{"id":29201,"date":"2017-05-12T12:38:06","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T16:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/?p=29201"},"modified":"2020-04-13T16:18:23","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T20:18:23","slug":"ultramarathon-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/ultramarathon-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Nail Race Day: 4 Keys to a Successful First Ultramarathon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five months ago, my wife Katie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl<\/a>. Let’s call her Eliza (that is her name, after all).<\/p>\n

For months leading up to Eliza’s birth, Katie and I attended birthing classes, read books on having a healthy pregnancy, and wrote birthing plans, all with the focus on getting that baby out of Katie as easily and naturally as possible.<\/p>\n

And it went great. Two days later, we pull into our driveway from the hospital with a tiny, wrinkly, healthy, baby Eliza.<\/p>\n

Exhausted, Katie immediately gets in bed for a nap while I grab Eliza and snuggle up on the couch.<\/p>\n

That’s when it hits me.<\/p>\n

“Holy shit. Now what?!”<\/em><\/p>\n

We had spent so much energy trying to successfully get through the pregnancy and birth that we didn’t focus on how to actually raise this child — an actual human, I might add — for which we are responsible.<\/p>\n

Over and over, I see runners doing the same thing during their first ultramarathons<\/a>. They pour an enormous amount of energy into getting through the training, and they neglect the race — an actual ultramarathon — for which they set a goal to accomplish.<\/p>\n

Even the best-trained runners can blow it on race day, because training is only the first step.<\/p>\n

The real work begins after you cross the starting line.<\/p>\n

4 Rules to Executing a Successful First Ultramarathon<\/h3>\n

Training for your first ultramarathon is a big deal.<\/p>\n

It means running farther than you’ve ever run before, getting comfortable running trails<\/a>, and testing your mental and physical limits.<\/p>\n

Like I said … it’s a big deal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But it’s not the training you set out to accomplish. It’s the race.<\/p>\n

For the past few years I’ve had the pleasure of coaching runners through their first ultra-distance races. After witnessing what works on race day and how runners struggle, I’ve developed a set of hard and fast rules all new (and experienced) ultrarunners should follow.<\/p>\n

These aren’t rules for how to train, but rather how to prepare for whatever race day throws your way and attack those challenges head on.<\/p>\n

And it all starts with avoiding that\u00a0“Holy sh*t! What now?”<\/em> moment …<\/p>\n

Rule #1 — Know What You’re Getting Yourself Into<\/strong><\/h5>\n

A few weeks ago, at the finish line of the Mendocino Coast 50K<\/a>, I started chatting with a runner (and NMA Radio listener<\/a>) who ran the race as his first ultramarathon<\/a>. He loved it, but crossed the finish line a full hour and a half later than expected.<\/p>\n

“What happened?”<\/em> I asked.<\/p>\n

“I just had no idea what I was getting myself into,”<\/em> he told me. It didn’t surprise me.<\/p>\n

With road marathons, variation between courses is limited unless a race specifically promotes a unique challenge. It’s generally safe to assume that city marathons are city marathons, and a traditional marathon training plan<\/a> will suffice.<\/p>\n

Ultramarathons, on the other hand, can vary wildly depending on the location. It’s not just the extra five miles you need to train for, but the terrain as well.<\/p>\n

And knowing what you’re getting yourself into is key to optimizing your training.<\/p>\n

How to do your research:<\/strong><\/p>\n