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Training advice

By no means is this meant to be a definitive, but purely reflects my brief thoughts of what a moderate runner might like to consider in preparing for this race.

Physical Training.

Physical fitness is the least of most racers problems in tackling an extreme ultra marathon of this nature. If you have entered the race you will undoubtedly already be physically fit (the alternative being mentally nuts).

Having said that, you can’t be too complacent and some serious training is necessary. Endurance is the fundamental block required and should generally be gauged by hours on your feet. A typical long run (but by no means the longest) in preparation for something like the 6633 ultra race will be 8-10 hours over the hills in boggy conditions carrying a light pack on your back. Whilst the boggy conditions might not exactly replicate the conditions you will experience in the Arctic, they will replicate in some way the hardship you will be enduring. Approaching the race, a typical weekend might comprise back to back 40+ mile wobbles.

Mental Training

This will undoubtedly run hand in hand with the physical training and to a degree with the systems element covered below. In basic terms you have got to be mentally prepared to suffer - and to suffer BIG time. The biggest mental barrier in this type of race is the solitude - it is not uncommon in Winter races to long periods without seeing human life and a good way to prepare for this is to go running for hours across the hills or through the woods in the middle of the night. You also need to be mentally prepared to deal with undoubted trials that present themselves during a race - whether these be things such as blisters, hypothermia, dehydration or any of the other million things that can go wrong during a race. T-he only way to prepare yourself for distance mentally is to get out on the mountains (as suggested above) and when the going gets tough just keep going for that extra 2-3 hours. It bloody hurts but it is your mental attitude that will carry you through and it is your mental strength that is being boosted from doing this.

With regards to the trials that will present themselves, spend as much time considering what type of problems will present themselves and go through the scenario time and time again in your head. What do you do if you sweat and subsequently get cold?? What are you going to do if your shoe laces break?? What if your sled breaks?? The list is endless but the more you have covered in your mind prior to going to the race the better prepared you will be. This will mean a lot of sleepless nights prior to the race while you toss and turn thinking about these situations - but that's not a problem (look at it as preparation for the sleep deprivation). The better prepared you are the stronger mentally you will be. This leads onto the 3rd aspect for preparing for the race.

Systems

What I mean by systems is that you must be well prepared prior to the race for all situations that might logically present themselves. There are a multitude of systems that need considering such as..

a) Racing schedule - how long do you want to go at a time?... how long do you want to rest at a time?.... how much do you want to run?

In preparing your racing schedule you will need to consider the terrain, the distance, the start time of the race and perhaps the most important - the distance between the checkpoints. Next you will need to break these items down ...

How long at a time you want to go depends a lot on how your training has gone. Over a multi-day race it is important to balance the periods on your feet and the periods of rest in between. You will no doubt find what is your optimum time on your feet is during training. Get to know your pace and your comfortable time on your feet and prepare to race accordingly.

How long do you want to rest at a time will depend on where you are in a race. Bear in mind that different length rests will offer different opportunities. A short rest of a couple hours may only offer you enough time to sleep for 1½ hours and perhaps sort your feet out. A longer rest will allow you to obviously sleep for a lot longer, will allow you to get perhaps 2 meals in your body (1 before a sleep and one after) and will give you ample time to sort you kit and your body out. This really isn't rocket science but I strongly recommend you consider what you are trying to achieve when you stop and when you want to stop. If you don't have a plan in mind it is very easy to make errors such as stopping earlier than is necessary, or not getting enough food inside you, or one of a hundred other things.

Finally in preparing your schedule you obviously must have regard for where the checkpoints are and what you want out of the checkpoints. Many racers use the checkpoints as an opportunity to have a rest. In some circumstances, doing the exact opposite may be advantageous - resting in peace and quiet a few miles either before or after a checkpoint rather than stopping at a checkpoint where it is going to be both busy and noisy and where you wont be able to make the most of a good rest. Giving prior thought to this aspect may give you an edge over your rivals.

b) Sleeping systems - Don't wait until you get to the race to think about how you are going to set up your sleeping system. Keep things simple and in order - the simple task of getting a sleeping bag and mattress out when you are knackered can become incredible taxing - think about it before you leave home, you wont regret it.

c) Eating - You want to consider when and how you are going to eat. There are two principle times that have a bearing on what you can eat. The first is to eat on the move. Basically the type of food that can be considered here is ready made food such as sweets, chocolates etc. These foods can be easily stored handily around your body and its strongly recommend to have a variety - both sweet and savoury.

The second type of food is that which can be prepared when you have stopped. Typically and very much for moral purposes hot food is recommended. But don't wait until you get out into the arena to find out that your stove melts into the snow when it gets hot - think the whole process through, think about sheltering the stove, think about the fuel you will be using, bear in mind that certain fuels will be hard to obtain in certain countries etc etc. Some fuels will struggle in extreme cold.

If you have planned you race well (see a. above) you can work out a daily menu with all your nibbles pre packed and handy and just your daily hot meals to hand.

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