Helpful Links
I’ve spent countless hrs trawling the web for resources and information. Here is a list of my favourites, be warned there’s a rabbit hole in every one… enjoy!
Find Your Feet - The best trail running store in the world
Carbohydrates - If you want advice on this topic the guest on this podcast is Asker Jeukendrup, PhD. He is a leading sports nutritionist and exercise physiologist who spent most of his career at the University of Birmingham (UK), where he was a Professor of Exercise Metabolism and Director of Research. He worked the last 4 years for PepsiCo as Global Senior Director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute Based in Barrington IL (US). He is currently running a consulting business “Mysportscience” and is a visiting professor at Loughborough University. During his career he authored over 200 research papers and book chapters, many of which have helped to change the sports nutrition landscape. He is also the author of 8 books. He is the former editor of the European Journal of Sport Science and Associate editor of the Journal of Sports Sciences. During his career he worked with many elite athletes and teams including several World and Olympic champions. He also practices what he preaches and is competing in Ironman distance triathlons as well as other endurance events. To date he has completed 21 Ironman races including 6 times at the Ironman world Championship in Hawaii.
Carb Loading - I definitely made the mistake of thinking carb loading means over eating. I would eat really well for a few weeks leading into race week, my weight would be about right and then I would smash food thinking I had to lad carbs = mistake. All this did was bloat me and make me heavier.
This article suggests that carbs can come from different sources and a carbohydrate intake of 5-7 g/kg per day with low energy expenditure seems to be sufficient. I started loading up with Bulk Nutrients Carb Shakes a few days beforehand and achieved a great result and I didnt have to smash a heap of heavy, dense food resulting in bloating issues and it made me poop like crazy!
I Run Far - A great website for articles and up to date information on long distance running.
Bulk Nutrients - A great Tasmanian sports supplements company, this is where I get all my fuel.
Ultimate Direction & Injinji - Im a big fan of UD race vests and Injiniji socks are the bomb for blister prevention.
Moxie Gear gaiters - These are high quality, comfortable and most importantly they do the job they’re meant to. There’s some gear you don’t use a lot but are very important in certain conditions, when you’re in scrub or rocky terrain these are what you need. Moxie Gear was established in 2010 and is wholly Australian owned and run which makes it even better because you’re supporting locals.
The Science Of Ultra - THE BEST source of information, IMHO, there is. Consume all of this and your knowledge and thought process will change…for the better :)
Deep dive on zone 2 training - and a great Youtube Channel
Run slow to run fast - Another great article on the training system I prescribe to.
Lactate Threshold Training - some helpful insights and information
A blog post - from Killian Jornet on his training plan for 2022 and ultimately a win at Hardrock 100 & a record breaking UTMB win only a short time later.
HIIT - A great podcast episode on high intensity interval training
Protein - A great summary of a great podcast on protein needs for endurance athletes
An interview with a trail running legend - Stu Gibson
Events / Races
I enjoy racing because Im competitive by nature but I also I believe it sharpens my body and mind, helps me test my limits and keeps me focused on my goals. Here are a few of the races I have been in or want to try.
‘A Big Engine Is Useless If The Fuel Tank Is Empty’
If you’re anything like me you need fuel to keep the engine running. I’ve done a lot of reading, listening and testing to try and figure out how I can best keep myself, hydrated and fed in a way that keeps my engine running and reduces the weight I need to carry to do so. Water is heavy, so are powders, gels, fruit, sandwiches and anything else that goes into your stomach so you can keep moving. Then you have to find out if what your taking sits well, through rial and error I certainly found out what my system doesnt like. A good case of gastro upset will ruin you day, not to mention those around you, so here’s a brain dump on what worked for me.
I remember hearing somewhere that running 100mile races is an eating competition. It sounds weird but when you get up to the longer distances it can be bloody hard to eat. When I run distances or races over 10 kilometers I fuel myself through carbohydrate supplements that are added to my water source. My theory is, if I need 4-500ml water an hour, while running longer distances, I can mix a blend of powders and customise my fueling strategy based on what I am trying to achieve.
From what I understand there is a lot of data on what works for races up to 3/4 hrs & marathon distances but there isn’t much for ultra running because it’s too hard to replicate the effects of long runs that are up to and over 24hrs, in a controlled environment. There isn’t a proven formula because conditions, similar to runners, vary so much.
Most gels, IMO, contain Maltodextrin which is available in powder form and potentially a lot cheaper and more palatable. I've been testing powders sourced from Bulk Nutrients who are a Tasmanian supplement company, the results have been fantastic and they are my main source of energy and protein supplementation.
To explain things a bit more I found these articles really helpful.
Here’s an excerpt from the website ‘I Run Far’ that explains fuel usage.
Here’s another from my sports science that explains uptake and carb types
An excerpt - ‘Let’s start with an overview of how your body utilizes both endogenous (internal, in this case glycogen and fat stores) and exogenous (external, in this case fuel eaten) energy sources.
Performing work or generating force–getting you down the trail or up the hill–requires energy, and when it comes to our muscles that energy is adenosine triphosphate (ATP, a molecule that captures chemical energy obtained from breaking down food) and very briefly creatine phosphate (a naturally occurring organic compound that facilitates muscle contractions). There are several different metabolic pathways your body uses to turn carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into ATP, largely dependent on the availability of oxygen (aerobically/with oxygen or anaerobically/without oxygen).
You may have heard the saying, “The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,” and there’s a lot of truth in that statement. Our bodies take the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that we ingest and metabolize them into glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids, respectively. The metabolic pathways by which this happens are called glycolysis (breaking down carbohydrates), lipolysis (breaking down fats), and protein metabolism via digestive enzymes (breaking down proteins). These are further broken down into pyruvate and/or Acetyl-CoA. From there, generally, pyruvate and Acetyl-CoA are brought through the Krebs cycle (also known as the citric-acid cycle which continues to break down sugars) and then the oxidative-phosphorylation system (where adenosine diphosphate becomes ATP, releasing energy) in our mitochondria to produce ATP and a byproduct, carbon dioxide. I know that’s a lot, but what it basically means in our case is wooohooo, energy to run’
The research I have done came from listening to SOUP, online reading, blogs, podcasts and the most important part which is testing different things on myself to see what works. Everything I have learnt points towards a few crucial points that need to be considered before I decide what I am going to consume.
How long is the run?
What is the temperatures going to be?
How much will I sweat?
I found a lot of scientific research that points towards
Different timeframes require different fueling strategies
Some carbohydrates are used more rapidly than others, but no carbohydrates are used at rates higher than 60 g/h
The total amount of consumption can be increased through the use of different carb types
After 2 hrs you need to include proteins and electrolytes.
GD plays a big part and what your belly likes/dislikes can have a huge impact on your results and capability to run long distances
Studies have demonstrated that multiple transportable carbohydrates can result in improved performance over and above the use of one single carbohydrate commonly found in sports drinks and gels.
Carbohydrate & Fat as fuel sources
The body uses two main fuels: carbohydrate and fat. Fat is the primary fuel for less intense exercise (low to moderate intensity: often referred to as aerobic) while carbohydrates are the primary fuel for intense exercise moderate to high intensity). Someone who is well trained can burn fat at a higher rate. This will help them to be less dependent on carbohydrate, but when the intensity increases carbohydrate is still the preferred fuel. Carbohydrate can deliver energy much faster to the muscles than fats. Fat is like “diesel” and can support much longer efforts than carbohydrate. Carbohydrate, however can provide much more energy per unit of time.
The body has stores of both fuels, but unfortunately the stores for carbohydrate are much smaller than those of fat. Even the leanest athlete has sufficient fat to sustain the longest races at moderate intensity (thousands of grams of fat). In fact, there would be enough fat in any athlete to run many back-to-back marathons.
The typical athlete will also have 500-800g of carbohydrates stored as muscle glycogen and perhaps 80 grams or so as liver glycogen. These stores are relatively small and can only provide a fraction of the total energy from fat stores). These carbohydrate stores would be sufficient to fuel 2-3 hours of intense exercise.
Many attempts have been made to find the carbohydrate mix that would result in the highest oxidation rates. The studies confirmed that multiple transportable carbohydrates resulted in up to 75% greater oxidation rates. The following combinations seemed to produce the most favourable effects:
maltodextrin : fructose
glucose : fructose
glucose : sucrose : fructose
In all cases, the glucose transporter needs to be saturated and this will not happen if less than about 60 g/h is ingested. The additional second carbohydrate (fructose) will have to be ingested at sufficient rates to add to the carbohydrate delivery (30 g/h or more). If these amounts are ingested it gives you a ratio of 2:1 glucose:fructose and an intake of 90 g/h. This is often the recommended ratio. However, I want to make a point that this is NOT a magic ratio. If you can tolerate higher intakes, adding more fructose may actually help and you will move towards a 1:1 ratio, but still with ingesting 60 g/h of glucose or maltodextrin.
Liquid, gel or solids?
I believe that when the exercise is 2.5 - 4 hours carb mixes are most effective, if you plan on going longer then solids may be required. With activity at these levels, carbohydrate intakes of up to 90g/h are recommended for high performing athletes, but you need to get them from from multiple sources. Glucose or maltodextrin will have to provide around 60 g/h and the rest is needed from another source such as sucrose or fructose. I am not a high performing athlete and around 60/70g/h works for me, anything above that and my belly starts to sing a sad song.
You can get your carbs from a beverage, gel or a low fat, low protein, low fiber energy bar. By testing these during training it is possible to find what your body likes, or more importantly dislikes, and then tailor a plan on how to get the carbohydrate while making sure you don’t get an upset tummy. As I mentioned, the water and powder mix works well for me but on really long runs I need real food so I pack things like, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, CLIF bars, Clif Bloks, dehydrated potato and snickers bars.
Bulk Nutrients are a Tasmanian supplement company that offer all of these carbohydrate sources in a range of their powders. I looked into what is in their powders, how much you need and what the average cost is per serve. Here is what I found (these prices may have changed):
Electrolyte+ - 60g per serve - $19 per kg - $1.14 per serve - 51g carbs / 204 cals per serve
Carb+ - 40g per serve - $18 per kg - $0.72 per serve - 38g carbs / 152 cals per serve
Sports Fuel 1o1 - 40g per serve - $27 per kg - $1.08 per serve - 31g carbs / 124 cals per serve
Maltodextrin - 50g per serve - $10 per kg - $0.50 per serve - 28g carbs / 112 cals per serve
Here are the ingredients of each.
Electroyte+ - Dextrose Monohydrate, Maltodextrin, Flavouring, Citric Acid, Magnesium Aspartate, Potassium Gluconate, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Citrate, Sweetener (Sucralose).
Carb+ - Maltodextrin, Isomaltulose, Dextrose Monohydrate
Sports Fuel 1o1 - Maltodextrin, Dextrose Monohydrate, Hydrolysed Collagen Peptides, Branched Chain Amino Acids, Flavouring, Citrulline Malate, Glutamine, Magnesium Aspartate, Vitamin C, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Gluconate, Sweetener (Sucralose).
Maltodextrin - Maltodextrin ;)
The only thing SportsFuel 1o1 doesn’t contain compared to the others is Calcium Citrate. With 31g of carbs I need another scoop of Carb+ and I end up with 69g of carbs and this is enough to fuel me through hours of exercise. I end up with blend of carbohydrates, protein, free form amino acids and electrolytes to assist with energy, hydration, reducing muscle soreness and sustaining energy levels.
To minimise rapid sugar spikes and crashes, SportsFuel 1o1 also combines two readily absorbed carbohydrates to protein at a 6:1 ratio. With 30g of carbohydrates per serve, the blend of two carbohydrate sources increases absorption and carbohydrate oxidation in the body.
Comparing Gels and Bulk Nutrients:
Bulk Nutrients - each 69g or carbs costs $1.80, weighs 70ish g and is easily consumed in my water as I run.
Gels - can cost anywhere from $3 each and the ingredients are usually only maltodextrin. A popular brand I looked at had 27g of carb & weighed 34g - plus there is the annoying packet tp get rid of and the texture of gels that I just do not like.
It’s a personal thing but hopefuly you can see why I have chosen to support a Tasmanian owned company. Everyone is different though and this is just what works for me.
Solids
This one has been a challenge and I’ve tested a few things to get it right. Once I have been running for 4 hours MY gut gets a bit temperamental and will shut Mme down real quick if I don’t help it. Here is what worked for me:
Peanut Butter and Honey Sanga - My go to, I love it. It contains all the good things and tastes great.
Dehydrated Mashed Potato Chips - So easy and so effective. Mash some spuds, blend them to a puree, spread ‘thinly’ over baking paper in a dehydrator or oven and 8 hrs later your done. Add salt to taste and you have a great snack that will keep you going and weighs bugger all.
CLIF Bars - can be tough to eat while moving but they do the trick
CLIF Bloks - I always carry a few of these and they get used when things are tough.
Snickers, Mars & Cherry Ripe - So good when you need a tasty snack.
Blackcurrant Pastilles - Don’t knock it till you try it :)
Protein
There seems to be a lot of information and focus on carbs for endurance athletes but not a much for protein. I believe that failing to focus on protein is a big mistake. Endurance runners must have a need for proteins due to the amount of energy expenditure and muscle tissue damage we have.
Our skeletal muscle is remade constantly, broken down and built up. It renews at a rate of about 1-2% per day, which means that in 50-100 days you’ve made a completely new muscle. This suggests to me that for those of us who place higher demands on our muscles there may be a greater need for proteins. Don’t take this as meaning you need to smash a heap of protein shakes every day but timing your meals and adding a bit more to the diet could be a good thing to do.
I’ve been guilty of smashing protein powders in the hope they help me build muscle. This time I looked into what we actually need to perform well and help our body function at a high level. There’s a lot of information out there but I listened to one of the experts on a Science of Ultra podcast, Luc van Loon, PhD who is regarded by many as the world’s leading expert on human protein needs. What Luc said made sense and I try my best to implement his recommendations it into my eating habits.
4 meals per day that include 20-25g protein
Time meals so they occur post exercise for better synthesis of the protein
Have a protein snack before bed
Here is a link to the summary of the podcast, It’s definitely worth a read.
I believe that if you eat whole fresh foods then you should be getting the protein you need. A diet full of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat will provide you with almost everything you need. I eat meat a few times per week, usually chicken but sometimes I love a good steak, venison or lamb roast. The protein supplements I use comes from Bulk Nutrients - I add a scoop to my smoothie in the morning and I have a protein shake or snack before bed each night.
Caffeine
Here’s a decisive subject and something I couldn’t find much information/studies on. There are a lot of studies on the effects of caffeine and that can easily be translated into use for running long distances, all I know is that NoDoze is a great source of energy and really helps my focus and perception of effort. I carry a small bag of tablets in my pocket and use them at the end of a big effort, it took a bit of testing and luckily for me there is no gut distress when I use them.
When I say testing I should point out that I overdid the caffeine once and paid the price. A long story short is that I found myself struggling, took a few NoDoze which perked me up and so I kept taking more. Eventually the caffeine, being sick, tired and run down ended my race with my first DNF. However, the caffeine didn’t just stop there, it worked all night and kept me awake and feeling like shit for a long time. After a sleeples night, mild panic atack and a nasty headspace it faded but I certainly didnt feel like a coffee for a while.
I still use caffeine because at the right dosage and right time it can help. Be warned though, read the bottle and strategise how much you use and when. :
It all comes down to what I put in my face or more importantly what I don’t.
I struggle with food, I love eating and have a big sweet tooth so finding a good balance between eating what I want and what I should is very hard.
I am not a dietitian and there is so much conflicting information that it’s hard to know what to do. Every person has a different metabolism rate and what works for one doesn’t work for another. Controlling eating habits is a big challenge for me, it was easier to give up smoking than sugar.. maybe.. I believe nutrition to be a personal quest for glory, may the force be with you in your quest, but quest is best.
When I started running I wanted to loose weight and I did, it went from 85kg to 70kg which was great. I felt a lot happier in my own skin, people said I looked a bit skinny but maybe they were used to me being a bit heavy. However, the weight loss stopped at 70kg, even though I went from running 80k’s pw to 100k’s pw my body became accustomed to the workload. If I look back I have to be honest with myself and realise that I started thinking that if I am running so much I can eat those extra snacks because i’ll burn it off.
I love eating and I find it very hard to be consistent with my diet. What I find works best is to keep it simple, at some stage each week I am going to get hungry and the only way to success is to ignore that little voice telling me to snack. If the urge is too great or my body just needs to eat then I try to be prepared with a meal so I don’t raid the pantry and eat crap. I tried this once with a mix of sultanas and almonds, this resulted in me eating a bag of each within a week, you cn imagine how that turned out.
The reality is, life is too short and I eat really healthy 80% of the time so I can live with the 20% because it makes me happy. Chocolate is the best, I love it and no force on earth will stop me when I want it. Damn you Fererro Rocher
When a big run or race is coming up though I like to loose a couple of kg and have found through trial and error that 70kg is a good ‘race weight’ for me. Ultimately to lose the weight I have to train my mind and stomach, ask myself what is more important, the chocolate or the goal. I did try to loose too much weight once when I wanted to try running at a lighter weight. The trail failed and resulted in my dragging myself through a course all day with no energy, I learnt a good lesson here and wont push my body like that again. It took a few weeks to recover and can’t have been good for me, live and learn though. Better to have tried and failed than never tried… as long as you learn from the failure that is.
Here’s a look at some meals that I try and stick to.
Breakfast - Smoothie
I love smoothies in the morning and if I’m not drinking one of these it’s toast with PB & Honey spread thick.
1/2 a banana,
1/2 an avocado
big handful of spinach leaves,
a small cup of mixed frozen berries
a scoop of protein powder (flavour of your choice) - I use Bulk Nutrients peppermint slice
a tbsp chia seeds
a tsp of cinnamon
3/4 pint of almond milk
drizzle of honey
BAM blend that bad boy and smash it down, so good and it keeps me going till lunch. It’s filled with good fats, carbs, natural anti inflammatory and nitrates.
Lunch - Roast Vegetables
This is a staple and I stick to it because it’s good for me and I enjoy it. I roast a heap of veggies every Sunday arvo because I am time poor and it doesn’t take much time to cut them up, bake in the oven for half an hour and throw them in 5 microwave tubs. It’s really easy to do, I don’t have to think about it and all the energy needs are there. For a bit more energy you can add a small amount of tuna and brown rice or a chicken breast.
Dinner - A bit more challenging but I have a secret weapon
I’m very lucky in the fact my wife is a chef and very supportive of what I do. No doubt it drives her crazy but she does her best to help me and our family by cooking healthy food that tastes great. I’m a lucky man in this regard and appreciate all that she puts up with and the support she shows, thanks love.
Before Bed - Protein
Study’s show that protein synthesis is optimal during sleep. I have a serve of protein before bed, this can be in a snack I bake, boiled egg or a quick shake.
Snacks - Be prepared
Habit, it’s a thing. Once I start snacking at a certain time and searching for certain foods like lollies, sweet treats it snowballs and gets out of control. I have trialed a 4 meal day in an attempt to stop the night time eating. This means eating a tub of roast veggies ready for the evening so at least I am eating good healthy foods instead of the snacks I will feel guilty about later. It comes and goes and sometimes it works.
Denying myself doesn’t work, it just means I end up with a massive cravings. I think it works best to build in cheat days and let yourself relax. Life is too short not to enjoy good food, if it’s 1 day a week or a fortnight I like to give myself a taste of the foods I’ve been craving or the temptation eventually gets too much and that leads to overdoing it.
Don’t even get me started about Easter! Wow, it takes weeks to break the sugar habit I gain after eating every egg, bun and rabbit in the house.
If you can't stay motivated, stay consistent. Consistency will bring back your motivation.
When the legendary trail runner, Killian Jornet won the UTMB in 2022 he dropped a copy of his training plan online and I am sure it has been viewed and scrutinised millions of times. He did make note of something that resounded with me and it applies to what I have written below about my approach, Killian said:
“Each of us is very different, so to copy / paste or to adapt this plan to you without first analyzing what your different capacities are, would probably be a big mistake.
To make conclusions of a training plan of 4 weeks or 4 months without the context of the previous years of training where adaptations were made and the individual capacities of each athlete have no sense. In my opinion there’s no such a think as the magical session that will make you better or a training program that will work for everyone, but the adaptations, and therefore improvement of performance comes from the repetition of training stimulus (consistency) and the individualization of those stimulus (to see what are those stimuli and their intensity that work for each of us at each time of our program and our career, and what is the recovery needed)”…
So, basically do your own thing and find what suits you. We are all different and need to approach training accordingly, just because this approach works for me doesn’t mean it will for you but I hope it leads you on a path to discover what does.
It all began with…
Run, run, run as fast as you can….. No, don’t do this at all.
For many years I believed that if I wanted to improve I always had to run harder and faster than the session before. The old mantra of ‘no pain no gain’ rang true and for a while I did get quicker and lost weight. However, I also became sore, tired and battled regular injuries. I would run 1 day on & 1 day off just so I could recover from the previous session. On the weekends I would attempt a long run which I went into feeling tired and run down. I pushed hard anyway because I believed it would make me stronger and then I started the following week tired again. Looking back it was a viscous cycle but I didn’t know any better.
Then the injuries started, sore knee’s, tight calves and hips, planta fasciitis and eventually 3 months off with sesamatoiditis.
This last injury made me realise that the only way to improve my performance was to increase my knowledge. I’m my search for factual data and information from people who had studied human performance I came across “The Science Of Ultra’ podcast, this discovery was a complete game changer. Some podcast are filled with opinions and theory, I wanted facts from leading experts who had conducted studies that were published and respected, Shawn Bearman’s approach to delivering information from people who are top of their field in studies and research was exactly what I had been looking for.
Sometimes it gets a bit ‘Sciency’ but Sean always breaks it down and if you consume the entirety of his shows you will end up understanding most of what they are talking about. There is so much valuable information that you should become very knowledgeable and your performance should improve.
The biggest change in mindset and training for me came down to the 80/20 rule - 80% OF YOUR RUNNING SHOULD BE DONE AT AN EASY TEMPO, the other 20% should be at threshold tempo tailored to the type of event/run/race/improvement you are training for. Wait….what? Run slow to run fast? If this was true, I’d be doing it all wrong.
The more I researched, and loads of research I did, I found that people who ran the majority of their training at an easy pace called ‘Zone 2’ outperformed those who ran hard. I wont go further into this, it’s up to you to research, listen and go on your own path of discovery but if you google Zone 2 training you’ll be onto it. Like everything else I learned, there is no guarantees and different people have different approaches with great success. There is no 100% proven formula that will work for everyone. This is just what works for me (and a lot of other people).
I started running slow and it was bloody hard, yes running slow was hard, actually challenging might be a better description. My VO2 dropped, my splits went through the roof and it took me so much longer to run the same amount of distance per week. BUT, I felt good, I felt strong and I felt energised. I would finish my run feeling like I could do it again so with this extra strength and energy I eventually built up to running 6 days per week and started incorporating doubles (2 runs in a day).
My weekly totals went from a tiring 50k per week to an energetic 80k per week and I felt good. Injuries, niggles and aches weren’t anywhere near the same, I finished my runs feeling refreshed rather than exhausted and I didn’t have the massage gun out every night. Crazy I know, but it’s true.
Next came heart rate training. I needed to learn more about ‘Zones’, how do I find my Zone 2 pace, how do some people run at a fast pace and look effortless while I was a stream train with smoke coming out of my ears and puffing harder than a draft horse. The answer = their engine was bigger and stronger than mine. Your heart is your engine, so now I needed to know how to train my heart.
This lead me to the MAF method, I looked into heart rate training and there is plethora of advice, opinions and information. I wont go into MAF because while I have taken much from his advice I get dubious when people try to sell me programs and promote sales as a fat burning method. Plus, his studies are dubious, if you look deeper he wasn’t the first to develop this but he has done a good job of marketing and generating an income from it. However, it is a great place to gain an understanding of HR training .
As soon I started to learn more about HR training the next step was to understand what zones were. There are different ways of looking at zones but generally you will find 5. Garmin & Strava have them as metrics and use a percentage of your maximum HR as a way of gauging each zone. For eg:
I started tracking my runs, heart rate, performance and using a heart monitor. I stuck to Z2 HR levels when I trained and it took 3 months until I saw positive results but my body felt stronger and I was capable of a lot more running. For example, when I started my heart rate was a high 150/160bpm at 5:30split, after 3 months of diligent training I could run with 138bpm at 5:30 split and the more I train the better it gets. There are variables like temperature, hills, time of the day, mood and caffeine but if you practice you will find your rhythm. After a while you will notice yourself running faster with a lower HR and breathing comes easier, it’s so much more enjoyable and my results have never been better.
By following this 80/20 method I recover quicker which allows me to run more often. But it takes patience, for most people it may take months to see an improvement and you need to stick at it. Running slow gives you more time to focus on your technique, I also use the time to listed to Science of Ultra which means I learn more about running and myself while I train. I also use the time to meditate and focus on my breathing, it’s the perfect time to work on your mental health.
Next you will ask what the 20% of ‘Hard’ looks like. I suggest trying a few different things till you find what works for you, I like to focus on the areas of improvement I need for a race or run that is coming up. This includes, intervals, strides, threshold or tempo runs, hill sprints, surges or whatever increases intensity but have a plan and track the results so you can see the benefits. MAKE SURE to change it up, if you keep doing the same thing at high intensity the risk of injury's increases.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) - Here is a great show on intervals, I have listened to it a number of times and used the recommendations from Martin Gibala, PhD in my training program. His theory of 20 sec intervals is extremely interesting and I believe that if it is used in conjunction with longer distance intervals the effect can be very powerful. We all want to do the least amount of work for the greatest result so have a listen and try it out.
Fast forward to using this type of training for over a year and I am learning more and more about how my body responds. Zone 2 is fabulous in the off season and builds an amazing aerobic base you need to run ultra distances. What I am finding is that when it comes to race season there is a need to kick things up a gear and prepare the body for the stresses of all out efforts. If I run easy all the time it feels like my engine isn’t ready for the pressures of race day, to overcome this I start building in high Z3 efforts to the week. I don’t do extra miles but I push myself a bit harder to try and prepare for what is to come. I don’t quite understand why it happens and it may not be the same for others but my body likes to be prepared and light bouts of race dace day type efforts works for me.
An example of this was 4 x min at race pace (what you hope to run on race day) with a 2 min recovery repeated 10x. Rather than trying to run faster, try to reduce the amount of rest in between each sprint. Try to get that 2min down a bit each session until you’re able to hold race pace for the whole session.
Tapering - ‘You cant fatten the pig on market day’
I can refer you to studies and numerous podcast episodes on tapering but from what I have learnt, even the best in the business do not have a 100% proven strategy that fits all people. You can’t test what sort of taper works for you until you have an important race which allows you to test, track and learn. It might be a 3, 2 or 1 week taper that suits you best, only you can find out.
My performance always comes down to the work I did leading up to the taper. If I haven’t put in the hard work it doesn’t matter how well I rest. In my short experience, and from the thoughts of elite coaches and scientists, I believe the best thing you can do is rest and eat well. Rest will mean different things to different people, I like to rest by reducing volume and increasing intensity. For me, this means running less kilometers but going a little faster than usual to get the system ready for what it is about to go through. I don’t like to be all rested and then try to explode on race day, my body says WTF is this, so a bit of pre race huff and puff works for me. Basically, I build in a few Zone 3 runs instead of Zone 2.
It’s hard at times but I always try to remind myself to TRUST THE TAPER. I feel sluggish in taper weeks and I get worried my gains are being lost but as soon as race day comes I feel much better for the reduction in activity. Depending on the race I need different lengths of tapering, marathons are 2 weeks, ultra’s are 3, anything less is a very easy week leading up to the race.
I am still trying new things all the time but here is where I usually start out with Ultra’s, you can adjust based on distance or preference.
3 week taper for Ultra’s
4 WEEKS OUT from an ultra distanced race I try to replicate the environment of my race and put in a solid ‘long’ day. This doesn’t mean running the same distance as the race, but try to replicate the conditions such as vert, trails, road. Stick to nice easy runs throughout the week, even pull back a bit so on the long day you can tackle 3ish hrs with energy, but don’t draw on your reserves. Give it a burst to show yourself what you are capable of, get your confidence and stoke on! Start the training at the same time so you can eat the same breakfast, test your gear, hydration and nutrition, now’s the time to prepare.
3 WEEKS OUT - drop totals by 20% - start to bring in a few Zone 3 aerobic runs and average your runs out nice and even so there’s nothing overly long. What I like to do on this week is a few strides at the end of the run, get the heart, legs and lungs ready for what’s to come.
2 WEEKS OUT - 40% drop and a similar method to last week. Nice easy runs with a huge emphasis on your flow, work on your mind and focus on building the fire of your stoke, get pumped but do it at a pace that keeps the batteries charged. Kinda like adding wood to the fire so when race day comes you can blow life into the coals and watch it roar.
RACE week - It depends on how I feel but I do not burn any matches - east, rest, sleep repeat…with a few controlled runs and a little spurt here or there to keep up the engine revving. Nothing long or hard, get the heard pumping a few times so it knows what’s coming and get good rest.
RACE DAY Get some… I never sleep well the night before but if I am well prepared and everything has lined up I rest ok. For 30k and below I just go for it, 40k I like to set a pace and maintain, above 40 is another ball game so I usually have a strategy. This is all up to you and how you perform under pressure, figure it out for yourself and remember to enjoy yourself.
The morning of race day I have a routine/tradition I follow with eating.
Beetroot juice the week before - get that nitrate up but reduce the day before as it will make you fart real bad.
Big bowl of brown rice and tuna for lunch the day before - If I can’t get this I go for sushi - get the carbs and fats in.
Pumpkin Soup with crusty white loaf bread for dinner the night before, preferably home made - keep it light on the tummy but add the carbs.
3 hours out from the start - Breakfast of peanut butter & honey on toast or a bowl of porridge, banana and honey.
2 hours out from the start - 80g CHO via SPORTS FUEL 1o1.
Recovery - Listen to your body and maximise those gains
So much effort is put into training, but nowhere near enough goes into recovery. All of the time thinking, planning, researching and doing when my gains come during rest, so why isn’t as much emphasis given to taking a break and letting myself recover?
I know how hard it is to take a day off. It feels like all your hard work will be lost if you miss a run, but I think the reality is completely the opposite. A concerted effort to rest can actually result in more gains if you do it properly. Sleep is a huge factor and if I get to bed a bit earlier I always feel better off. I also find that it can be very hard to sleep the week after a big effort, I use these signs as a way of assessing how well my recovery is going because once my sleep has returned to normal my body always feels properly recovered. My resting heart rate is also a big factor in knowing when I am recovered.
Make sure to build in rest days, recover properly after big efforts and if you’re tired then make sure to listen to your body. If you don’t your body will make you, it has a special way of getting injured or sick and making you listen. It’s best to be fully recovered and rested before your next training session rather than hitting it tired and depleting yourself even more.
Recovery happens as soon as we stop exercising and studies show there is a window of opportunity to replace the carbs we used straight after exercise. I try to replace these carbs with a scoop of Sports Fuel 1o1 after a run. If it’s a big run or a 20% day that might include intervals or hills I try to fuel up half an hour before as well. The benefit of this is being able to go into the run as strong as possible, my goal is to enter each run rested and energetic so I get the most out of the time spent.
Remember - going in tired or lacking in energy is a waste of time.
It is never too late to be what you might have been
It amazes me how a few words can spark drive and motivation, a simple saying can resonate with a person and drive them to do extra ordinary things.
I strongly believe in having a personal mantra to use when the going gets tough. There will come a moment when your head and heart are screaming at you to stop, this is when you need your soul to kick in and tell them both to shut-up and keep going.
The limiting factor of performance comes from your perception of effort. It’s all well and good to train physically but like recovery there needs to be time allocated to practicing positive self talk and experimenting with different statements. A time will come when even though feel like you can’t go further, you actually can and the difference between success and having to try again all comes down to what you tell yourself and believe in.
Here is a collection of my favorite motivational quotes. I hope you find power amongst these words, if you do I want to hear which one it was and why.
The body only does what the mind tells it to
What you can count doesn’t always matter and what matters doesn’t always count
When the brain says no its time to go
If you want to be a better fisherman - fish more
If you fail to plan you plan to fail
Improve your mindset by loving the test while you’re in it. Stay in the cave and push harder, enjoy it and conquer your mind.
The pursuit of pleasure from pain
It is a shame for a man to grow old without experiencing the strength his body is capable of.
Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so
Don't piss on my leg and call it rain
Bees don't waste time explaining to flies why honey is better than shit
The BRAIN is telling you the legs are tired.
Be or wanna be
Have a look at my office - clear the mind and breathe in the energy
Start with your legs, finish with your mind.
The goal is to experience not finish.
How will it bring me joy
When it gets hard - stay in it and explore it. That's why we are here so when the moment comes, embrace it.
If you can't stay motivated, stay consistent. Consistency will bring back your motivation
Ultra running IS 50% physical AND 90% mental
155ish klm, m of incline and more mud than you can dream of. That’s the price of an experience of a lifetime and moving through some of the mot spectacular country you will ever see. Sounds fair to me.
I’m not the first to do it and I ont be the last but this is my story and I hope it inspires you to dream big and achieve your own goals. If I can do it, so can you.
I think it was sometime in Jan of 2022 that the idea of Scotty’s Cockle popped into my brain. I think it was because a group of my mates and I wanted to tackle the Western Arthurs so I started to think about other scenic rail runs in Tassie’s South West, one of my favorite regions in this beautiful Island I call home.
I’m the sort of person that loves to plan stuff and for this adventure I had to plan because like I say, If yu fail to plan and you plan to fail. Well, plan I did and I have to say I’m pretty proud of it. Here’s a link to the spreadsheet that I used so you can view my equipment, training, gueling etc and here’s a link to a blank copy you can download for yourself.
The planning proces helped me uncover what I needed to learn so I could get through this adventure safely and hopefully with a good time. I’ll admit I wanted the FKT, this whole year of running will be broken down into one big mission to test wha
Like Forest Gump say’s, I just started running.
I wanted to capture the experience so I could share it with others and leave behind a snapshot of the person I am in this stage of my life for future generations of Wilkinson. By chance a good friend and talented photgrapher/videographer started working at the same place as I did. I knew I didn’t have the skills to bring this video together so I asked her and shge agreed, I got very lucky and
It set me up for the next phase of all this which I think is fastpacking. Life is so busy and I want to visit so places that 4-5 day multi hiking trips just aren’t possible so i’ll do them in 2-3 by moving quicker.
Equipment
Running gear, it’s bloody expensive but it can make the difference between comfort and pain, or at the extreme, life and death. Running in Tasmania is a four season activity and each season is completely different. Before you know it that pair of shoes, old t-shirt and boardie’s have transformed into a mountainous pile of colorful running equipment.
The hardest part is deciding what to buy because there’s so many choices. If you’re going to invest, because that’s what it is, the choices are endless and If you’re a trail runner who loves to hit mountain trails but trains on roads and paths during the week you will need different types of equipment. I had to explain this to my wife when I needed to spend more money on ‘another pair of shoes’ and the analogy I used is comparing the difference between road and 4WD tyres, they are completely different and what you drive on the road wont be suitable on a 4WD track.
Here is a rundown on what I use and how I chose it. I have written this based on my experiences, mistakes, wins and losses.
Shoes - Inov8, I am a big fan, a bit biased because I never wear anything else but shoes are so important and when you find the right ones for you it is a glorious thing.
Socks - Injinji toe socks
Running vest - Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest 6.0 & Camelback
Gaiters - Moxie shin and ankle gaiters are the bomb. These things will keep the skin on your shins and the pebbles out of your shoes. If you run trails and tracks that arent well maintained these are worth the investment.
Head torch
Gloves - Sealskinz
Poles - Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Z - I use these because they are good for bushwalking as well. I don’t run with poles enough to warrant and expensive pair. If I did I the Leki poles and gloves look pretty sweet.
Epirb
First Aid kit
Running belt - Naked Running Belt
Shorts, T-shirts, leggings - BIG W has a fantastic range of sports wear that is very good and much cheaper than brand name goods. Their Circuit brand is great and I always use it.
Fastpacking
Now this is something new and cool. People have been doing this for years but I’ve only just started looking at it as something I would be happy to invest my time and money. I love bushwalking and running, so why not combine the two. There isn’t enough time in my life to go on long multi day hikes anymore, what may have taken 5-7 days with a heavy pack can now be done in 2-3 with minimalist gear. I like the sound of this very much….
Equipment needs change as does the type of conditioning required. For what I want to do, i need to be able to run/walk/hike in mountainous conditions for 2-3 days with minimal rest. It also reduces the amount of people you can ask to come along, it’s type 2 fun, maybe 3 and not a lot of people are interested or capable.
I love the idea of moving through wilderness areas, sometimes at night under the stars, no people, rough terrain but the most magnificent views. There’s a lot of Tasmania I want to see and this may just be the way.
We are blessed with scenic trails in Tasmania so it’s hard not to stop every 5 min and take a picture or a video, here’s a collection of the short vids from some of my adventures and a few Youtube links to stuff that I enjoyed.
Walls of Jerusalem National Park
WHERE DREAMS GO TO DIE - Gary Robbins and The Barkley Marathons
Lessons Learnt - ‘If you’re looking for your limits don’t be shocked when you find them’ - Me to myself
The quote above is something I said to myself after a bit of soul searching that came from my first DNF at the Bruny Ultra in 2022. I always learn a lot from racing which is a big part of why I love it. The negative experiences always have a positive learning if you allow yourself to see the cup half full, however they also hurt a bit and a
Here are my thoughts on what I think happened and how I will do it differently in the future.
Triple Tops Mountain Run: 19klm with over 1,100m of elevation and almost 1,000m decent over the final 5km.
Oh boy, I stuffed this up. I went into this one with a focus on trying a couple of new things,
1 - Weight Reduction - If you weigh less you can run faster. What I found out is that even though this may be true, if I lose too much I wont have any energy to get through the race and fatigue will slap you in the face. What I also learned is, there are different ways and time frames that my body can handle getting into ‘race weight’ so that when I line up on race day I have a nice combo of body weight and energy stores.
I put on weight quick and lose it slow, prior to Triple Tops I cut too much weight and did it too aggressively. I wanted to loose that bit of gut fat that I usually carry b
2 - Over Training - I really wanted to strengthen my hill game for this race so I set out to increase volume from 90ish klm to 120klm pw and in those klm I added 2 x hill workouts pw.
LEARNINGS - 70kg is about right for my body and energy systems, if I hit this I feel good and sem to have enough energy tores/fat reserves to get though long hours or running. 3 weeks prior to race I start to cut out the extra fuel I take on when training hard and keep a close eye on how many carbs I take in. If I slowly reduce my workload and consumption so that the week leading into the race im in the high 60’s then the carb loading I do the week of the race gets me nicely to the 70kg I need to be at.
Bruny Island Ultra -
This was a case of bad luck and stupidity. The bad luck was a really bad virus that hit me on the Wenesday before Saturdays race. I tried to deny it and did everything I could to clear the congestion in my chest and sinuses but it had hold of me and in the end It was a couple of months later and a dose of Anti Biotics befor eit passed. However, I had drea,ms and goals that I worked hard to achiev on this race and in the end it was and ‘All or Nothing’ decision that got me across the start line. Better to fail trying than to live wondering what if…
I
Eating, if your hugnry, then eat.