How can you keep your budget from bonking but still get out and enjoy long distances? Here are some ideas for ultrarunning on a budget.
Author
Pam Smith
Pam Smith
Pam Smith ran her first trail race in 1992 and started ultra-distance races in 2002, with more than 70 finishes. She was the 2013 Western States champion and holds the Angeles Crest course record. She has been on a total of seven national teams for both the 100km and 24-hour events. Pam is running her seventh Western States 100 in 2018 under the Active Joe sponsorship. She lives in Salem with her husband and two children and she works as a pathologist. More of Pam’s writing can be found on her blog, “The Turtle Path.”
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It seems to me that ultrarunners pack all of their insecurities into a drop bag. Running really long distances through rugged terrain at all hours of the day can be daunting, and as such, drop bags can get unwieldy. It’s easy to forget that all bags must be transported and carried by volunteers.
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Gearing up for a longer ultra, such as a 100k or a 100-miler requires a dedicated training plan with particular focus on getting more miles and more time on feet. One way to accomplish this is with back-to-back long runs. Back-to-back long runs refers to doing long runs on two consecutive days, typically Saturday and Sunday for those with full-time jobs. Back-to-back long runs are a common practice in ultra training, but are they really necessary for success? That’s up for debate in this month’s column!
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If you spend any amount of time talking about ultrarunning nutrition, you are almost certain to hear the term “fat adapted.” The general idea is that a “fat adapted” athlete will be very efficient at burning fat and thus have an immense supply of stored fuel, eliminating the need to ingest large quantities of carbs.