Four Pillars to Successful Ultra Running

Pillars of Success in Ultra Marathon – Phil Sanderson
I was fortunate to come across a TEDx presentation on Ultra Marathon running that is applicable to Comrades (found here). This one was presented by Phil Sanderson who used entrepreneurial techniques to complete the Wasatch 100 (160km’s). This is a 30 hour race that climbs over 8000m through very difficult terrain. 400 athletes are chooses to participate in this race every year. Mr Sanderson explains how he was very excited to be chosen and started training for the race but fell victim to injury that prevented him from running for five months! He decided to still do the race, even though he only ran a few times, and was successful because of four key pillars he followed. These pillars are also needed for a successful Comrades and if followed should assist you in achieving your goal.
The Four Pillars are:

1. A Malleable Plan
2. Good Support Team
3. KPI’s
4. Have Fun

1. Malleable Plan: You need to have a plan.  Failing to plan is planning to fail. Saying that, you also need to realize that circumstances seldom allow our plans to unfold as we envisioned. You cannot waste energy feeling frustrated because the race is not going to plan. Understand that you will fall behind; you will take a few minutes to cross the start line, runners will block your way, climbs will be tougher than anticipated etc. Accept the setbacks and move on.  You have to be able to adapt your plan according to circumstances as they arise. Just because you had a really tough 10km stint does not mean the next 10km’s are also going to be tough. Keep going, keep pushing, and adapt.
2. Support. We are so blessed at ARD to have such terrific support from our club. These people have sacrificed their time, money and energy to be there for us so we can achieve our goals. Many of them will be up before us on race day preparing our food for when they see us on the road. Some have even decided to run with us for certain segments to help push us on. They have been there for us throughout our training, providing support and backup when they could have been doing anything else. Think of this when you are running. It will inspire you to keep going and push on. Draw on the energy of the crowd of spectators who line the roads to cheer you on.
3. KPI’s – key performance indicators. Heart rate is an excellent guide and Mr Sanderson explains how he kept his heart rate in the aerobic zone between 60-70% max. If he pushed harder, he would be in the anaerobic zone which would deplete his energy causing him to burn out before the end of the race. This is why it is important to go out slowly in Comrades. You do not want to burn out. It is especially dangerous in Comrades since the first 20km’s are mostly climbing (yes, even though this is a ‘down’ run, there is still a lot of climbing) and it’s easy to overdo it. To gauge if you are in the right zone, ask yourself ‘Can I keep this pace up all day?’ If the answer is yes, keep going. If it is no, you better slow down now before Comrades slows you down later. Mr Sanderson also explains the importance of nutrition in this pillar. He calculated that he would burn 200 calories every 20minutes of his race and forced himself to replenish these calories religiously. Every 20minutes without fail he ate 200 calories and drank 1kg of water every hour. Fueling is extremely important in these long runs especially comrades. It is hot and humid and you will quickly become depleted of your energy if you are not fueling properly. Saying that, do not try anything new on race day! Stick to what your body is familiar with.
4. Have Fun – this is so important. We run because we love it. For many of us, this is our last opportunity to run Comrades for a number of years. Let’s enjoy it as much as we possibly can. There is no other race in the world like it. The support, the atmosphere, the crowd, the terrain…it’s just phenomenal. Soak it up and enjoy! It is difficult, you will struggle but without those tough parts it wouldn’t be so gratifying. Accept them, push through them and go get that medal!

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