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RUNNING TIPS
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______________________________________________________________________________________ YOUR FIRST 50K OR 50-MILE?
Compare Endurance Challenge races to other ultras to make sure you choose the right race for your ability level and training to better frame the difficulty of each course, we have compiled a list of other, well-known and well-established 50K and 50-Mile ultramarathon in the country that compare favorably to these Endurance Challenge events.
We have included some other races, which are similar in terms of elevation change and difficulty.
| ENDURANCE CHALLENGE EVENT | 50K | 50-MILE |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-Atlantic Regional Washington DC |
Promised Land 50K (VA) Strolling Jim 40 (TN) Nipmuck Trail Marathon (CT) Laurel Highlands 50K (PA) |
JFK 50 (MD) Tusseyback 50 (PA) Bull Run Run 50 (VA) Mountain Masochist 50 (VA) Mohican 50 (OH) |
| Midwest Regional Madison, WI |
Ice Age 50K (WI) H.U.F.F. 50K (IN) Strolling Jim 40 (TN) Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon (SD) |
Ice Age 50 (WI) McNaughton Park 50 (IL) Mohican 50 (OH) Kettle Moraine 38 (WI) |
| Championship – San Francisco, CA (Marin Headlands) |
Headlands 50K (CA) Diablo 50K (CA) Nine Trails 38 (CA) Bighorn 50K (WY) Quad Dipsea (CA) |
Ice Age 50 (WI) McNaughton Park 50 (IL) Mohican 50 (OH) Kettle Moraine 38 (WI) |
| Northwest Regional Seattle-Bellingham, WA |
Chuckanut 50K (WA) Bighorn 50K (WY) |
White River 50 (WA) Where’s Waldo 100K (OR) |
| New England Regional Bear Mountain, NY |
Escarpment Trail Run (NY) Mountain Mist 50K (AL) Stump Jump 50K (NC) |
Massanutten Mountain 100 (VA) Hellgate 100K (VA) Mount Mitchell 40 (NC) Zane Grey 50 (AZ) |
YOUR FIRST 10K OR HALF MARATHON?
Since many of our 10K and Half-Marathon runners are running their first-ever trail race, we encourage you to compare Endurance Challenge races to other ultras to make sure you choose the right race for your ability level and training Road runners tackling their first trail run at the Endurance Challenge are advised to visit the course ahead of time, practice running off-road, or run at least one trail race beforehand to have an accurate idea of what’s ahead.
ATHLETE TIPS
DO I NEED A COACH?The North Face® Athlete Tip - Kami Semick
"Everyone is different. Some people flourish with the advice of a coach, others don’t. If you choose to use a coach, I recommend working with your coach to come up with your "key work outs" over the course of a few weeks or a month. Then, work with your own rhythms to figure out when to execute on those key training days. Rigid schedules dictated by a coach can distance you from what you know about your body, how you are feeling on a given day, and how you can manage your schedule to fit in the best work-recover cycle."
WEARING A HEARTRATE MONITOR?
The North Face® Athlete Tip - Nikki Kimball
"Heart rate monitors can be helpful, particularly for those runners who aren’t otherwise able to control the intensity of their workouts. I used one throughout my training in high school and into college. During those years I trained with groups of athletes and found that, if not wearing a monitor, I often went too hard to achieve the goal of the workout. I believe some people use monitors to ensure they are training intensely enough in interval or speed sessions. But most people are more likely to have the problem of training too hard on their easy days. This common error leads to runners feeling flat at races and during their speed work, when high intensity is needed. It also increases the risk of injury. Slow days are meant to be slow. We need to recover before the next intensity session. If you find yourself feeling flat or tired on race day, or running too fast on recovery days, a heart rate monitor is a great tool for you. Once one has used a monitor for a while, s/he becomes more in tune to her body and recognizing how it feels to move at differing intensities. Once this occurs, the monitor may no longer be needed."
RUNNING FLAT-AND-FAST
The North Face® Athlete Tip - Kami Semick
"Practice your race pace. If you think you can handle eight-minute miles for 100K, then run at least 30 miles at that pace over similar terrain. Use tempo runs to increase your lactate threshold. For tempo runs, start at 20 minutes and build up to 45 minutes. If you can get on the track and stay out of the injury zone, then work on repeats spanning 800 – 1600 meters. Start with a total of around 3,000 meters (i.e., 4 x 800 = 3,200 meters) and work your way up to 10,000-meter total track workouts. For recovery between intervals on the track, I wait until my heart rate has dropped down to around 100. Sometimes that’s 20 seconds, sometimes it’s two minutes. I know I’m done when my times start to significantly slow down."
RUNNING IN THE DARK
The North Face® Athlete Tip - Diane Van Deren
"The key to running in the dark—whether before sunrise or after sunset—is using the correct lighting system to keep from injuring yourself. When I train at night, I use a headlamp with three or more LEDs plus a lamp that is strapped around my waist. This way I have more shadows on the trail and I’m able to measure the height of obstacles better. A reliable lighting system also results in less fatigue on the eyes. When running on the roads, you must wear reflective clothing. Make sure that not only you can see clearly but also they can see you!"
TRAINING FOR A MOUNTAIN COURSE
The North Face® Athlete Tip - Diane Van Deren
"Training for a mountain course it is best to train in the mountains itself. Then again, some runners don’t have this access to run in such terrain. Don’t worry – you can still find trails that mimic the hills and the course that will be run. Some runners use a treadmill with a steep incline to give them the feel of running uphill. It’s important to condition yourself for the uphills AND downhills. Practice how your footing is affected by running rocky terrain. In general, running a mountain course takes more energy and requires closer attention to the trail for footing. To me, running the mountain trails is always entertaining and being able to use all your senses when running captures the beauty of the sport."
POST-RACE RECOVERY
The North Face® Athlete Tip - Sam Thompson
My number one priority post-race is always calorie intake and lots of it. Typically I’m not that hungry after a race, but no matter how much I’ve eaten on the course I know my body is still operating at a huge deficit. So I munch down pretty much whatever high calorie food I can get my hands on immediately after a race and this helps a lot with my body staying strong and generally recovering more quickly.
Stretching is also very important post-race to aid in muscle recovery. I know it’s not the most appealing thing to do after you’ve been running hard for hours on end—but, man, what a difference it makes the next day. Even if I just muster up the energy to do a few basic yoga stretches, the difference is huge.
Lastly, I do definitely recommend as the ideal post-race recovery (if you can make it happen), getting a nice basic massage and then taking an ice bath from the waist down. A nice cold mountain stream can easily substitute for the ice bath and is a lot more pleasant. If it’s a cold winter race, I’d forego the ice bath though and just focus on staying warm."
