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Ultradistance racing requires much more than training

PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World

Published: March 25, 2019

It used to be ultra-endurance athletes were seen as nut cases who dwelled somewhere out on the periphery of athletics.

Indeed, a decade ago I might have coached one ultra-athlete every other season. They were definitely few and far between in my business.

Well, that was then and this is now, because today ultra-athletes have become more prevalent and much more accepted in the whole scheme of endurance sports.

And not so coincidentally, I currently work with a host of ultra-runners, ultra mountain bikers and ultra road cyclists––all within the very same season. As of 2019, they easily make up half of my client base.

Because of this ultra coaching upswing, I’ve had to add a very specific preamble to all of my ultra athlete consultations. And that preamble goes something like this, “I can personally guide you through just a quarter of what you’re going to need to focus on, and that’s the physical training. The other three-fourths, the nutrition, the hydration and the sleep, those components fall more heavily on your shoulders.”

You see, as racing distances and times increase, the significance of nutrition, hydration and sleep increases. And believe you me, I’ve watched firsthand, instances where ultra athletes have imploded because of their lackadaisical attitude with respect to that critical three-fourths.

So if you’re contemplating your first true “ultra” in 2019, you might want to give some serious thought to those non-PT (physical training) components that are going to be very important keys to your success.

Nutrition

Right off the bat I urge my ultra athletes to hire a sports specific RD (registered dietitian). Unless you’re really steeped in all the nuances of sports nutrition, you’ll need several consultations to get you on the right track.

Ultra’s longer durations require more fuel. And that advice typically falls on deaf ears when it comes from a lowly endurance coach. But coming from a professional dietitian, that advice perks up the ears of even the most stubborn calorie-counting athlete. Truth be told, if carbohydrate availability is compromised, then performance decrements and muscle/bone breakdown can result. And the latter can be disastrous for one’s overall health.

By enlisting a sports dietitian, the ultra athlete is provided with thoughtful, scientific driven advice that’s athlete specific. A qualified and experienced sports dietitian can provide an individualized nutrition plan for both training and racing - and that race day nutritional plan that can be practiced until it’s spot on.

Hydration

Again, this is an area where the sports RD can provide invaluable advice and consultation. Participants in ultra events are more prone to various degrees of hypohydration and/or hyperhydration (under and/or over hydration), which at the very least can be performance limiting, and at the very most can be fatal.

Dehydration used to be of paramount concern in endurance events, but today, what with the popularity of ultra-endurance events, hypohydration has become an even bigger issue. This involves the consumption of large amounts of plain old water in conjunction with low sodium intake. Such actions put the athlete at risk for low plasma sodium levels.

The ultra athlete must develop a hydration strategy that includes both water and carbohydrate rich fluids (sports drinks, fruit juices, or soft drinks), which contain additional electrolytes (especially sodium). And these specialty drinks must be gut friendly - which means a lot of experimentation.

Sleep

This is 100 percent on the athlete, which for me it’s maddening because it’s where many people tend to skimp. Endurance athletes in general need a solid seven to ten hours of sleep per night. Period.

And because it's so crucial, I try to make sure every athlete I work with understands this - not just the ultra people.  Reaction time, accuracy and speed can all improve with quality sleep. 

The simple truth is that when you push your body for extended periods of time, especially for ultra distances, you need to spend an equal number of hours on restoration and muscle repair.

As you can see, it takes more than the help of an endurance coach to make an ultra athlete successful. So make sure to take ownership of the nutrition, the hydration and the sleep if an ultra looms large in your future.


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