How Many Ultras a Year?
Today:
Distance: 14.9 km
Time: 80' 43"
Rate: 5' 25" per km
Weather: sun/high cloud, temp 17 degrees, humidity 45%, wind calm
Week: 51.25 km
Oct: 144.4 km
Year: 3809.8 km
The quarterly edition of the Ultramag arrived in the mail a couple of days ago. As usual, I skipped through the pages to see what was there to be read over the next couple of months. Plenty of the usual type stories, results, a good article from Whippetman on his run at Hardrock 100 mile run in USA, Kelvin Marshall on the Trans Gaule 1166 km, an 18 day stage run in France, and Australian runs and stories.
Plus on the last few pages this time a listing of the Australian 100 km road ranking for both men and women. Our own Trevor Jacobs ranks 7th in Aust with a time of 7 hrs 8 mins 55 secs set in 1993 in Belgium. Tim Sloan, a very good Tasmanian holds the record for an Australian with 6 hrs 29 mins 26 secs set in 1995 on the Ross to Richmond run. From memory that run usually had a strong westerly tail wind.
One of the articles was on how many ultras should you do a year, training and keeping it fresh. There is another story on Over training, the runners enemy. Seems like the around 5 a year is the mark before injury or burnout takes hold. Mostly it is a case of recovery, train up to the next event and recover again. However, a rest of a long period will be necessary at some time. Unless your name is Milov or Eagle or Kelvin. They never seem to stop.
Unless you really an experienced ultra runner, most are at such slow speeds compared to a traditional marathon, that recovery is much quicker. It does seem " speed kills".
So, the article confirms my year in that I have competed in 5 ultras already with the good possibility of No 6 at the end of the year. As I mentioned yesterday, this week has found a renewed interest in running, yesterday was a good feeling, however slow, and today was good, a little faster and longer.
Coffee and chat at work before running home for lunch, then running back to work, slightly different course to avoid an upset magpie. Rode bike to work in the morning and home after work at night. Good exercise day, could have a bit warmer but that will be here by the weekend. Brindabella Classic on Sunday may be warm one, lucky I'm only doing the Bull's Head Challenge.
Distance: 14.9 km
Time: 80' 43"
Rate: 5' 25" per km
Weather: sun/high cloud, temp 17 degrees, humidity 45%, wind calm
Week: 51.25 km
Oct: 144.4 km
Year: 3809.8 km
The quarterly edition of the Ultramag arrived in the mail a couple of days ago. As usual, I skipped through the pages to see what was there to be read over the next couple of months. Plenty of the usual type stories, results, a good article from Whippetman on his run at Hardrock 100 mile run in USA, Kelvin Marshall on the Trans Gaule 1166 km, an 18 day stage run in France, and Australian runs and stories.
Plus on the last few pages this time a listing of the Australian 100 km road ranking for both men and women. Our own Trevor Jacobs ranks 7th in Aust with a time of 7 hrs 8 mins 55 secs set in 1993 in Belgium. Tim Sloan, a very good Tasmanian holds the record for an Australian with 6 hrs 29 mins 26 secs set in 1995 on the Ross to Richmond run. From memory that run usually had a strong westerly tail wind.
One of the articles was on how many ultras should you do a year, training and keeping it fresh. There is another story on Over training, the runners enemy. Seems like the around 5 a year is the mark before injury or burnout takes hold. Mostly it is a case of recovery, train up to the next event and recover again. However, a rest of a long period will be necessary at some time. Unless your name is Milov or Eagle or Kelvin. They never seem to stop.
Unless you really an experienced ultra runner, most are at such slow speeds compared to a traditional marathon, that recovery is much quicker. It does seem " speed kills".
So, the article confirms my year in that I have competed in 5 ultras already with the good possibility of No 6 at the end of the year. As I mentioned yesterday, this week has found a renewed interest in running, yesterday was a good feeling, however slow, and today was good, a little faster and longer.
Coffee and chat at work before running home for lunch, then running back to work, slightly different course to avoid an upset magpie. Rode bike to work in the morning and home after work at night. Good exercise day, could have a bit warmer but that will be here by the weekend. Brindabella Classic on Sunday may be warm one, lucky I'm only doing the Bull's Head Challenge.
posted by Two Fruits at
10:27 PM
2 Comments:
Zero is a good round number.
Seriously for marathons I advise one max per year if you don't specialise.
But of course that's flat out.
I guess ultra runners keep something in reserve.
By
speedygeoff, At
October 16, 2008 at 9:58 AM
I was going to say one is another good round number. But as I tend to treat Six Foot as a long bush walk interrupted by some running, maybe it's zero.
Recovery is quicker if your racing distance is 3k :)
By
Ewen, At
October 16, 2008 at 9:18 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home