BS - Feedback on this Ultra?

So after I posted some stuff on FB about the triathlon, my friend is nudging me to do this ‘do it yourself’ ultra. Its 50mi or 100mi. Aid stations every 6-7 miles with water/Doc Scotts Recovery Water RX, and BYAF (bring your own food). Seems doable and a logistical and nutritional challenge, which intrigues me greatly. Also, I think I can push my friend to greater limits, which may be the impact of me doing this race. I haven’t seen this friend for a while and it would be a chance to catch up. He’s been training for it or something, but he keeps saying that he will ‘try to keep up with me’, when I’m just thinking of going on a light jog and having a few snacks, nothing crazy. Plan would be to go into the event heavy in flutter kicks and other exercises that I could do on the trail for dynamic rest. Solid foods definitely first 1-2 aid stations. Salmon, Tuna a must. Later aid stations switching to more digestible foods and final stations just straight up juices, gels, and then a slow buildup of caffeine towards the end. Have you ever planned for something like this? Is it easier/harder than you imagined? I faced some honestly horrifying things during my 421mi week in cycling in terms of ‘ultra’ and think I’m going to encounter some of the same things. But, getting past that has led me to greater heights. Maybe I am an addict.

Its 2 weeks after my 70.3 in New Orleans, so I could maybe try to peak in New Orleans for the 70.3 and be well poised for a 50mi or 100mi jog two weeks later… right? https://calendar.ultrarunning.com/event/the-swamp-fox-ultra

You know what… I wonder if Vega would sponsor me if I did 100mi only on Vega and water… damnnnnnn I would request a multi and Vitamin D of 20,000 IU / day, but could go on only that if Vega will give me free product. I’d basically have to drink a ton of water and have to do a calculation on the efficiency/weight of water in that scenario, I think.

I just sent an email to Vega and some photos. hmm maybe will get at least a freebie.

Honestly, I think I could win a 100mi race like this, on the terms and probable size (small). What does that mean to be first in death endurance though? I have a hard time grasping the meaning of such a race, but would definitely be pushing myself to higher boundaries, even psychologically that could carry over to MMA.

Because knowing your fuel beforehand in my opinion is a huge advantage psychologically. The aid stations on the last 70.3 were good at times, others lacking, but I missed places where I really wanted/needed bananas and couldn’t turn around and best memory of really good aid stations was a ride I did in MA, the PMC, which was about 114mi I think for my route, with nice aid stations.

“Participants of the 211.72 mile event are required to wear a SPOT Gen 3 GPS Tracker. This will be provided to you prior to the event. This piece of gear is required to be on you at all times. It must be visible and not covered up. I am tracking each participant to ensure you are on course and not lost due to the very real possibility that you will hallucinate at some point during the event”

lol wut

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What is the farthest you’ve run? My experience with these is to keep moving (an object in motion…), learn what food you can tolerate on this sort of run (puking and pooping happen to many), learn your gear by running long or back-to-backs prior to race day (a wet seam that is negligible over 15 Miles can make or break longer distances on trails) and get the long runs in at least once a week. Different people respond to different training. Since you’re in shape from a cardio perspective, the specificity of running long is the main focus (from a body and gear standpoint). Train on similar terrain to the race.

Oh, and depending on the race, do not be afraid to walk uphill. This leaves more energy for descents and reduces injury risk.

Yeah Ace, you’ll get physically wrecked and Brain Wash Your Face is generally right. I’m not an expert, but I’ve run enough of these to understand physics and what you’ll be contending with. As a general rule of thumb you need to run a solid 6-10 marathons or equivalent within about two years maximum to even have the pre-requisit to begin the discussion. Then you would probably tailor some training to a 50 mi. Talking about winning is just so beyond naive it makes you look like a teenager, you’re dramatically underestimating the talent out there. What you did is roughly equivalent of snapping gym selfies and sending them for Nike asking for a sponsorship on your quest to take the starting QB role of the Eagles with no experience. Also, start with a supported ultra with a staff and aid stations. As Brainwash mentioned, you need to intimately know your gear, minor discomforts over long distances or improper strides can lead to major knee wear or destroy your feet and walking uphill for a non-professional runner is pretty much expected. People have actually had renal failure from 100 milers and spent weeks in the ICU given the tax of the latic acid on your liver. I mean, if you really lack this much self awareness, then go for it it will likely serve as an educational experience. The mental, emotional and physical grind of an ultra is for most something you can’t relay in words.

You aren’t really understanding the required physique, I soldiered through but the guys at the front of the pack look like this:

Image result for scott jurek

haha yeah I knew it was somewhat naive saying that - wanted to see the feedback - lol

Ill have to give this some thought. The aid stations and fuel is everything. I mean I’ve put in 6hr days for 10 days I’m a row or something …

17 miles I think max with no fuel or water

^ but 6mi aid stations seems sustainable doesn’t it?

yeah to win is a bit far fetched, but just to complete - is that reasonable with proper preparation? I think my friend is greatly underestimating this as well.

Check out David Goggins - he was a big dude that competed in a ultra marathon. I think rogan had a podcast with him a while back too.

So maybe 50mi race for completion is reasonable? That’s 7-8 aid stations, 8+ 10Ks back to back.

ACE reminds me of a David Goggins kind of character. He did not train anywhere near properly for any of the events he did…but he did them! (He also nearly killed himself with the renal failure and endocrine meltdown, though) I would also note, as incredible as Goggins is, he sacrifices his true potential as an athlete for being a bad ass. He know this about himself though. His interview with Joe Rogan is worth a listen.

I don’t really think you’re properly grasping this ACE. I don’t think you’re properly prepared or even know how to properly stock the aid stations. You should plan for a 50 but all the advice you need (and are still ignoring) is in my first post. Winning is out of the question unless I’m just completely overestimating the running scene in your area which I doubt.

jinx WYG! we both posted Goggins at the same time…lol

lol on “proper preparation”! You would need a time machine for that! However, you have proven to be capable with improper preparation repeatedly so I guess whatever works for you and what you want to get out of it. :wink:

Comparisons to Goggins completely miss the point and is fantasy land. He was also not a big dude when he did the ultra. Goggins was a Navy Seal. He also cut weight from 6ft 280 lbsl to 177 pounds in eight months before running Badwater. Stop and consider the cadence of training it took for a power lifter to cut 103 lbs in 8 months. He also had the sheer natural talent to do 2,600 pullups in 13 hours, only stopping later after his muscle tore and bulged through his skin.

These feats prove the point I was making. You can’t both trash your body like a bad ass and expect yield your best potential as an athlete. Sure… he did 2,600 pullups but likely his muscles will never be the same and therefore any athletic potential dependent upon them is lost. You can’t lose that kind of weight in that amount of time and expect to have your body in top form. I am diverging from comparisons with ACE here. However, the main point is that there is a spectrum of ways to prepare (not prepare) as an athlete. David Goggins has his reasons to do things his way. Im sure ACE has his. I can say that ACE did complete a 13 mile run in a half ironman fairly easily on no run training! I get the impression he may be genetically gifted enough to pull off a 50 miler…but it would not be at the level of his absolute potential as an a athlete.