When things start to go wrong during an ultra trail.
Finding problems and solutions while running 63 km with 5000 meters of elevation.
(This post is longer than usual. If you enjoy the shorter format, I will be back with these soon! Promised.)
I had registered for my biggest race yet. I had never run this far or done that many meters of elevation in one day. The thing with longer distances for me is that they are all about problem-solving. You know that some kind of problems will come up. You just don’t know what and when. And boy was I in for a pile of things going run this time….
Running teaches me a lot about dealing with difficult situations, even when they are not related to running. So, I thought I would share my experience from my longest and most challenging race yet with the hope that it might help one of you in any future race situation as well.
KM 0 of 63: The problems started even before the race. I arrived at the race location not fully healthy since I had caught a mild cold a few days before. So I had not really run for two weeks and prioritized recovery. The evening before the race, I still did a 4 km "shakeout“ run to wake up the legs again. From over ten years of running, I know my body quite a bit. So I knew that I was fit enough to at least start the race the next day. If I was fit enough to finish, I really wasn’t sure. I have cancelled plenty of races in the past when I didn’t feel healthy, and I can’t stress that enough for everyone: don’t race if you aren’t healthy!
Solution: expectation setting. I told myself that I would start the race and just see how it goes, but that I was fully fine with dropping out and a DNF („Did not finish“). I informed myself specifically what to do in this scenario and identified multiple points on the race course where I could drop out safely. I also adjusted my pacing strategy to basically just going on a really long hike in the mountains, and running at a more than easy pace when the terrain would allow (In the end, 95% of the race I did in heart rate zones 1 or 2, with over 60% in zone 1). I was happy that I had planned an additional day before the race at the race location so that I didn’t have any stress the day before the race (I can highly recommend arriving early!).
(Still) KM 0 of 63: The race started at 6 a.m. This meant I needed to leave my accommodation at 5:15 and have breakfast at 4 a.m. I can’t remember a night that I had slept worse than the night before the race in the past years. Not a great feeling if you anyway have to get up super early and have one of the most challenging physical challenges you ever did in front of you.
Solution: For me, meditation is a tool that I can use to calm down the body. So I took 10 minutes that morning for a guided meditation, and it made such a difference for the mind. Clearing negative thoughts, being in the moment and accepting the situation as it was. I recapped my plan from the day before. I will start the race. I’m good with dropping out if I feel my health gets in the way. I will not race, but choose an easy pace.
KM 10 of 63: I love uphills. I enjoy being on a 2-hour long uphill and making my way up the mountain. And this morning, the uphill was perfect. Starting shortly before sunrise, we saw the sun slowly coming up when reaching the first ridge. At this moment, the tiredness was gone. The thoughts about the cold from the last days were gone. For moments like these I do trail running. But then, the first downhill started…I don’t particularly like long technical downhills. And I had made a probably stupid decision of going for 43 km and 2500 meters of elevation training run, two weeks before the race (I should have known better…). On this run, I put a lot of strain on my knees and didn’t have enough time to recover. So, on the first of three big downhills of the race, I could feel one knee and had to slow down. I thought this was it…there was no way I would run another 3300 meters of elevation up and even more down on these legs….
Solution: I slowed down, ran my own pace and left a small group that I had run in before. Then I stopped fully to change out of my jacket since it got warmer with the sun rising. All of a sudden, I heard voices behind me (on my race track, there were around 130 runners. So it was not unusual to be alone for longer periods of time). Two runners, who seemed to enjoy the downhill to the max. They sang and were in a great mood. Exactly what I needed. So when they passed me, I joined them with a little distance and told myself not to lose them until the end of the downhill. Together, the downhill was so much easier. I nearly enjoyed it. And I descended faster than I would have ever thought. On the trail, running together is almost always an advantage. You can help each other, and you are faster. Don’t underestimate the effect of running together.
KM 30 of 63: Having just hiked up for almost three hours and scrambled over a ridge, I arrived at the start of the second big downhill of the race. The knee again complained. I slowed down and stopped at the next aid station. This was one of the points that I knew I could easily drop out. There was a cable car down the mountain. And 90% of me was sure that this was it. It had been an epic day already, with a magical sunrise, two big climbs and a thrilling ridge passage that involved some ropes and scrambling over rocks (I love that!). I remembered what I had told myself before the race, that it’s okay to drop out. I only wanted to try one thing…
Solution: I put some cold water on my knee and took off my shoe. I waited a few minutes, put it on again, and laced it a bit differently. I had a few crackers and some fruits (the whole race, I ran on four cereal bars, crackers and fruits. I tried half a gel but didn’t eat it completely. It was definitely not the recommended nutrition strategy, but luckily, nutrition was the one thing that didn’t cause any problems that day.). With the newly laced shoes, I wanted to try the downhill, at least for a few meters. And to my own surprise, the pain in the knee was gone. I could continue, slowly, but surely down the mountain. The learning here: don’t be afraid to take breaks, stop and re-evaluate the situation. Don’t make decisions out of the moment, but take time.
KM 42 of 63: this is the distance where all the marathon runners happily run to the finish. I ran into a mountain. In front of me: a 9 km and 1400 vertical meters uphill. I knew this uphill. I knew that it would take time and that 1 litre of water from the flasks would maybe not be enough.
Solution: for the whole 42 km of the race, I carried an extra 0.5-litre bottle of water (Spoiler: I didn’t use it for the entire race). It gave me so much peace of mind that I didn’t have to worry about water. This strategy probably didn’t make sense for most runners. But it did to me. If something works for you, don’t worry about what others might think about it.
KM 46 of 63: Half of the uphill done at a fast pace (I repeat: I love uphills!), I arrived at an aid station, and while eating a cereal bar and drinking some water, one of the volunteers asked if I didn’t want to carry on directly since the cut-off time got closer. I never ever before in my life had worried about a cut-off limit in a race. I ran a sub-three marathon earlier in the year, and the thought about the cut-off limit had escaped me. But here I was: one uphill and technical downhill to the top of a mountain with 80 min to go. The volunteer estimated that it would take 45 min up, and 25 min down. Normally. Not when you have already raced for over 10 hours.
Solution: I carried one in a small team, and we pushed the pace. I led the uphill, another runner the downhill. Imagine the feeling of realizing that it could well be that you are being kicked out of a race because you don’t make a cut-off after 12 hours by 2 or 3 minutes. That would be devastating. But again, the team approach worked. Together, we chased up the mountain and down on the other side and made the cut-off with 10 minutes to spare. After us, I learned later on, around 40 runners had to leave the race and take the cable car down. Again: teams win in trail running.
KM 51 of 63: I had made the first cut-off. Now, I had 2 hours left for the last 12km and 1400 vertical meters down. Great, if your knee already made problems the whole day and the majority of the downhill is basically a ski slope that is STEEP.
Solution: Due to the cut-off, I was one of the last runners on the course, and the sun started to set. The mountain’s colours changed, but it was still warm. At that moment, just appreciating the situation gave me so much energy. Again, I teamed up, and together, we flew down the mountainside (at least, it felt like that. I’m sure the speed didn’t look that impressive for anyone else). From here to the end, there were still small uphills and shorter technical downhills. I used my poles a lot for both: pushing upwards and taking any impact away from my knee that I could. And it worked!
25 min before the final cut-off and after the sun had set, I arrived at the finish line. What a day in the mountains. Most of it felt amazing because the weather couldn’t have been better. But many of the moments above had made it uncertain if I would get to the finish line that day. It was by far no smooth race. It took a lot of problem-solving and finding the way through struggles. But that made it even more worth it. And I think this was my proper introduction to ultra running.
There is a song lyric by French artist 20syl: "Winning feels better when you take a little damage“. This was certainly true that day.
Now, 2 weeks later, I’m still not 100% recovered from that race, but the feeling of having made it that day continues to be a source of joy and happiness.
What’s your experience with Problem-Solving on the trail? How do you approach situations in race that don’t go according to plan? I’m very curious to here from you!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. This past weekend I had a technical trail race, 21km. I had a week prior filled with aches, pains, stomach issues and a cold. I went to the event just going with the flow. Knowing I had spots I could stop. I was with a bestie, and normally we would have a great time and laughs and pics. But I wasn't able to keep up with her so we went our own ways. I chatted with lots of people. Still had a great time. Finished the race and even got a PR, 20 min improvment from last year. Another friend Reminded me "its amazing what our body is capable of".
Thanks for this Simon.
I have my first Ultra (75km with +2600m) in 2 weeks and reading this has given me confort in knowing that other runners suffer the same mental challenges and issues that I have and that getting to the finish line is as much of a mental challenge as it is physical.
Thanks