You’re on the start line surrounded by runners; there is a still silence in the air as your mouth becomes dry with anticipation. BANG the gun goes, and you’re swept up in the emotion of the race.
If you are embarking upon an ultra there are Five Ultra Race Day Rules that you must master if you are to succeed. Failure in any one of these areas not only jeopardizes your ability to achieve your personal best but it jeopardizes your ability to finish the race, a DNF (Did Not Finish) becomes a very real possibility!
What are the five rules? They are simplified down to five words that we encourage you to write on your hand or forearm at the start of your next race.
Nutrition, Hydration, Pacing, Patience, Positivity!
Yep it’s that simple. Master the Five Ultra Race Day Rules and you’ll go along way to ensuring your personal best performance.
Let’s unpack them a little further and look at why each is important.
Nutrition– Your fuel! The same a car can’t run without fuel, neither can your body. Without the required fuel being put into the engine – your body – it will run out and stop working. ‘On board’ you have enough fuel to allow you to run for about 2 hours. Beyond this you need to be replacing the energy that your body uses. Failure to do so will render your body useless when the fuel tank finally empties.
Hydration– Your oil! Becoming dehydrated by as little as 2% is shown to affect performance and at 5% dehydration becomes dangerous. Given that you can sweat up to 2.3Lt per hour under high intensity exercise in extreme conditions, you can quickly become dehydrated over your ultra marathon. Like your nutrition, you need to be replacing what you are losing.*
Pacing– The ability to pace yourself over an ultramarathon is often an undervalued skill. This crucial rule returns your focus to your race-pacing plan and serves as a reminder to stick to it.
Patience– Patience is required and goes hand in hand with pacing. It gets a special mention because ultra runners are far too eager and known to exaggerate their capabilities. What feels like an easy pace early can escalate quickly before it leaves you walking the latter part of your race. Patience serves as a reminder that you are in for a long day.
Positivity– Having a positive mindset, a strong belief in yourself and your abilities is a must. While this belief is built in your training plan, ultra racing is tough. You are going to have periods where you feel great and periods when the demons are present. Having a positive mental attitude when running gives you the ability to instantly shift your focus to the things that are going well.
The take away message is to write the 5 Race Day Rules on your arm at the start of your next race, this way you are constantly reminded of them. When the emotion of racing starts to take a hold of you, your focus will once again return to what you CAN and MUST control in order to achieve your dreams and have your personal best race.
Have fun at your next ultra.
Nick
P.S. If you are yet to take the Ultra Runners Quiz check it out here. Its a fantastic way to discover how to improve your ultra running.
quiz.theultrajourney.com
5 Ultra Race Day Rules
*Suzanne Girard Eberele, MS, RDN, CSSD, Endurance Sports Nutrition – Fuel your body for optimal performance, 3rdedn, Human Kinetics, 2014