Endurance running
What is Endurance running?
There is not much if any difference in either Endurance running or Ultrarunning it is just a matter of the words you use to describe something extra ordinary. Ultrarunning is probably a more specific way of describing a long run which in most cases would be longer than 50K (30 miles) in some ultra runs people would be running more than just one day. One of the more well know ultra runs with 6 days of running (apx. 151 mile/ 243K) would be Marathon Des Sables (MDS) which is to be held in the desert of Sahara.
Another race similar to MDS are the races made by the organization www.racingtheplanet.com these races are known to be held in different deserts such as Gobi desert in China, Sahara desert in Egypt, Atacama desert in Chile and Antarctica and all of them are set up with scenery one will never forget. These 6 days runs are classified as ultra running but could just as well be a race of endurance running and are often called Ultra Marathons.
Some people would classify half a marathon as endurance running where as for others it had to be a whole marathon to be classified as Endurance running. Looking ahead of things running a Marathon becomes more and more common. Running a Marathon 15 years ago would really be an accomplishment. Today more and more people compete on how many Marathons they have been running and not just on running one marathon and that is why endurance running within time will require longer and longer runs to be classified as endurance running for some people.
Never start out running longer runs than you have done before and never increase your running distance to fast. A good hint could be to increase your distance with no more than 10-15% but remember people are different so for some it might be less and for others more. One thing is for sure if you increase the distance of your runs to fast you will end up with injuries. It might not be the same day but over time you will run into problems because bones and muscle tissue does not get as strong as fast as your condition. That is why you might feel breathing goes good and that you feel you have an overload of energy and then the tough part is not to increase too much at this time. It takes time to be good and there are no legal shortcuts – just like anything else in life.
Anybody not in shape or not fit for whatever running goal they set out to reach would see 10k, a marathon or longer as an endurance run and that is why running and especially running the longer runs requires so much preparation with training, the mental part, how to eat and hydrate right and for some endurance races even the equipment. In the end it is all a matter of the small things that adds up to make a perfect performance. Endurance running is like many other things in life - A matter of experience – When you know how to do all the little things the right way, you will have an easier time to reach your goal without all the beginner mistakes.
Gobi Dessert 2006 (China)
Endurance Running as a team through Sahara Desert
For a long time I have been fascinated by Endurance Running and back in June 2006 I did my first ultrarunning in the Gobi Desert in China and wow that was an experience out of this world with the scenery and the mental challenge I faced there. At many times things got so rough that I was sure that I would never do Endurance running again but never say never because just few weeks after my first run I had paid entry fee to yet another Endurance run which had to take place in the Sahara Desert and once again I had to go through 250 km in 6 days
For me Endurance Running is not just running but also the part where you have to carry all your own supplies of food, clothes, safety equipment and so forth which was the case with this race. The only things that was provided during the race was water through out the event but with a limitation.
Running for 6 consecutive days with only one resting day in between is tough and the distance covered each day was different with one short stage and one long stage. The race was run with 6 stages and the long run on 100 km was on stage 5 where the last 15 km was in sand and boy was that tough!
I am constantly looking for new challenges and therefor I decided that this time my Endurance Running should not be alone but in a team with 2 other guys. Running as a team we had to stay together at all times with a maximum of 6 meters in between us or otherwise we would get disqualified.
As the days went on everybody got tiered and the food we had brought was less appealing then when we started out but still we kept our goal in mind which was to win the race as a team. The sun was strong and heating us when we was running and lots of the competitors we ran by had gotten heat stroke so we really had to make sure we did not drink to little but then again not to much because each person only had 1.5 liters between each check point and with 10-15km to go in deep sand the water really had to last and now we really knew what Endurance Running was all about.
As the days went by we got much stronger as a team and even though all the challenges we faced the first days was not gone we just learned to handle them well. On a team of 3 individuals there are bound to be 3 different agendas on what speed you want to run in, when you want to stop for a break or to have something to eat but to make these things work out well you sometimes have to give in to the team and let go on your own wantings to make sure the team is working proper. This is something that we had to learn very quickly and did in a good way which was part of the reason why we finished as the first team in that race. Our goal was to get the 1st place and we did.
Endurance running and the mental side
Is endurance running all stamina, physics and hard training in the gym and on the road - nope - Well at least not for me and I would say anybody who have tried out with endurance running will know that there is much more to it and most of the people who try out with endurance running and fail often fails because of lack of mental strength. The thoughts you go through during ultrarunning are tough and changing all the time once you think you conquered over your thoughts, new thoughts come popping up and you will have to deal with this side of the endurance running because lack of mental strength will mean not as good results or in worst case you will have to drop out.
Most endurance runners have the same questions pop up while they are running and the tough once always “arrives” when you are tired, have a lack of energy or feeling pain (during endurance running you mostly are in for some kind of pain). The big question that many faces are the question “Why am I doing this?” when I could be sitting home with my family or friends. I could have been laying on my couch watching television etc. What I find so good about this is the returning struggle with my mind. My mind trying to take over and make decisions for me but for me it has become a game - A game of trying to out smart my brain and my ego. I often look at it like a game of chess where I have to make the right move not to loose the game so actually with a lot of practice (that is what it takes) I have conditioned my brain to see these things as a fun game, for me it’s fun to analyze my thoughts while I run and even laugh at what the brain is trying to convince me to do.
Instead of the struggle I go with the flow and accept things as they are which instead of making things “grow” they slowly disappear and the more I do this the easier I find it to let the “bad” thoughts go and not take over. So endurance running or ultrarunning as some would call it is not only physical endurance but also mental endurance and just like any other things you want to be good at, you will have to practice. Running practice is not the only thing. Mental practice is the thing to get the edge with other endurance runners.
Endurance running and expert advice
Endurance running and expert advice
This is the place to start just to get an idea on why you will find so many different articles on endurance running, what to eat, how to train etc. All this information is it all valuable and who or what article to trust when they all state different things!
Experience will defiantly make a better endurance runner and one way to get experience is from listening to others that have done Endurance Running the so called experts but two so called “experts” can have different views on what is right and wrong. Why can experts on an area have different believes on what is right and wrong when training, eating etc. Training for a run longer than a marathon - one expert would say training for an endurance run longer than a marathon would require that you had some real long runs, you would have to learn how to build endurance both for your mussels, tissue, bones and mental by running some long runs. Another expert would say that training for such a long run would only require shorter runs (10-15 miles/km) but faster and both experts would probably state that they had seen research on this that would show they were right and the funny thing is, they might both be right on what they say because every human is different from each other and so is the training suited for them (of course you can make some “average” training that will work for the majority).
Humans are made from a very complex set of chemistry and physics that in comparison with a machine would make any machine fade. That would mean one little adjustment in the body would affect many other things and people are different and both chemistry and physics will differ from person to person which is why one set of rules on how to train, eat, drink, sleep would not be beneficial for everybody. Of course you can make some “average” training that will work for the majority.
All in all it comes down to different people needs different training and that is why one expert saying one thing might be good for one but not for another. It is all a matter of getting to know yourself and getting to know what makes the results for you. Only experience can take you there and experience takes time so there are not really any shortcuts. You just have to get going and really monitor what happens with you and your body, your mood, muscles and the more you are aware the more you will be able to learn and adjust to find what is the best way for you to reach your personal goals. Just remember only the sky is the limit so make sure it is not your mind setting the limits but YOU.