knowing that worrying is as effective as trying to hopscotch the Bob Graham Round in Hokas. The real troubles in your life are apt to be injuries that just started as a niggle and were ignored. The kind that blindside you on the last stage of a multi-day event. Do one race every year that scares you. Don’t be dismissive of other people’s blogs, but don’t put up with people who are dismissive of yours. Run for the hell of it. Don’t waste your time on position; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. Remember the races you finish, forget the DNFs. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old race numbers, throw away the invoices. Stretch. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know whether you can complete a run…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 how far was too far, some of the most interesting 50 year olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Be excellent to the race marshals and volunteers, without them youd just be training. Maybe you’ll run a 100, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll run Parkruns, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll DNF after 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken crossing the line on your 75th ultra.. Whatever race you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your finishes are part chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your race, in whatever way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s one of the most euphoric feelings you’ll ever have.. Dance…even if it’s just a jig across the start line. Read the race directions, even if you don’t follow them. DO NOT read running magazines, they will only make you feel slow. Get to know your peers, you never know when they’ll turn to coaching. Be nice to your competitors; they are the best link to the route and the people most likely to help you with dodgy signposting. Understand that races come and go, a precious few you should hold on to. Especially those at under a pound a mile. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and navigation because the more lost you get, the more you need the people that know where they’re going. Run The Hill once, but leave before it makes you hard; run the MDS once, but do not re-enter as it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, race entry fees will rise, some races will be impossible, your race times will get slower. And when they do you’ll fantasize that when you were young race fees were reasonable, everything was possible and you could run a sub-16 100. Respect those that can run a sub-16 100. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a crew, maybe you’re sponsored but you never know when either one might bail. Don’t over-train, or by the time youre 40, you’ll be running like you’re 85. Be careful whose coaching you buy, but be patient with those who supply free advice. Coaching is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. But trust me on the nipple-tape…
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 19:01:24 +0000
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