Hi
A very quick update tonight. Had a great time down in Dorset for the Endurancelife Dorset Coastal Trail Marathon, and then the first of the Live More lecture series. The marathon was a great event over a spectacular course, with some great climbs and great views. I managed to finish first in a time of 3 hours 47 minutes for the 26.6 miles. My finish time giving an indication of the toughness of the course. I had company from the second place finisher Vincent Kemp for around 5 miles, and apart from that, sorry but I don't know any of the other results!
Last night I was the first presenter of the evening. The talk went really well, and a real shock I actually managed to keep to time! I was then followed by Tobias Mews & Phil Davis presenting on the Marathon de Sables, and to finish the evening Andrew Barker gave an account of his involvement in the Norseman Iron Distance Triathlon. Both talks really interesting and entertaining.
So a really enjoyable weekend. Race report to follow some time later this week.
Stuart
UltraStu - Millsy's Memories and Mutterings about Trail Running
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Delamere Spartans Weekend – A Bit More on the Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model
Hi,
Tonight is a quick recap on my visit to Cheshire last weekend, which involved two runs and a talk on trail running, as a guest of the Delamere Spartans running club In addition to reporting on my very enjoyable trip, I will expand a little bit more on my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model, which personally I feel has a lot of merit, and helps to understand what factors contribute to fatigue during endurance running, but more specifically the model provides some guidance on what training is needed to perform well in endurance trail races.
Last weekend my visit up north provided an opportunity to run over some new territory. Originally the plan was to run the 34 mile Sandstone Trail with Lakeland 100/50 runners Dave Douglas and Steve Mee. Unfortunately leading up to our planned long run, both of them picked up a minor injury, so a quick change of plan. Now a relay event, with me being the baton, being ‘passed’ between Delamere Spartan runners, as we completed the off-road journey from Whitchurch to Frodsham.
Before we knew it we had completed 10 enjoyable miles, where we were then joined by another Delamere Spartan runner, Paul. So for the next seven miles there were three of us running and discussing many aspects of trail running. The topic of performing to our expectations was raised, such as the fact that during racing, often the finishing time is quite close to the time predicted prior to the race. Was this due to being good at predicting/estimating our capabilities, OR was it due to our predictions/expectations determining the performance? It was reassuring to hear that Paul, like myself, strongly believed that the latter answer was the likely reason. I was therefore able to then expand a bit more on some of my more ‘radical’ ideas on trail running, being comfortable in knowing that he would be able to ‘take on’ my ideas as he was already thinking ‘outside of the box’.
Nick’s second aspect I felt that possibly needed attention was that it seemed as if he was always wanting to train more or to train harder. The idea that harder is better! I passed on my ideas about training pace, the importance of running relaxed, smooth, within a rhythm, just flowing along. Focusing on no tension, no ‘fighting’, just ‘cruisey’ enjoyable running. One of my reasons for this is that running easy and relaxed develops one’s running economy, the most import physiological measurement for endurance running. Then to illustrate just how hard he was working, as we were both wearing heart rate monitors, I said let’s compare our current heart rates, with me expecting that his heart rate would be significantly higher, closer to his maximum, than mine. Well so much for my theory, when comparing heart rates, mine was mega high, around 20 beats higher than his! Really strange, I quickly concluded that my reading must be faulty, perhaps giving incorrect data due to also picking up his heart rate. (It wasn’t until Monday morning that I later discovered what the cause of my high heart rate reading was.) We continued running along at a good pace. Although I wear a GPS/Heart Rate monitor during races and ‘special’ training runs, I never look at the display during the race/run, so I didn’t check to see if the heart rate reading had returned back to normal, but I did find that the high reading was ‘pestering me’ a wee bit in the back of my mind!
I did notice when we passed the marathon mark, I recall in around 4 hours 5 minutes, and then shortly after this we reached the next ‘baton change’. Well not actually a change this time, as Nick was running all the way to the end, but we were joined by another Andy for the final seven miles. Andy was a relatively new runner, recently getting into racing, having raced a 17 mile race along the Sandstone trail. He was however really keen to challenge himself and to run further. With the three of us running and chatting along, the pace slowed a wee bit. Then as we began climbing a small hill, the high heart rate reading finally got to me. How could it be so high when I was finding the running pace really easy, just basically cruising? Maybe I wasn’t really cruising, maybe I couldn’t pick up the pace? Amazing how easy it is for one to question one’s current state of fitness, to potentially lose confidence. So as we made our way up the short climb, I significantly upped the intensity to reassure myself that all was fine. Probably not the most friendly thing to do, considering Nick had been guiding me along the trail for the last 15 miles. I could see the top of the hill, and decided to work hard to the top, even though both Nick and Andy had dropped behind, hoping that they wouldn’t think too ‘poorly’ of me for leaving them behind! Anyway, I got to the top of the short climb, happy that I was able to easily increase the pace, and both Nick and Andy didn’t seem too upset with me, well at least they didn’t express it! A few moments later we were joined by Steve Mee, who had organised the whole weekend. Although he had a dodgy heel/achilles, he had decided to run out from Frodsham to meet us and then join us for the final 2 miles back to the finish. We dropped down into Frodsham, for a total of 34.11 miles in an overall time of 5 hours and 25 minutes.
The next part of the weekend was my talk titled “Ultra Trail Running: Enjoying the Overall Experience - The Importance of TOTAL Preparation”, to take place in a local community centre which started with pre-race drinks at 7:00pm. The event had been well publicised so by the time my talk was set to start, the venue was pretty full with there being more than 60 runners present. The plan was to speak for 45 minutes about my 2009 and 2011 Ultra Trail Mont Blanc experiences, then a drinks break, before a further 45 minutes where I would explain some of my ‘out of the box’ ideas with the use of my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model, which I introduced within my previous blog post.
Millet 2011 Flush Model
Like Tucker’s model, Millet’s model, titled the Flush Model, also has the point at which the maximum RPE is obtained as the point at which fatigue occurs. Again it is surprising that he uses this flawed concept! Maybe their lack of understanding of fatigue during endurance events is due to that maybe they haven’t raced a long ultra trail event. (Ross or Guillaume, if by some chance you are reading this blog, please leave a comment to let us know whether you have run a long ultra trail race). Also if any of you readers out there know these two guys, please forward them the link, as it would be great to get some feedback from the ‘world leaders’ on this topic, not from just an amateur blogger like myself!
I think every runner who has run an ultra trail race will confirm, that during the latter stages, even though they are running at nowhere near maximal levels of RPE, they are fatigued, they cannot run any quicker, barely any faster that a walk/very slow jog, even though there is a strong desire to run faster. So the idea that it is the attainment of a high RPE that causes fatigue is clearly flawed, hence why my model has a different concept that causes fatigue during endurance events, i.e. Race Focus Energy (RFE). It is once you have depleted your ‘tank’ of RFE, that you are then unable to maintain a running pace that is above your RFE threshold, hence why you have to resort to a walk/very slow jog.
So during the second half of my talk last weekend I attempted to explain my new RFE fatigue model. Although, now becoming a repeated occurrence, I again ran well over time, with my predicted finishing time being far too ambitious! However, even with the longer than expected duration, the audience appeared to retain focus on my content, so hopefully they were able to take it all on board. To aid those runners present last weekend, and to help explain my model in a little more detail, I have pasted below a number of the key slides from the presentation (slightly modified, i.e. with a bit more text). If there are aspects that are confusing or need explaining, please leave a comment / zap me an e-mail.
The final event of the weekend was an easy group run within Delamere forest on the Sunday morning. At 9:00am a group of seven runners met and we cruised along at an easy pace for a little over an hour, providing another great opportunity to chat to keen runners, and to discuss different ideas about endurance running. One of the great things about endurance running, especially ultra trail running, is that so little is known, and it is always a process of continued learning from oneself and from others. As I boarded the train for the long journey south, back to East Sussex, I felt rather tired, but it wasn’t until early the next morning, when the mystery behind the high heart rate reading was resolved.
Yes, I awoke early Monday morning being violently ill. Strange as it may seem, but being quite ill, having to spend the entire day in bed, was quite reassuring. Having such a high heart rate during Saturday’s Sandstone Trail run, which I thought was a run at a pretty comfortable pace, was a little bit concerning. It was beginning to ‘nag’ at my self confidence. Not having done that much running since the UTMB back in August, I was aware that physiologically my fitness may be down a wee bit, but it still amazes me, just how easy it is too let ‘technology’ erode one’s self confidence. Saturday’s run felt easy, but I wasn’t aware that my body was already in the process of trying to deal with some form of illness, hence the elevated heart rate, which surprisingly resulted in me questioning my current level of fitness. The first sign of negativity, and if you know from my previous posts, negativity is the cause of poor performance. Good thing I was ill on Monday then!
So pasted below are a few slides that illustrate my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model. I however recommend that you read the relevant section within my previous post titled Beachy Head Marathon Illustration of the Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model that contains a bit more commentary, if you haven't already previously. Following the slides are my responses to a number of questions that I have been asked either via comments, e-mail, or during last Saturday night's presentation.
Remember the RFE Fatigue has three key aspects to it to improve performance: (i) ensuring your RFE tank is large/full prior to the race and topping it up during the race, and (ii) reducing the level of RPE for the required running pace, and (iii) reducing the demand of RPE on RFE.
For (i) the key aspect is to focus on yourself. Your goals should be worded/structured in that they are something you have control over. Having a goal of winning a race is not a good goal as it is largely out of your control. If Killian Jornet or Liz Hawker turns up at your race, you are not going to be able to achieve your goal. So the goal should be something like 'performing to your best'. Yes, very vague, but you then need to define what your best means, either in terms of remaining totally focused and positive throughout the race, or in terms of prior to the race, based on various bits of positive evidence you can access, your expected finish times for the overall race and for each leg. Please note that although it is useful to formulate these positive split times / race time prior to the race, if possible I would encourage you not to focus on them during the actual race. The split times / race time strategy is there in order to allow some information about the likely demands of the race to enter your sub-conscious level. I have become to realise that having these times ready at your conscious level and focusing on them during the race in the majority of times leads to negative thoughts. Either that you are going slower than expected, or that you are going faster than expected, so then slow yourself down, or maintain the same quick pace but are then waiting for / expecting to 'blow up'! It takes quite a bit of confidence to not focus on the split times as you have spent quite some time and effort formulating them. However worth giving it a try. Try not to look at the times during the last few days. You will find that you are not totally running blind as during the race you will recall the approximate time that you were scheduled to pass the checkpoint, however, without the knowledge of the exact time, the negativity seems to be 'kept at bay'.
Phew, a long response to part one of my reply, and I was hoping for an early night tonight!
Both before and during the race it is possible to top-up your energy tank, but also possible to top-up your opponent's energy tank, simply through expectations. If you have this expectation that your opponent / fellow competitors are better / more capable than you, then you simply thinking this will be 'picked up' by them. You don't have to say anything, they will just feel your thoughts, the way you look at them, the way you position yourself around them, the way you run next to them or behind them. Even though on paper, it may appear that they are more capable than you, as mentioned in the above paragraph focus on yourself, focus on what you are planning to achieve.
I will have two examples to illustrate this boosting / not boosting the RFE tank of fellow competitors. The first example is based on my experience at the IAU World Ultra Trail Champs earlier this year in Connemara Ireland. On paper I was the fifth ranked member of the five man Great Britain team. On the UK Athletics website, the team was even listed in ranking order, with me at the bottom, rather than I think the more acceptable alphabetical order! However, preparing for the race I focused on my capabilities, my strengths my race goals. Not focusing on the fact that I was fifth ranked GB. Then I clearly remember just prior to the start, leaving the rest of the GB team, wishing then well as I headed off to the front of the field, ready to do my usual rapid race start. The feeling I sensed from my other team mates boosted my RFE tank. It felt as if even though my planned fast start was most likely perceived as foolish, they seemed to respect my determination or foolishness to give it a try. Either way I interpreted their subconscious response as a confidence boost, and if you have seen the video of the race on You Tube (refer to one of my previous posts), you will see that my fast start paid off, with me finishing 15th overall and first GB runner across the line.
The second example is from chatting with Jono Wyatt (multiple world mountain running champion) and kiwi Kim Rodley who lives in Austria, who both happen to be running club mates from my running club back in New Zealand, Hutt Valley Harriers. I recall back in 2004 whilst staying with Kim for a week while at the same time as Jono, chatting about the pre-race atmosphere at the races that Jono raced at within Europe. At the time Jono, I think had been unbeaten in an uphill only mountain race for around 5 years, and Kim commented how it appeared that all of the other competitors simply looked up to and treated Jono like a 'running god'. Not only this, Kim really noticed how come race day Jono's confidence will dramatically rise, even if his confidence had been a bit down due to less than ideal training. Around 2003/2004 Jono was spending quite a bit of time training and racing whilst staying with Kim, as Kim's location was ideal. within the Leutasch Valley in Austria at around 1200 metres altitude. So Kim observed this boost to Jono's RFE tank immediately prior to the race on many occasions. One day I remember discussing this phenomenon with Jono. Although he didn't directly agree with the description of 'god like' status he was being given my fellow competitors, he did acknowledge that the manner in which the fellow competitors responded to his presence was definitely aiding his performance. I remember thinking way back then, that perhaps his massive unbeaten streak was perhaps partly due to the fact that the other competitors just expected to be beaten by him, and at the time back in 2004, I was your typical runner who thought race performance was all to do with physical genes and training. So unfortunately those 'out of box' thoughts disappeared for and didn't resurface for around another 3 - 4 years, when I started spending more time questioning the whole running performance aspect!
I could go on a bit more about how during the race your expectations can be sensed by other runners, but I think time for the next question, this time via e-mail from Neil in South Africa. His questions follow:
"While I think I understand your model, my question relates to your mileage. I note that compared to other ultra runners your mileage is relatively low. Do you have any particular reason for this? I.e. belief that it is better/best? Do you believe that if you ran more mileage that you’d be a better/stronger runner? Lastly (in this regard) how do you do your mileage? Do you train in different (HR) zones? Or always fast or slow?"
Not sure where to start, so I will just type! Firstly my mileage is low relative to other ultra runners as I believe my RFE Fatigue Model clearly demonstrates that ultra trail running performance is determined by so much more than physical training. I was recently asked approximately how much time do I spend of my training doing traditional physical training and how much time do I spend doing other training, what most people classify as mental. I try not to separate the two, as I see it all as TOTAL training, but if I had to, I was say it would be around a 40 : 60 split, with the 40 being physical. So on paper it appears that my weekly training mileage is low, typically around 40 miles per week. If you take into account that this represents only 40% of my training, then in reality I am equivalent to a 100 mile a week mileage trainer, which I think would make some other runners feel more comfortable, as I sometime sense that sometimes other runners feel uncomfortable in the way that I seem able to perform on such limited training. Hopefully now, taking on board all the other training I do, to contribute to my TOTAL training, there wont be a sense that somehow I am 'cheating the system'! What does this other training consist of? Well I haven't got time to explain tonight, otherwise I'll never get to bed, but mainly research on the race and on myself, including extensive visualisations of all possible race expectations.
Would running more mileage make me a better/stronger runner? I have given this quite a bit of thought over the last two years. As much as I believe my ideas are sound, it does take a lot of confidence to not just follow everyone else. No other ultra trail runners, performing at a level similar to me, appear to be doing such minimal physical training. So in some ways, during the last two years I have 'conceded' that maybe more is needed, with my weekly mileage leading up to each 100 mile key race in 2009, 2010 and 2011 increasing from 34.5 to 46.3 to 51.7 miles per week respectively. Has my performance improved? I would clearly say no. I would consider my 2009 UTMB result easily my best performance out of my key race for the year over the last three years. So the intention for next year, is to reduce the weekly physical training.
Why is physical training not so important then? Well if you look at my RFE Fatigue model, you will see that physical training only inputs into the model in one place, this being to the left of the model, as being one of the key factors that determines one's rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Yes, RPE is a key component of the model, and the lower the RPE due to improved physical fitness the better the overall performance. But when you look at all of the other factors / variables within the RFE Fatigue model you become to appreciate, that this physical fitness just isn't the 'end all' factor determining ultra trail run performance.
Then if one looks a little bit 'deeper' into what physical training actually achieves, hopefully you will begin to understand why I train the way I do. Simply put, there are three physical variables that contribute to physical fitness: VO2 max, lactate threshold, running economy. (Search around my blog to see detailed posts on this topic). A quick review of any literature will clearly show that VO2max initially improves during the initial years of endurance training, reaches a level, and then stays constant regardless of what further training one does, and more importantly regardless of how much better the running performances become. Paula Radcliffe is probably the best example to illustrate this. There have been some really interesting articles written by Professor Andy Jones, her physiologist for nearly 20 years, now at Exeter University, but formerly from Brighton University. He has demonstrated that over the years her VO2max has not changed at all, even though her performances massively improved, to record the absolutely amazing 2:15 marathon time back in 2003! So to summarise, it doesn't really matter what physical training you do, your VO2 max wont change much, as long as you keep on doing sufficient training.
The second component, wont take long to explain; i.e. lactate threshold, this has absolutely nothing to do with ultra trail race performance, as the race intensity is way below all athlete's lactate threshold for the vast majority of the race. So not even worth typing any more words on this aspect.
The third and final variable is running economy. Now what is the best training to improve this? Well within the literature, apart form the fact that running economy continues to improve year after year, therefore indicating that it has something to do with the total number of miles every run, very little else is actually known regarding what training is most beneficial. If anyone is able to highlight an article that does, I will welcome reading it. So the interesting point is that the more miles you have totally run the better your running economy. This would seem to suggest that you should then perform mega mega miles per week, the more the better. However, not that easy, as this is likely to overstress the body and mind, and deplete the RFE tank prior to the race. My approach is to let my increase in running years be an advantage. Having been a runner for 34 years, I am getting close to 40,000 miles in total. Whether I run 2000 miles a year (40 miles per week, or 5000 miles a year (100 miles a week), within that actual year it wont make much difference to my overall mileage, i.e. 42,000 versus 45,000 miles. I guess the difference is around a 6% difference, but I doubt the increase in running economy is still linear with mileage increases after this many miles run. As with most variables, the curve has probably pretty well plateaued out!
Just one last aspect to finish on, the pace/intensity of the miles I run? Well as highlighted above, very little is know within the literature on what intensity is most beneficial for improving running economy. My 'gut feeling' and that is all it is, simply a gut feeling from 34 years of running, is that running economy is best improved my running relaxed, rhythmically, easy, within a flow, with minimal tension, no forcing, no fighting. Hence why the majority of my runs are just this, usually around 8 - 8:30 minute mile rate. This isn't every run, I do do the occasional quicker run or sections of runs at 6:00 minute mile rate. But this is more a technique requirement, needed to remind myself how to actually run fast. And remember if we are talking about fast, for ultra trail running, a pace of 8 minute mile rate for 100 miles will win every ultra race, beating everyone including Killian Jornet or Liz Hawker! So in terms of race specific training maybe my easy relaxed rhythmical training pace has some actual merit. Definitely worth giving it some thought.
Well, yes another ultra effort! Just remember that you can log reading this blog post in your training diary. Hopefully heaps more effective than 'fighting' repeatedly up some hill, or 'red lining it' on some tempo run!
Time for a quick signing off quote. "Never accept the normal as correct, always question rather than follow!" Stuart Mills, 2011.
Hopefully my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model is a little clearer.
On a final note, I would just like to thank Steve and Mitch Mee and the runners from Delamere Spartan Running Club for making me feel so welcome and organising such an enjoyable weekend last week. If any of you are ever down in East Sussex. please give me a shout and I will repay the hospitality.
Thanks,
Stuart
Tonight is a quick recap on my visit to Cheshire last weekend, which involved two runs and a talk on trail running, as a guest of the Delamere Spartans running club In addition to reporting on my very enjoyable trip, I will expand a little bit more on my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model, which personally I feel has a lot of merit, and helps to understand what factors contribute to fatigue during endurance running, but more specifically the model provides some guidance on what training is needed to perform well in endurance trail races.
Last weekend my visit up north provided an opportunity to run over some new territory. Originally the plan was to run the 34 mile Sandstone Trail with Lakeland 100/50 runners Dave Douglas and Steve Mee. Unfortunately leading up to our planned long run, both of them picked up a minor injury, so a quick change of plan. Now a relay event, with me being the baton, being ‘passed’ between Delamere Spartan runners, as we completed the off-road journey from Whitchurch to Frodsham.
With Andy at the Start at Whitchurch
At 9:05am I departed Whitchurch with Andy Ashton, a new recruit to ultra running having completed the Sandstone Trail race back in May in a time of exactly 6 hours. As I wasn’t aware of his current fitness I let Andy set the pace. The first few miles were flat as we ran along a canal path, and then across fields. We were going along quite well (GPS data indicating around 7:30 miles, click the following link to view on GarminConnect http://connect.garmin.com/activity/130306727), a comfortable pace, therefore plenty of chat. We started discussing our approaches to training including training pace. I mentioned to Andy that my typical training pace was slower than what we were currently running at. Andy seemed shocked at the thought that I typically trained at a slower pace, so in order to not ‘work me too hard’ he therefore asked if I would like him to slow the pace down a wee bit. I thanked him for his concern, but reassured him that although I did typically run at a slower pace, it was because I chose to not because I had to, and that I was confident I would be able to handle whatever pace he chose to run. It doesn’t seem so ‘funny’ typing it up now, but at the time it was one of those moments on the run that you remember!Before we knew it we had completed 10 enjoyable miles, where we were then joined by another Delamere Spartan runner, Paul. So for the next seven miles there were three of us running and discussing many aspects of trail running. The topic of performing to our expectations was raised, such as the fact that during racing, often the finishing time is quite close to the time predicted prior to the race. Was this due to being good at predicting/estimating our capabilities, OR was it due to our predictions/expectations determining the performance? It was reassuring to hear that Paul, like myself, strongly believed that the latter answer was the likely reason. I was therefore able to then expand a bit more on some of my more ‘radical’ ideas on trail running, being comfortable in knowing that he would be able to ‘take on’ my ideas as he was already thinking ‘outside of the box’.
From the left of the photo - Nick, Andy, Me and Paul at the 17 mile 'Baton Change'
At 17 miles, Andy stopped, but we were joined by Nick who was going to run with me for the remaining 17 miles. After a short break, and another photo shot, we continued along the trail. A few miles later, Paul left the trail to run home, so it provided an opportunity to discover more about Nick. He has been a runner for 20+ years, with a PB for a half-marathon of 1:18. However, he hadn’t broken 3 hours for a marathon! We discussed his training and racing, and based on a few miles of conversation I felt there were potentially two aspects that were holding him back. One, he tended to be a bit ‘hung up’ with his watch, GPS, heart rate monitor. I proposed to him that the fact he was running consistent half marathon times, quite a few minutes slower that he ‘wanted’, was that his watch was limiting him. It appeared that he performed loads better in off-trail races, when mile times are meaningless, compared to road races when he kept on checking on his split times. I suggested that he does a half marathon not wearing a watch, and away from home, so he would not be able to compare his race position to other runners, and so completely run the race by feel. He would then be able to simply enjoy the race, enjoy the actual journey, enjoy the feeling of running fast, without any worry about his split times along the way. He felt there was some possible merit to my suggestion, so he was willing to give it a go, and will keep me posted. Nick’s second aspect I felt that possibly needed attention was that it seemed as if he was always wanting to train more or to train harder. The idea that harder is better! I passed on my ideas about training pace, the importance of running relaxed, smooth, within a rhythm, just flowing along. Focusing on no tension, no ‘fighting’, just ‘cruisey’ enjoyable running. One of my reasons for this is that running easy and relaxed develops one’s running economy, the most import physiological measurement for endurance running. Then to illustrate just how hard he was working, as we were both wearing heart rate monitors, I said let’s compare our current heart rates, with me expecting that his heart rate would be significantly higher, closer to his maximum, than mine. Well so much for my theory, when comparing heart rates, mine was mega high, around 20 beats higher than his! Really strange, I quickly concluded that my reading must be faulty, perhaps giving incorrect data due to also picking up his heart rate. (It wasn’t until Monday morning that I later discovered what the cause of my high heart rate reading was.) We continued running along at a good pace. Although I wear a GPS/Heart Rate monitor during races and ‘special’ training runs, I never look at the display during the race/run, so I didn’t check to see if the heart rate reading had returned back to normal, but I did find that the high reading was ‘pestering me’ a wee bit in the back of my mind!
At the 27 Mile Mark - Andy, Me and Nick
I did notice when we passed the marathon mark, I recall in around 4 hours 5 minutes, and then shortly after this we reached the next ‘baton change’. Well not actually a change this time, as Nick was running all the way to the end, but we were joined by another Andy for the final seven miles. Andy was a relatively new runner, recently getting into racing, having raced a 17 mile race along the Sandstone trail. He was however really keen to challenge himself and to run further. With the three of us running and chatting along, the pace slowed a wee bit. Then as we began climbing a small hill, the high heart rate reading finally got to me. How could it be so high when I was finding the running pace really easy, just basically cruising? Maybe I wasn’t really cruising, maybe I couldn’t pick up the pace? Amazing how easy it is for one to question one’s current state of fitness, to potentially lose confidence. So as we made our way up the short climb, I significantly upped the intensity to reassure myself that all was fine. Probably not the most friendly thing to do, considering Nick had been guiding me along the trail for the last 15 miles. I could see the top of the hill, and decided to work hard to the top, even though both Nick and Andy had dropped behind, hoping that they wouldn’t think too ‘poorly’ of me for leaving them behind! Anyway, I got to the top of the short climb, happy that I was able to easily increase the pace, and both Nick and Andy didn’t seem too upset with me, well at least they didn’t express it! A few moments later we were joined by Steve Mee, who had organised the whole weekend. Although he had a dodgy heel/achilles, he had decided to run out from Frodsham to meet us and then join us for the final 2 miles back to the finish. We dropped down into Frodsham, for a total of 34.11 miles in an overall time of 5 hours and 25 minutes.
Andy, Me and Nick at the Trail End at Frodsham
The next part of the weekend was my talk titled “Ultra Trail Running: Enjoying the Overall Experience - The Importance of TOTAL Preparation”, to take place in a local community centre which started with pre-race drinks at 7:00pm. The event had been well publicised so by the time my talk was set to start, the venue was pretty full with there being more than 60 runners present. The plan was to speak for 45 minutes about my 2009 and 2011 Ultra Trail Mont Blanc experiences, then a drinks break, before a further 45 minutes where I would explain some of my ‘out of the box’ ideas with the use of my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model, which I introduced within my previous blog post.
In Action - Explaining the Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model
Following my previous post, Baz left a comment stating that my model sound similar to the "Anticipatory Regulation" mechanism or specifically the Anticipatory Feedback model proposed by Dr Ross Tucker in 2009. I hadn’t heard of this model, so I immediately searched for it within the literature. One advantage of working in academia is that we have direct access to nearly all of the scientific journal articles, so I was able to find and read the article. Due to copyright laws I am unable to paste the complete article, however, pasted below is his model.
Tucker 2009 Anticipatory Feedback Model
The overall article is quite interesting, and I find myself agreeing with most of his comments, i.e. it is sensations within the brain that cause fatigue, although I feel that his model has one fundamental flaw. His model is based on the idea that fatigue occurs, i.e. you slow down during endurance events, when your RPE (rating of perceived exertion) reaches maximal levels. It is surprising that his model is based on this concept, as there is research out there that shows that as the duration of the exercise to exhaustion increases, the RPE at exhaustion decreases, e.g. for an exercise duration of 94 minutes the RPE at exhaustion was only 87% of the maximum RPE value obtained for the same subjects during a maximal test, and for the duration of 45 minutes the RPE at exhaustion was only at 98% (Pires, et al, 2011). Whilst searching the literature I also came across another newly developed model by another well respected sport and exercise science Professor Guillaume Millet (2011). 
Like Tucker’s model, Millet’s model, titled the Flush Model, also has the point at which the maximum RPE is obtained as the point at which fatigue occurs. Again it is surprising that he uses this flawed concept! Maybe their lack of understanding of fatigue during endurance events is due to that maybe they haven’t raced a long ultra trail event. (Ross or Guillaume, if by some chance you are reading this blog, please leave a comment to let us know whether you have run a long ultra trail race). Also if any of you readers out there know these two guys, please forward them the link, as it would be great to get some feedback from the ‘world leaders’ on this topic, not from just an amateur blogger like myself!
I think every runner who has run an ultra trail race will confirm, that during the latter stages, even though they are running at nowhere near maximal levels of RPE, they are fatigued, they cannot run any quicker, barely any faster that a walk/very slow jog, even though there is a strong desire to run faster. So the idea that it is the attainment of a high RPE that causes fatigue is clearly flawed, hence why my model has a different concept that causes fatigue during endurance events, i.e. Race Focus Energy (RFE). It is once you have depleted your ‘tank’ of RFE, that you are then unable to maintain a running pace that is above your RFE threshold, hence why you have to resort to a walk/very slow jog.
So during the second half of my talk last weekend I attempted to explain my new RFE fatigue model. Although, now becoming a repeated occurrence, I again ran well over time, with my predicted finishing time being far too ambitious! However, even with the longer than expected duration, the audience appeared to retain focus on my content, so hopefully they were able to take it all on board. To aid those runners present last weekend, and to help explain my model in a little more detail, I have pasted below a number of the key slides from the presentation (slightly modified, i.e. with a bit more text). If there are aspects that are confusing or need explaining, please leave a comment / zap me an e-mail.
Group Run Sunday Morning Delamere Forest
Yes, I awoke early Monday morning being violently ill. Strange as it may seem, but being quite ill, having to spend the entire day in bed, was quite reassuring. Having such a high heart rate during Saturday’s Sandstone Trail run, which I thought was a run at a pretty comfortable pace, was a little bit concerning. It was beginning to ‘nag’ at my self confidence. Not having done that much running since the UTMB back in August, I was aware that physiologically my fitness may be down a wee bit, but it still amazes me, just how easy it is too let ‘technology’ erode one’s self confidence. Saturday’s run felt easy, but I wasn’t aware that my body was already in the process of trying to deal with some form of illness, hence the elevated heart rate, which surprisingly resulted in me questioning my current level of fitness. The first sign of negativity, and if you know from my previous posts, negativity is the cause of poor performance. Good thing I was ill on Monday then!
So pasted below are a few slides that illustrate my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model. I however recommend that you read the relevant section within my previous post titled Beachy Head Marathon Illustration of the Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model that contains a bit more commentary, if you haven't already previously. Following the slides are my responses to a number of questions that I have been asked either via comments, e-mail, or during last Saturday night's presentation.
The Overall Model with the RPE-RFE Arrow Pointing Up or Down
The RPE Portion of the Model
The RFE Level Portion of the Model
The Muscle Activation Portion of the Model
A Summary Slide Illustrating the Integration of the Body and Mind (Physical and Mental)
The first question I will respond to is a comment left by Paul to my last post: "How do you ensure your RFE is as high as possible when you may be going into a race with 1 or 2 individuals who have shown some fantastic race form and are on paper more likely to perform at a higher level?"
Remember the RFE Fatigue has three key aspects to it to improve performance: (i) ensuring your RFE tank is large/full prior to the race and topping it up during the race, and (ii) reducing the level of RPE for the required running pace, and (iii) reducing the demand of RPE on RFE.
For (i) the key aspect is to focus on yourself. Your goals should be worded/structured in that they are something you have control over. Having a goal of winning a race is not a good goal as it is largely out of your control. If Killian Jornet or Liz Hawker turns up at your race, you are not going to be able to achieve your goal. So the goal should be something like 'performing to your best'. Yes, very vague, but you then need to define what your best means, either in terms of remaining totally focused and positive throughout the race, or in terms of prior to the race, based on various bits of positive evidence you can access, your expected finish times for the overall race and for each leg. Please note that although it is useful to formulate these positive split times / race time prior to the race, if possible I would encourage you not to focus on them during the actual race. The split times / race time strategy is there in order to allow some information about the likely demands of the race to enter your sub-conscious level. I have become to realise that having these times ready at your conscious level and focusing on them during the race in the majority of times leads to negative thoughts. Either that you are going slower than expected, or that you are going faster than expected, so then slow yourself down, or maintain the same quick pace but are then waiting for / expecting to 'blow up'! It takes quite a bit of confidence to not focus on the split times as you have spent quite some time and effort formulating them. However worth giving it a try. Try not to look at the times during the last few days. You will find that you are not totally running blind as during the race you will recall the approximate time that you were scheduled to pass the checkpoint, however, without the knowledge of the exact time, the negativity seems to be 'kept at bay'.
Phew, a long response to part one of my reply, and I was hoping for an early night tonight!
Both before and during the race it is possible to top-up your energy tank, but also possible to top-up your opponent's energy tank, simply through expectations. If you have this expectation that your opponent / fellow competitors are better / more capable than you, then you simply thinking this will be 'picked up' by them. You don't have to say anything, they will just feel your thoughts, the way you look at them, the way you position yourself around them, the way you run next to them or behind them. Even though on paper, it may appear that they are more capable than you, as mentioned in the above paragraph focus on yourself, focus on what you are planning to achieve.
I will have two examples to illustrate this boosting / not boosting the RFE tank of fellow competitors. The first example is based on my experience at the IAU World Ultra Trail Champs earlier this year in Connemara Ireland. On paper I was the fifth ranked member of the five man Great Britain team. On the UK Athletics website, the team was even listed in ranking order, with me at the bottom, rather than I think the more acceptable alphabetical order! However, preparing for the race I focused on my capabilities, my strengths my race goals. Not focusing on the fact that I was fifth ranked GB. Then I clearly remember just prior to the start, leaving the rest of the GB team, wishing then well as I headed off to the front of the field, ready to do my usual rapid race start. The feeling I sensed from my other team mates boosted my RFE tank. It felt as if even though my planned fast start was most likely perceived as foolish, they seemed to respect my determination or foolishness to give it a try. Either way I interpreted their subconscious response as a confidence boost, and if you have seen the video of the race on You Tube (refer to one of my previous posts), you will see that my fast start paid off, with me finishing 15th overall and first GB runner across the line.
The second example is from chatting with Jono Wyatt (multiple world mountain running champion) and kiwi Kim Rodley who lives in Austria, who both happen to be running club mates from my running club back in New Zealand, Hutt Valley Harriers. I recall back in 2004 whilst staying with Kim for a week while at the same time as Jono, chatting about the pre-race atmosphere at the races that Jono raced at within Europe. At the time Jono, I think had been unbeaten in an uphill only mountain race for around 5 years, and Kim commented how it appeared that all of the other competitors simply looked up to and treated Jono like a 'running god'. Not only this, Kim really noticed how come race day Jono's confidence will dramatically rise, even if his confidence had been a bit down due to less than ideal training. Around 2003/2004 Jono was spending quite a bit of time training and racing whilst staying with Kim, as Kim's location was ideal. within the Leutasch Valley in Austria at around 1200 metres altitude. So Kim observed this boost to Jono's RFE tank immediately prior to the race on many occasions. One day I remember discussing this phenomenon with Jono. Although he didn't directly agree with the description of 'god like' status he was being given my fellow competitors, he did acknowledge that the manner in which the fellow competitors responded to his presence was definitely aiding his performance. I remember thinking way back then, that perhaps his massive unbeaten streak was perhaps partly due to the fact that the other competitors just expected to be beaten by him, and at the time back in 2004, I was your typical runner who thought race performance was all to do with physical genes and training. So unfortunately those 'out of box' thoughts disappeared for and didn't resurface for around another 3 - 4 years, when I started spending more time questioning the whole running performance aspect!
I could go on a bit more about how during the race your expectations can be sensed by other runners, but I think time for the next question, this time via e-mail from Neil in South Africa. His questions follow:
"While I think I understand your model, my question relates to your mileage. I note that compared to other ultra runners your mileage is relatively low. Do you have any particular reason for this? I.e. belief that it is better/best? Do you believe that if you ran more mileage that you’d be a better/stronger runner? Lastly (in this regard) how do you do your mileage? Do you train in different (HR) zones? Or always fast or slow?"
Not sure where to start, so I will just type! Firstly my mileage is low relative to other ultra runners as I believe my RFE Fatigue Model clearly demonstrates that ultra trail running performance is determined by so much more than physical training. I was recently asked approximately how much time do I spend of my training doing traditional physical training and how much time do I spend doing other training, what most people classify as mental. I try not to separate the two, as I see it all as TOTAL training, but if I had to, I was say it would be around a 40 : 60 split, with the 40 being physical. So on paper it appears that my weekly training mileage is low, typically around 40 miles per week. If you take into account that this represents only 40% of my training, then in reality I am equivalent to a 100 mile a week mileage trainer, which I think would make some other runners feel more comfortable, as I sometime sense that sometimes other runners feel uncomfortable in the way that I seem able to perform on such limited training. Hopefully now, taking on board all the other training I do, to contribute to my TOTAL training, there wont be a sense that somehow I am 'cheating the system'! What does this other training consist of? Well I haven't got time to explain tonight, otherwise I'll never get to bed, but mainly research on the race and on myself, including extensive visualisations of all possible race expectations.
Would running more mileage make me a better/stronger runner? I have given this quite a bit of thought over the last two years. As much as I believe my ideas are sound, it does take a lot of confidence to not just follow everyone else. No other ultra trail runners, performing at a level similar to me, appear to be doing such minimal physical training. So in some ways, during the last two years I have 'conceded' that maybe more is needed, with my weekly mileage leading up to each 100 mile key race in 2009, 2010 and 2011 increasing from 34.5 to 46.3 to 51.7 miles per week respectively. Has my performance improved? I would clearly say no. I would consider my 2009 UTMB result easily my best performance out of my key race for the year over the last three years. So the intention for next year, is to reduce the weekly physical training.
Why is physical training not so important then? Well if you look at my RFE Fatigue model, you will see that physical training only inputs into the model in one place, this being to the left of the model, as being one of the key factors that determines one's rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Yes, RPE is a key component of the model, and the lower the RPE due to improved physical fitness the better the overall performance. But when you look at all of the other factors / variables within the RFE Fatigue model you become to appreciate, that this physical fitness just isn't the 'end all' factor determining ultra trail run performance.
Then if one looks a little bit 'deeper' into what physical training actually achieves, hopefully you will begin to understand why I train the way I do. Simply put, there are three physical variables that contribute to physical fitness: VO2 max, lactate threshold, running economy. (Search around my blog to see detailed posts on this topic). A quick review of any literature will clearly show that VO2max initially improves during the initial years of endurance training, reaches a level, and then stays constant regardless of what further training one does, and more importantly regardless of how much better the running performances become. Paula Radcliffe is probably the best example to illustrate this. There have been some really interesting articles written by Professor Andy Jones, her physiologist for nearly 20 years, now at Exeter University, but formerly from Brighton University. He has demonstrated that over the years her VO2max has not changed at all, even though her performances massively improved, to record the absolutely amazing 2:15 marathon time back in 2003! So to summarise, it doesn't really matter what physical training you do, your VO2 max wont change much, as long as you keep on doing sufficient training.
The second component, wont take long to explain; i.e. lactate threshold, this has absolutely nothing to do with ultra trail race performance, as the race intensity is way below all athlete's lactate threshold for the vast majority of the race. So not even worth typing any more words on this aspect.
The third and final variable is running economy. Now what is the best training to improve this? Well within the literature, apart form the fact that running economy continues to improve year after year, therefore indicating that it has something to do with the total number of miles every run, very little else is actually known regarding what training is most beneficial. If anyone is able to highlight an article that does, I will welcome reading it. So the interesting point is that the more miles you have totally run the better your running economy. This would seem to suggest that you should then perform mega mega miles per week, the more the better. However, not that easy, as this is likely to overstress the body and mind, and deplete the RFE tank prior to the race. My approach is to let my increase in running years be an advantage. Having been a runner for 34 years, I am getting close to 40,000 miles in total. Whether I run 2000 miles a year (40 miles per week, or 5000 miles a year (100 miles a week), within that actual year it wont make much difference to my overall mileage, i.e. 42,000 versus 45,000 miles. I guess the difference is around a 6% difference, but I doubt the increase in running economy is still linear with mileage increases after this many miles run. As with most variables, the curve has probably pretty well plateaued out!
Just one last aspect to finish on, the pace/intensity of the miles I run? Well as highlighted above, very little is know within the literature on what intensity is most beneficial for improving running economy. My 'gut feeling' and that is all it is, simply a gut feeling from 34 years of running, is that running economy is best improved my running relaxed, rhythmically, easy, within a flow, with minimal tension, no forcing, no fighting. Hence why the majority of my runs are just this, usually around 8 - 8:30 minute mile rate. This isn't every run, I do do the occasional quicker run or sections of runs at 6:00 minute mile rate. But this is more a technique requirement, needed to remind myself how to actually run fast. And remember if we are talking about fast, for ultra trail running, a pace of 8 minute mile rate for 100 miles will win every ultra race, beating everyone including Killian Jornet or Liz Hawker! So in terms of race specific training maybe my easy relaxed rhythmical training pace has some actual merit. Definitely worth giving it some thought.
Well, yes another ultra effort! Just remember that you can log reading this blog post in your training diary. Hopefully heaps more effective than 'fighting' repeatedly up some hill, or 'red lining it' on some tempo run!
Time for a quick signing off quote. "Never accept the normal as correct, always question rather than follow!" Stuart Mills, 2011.
Hopefully my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model is a little clearer.
On a final note, I would just like to thank Steve and Mitch Mee and the runners from Delamere Spartan Running Club for making me feel so welcome and organising such an enjoyable weekend last week. If any of you are ever down in East Sussex. please give me a shout and I will repay the hospitality.
Thanks,
Stuart
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Beachy Head Marathon – Illustration of the Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model
Hi, be prepared for a marathon post tonight!
Last weekend I raced the 10th Beachy HeadMarathon (previously known as the Seven Sisters Marathon for 21 years). It was my tenth time, having raced it every year since moving to East Sussex in 2002. Starting and finishing in Eastbourne, this is my local marathon, so along with the great views as we run across the South Downs completing a 26 mile loop, there is a great atmosphere from the 1750 runners and walkers involved, in addition to the tremendous support along the course from the many spectators, many who give me personalised encouragement due to recognising me from previous years. Over the previous nine years my finish times have been reasonably consistent, ranging from my fastest of 2:57 in 2007, to my slowest finishing time of 3:11. In both of these years I finished second, whereas I won the race on all of the other seven occasions.
The graph above shows my finish time plotted alongside my average weekly mileage each year for my 16 week build-up. There are many aspects that account for the variation in finish time, which as the graph illustrates; the finish time is not directly determined by average weekly mileage. Therefore within this year’s Beachy Head Marathon race report, I will attempt to provide an explanation into the many factors that influence trail marathon race performance, through an illustration of my newly released Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model. Hopefully my fatigue model will find some agreement with your experiences of race fatigue, and hopefully lead to a greater understanding of things to consider in order to improve trail marathon and ultra running performances.
Before I describe my TOTAL preparation for this year’s Beachy Head Marathon, first a little background into what causes fatigue during endurance running. Well as I have highlighted within previous blog posts, very little is actually known in terms of what causes fatigue. Over recent years, the simple homeostatic failure model of fatigue, (homeostasis refers to remaining stable, or specific to the human body, functioning within a normal range) i.e. fatigue at the periphery within the muscles due to lactic acid, glycogen depletion or muscular damage/fatigue, has been clearly shown to be too simplistic! Many observations such as: the finishing spurt, different pacing strategies for different race durations, lack of glycogen depletion/lactic acid within muscles when fatigued, and how interventions that solely act on the brain affect performance, all confirm that the simple homeostatic failure model (either peripheral fatigue or catastrophic central/brain failure) , is flawed. Therefore the need for a new model!
Probably the most significant change over recent years is the increased acceptance that the brain needs to play an extremely important role within any endurance fatigue model. The Central Governor Model proposed by Professor Tim Noakes, author of the Lore of Running, is probably the most commonly known alternative fatigue model. The key feature of this model, shown above, is that it is an anticipatory-regulatory model, where the brain anticipates a future failure and so modifies behaviour specifically to ensure homeostasis is protected. This modified behaviour is a decrease in the number of motor units recruited in the exercising muscles, or what I refer to as a change in the level of muscle activation. Noakes and others have demonstrated that there is a decrease in muscle activation initiated by the brain when fatigued, They have identified some of the factors that lead to this reduced muscle activation, but haven't really explained how. My Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model introduces a novel way to look at endurance fatigue and proposes a number of factors that influence the rate at which fatigue develops.
Race Focus Energy (RFE) could be thought of as concentration or mental effort. It relates to the concept that it requires mental effort/concentration in order to remain focused whilst racing, in order to keep on running hard, out beyond one’s comfort zone. (The term 'race' doesn't have to mean racing other competitors, it simply means that the run is a special occasion, where you are extending yourself, trying to run to achieve a certain goal.) Fatigue will occur when your supply of Race Focus Energy is depleted so it is no longer able to recruit exercising muscles above a ‘threshold’ level. Or when the brain anticipates that at your current rate of RFE usage, depletion of RFE is imminent so alters the level of muscle activation to preserve the limited supplies of RFE. The basis of the RFE fatigue model is that RFE is required in order to activate the exercise muscles above a threshold level. At low levels of intensity, e.g. at a slow jog when 'fresh', it does not take any RFE to maintain the easy pace. A slow jog when fresh is below the RFE threshold. However as the race progress, as the body physiologically becomes less efficient, e.g. muscles fatigues, glycogen levels decrease, heart rate increases due to cardiac drift, to maintain a slow jog now may require RFE as the intensity, albeit rather low is now above the RFE threshold.
At the start of an endurance race, each runner has a limited supply of RFE, although this limited supply can be added to/topped up slightly during the race, however, the greater the supply of RFE at the start, the better the performance. This therefore leads directly onto Training Principle No. 1 – Maximise the size of the RFE tank prior to race start.
At the start of an endurance race, each runner has a limited supply of RFE, although this limited supply can be added to/topped up slightly during the race, however, the greater the supply of RFE at the start, the better the performance. This therefore leads directly onto Training Principle No. 1 – Maximise the size of the RFE tank prior to race start.
The size of the RFE tank is determined by a number of factors including: Research on the Race, Research on Oneself, and the Surrounding Environment leading up to and immediately prior to the race. Or to put it simply, the size of the tank is determined by one’s attitude to and expectations of the race; expectations to what will be encountered during the race and an expectation of how one will respond to these challenges. My TOTAL preparation in order to maximise the size of my RFE tank on the start line is to spend many hours researching the race. What are the demands of the race?: Total Time, Distance, Profile, Terrain, Daylight/ Darkness, Navigation, Possible Weather, Temperature, Clothing, Feed Stations, Food, Dehydration, Backpack, Fellow Runners, Loneliness, Support, Family/Friends. I also spend many hours researching myself: WHAT do I WANT? WHY do I WANT IT? HOW MUCH do I WANT IT? Are these WANTS realistic, based on what evidence?
Leading up to the Beachy Head marathon this year, because I had previously raced it nine times, I didn’t need to do any research on the race, as I already knew everything there was to know about the race. I think the lack of time I spent researching the race also resulted in me spending less time than usual researching myself. What were my aims/goals for this year’s race? Having a DNF at Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, where I focused too much of the performance, and forgot about enjoying the journey, I feel I experienced an over-reaction to UTMB, by there being a minimal performance goal for this year’s Beachy Head Marathon. Yes, it would be nice to win the race for an eighth time, and yes it would be good to run it in under 3 hours again, but there wasn’t really any thought in my preparation into WHY do I want this, and HOW MUCH do I want this. There wasn’t the usual excitement of looking forward to the race, the real buzz associated with getting ready to really test myself as I strive to respond positively to the expected challenges that the race will create. So my RFE tank on the start line was not as full as possible.
I suggest above that the amount of RFE one has on the start line is influenced by one’s confidence in that they will respond positively to the expected challenges that the race will create. Yes, self confidence leading up to the race has a large effect on the level of RFE within the tank, and also the rate at which RFE is being consumed during the race. One factor that largely determines one’s self confidence is their recent physical training. If the physical training has been going well, then confidence is usually increased. How one determines whether physical training has been going well is an important issue, which I will return to, as are a number of other benefits from physical training.
The size of the RFE tank is also determined by the Surrounding Environment leading up to and immediately prior to the race. What I mean here are things like other stresses within you life, whether work related, family related, stress, tiredness, feeling drained, worn-out, stale etc. All of these factors will have a negative effect and reduce the amount of RFE at race start. For the last three years leading up to the Beachy Head Marathon I still felt drained from previous ultra trail races, 56mile London to Brighton (2008), UTMB (2009) and Pumlumon Challenge/High Peak 40 Ultra Trail races (2010). Therefore my RFE was lower than usual, and hence why even though physically I was extremely fit, with the increase in my weekly mileage during these years, the performance didn’t directly reflect to the physical fitness due to the decreased RFE as a result of being worn-out/tired.
Finally your surrounding environment prior to the race can, even at the last minute, reduce or increase the level of RFE within the tank. If you are surrounded my highly motivated people and there is a real buzz then this can add that little bit extra to your tank. Similarly if there is negativity, conflict, prior to the race, e.g. an argument with your partner, or having to listen to whinging and moaning from runners about injuries, or how tough it will be etc. Then this can have a decreasing effect on the level of RFE. Fortunately I didn’t have any of these negative experiences prior to last weekend race, in fact I had many positive experiences, especially from the successful Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium that took place the night before.
Finally your surrounding environment prior to the race can, even at the last minute, reduce or increase the level of RFE within the tank. If you are surrounded my highly motivated people and there is a real buzz then this can add that little bit extra to your tank. Similarly if there is negativity, conflict, prior to the race, e.g. an argument with your partner, or having to listen to whinging and moaning from runners about injuries, or how tough it will be etc. Then this can have a decreasing effect on the level of RFE. Fortunately I didn’t have any of these negative experiences prior to last weekend race, in fact I had many positive experiences, especially from the successful Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium that took place the night before.
Maybe you are beginning to think, nothing really novel above. Apart from the term Race Focus Energy, there isn’t really anything to get excited about. Possibly true, but I think the real revolutionary feature of my RFE fatigue model is what happens DURING the race. Hopefully I can explain with the use of the following three figures, which include three important concepts; Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Race Focus Energy (RFE), and Muscle Activation.
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a common measure used within Sports Science research. While doing physical activity, subjects are asked to rate their perception of exertion. This feeling should reflect how heavy and strenuous the exercise feels to them, combining all sensations and feelings of physical stress, effort, and fatigue. They are then asked to look at the rating scale while they are engaging in an activity, and to choose the number, between 6 - 20, that matches the description that best describes their level of exertion. Research on running to exhaustion has shown that RPE is a better predictor of the time to exhaustion than any physiology measures. RPE is influence by many factors, not just physical, and involves the integration and processing of multiple signals – feedback and feed-forward! There is an increase in RPE when there is a mismatch of expectations to what’s encountered.
One can therefore interpret that not only does extensive research of the race and oneself within the TOTAL preparation increases the level of RFE on the start line, but if their is poor preparation in terms of visualising what one is likely to encounter during the race, then this increased likelihood of there being a mismatch of expectations to what’s encountered will increase RPE.
Looking at the figure above, you see that the level of RPE determines the about of Race Focus Energy that is required in order to provide the muscle activation to run at the demanded race pace. A higher RPE will increase the amount of RFE required to activate the muscles. The greater the RFE usage, the sooner it will be before your RFE tank is emptied, which results in decreased muscle activation, and hence a decrease in running pace. The key to endurance running performance is therefore to reduce the rate at which RFE is being consumed!
The first obvious way to decrease the rate or RFE usage is to getting physically fitter. Everyone knows that as you get physically fitter, it feels easier to run at the same pace as before, and therefore there is a decrease in RPE. This concept matches most previous models, and is why there is such a massive emphasis on physical training. However the novel aspect of the RFE fatigue model is that there is not a DIRECT link between RPE and RFE, as shown in the above figure. The level of RFE being consumed for a set level of RPE can vary, and is dependent upon the amount of positivity or negativity that is being experienced at that moment of time. The two figures below illustrate this; if you are experiencing positivity, this will cause the arrow relating RPE to RFE to rotate downwards, resulting is a lower RFE consumption for the same RPE. So even though you know you are working really hard, i.e. at a high RPE, it doesn’t take much mental effort, it just feels easy, i.e. it is using less than normal RFE. Similarly in experiencing negativity, the RPE – RFE linking arrow will rotate upwards, causing an increase in the rate at which you use the RFE. In this situation, even though you know that the intensity isn’t very high, i.e. a low RPE, it just feels harder than usual, a real struggle!
The key to TOTAL preparation in order to maximise endurance performance is recognising that receiving positivity and ignoring/rejecting negativity whilst racing can have a large effect on overall performance. It is not just the final 1- 2 %, e.g. the icing on the cake. This positivity/negativity has a SUBSTANTIAL effect on endurance performance. Realising this, accepting that your race performance isn’t preset by your level of physical fitness is essential. The next step is then to identify what factors can contribute to positivity and negativity, and be prepared to accept/reject these. Listed below are a number of factors that affect me, but factors that affect you may be different. This is where race reflection is so important. Where you reflect back, to learn from what went well, what factors seemed to be related to running well, or related to achieving less than the ideal performance.
LIKELY sources of POSITIVITY - Racing / the competition, overtaking others; Internal feeling of satisfaction, i.e. running well, positive time splits, perception of speed, running non-stop to top of hill; Puffing and blowing hard; Feeling proud, support, family, friends, others; Being excited, unique experience; Feeling refreshed, sponge, water, food, break; Feeling easy yet running well, relaxed, ‘flying by’; Scenery, sunshine, warmth, dry feet, tail wind.
LIKELY sources of NEGATIVITY - Anxiety, doubt, lack of confidence/self belief; Getting tired, finding it hard/tough - counting down the miles; Muscle soreness, blisters - focus of attention!; Going slower than expected - a ‘bad day’!; Going faster than expected - will ‘pay’ for it!; Going off course - frustration, angry; Difficulty in taking on fluid/fuel; Being overtaken, slowing at a great rate; Conditions: rain, cold, heat, mud, wind, scenery.
So back to last weekend’s Beachy Head marathon. I start the race with a reduced level of RFE due to poor preparation in terms of research on myself, although my surrounding environment leading up to the race was beneficial this year with there not being the tiredness/staleness of the previous three years. The race starts and as usual it is an exciting feeling as I attack the significant climb at the very start resulting in extensive puffing and blowing. After around three miles I am joined by Tom Morris a local runner from Lewes Athletic Club. We run together up the short sharp climb before a lengthy descent down into Jevington. This point during the race always results in my highest heart rate during the race, as I am able to really attack the short climb knowing that I have 5 minutes recovery on the descent. Looking at my heart rate trace it shows I reached 179 bpm. Although quite close to my maximum of around 186 bpm, it is less than previous maximum heart rates of 182 and 184 bpm achieved during 2009 and 2008 at the same point. We reach Jevington, one of my time checks in 27:10. I had planned a race schedule for 2 hours 59 minutes, and my target time at Jevington was 27:30, so I was 20 seconds up on schedule.
During the last year or so, although I still plan race split times prior to the race as part of my TOTAL preparation, I now tend to not pay attention to them during ultra races, as it can often lead to negativity, if ahead or behind schedule, which results in the RPE - RFE link arrow rotating upwards. However, since I have extensive race split time data over nine years I decide that for the marathon I would look at the split times, as a measure of how I was going. I think this needing to look at split times was mainly a result of my poor research on myself. I hadn’t determined what I wanted from the race. When I saw that I was 20 seconds up, it just confirmed that I was going okay, and hence no rotation of the arrow in either direction, as the time up was most likely due to the strong tail wind this year. For the first time in 10 years, the wind was a tail wind on the way out!
Climbing out of Jevington, I could sense Tom giving me a ‘hurry-up’ as he ran immediately behind me on my shoulder. Usually this wouldn’t bother me, but as one of my main aims of the day was to simple enjoy the journey, following this not occurring during UTMB, I decide I would get more enjoyment my easing of the pace and to let Tom take the lead. So as we started the climb up to the top of the Long Man of Wilmington Tom gradually eases away to around 50 – 70 metres lead at the top, and I am happy that I can run at my own pace without distractions. There is then a lengthy descent to checkpoint 2 (previously checkpoint 1 but an additional checkpoint/feed station was added this year at Jevington). This is another of my time checks at around 8.8 miles reached in 57:30, so now 30 seconds up on my planned arrival time of 58:00. Again, no rotation of the RPE - RFE arrow, as although there was an increased positive feeling of enjoying the journey, there was also some negativity in that I was running ‘within myself’ and I should be really ‘pushing harder’ as after all it is a race! Being in second place wasn’t any cause of negativity as during the last three years, on all occasions I had been in second place till the later stages of the race.
There is a steep climb as we leave Alfriston towards the next checkpoint at BoPeep carpark. To my surprise I am overtaken by a chap (Steve Nimmo from Orpington Road Runners) wearing a bright multi-coloured, extremely large/baggy t-shirt, (see photo lower down the blog post). He looks like he is a fun runner on a gentle stroll. There is an immediate rotation up of the RPE - RFE arrow due to the immediate negativity of dropping down to third, but probably more due to his t-shirt! How can a fun runner, which I perceived him as, due to his nearly fancy dress costume runner simply stroll past me. The immediate increase in Race Focus Energy actually ‘snaps’ me back into action. I am back into race mode, and I am able to up the race intensity, there is an increase in RPE, but no further increase in RFE due to the satisfaction of ‘pushing hard’ again. I get increased positivity from working hard again!
For the next seven miles or so, the three of us maintain an equal distance of around 50 metres between Tom and Steve, and 50 metres between Steve and me. I passed my time check at BoPeep carpark in 1:22, exactly on my 2hour 59 race schedule, although again no rotation of the arrow, as although pleasing to be ‘bang on’ schedule, due to the tail wind I am well aware that it is unlikely that I will maintain the 2:59 pace. Here you can see a clear demonstration of how time splits can limit your performance. This calculation due to the perceived future slowing down, causes an upward rotation of the arrow, and hence results in an increased ‘drain ‘on the RFE.
As the three of us leave the feed station at Litlington (reached in 1:51, now one minute down on my schedule) and reach the top of the short but steep climb. Tom begins to significantly struggle, although his pace had been slowing for the last mile or so, but with Steve seeming hesitant to take the lead. At 17 miles into the race all three of us for a brief moment are running side by side. It isn’t for long as Tom soon drops off, and as I try not to look behind whilst racing, it is the last I see of him. He later comments to me that shortly after we overtook him he really began to struggle. He ends up finishing over 17 minutes behind Steve and I, in sixth place. He attributes his extensive fatigue due to lack of nutrition/energy, however, I would imagine that going from leading such a prestigious marathon as Beachy Head, down to third place within seconds, probably resulted in a massive swing in his RPE - RFE arrow in the upwards direction. I can only speculate, but perhaps this lack of energy he suffered from, was energy not in the form of glycogen/glucose, but Race Focus Energy; the key ingredient that enables us to run fast, as without the RFE there is not the required muscle activation.
With nine miles to go, it is down to a race between the two of us. Steve sits immediately on my shoulder as we make our way to Cuckmere and cross the A road, before climbing up the extra hill that was added in 2003, which probably adds an extra two minutes to the race time. (Hence why the weekly mileage/finish time graph above shows a race time of 3:01 for 2002, even though I actually ran the shorter course in 2:59). We take our time going up the climb and it becomes apparent that Steve is quite happy to simply follow my pace. On the descent back down to the Cuckmere valley before we start the first and longest climb of the seven sisters, I decide to put in an attack and see whether Steve is staying behind me by tactical choice, or hopefully as he is not capable of quicker.
I immediately gain around 20 – 30 metres, and with the downward rotation of the RPE - RFE arrow I attack the next climb extremely hard making the most of the positivity of running hard and leaving him behind. The climb I guess takes around 4 – 5 minutes and I am really ‘buzzing’. I am running hard, receiving satisfaction from the extensive ‘puffing and blowing’, and the added joy of leading and possibly heading towards win number eight. I am working hard into the strong headwind, the first time there has been a headwind on this last portion of the course in all ten times of my running the Beachy Head marathon, which causes a slight upward rotation of the RPE - RFE arrow as I reach the finger post at the top of the climb in 2:17, still only one minute down on my 2hour 59 min schedule, but with an immediately realisation and an increase in negativity ‘knowing’ that I will not run sub 3 hours! Yes, I am now a strong believer that paying too much attention to race split times more often than not leads to a upward rotation of the RPE - RFE arrow.
I then take a quick glimpse behind, expecting to see Steve a good 50 metres plus behind, but no. he is less than 20 metres behind. All of that massive increase in pace has resulted in an actual lose of a few metres! There is an immediate large swing of the RPE - RFE arrow upwards, as if instantly it feels like I am really struggling. I therefore ease of the pace substantially in an effort to recover from the massive drain on my Race Focus Energy. Within a few moments I go from high RPE but a low RFE, where it felt easy, to an immediate need to reduce the RPE in order to lower the level of RFE usage!
For the next 3 – 4 miles I set the pace at a reasonably comfortable level, with Steve happy to follow. I am getting ready for a big effort to respond to a likely attack from Steve, because I have a feeling that we both know that if we are still together at the top of Beachy Head, with there being a little over a mile of descending to the finish, then due to the evidence from the previous race descents I would most likely result in being the first to cross the finish line. It is at moments like these where extensive preparation in terms of research on oneself, i.e. race goals/aims, e.g. what do I want, why do I want it, and how much to a want it comes into play. If one has these goals/aims clearly ingrained within one’s subconscious and conscious, the fact that one is so close to achieving their clear goals results in the RPE - RFE arrow to rotate downwards, which allows for an increase in running pace, causing an increase in RPE, but yet for the same level of Race Focus Energy. Looking back now, if I had established a clear race goal of either sub 3 hours, and/or, winning the race, I feel that instead of ‘having’ to ease of the pace at the finger post when discovering that Steve was still close to me, I would have been able to maintain the increased high intensity of running without the actual high rate of RFE usage than actually occurred, that led to a substantial reduction in race pace.
With a little over two miles to go, as we start the final lengthy climb up to the top of Beachy Head, the expected attack from Steve occurs. The increase in pace is dramatic, I immediately increase by pace in response but the massive increase in Race Focus Energy in order to increase my running pace is huge, and although there is the desire to stay with him, the brain senses that my rate of RFE usage is excessive, and even with there being less than 15 minute of running till the finish, the level of muscle activation being output from my brain is insufficient, and Steve pulls away, gaining a lead of 30 – 40 seconds in a very short space of time.
One thing I have noticed is that the brain’s subconscious anticipation of exhaustion of ones’ Race Focus Energy appears to not only be influenced by the actual RFE usage rate at the present moment, but also the extent of the recent increase in RFE usage. I think the fact that I was running at a reasonably comfortable pace, with this being not at too a higher level of RFE, to then immediately to go to extremely high levels of RFE led to the insufficient muscle activation needed to stay in contact with Steve. I’m sure that if I had maintained a semi-uncomfortable pace, rather that a semi-comfortable pace during the proceeding 3 -4 miles, then I would have been able to run faster up the final climb. It wasn’t physiological reasons that prevented me from keeping up with Steve, as my heart rate trace shows that even with maximal effort; my heart rate did not go higher than 167 bpm!
At the top of the climb I am probably around 40 seconds behind Steve, I run hard all the way to the finish, running the last 0.76 miles at an average mile pace of 5:19, albeit losing 79 metres in elevation, reducing the lead slightly, and finish 27 seconds behind in an official time of 3 hours 2 minutes and 55 seconds. The photo below shows be running downhill to the finish with my two boys Robert and Chris trying o keep up with me! Yes, another immediate rotation down of the RPE - RFE arrow as I run past my family.
Interestingly as I finish there isn’t any disappointment at running 30 seconds slower than last year, or in not winning, as I did enjoy the journey, this being a big improvement upon UTMB. However, within a race, I always try to extend myself, to run to my limits, to totally exhaust my Race Focus Energy, and I feel that I didn’t really do that during last weekend’s race, probably largely a result of the lack of research on myself during my TOTAL preparation, not as total as usual. The physical preparation had gone well, as evidenced by the physiological ease at which I completed a 3:02 Beachy Head Marathon time, with my average heart rate of only 163 bpm, with this being significantly lower than the average heart rates of 167 - 171 bpm during previous year's Beachy Head marathons.
Interestingly as I finish there isn’t any disappointment at running 30 seconds slower than last year, or in not winning, as I did enjoy the journey, this being a big improvement upon UTMB. However, within a race, I always try to extend myself, to run to my limits, to totally exhaust my Race Focus Energy, and I feel that I didn’t really do that during last weekend’s race, probably largely a result of the lack of research on myself during my TOTAL preparation, not as total as usual. The physical preparation had gone well, as evidenced by the physiological ease at which I completed a 3:02 Beachy Head Marathon time, with my average heart rate of only 163 bpm, with this being significantly lower than the average heart rates of 167 - 171 bpm during previous year's Beachy Head marathons.
Well another marathon effort of a blog post. Hopefully you have managed to maintain focus throughout, and are not totally blog fatigued! It is difficult attempting to explain my Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model within a blog post. The best bet, if you want to find out more is to get to one of my upcoming talks. Yes, talks! Not only have I got my talk up in Cheshire on Saturday 19th of November, which I have previously mentioned, but on Saturday 3rd of December I am doing a talk down in Dorset as part of the Endurancelife Live More Lectures Series. My focus of my talk in Dorset is on UTMB, however, I will have a few slides to do with the Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model, as it plays such an important part during endurance trail running. In addition, if you buy me a beer, I will talk to you all night about it. And as evidenced by the length of my blog posts, all night could in fact mean all night!
Time to sign off with some words related to tonight’s post;
“Often it is too easy to accept a less than satisfying performance due to an acceptance that physically you are not capable of better, however, as soon as there is the realisation that simply the way you think and respond to the challenges that you encounter during the race can alter one’s performance, one is capable of achieving so much more!” Stuart Mills, 2011.All the best with your interpretation of my model,
Stuart
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Beachy Head Marathon - Quick Update
Hi,
Just a quick update on today's Beachy Head marathon. Since moving down to East Sussex in 2002 I have run the Beachy Head Marathon every year, so today was my tenth time. My personal best for the course was set in 2007 with a time of 2:57, when I finished second to Tim Short, a fellow inov-8 athlete.. As the time of 2:57 indicates, the course isn't really flat. My times for the last three years, all being winning times, have been 3:02, 3:03, 3:02. So going into today's race, I was hoping to try to run quicker than last year, but a PB time wasn't really on the cards.
For the first time in ten years of running I had a real race on my hands. At CP2 at BoPeep car park, shortly before half way, I was in third place, I guess around 45 seconds behind the leader. It was then head wind pretty well from there all the way back to Eastbourne. At around 17 miles, the leader from local club Lewes started fading and the three of us were for a few seconds running side by side. The chap, Steve Nimmo from Orpington, but originally from South Africa didn't want to lead. I also wasn't to keen to lead so, it was a bit of 'cat and mouse' with the occasional attack for the next 7 miles, as the chap from Lewes, (sorry I didn't get his name!) faded to eventually finish in sixth place.
Then at the 24 mile mark, Steve from South Africa, took off up the start of the last climb up to the top of Beachy Head. He looked like he was doing a 5K. He quickly gained around 30 - 40 seconds, and then we ran this distance apart to the finish. I think his official time was 3:02:28, and mine being 3:02:58 was only 33 seconds slower than my 2010 time.
Overall a really enjoyable and exciting race. A true race, with the pace fluctuating substantially over the last nine miles. It would have been nice to clock up my eighth win, but it wasn't to be today. I felt I ran well, but just didn't have that 'extra gear' when Steve attacked. A great run by Steve Nimmo. Hopefully he will be back next year, when I will be ready for him. Maybe I might even go back to doing some rep work again in preparation!
So another great Beachy Head marathon. Trail marathons really don't come any better. A great atmosphere with around 1700 starters, a great course, a beautiful sunny day, and a superbly organised event.
Full race report to follow in a few days, although, quite a lot already highlighted above, as the quick update wasn't that quick! However, the race report will include 'snippets' of my new 'Race Focus Energy' fatigue model, that was launched at the Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium last night, which was a very successful evening.
Time to sign off, with a relevant quote from last night; "Performance is determined by an enjoyable interaction of the Body and Mind".
May your runs this weekend be as enjoyable as mine was today.
Stuart
Just a quick update on today's Beachy Head marathon. Since moving down to East Sussex in 2002 I have run the Beachy Head Marathon every year, so today was my tenth time. My personal best for the course was set in 2007 with a time of 2:57, when I finished second to Tim Short, a fellow inov-8 athlete.. As the time of 2:57 indicates, the course isn't really flat. My times for the last three years, all being winning times, have been 3:02, 3:03, 3:02. So going into today's race, I was hoping to try to run quicker than last year, but a PB time wasn't really on the cards.
For the first time in ten years of running I had a real race on my hands. At CP2 at BoPeep car park, shortly before half way, I was in third place, I guess around 45 seconds behind the leader. It was then head wind pretty well from there all the way back to Eastbourne. At around 17 miles, the leader from local club Lewes started fading and the three of us were for a few seconds running side by side. The chap, Steve Nimmo from Orpington, but originally from South Africa didn't want to lead. I also wasn't to keen to lead so, it was a bit of 'cat and mouse' with the occasional attack for the next 7 miles, as the chap from Lewes, (sorry I didn't get his name!) faded to eventually finish in sixth place.
Then at the 24 mile mark, Steve from South Africa, took off up the start of the last climb up to the top of Beachy Head. He looked like he was doing a 5K. He quickly gained around 30 - 40 seconds, and then we ran this distance apart to the finish. I think his official time was 3:02:28, and mine being 3:02:58 was only 33 seconds slower than my 2010 time.
Overall a really enjoyable and exciting race. A true race, with the pace fluctuating substantially over the last nine miles. It would have been nice to clock up my eighth win, but it wasn't to be today. I felt I ran well, but just didn't have that 'extra gear' when Steve attacked. A great run by Steve Nimmo. Hopefully he will be back next year, when I will be ready for him. Maybe I might even go back to doing some rep work again in preparation!
So another great Beachy Head marathon. Trail marathons really don't come any better. A great atmosphere with around 1700 starters, a great course, a beautiful sunny day, and a superbly organised event.
Full race report to follow in a few days, although, quite a lot already highlighted above, as the quick update wasn't that quick! However, the race report will include 'snippets' of my new 'Race Focus Energy' fatigue model, that was launched at the Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium last night, which was a very successful evening.
Time to sign off, with a relevant quote from last night; "Performance is determined by an enjoyable interaction of the Body and Mind".
May your runs this weekend be as enjoyable as mine was today.
Stuart
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Meet the Man Behind the Blog - Review AND Preview!
Hi
Yes, a few weeks since my last post, but I have been a wee bit busy! The day job, i.e. a University Lecturer at the University of Brighton has been keeping me plenty busy, with the students recently returning.
Tonight, should be a shorter post than usual. Simply a brief review of my talk up in Yorkshire last week, and a preview of TWO upcoming talks.
Last Friday night I had the pleasure of talking to around 25 runners in the cosy Studley Roger village hall, not far from Ripon. The talk was organised by Dave Jelley from http://www.jelleylegs.co.uk/ Dave has recently set up a Guided Running company that provides Guided Trail Running Breaks. It was recently featured in the Guardian two weeks ago. Click the following link to read the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/sep/30/guided-running-holiday-north-yorkshire-dales?newsfeed=true And as the article mentions, the running in Yorkshire was very scenic, over a variety of terrain.
I met Dave at the Shires and Spires 35 mile Ultra back in June, where we actually discussed the possibility of the talk whilst racing! So on the Friday night immediately prior to my talk, on a pleasant evening as the sun was setting, we had a quick six mile run across the fields, including running through a deer park, .
My talk was titled "Ultra Trail Running: Enjoying the Overall Experience - The Importance of TOTAL Preparation". I provided some background to my philosophy on what determines fatigue during ultra trail running, and then illustrated my ideas with my contrasting experiences at the 2009 and 2011 Ultra Trail Mont Blanc. As expected, my ideas created some discussion, with many runners being able to associate with my observations. Although, there were some 'disbelievers', who felt that I placed too much emphasis on the importance of positivity. Reflecting back on my talk, I probably did 'play down' the importance of the physical training too much. As after all, at the end of the day, it is the physical body that has to propel you to the finish line. However, the problem I have, as readers of my blog are quite well aware of, is that at times I do tend to go on a bit! So one of my aims was to try to stick to my planned schedule, and hence why I rushed over a few aspects of my TOTAL training approach.
During the last year, I have been give quite a bit of thought into why I slow down so much during ultra trail running. My post back in August titled Training for Ultras - What's It All About? highlighted some of my thoughts. However, recently I have been trying to develop a model that will encompass all of my ideas. During my presentation I spoke about how ultra trail running performance is "determined by a balancing of the current physiological and psychological input with the underlying self expectations / self belief!" And I presented a very simplistic model to help clarify this, and reinforced the importance of the subconscious beliefs with a quote from 1983 by Gary Elliott, coach to NZ marathon runner Alison Roe, Boston marathon winner, New York marathon winner, World Record Holder, 1981.
I appreciate that this balance scales image doesn't really provide much information, however, i am hopeful that my new model will be complete shortly, in time for my talk up in Cheshire in the middle of November. More about this talk, and my other upcoming talk in Eastbourne, later in this post.
So back to last weekend. Overall I felt the talk went well, especially as it did what I set out to achieve, that being, to get runners to think differently about their training, and to give more thought to what actually causes them to fatigue during ultra trail running.
The next morning, after watching England's disappointing performance at the Rugby World Cup (The advantages of having a dual identity, I still have the All Blacks to cheer on!), the sunshine was gone, and it was out into the Yorkshire mist for a longish run across a variety of terrain. Dave and I were joined for the run by Martin and Billy. As Dave is running the last race of the Runfurther series this weekend at Rotherham, we decided to keep the pace pretty easy, which suited me fine, as pretty well all of my runs are at an easy pace. (Keep an eye out for Dave at this week's series decider. Not only is he in 'with a shout' for the over 50s title, he is also well up there for the overall title!)
So there was plenty of talking as we ran along at a cruisey pace, on mainly running related topics, including a bit more discussion on some of the training aspects I raised the night before, and a 'bit of banter' on perhaps I just shouldn't be so lazy with my training, and if I did some proper physical training I then wouldn't slow down so much! Although later on in the run, having discovered a little bit about Billy's impressive race performances when he was a wee bit younger, the question was asked into why he now raced so slowly!
So overall a very enjoyable weekend, and as I titled my talk, the overall enjoyable experience includes meeting loads of positive minded, extremely friendly, ultra trail runners.
This post is sub-titled: Review and Preview. Yes I have two talks coming up. The first, which takes place next Friday, 21st October, 6:00pm - 7:30pm, is at the University of Brighton, Eastbourne campus. It is part of the Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium. Click this link to find out a bit more about the free symposium. There are three speakers in total, including Emma Ross from the University of Brighton and Charlie Pedlar from St Mary's University/English Institute of Sport. So it should be a pretty interesting and informative night. The Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium is open to everyone. All you need to do is e-mail O.R.Gibson@brighton.ac.uk to book your free tickets.
Then on Saturday 19th November, at Cuddington, Cheshire, I have been invited by the Delamere Spartans running club to present to trail runners within the Cheshire region. My presentation has the same title as my Yorkshire talk, although hopefully I will be able to introduce my new model on ultra trail fatigue. Tickets are available by e-mailing: tickets@delamerespartans.org.uk
Hopefully a number of you will be able to make either the Eastbourne or the Cheshire evening. It would be great to meet you.
Well, not as brief a post as I planned, so no signing off quote!
To those of you racing this weekend's Round Rotherham, may you all enjoy the overall experience.
Stuart
PS If any of you are thinking about racing next year's Montane Lakeland 100 or 50, well you better be quick! Entries have been open for a little over a week, and there are already nearly 250 entrants in the 100 mile, and over 400 in the 50 mile! The 100 mile already looks like it will be a great race. The last two winners i.e. Terry Conway and myself will be back, as will a number of the 2011 top ten finishers including Paul Tierney, Barry Murray, and Simon Deakin, and a newcomer to the event Richie Cunningham, twice winner of the 95 mile West Highland Way Ultra Race. Best I start doing some proper training!!!
Yes, a few weeks since my last post, but I have been a wee bit busy! The day job, i.e. a University Lecturer at the University of Brighton has been keeping me plenty busy, with the students recently returning.
Tonight, should be a shorter post than usual. Simply a brief review of my talk up in Yorkshire last week, and a preview of TWO upcoming talks.
Last Friday night I had the pleasure of talking to around 25 runners in the cosy Studley Roger village hall, not far from Ripon. The talk was organised by Dave Jelley from http://www.jelleylegs.co.uk/ Dave has recently set up a Guided Running company that provides Guided Trail Running Breaks. It was recently featured in the Guardian two weeks ago. Click the following link to read the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/sep/30/guided-running-holiday-north-yorkshire-dales?newsfeed=true And as the article mentions, the running in Yorkshire was very scenic, over a variety of terrain.
I met Dave at the Shires and Spires 35 mile Ultra back in June, where we actually discussed the possibility of the talk whilst racing! So on the Friday night immediately prior to my talk, on a pleasant evening as the sun was setting, we had a quick six mile run across the fields, including running through a deer park, .
My talk was titled "Ultra Trail Running: Enjoying the Overall Experience - The Importance of TOTAL Preparation". I provided some background to my philosophy on what determines fatigue during ultra trail running, and then illustrated my ideas with my contrasting experiences at the 2009 and 2011 Ultra Trail Mont Blanc. As expected, my ideas created some discussion, with many runners being able to associate with my observations. Although, there were some 'disbelievers', who felt that I placed too much emphasis on the importance of positivity. Reflecting back on my talk, I probably did 'play down' the importance of the physical training too much. As after all, at the end of the day, it is the physical body that has to propel you to the finish line. However, the problem I have, as readers of my blog are quite well aware of, is that at times I do tend to go on a bit! So one of my aims was to try to stick to my planned schedule, and hence why I rushed over a few aspects of my TOTAL training approach.
During the last year, I have been give quite a bit of thought into why I slow down so much during ultra trail running. My post back in August titled Training for Ultras - What's It All About? highlighted some of my thoughts. However, recently I have been trying to develop a model that will encompass all of my ideas. During my presentation I spoke about how ultra trail running performance is "determined by a balancing of the current physiological and psychological input with the underlying self expectations / self belief!" And I presented a very simplistic model to help clarify this, and reinforced the importance of the subconscious beliefs with a quote from 1983 by Gary Elliott, coach to NZ marathon runner Alison Roe, Boston marathon winner, New York marathon winner, World Record Holder, 1981.
“Success becomes automatic when your subconscious accepts your goals as reality.”
I appreciate that this balance scales image doesn't really provide much information, however, i am hopeful that my new model will be complete shortly, in time for my talk up in Cheshire in the middle of November. More about this talk, and my other upcoming talk in Eastbourne, later in this post.
So back to last weekend. Overall I felt the talk went well, especially as it did what I set out to achieve, that being, to get runners to think differently about their training, and to give more thought to what actually causes them to fatigue during ultra trail running.
The next morning, after watching England's disappointing performance at the Rugby World Cup (The advantages of having a dual identity, I still have the All Blacks to cheer on!), the sunshine was gone, and it was out into the Yorkshire mist for a longish run across a variety of terrain. Dave and I were joined for the run by Martin and Billy. As Dave is running the last race of the Runfurther series this weekend at Rotherham, we decided to keep the pace pretty easy, which suited me fine, as pretty well all of my runs are at an easy pace. (Keep an eye out for Dave at this week's series decider. Not only is he in 'with a shout' for the over 50s title, he is also well up there for the overall title!)
So there was plenty of talking as we ran along at a cruisey pace, on mainly running related topics, including a bit more discussion on some of the training aspects I raised the night before, and a 'bit of banter' on perhaps I just shouldn't be so lazy with my training, and if I did some proper physical training I then wouldn't slow down so much! Although later on in the run, having discovered a little bit about Billy's impressive race performances when he was a wee bit younger, the question was asked into why he now raced so slowly!
Running with Martin and Billy (middle) in the Yorkshire mist
So overall a very enjoyable weekend, and as I titled my talk, the overall enjoyable experience includes meeting loads of positive minded, extremely friendly, ultra trail runners.
This post is sub-titled: Review and Preview. Yes I have two talks coming up. The first, which takes place next Friday, 21st October, 6:00pm - 7:30pm, is at the University of Brighton, Eastbourne campus. It is part of the Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium. Click this link to find out a bit more about the free symposium. There are three speakers in total, including Emma Ross from the University of Brighton and Charlie Pedlar from St Mary's University/English Institute of Sport. So it should be a pretty interesting and informative night. The Beachy Head Marathon Science Symposium is open to everyone. All you need to do is e-mail O.R.Gibson@brighton.ac.uk to book your free tickets.
Then on Saturday 19th November, at Cuddington, Cheshire, I have been invited by the Delamere Spartans running club to present to trail runners within the Cheshire region. My presentation has the same title as my Yorkshire talk, although hopefully I will be able to introduce my new model on ultra trail fatigue. Tickets are available by e-mailing: tickets@delamerespartans.org.uk
Hopefully a number of you will be able to make either the Eastbourne or the Cheshire evening. It would be great to meet you.
Well, not as brief a post as I planned, so no signing off quote!
To those of you racing this weekend's Round Rotherham, may you all enjoy the overall experience.
Stuart
PS If any of you are thinking about racing next year's Montane Lakeland 100 or 50, well you better be quick! Entries have been open for a little over a week, and there are already nearly 250 entrants in the 100 mile, and over 400 in the 50 mile! The 100 mile already looks like it will be a great race. The last two winners i.e. Terry Conway and myself will be back, as will a number of the 2011 top ten finishers including Paul Tierney, Barry Murray, and Simon Deakin, and a newcomer to the event Richie Cunningham, twice winner of the 95 mile West Highland Way Ultra Race. Best I start doing some proper training!!!
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