Ultra running - 2 news stories, one good, one awful

[Ming the Merciless]

Why do you think an ultra is beyond you? Sometimes you just have to believe, put in the training, and go for it.

 

[matticus]

Why do you think an ultra is beyond you? Sometimes you just have to believe, put in the training, and go for it.

I could probably complete the majority of "ultra" events. Sadly I'd need a lot more than the allowed cut-offs - multiples in some cases!

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Most of it isn't physical. Most of it is a mental exercise.
Would you like to do it, or do you want to do it. There's a world of difference between the two.
When I was in that scene the marathon distance - 26 miles - was the sort of run I'd do for training each day on a weekend when I wasn't racing.
When Mike was training for his PW he ran 25 miles to work and 15 miles home.....every day.
As Billy Bland (Google is your friend) once said " if you want to do it you'll find a way to do it"

 

[matticus]

Most of it isn't physical. Most of it is a mental exercise.

That's kinda true ... but "most of" is quite important. If you don't have the physical attributes, no amount of "keeping going!" will make you sufficiently faster, or stop injuries happening.

I've pushed my limits on Audaxes; I know that if I was 10% slower [ and I'm sure a few people out there are] then I just couldn't have completed some of them. Just as you, Darius, couldn't beat Killian Jornet in a fair race, no matter how much you trained.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

That's very true. There is always somebody better than you.
When I started out, I went to races and looked at the guys who were winning. They were sometimes hours in front of me.
But I decided I wanted to move up the field, met a couple of guys with similar outlook, and started training. No Internet in those days so it was word of mouth/phone/letters to keep in touch.
Eventually I started mixing with the big boys. I won a couple of lower level events, and winning is the best drug of all.
Kept at it and suddenly I was one of the big guys who other people were looking up to. Some of my records from the 1980s still stand.
I never thought I could be the one coming home with the trophies, so it can he done. But it ain't easy. You do have to be dedicated.
Most of the guys had very supportive wives - they formed their own little clique- and most didn't have young kids who obviously demand a lot of time, money and attention.
As I said earlier if you really want to do it you will find a way, but the sacrifices needed are not for everyone.

 

[matticus]

I never thought I could be the one coming home with the trophies, so it can he done.

For some. Someone will win the trophies. Sounds like you reached pretty much your full potential - but it was still lower than others.

And as you said " I won a couple of lower level events, and winning is the best drug of all. " Most athletes don't get to experience that.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

And as you said " I won a couple of lower level events, and winning is the best drug of all. " Most athletes don't get to experience that.

Agreed. I never thought I would. But you don't start at the top. You start way down the scale. You learn how to push yourself. You learn how to come through bad spells and how to keep going when you would rather stop.
Then when you move up the scale those experiences help because you know you can handle such things. Your whole outlook changes from one of "I can't do that" to one of " I'll give it a try".

 

[rich p]

Talking of running ultras in strange clothing - @rich p do you still see that lad who ran the South Downs Way 80 in a duffle coat, hat and gloves? It was back in late June 1992 and the hottest day of the year, as I recall.

I still see him from tim

Talking of running ultras in strange clothing - @rich p do you still see that lad who ran the South Downs Way 80 in a duffle coat, hat and gloves? It was back in late June 1992 and the hottest day of the year, as I recall.

Yes, he's still around and running/joggin/walking daily...

...and still overdressed!