Ultra Runners Chatty Thread

[RelentlessForwardProgress]

If you regularly run ultra, are planning your first or are kinda secretly mulling over the idea of doing one welcome to the party.

Hello everyone, I'm after some advice/opinions please - would you sign up to do a 50k if you've never done a full marathon? I really want to run a marathon for the first time next year, but then I saw an advert for Goring Gap 50k and it keeps playing on my mind

I know some of my running group did an ultra before they did a marathon, so it’s not impossible, as long as you get the training in.

You get to celebrate a marathon partway along too!

Just a 2miler testing the sore heel (and the new shoes which seem fine). Iced heel when I got home as was sore after one mile.

Not looking good for October long runs.

I'd go for it! Just make sure you train properly and build up your mileage gradually. I'm sure you'll do great!

Have a good weekend of running everyone.
I got a park run pb this morning -23.04 which I’m chuffed with even though I don’t do them very often. Funny how training for long distance has made such a big difference to 5k!
‘Only’ 17 miles to do tomorrow but supposedly at race pace which I’m absolutely dreading

Congrats on the on @Runningforcakes! Hope today’s long run goes well. I am getting back after a horrible cold; still feel under the weather, missed last week’s long run and just did 10 today.
Bought 2 new pairs of socks to try - the Injinji ones are good but I absolutely love the Bridgedale trail socks, comfiest things ever! Think I’ll get another pair and wear them for the ultra.

Parkrun yesterday for me to test the sore heel. It didn’t make it any worse so I’ve kind of decided to ignore it and keep running.

Local event today, a relay round the countryside. Was hot! Luckily this year I was leg 1 so went home and showered then went back for the end, and the pub garden lol.

Results system didn’t work so we were all declared winners, yey! Especially as my group are classed as ‘social’ and we never win/aim to win.

I ran my keg with another injured friend so we walked up any hills. Heel no better or worse than before. So going to try and get back on the marathon last minute training.

Hope everyone else had a good Sunday/run day.

That sounds fun @WithCatLikeTread. Glad the heel is no worse.
17 went well! Managed to keep the pace I’d like for marathon but not sure if I’ll be able to keep that up for another 9 miles 😬 This is why I like ultras-no time pressure (for me anyway)

Well done @Runningforcakes !
@WithCatLikeTread that sounds really fun! Hope you're fully recovered soon.

Completely agree about there being no time pressure when doing ultras, it's so different. I haven't done a road marathon for 2 years now so need to get back into the road race mindset, so for me it means
No chatting to people
No stopping at checkpoints (and chatting to people)
Definitely no walking up the hilly bits!!

Evening all!

Congratulations on your parkrun PB @Runningforcakes and I'm glad the 17 went well.

@WithCatLikeTread glad the heel is holding up. That race ending sounds hilarious....it sounds like the Caucus Race in Alice in Wonderland

@RandomUsernameHere . I so agree about Ultra's and the lack of time pressure. I relax so much more when I'm not worried about timings too so I enjoy the race more and I actually notice more as I'm not so in my head calculating splits.

I ran the YabbaDabbaDo marathon yesterday. Its in a lovely spot, and it was a very friendly race, I highly recommend it.

My time was a disaster, my breathing is no better, if anything its worse after a month on the iron tablets. I ran a similar marathon 5 weeks ago and I was 30 mins faster than yesterday and my heart rate was about the same but going a minute per mile faster. So something is clearly afoot and I'm feeling a bit worried about it now. I think i'm going to try and speak to the doctor again. Sigh.

@RelentlessForwardProgress sorry to hear you're not feeling great, hope you get to the bottom of things and are feeling back to normal soon. You did well to do two marathons five weeks apart!

Yeah I think it does take a long time to recover fully from a marathon and I wonder if you just weren't back up to speed yet rather than anything more sinister. If you run marathons regularly though then that probably doesn't apply

I remember going for a hilly long run with a mate 3 weeks after a marathon and my legs just didn't have any oomph at all, had to cut it short in the end as my energy levels were just through the floor.

I've got road relays this weekend - never done anything like that before but it's a regular thing for the club I've joined so we'll see how it goes!

Thanks @RandomUsernameHere and @TheWholeWorld
Perhaps my expectations are too high, but it shouldn't be too much for me to do 2x marathons like that. In a lead in to a fifty I often do two marathons back to back at a weekend and then the next weekend have to do a 10 and a 31, so I doubt its that......you have to send an email request to my gp to ask if you are allowed a telephone appointment so I'm waiting to hear back

I hope everyone has some lovely running this weekend,
@RandomUsernameHere I hope your road relay goes well.

I worked today so no parkrun building up to a trail marathon in November and my long runs are on a Wednesday. I'm really enjoying it.

Just had COVID booster so am thinking tomorrow might be a write off. Boo hoo. Non running weekend.

Road relays were great fun. Didn't realise it was such a massive event, for some reason I assumed it was just a small local thing. Loads and loads of people, clubs from all over. Really well organised.

@RelentlessForwardProgress

Thanks *@RandomUsernameHere and @TheWholeWorld* Perhaps my expectations are too high, but it shouldn't be too much for me to do 2x marathons like that. In a lead in to a fifty I often do two marathons back to back at a weekend and then the next weekend have to do a 10 and a 31, so I doubt its that......you have to send an email request to my gp to ask if you are allowed a telephone appointment so I'm waiting to hear back

You wouldn't do the two marathons back to back at race pace though would you?

I hope it all turns out to be nothing sinister and you get your phone appointment soon.

Horrible long run, 21 degrees, felt ill at 11 miles, somehow slogged it out to 21, walked the last 3. Not long recovered from a cold, had a wee reaction to my vaccine booster on Thursday. Hoping that’s all it is and next week’s 23 will be better. Got a marathon in 3 weeks!

oh no! a@emummy
You did amazing well to push through another ten miles feeling rough.
I hope next weeks run feels much easier.
I hope you can put your feet up and give yourself a big rest now.
Is last week your last long run and then a two week taper?

sorry that should read is next week your last long run!

Next week it's 23 miles, then 15, then the marathon, then on towards the ultra. Weather looks to be getting cooler, so that should help!

Emummy - sounds like a lot of miles atm!

Having tried Parkrun & a Sunday run last week and my sore heel was no worse, I joined in the club Thursday run and today’s LSR. ‘Only’ 9 miles as the London crowd are tapering.

But no ill effects, heel is the same. Maybe even slightly improved, I am wearing shoes or slippers all the time to avoid walking barefoot.

Realised I entered a half last summer that got moved to March then moved to October. Clashes with London. I’m not running London but want to go and support on the day.
So not doing the half.

But have a ‘novelty’ marathon on the 24th that I’m hoping I can complete, with maybe the 30miler the week after, then a trail marathon the week after.
Might have to defer the 30miler to next year to try and be sensible as haven’t got the miles in my legs this year.

Oooh I love a novelty race, @WithCatLikeTread, tell me more

Glad the heel is showing signs of recovery.

I too am going to miss races that have been rescheduled more than once by now. I've two that were 6 months apart that are now starting within one hour of each other in different counties!

26/30/26 consecutive weeks does sound hard if you've not done the miles you wanted to leading in to it.

Not that much of a novelty as such. A relay race around the countryside where the different Legs set off at a specific time, not waiting for your previous runner to come in. Add total times together and see who wins, except the computer broke so we all won! 😂

Until the following day when they got it fixed and worked out who’d really won, needless to say it wasn’t my team! We got the wooden spoon lol.

How is everyone feeling about the marathon? There are so many covid cases in schools here at the moment, I've been so nervous about being contact traced before the big day! It's going to be an achievement to make it to the start line at this rate, let alone the finish

Random - good luck!

My DH is running it, I’m planning to go for some of the day and see as many of my club runners as possible. Glad the forecast has dried up!

Have you got your number? Are you excited? I was crapping myself but this point lol.

Did it in 2018, hottest London marathon, didn’t love it! Only did another marathon after that to check if I hated all marathons or just London.

Have got a long deferred marathon on the 24th, think I should defer the 30miler ultra booked for the week after, I just haven’t done enough training.