ULTRA RUNNERS
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runners…
Did you ever wonder what became of that kid who played the banjo in “Deliverance”? He’s probably running the Comrades next year, with 15,000 others of his kind. Running the Comrades is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photograph. I reckon that if God had intended us to run, jog, walk, stagger, limp and crawl over 90 km, she/he would have designed our bodies differently.
Ectomorphs, with spare frames, thin arms and narrow shoulders and chests, are best suited to the travails of long distance running. The Bruce Fordyces possess bodies that have, through years of specialised distance training, mutated and adapted to the business of continuous movement. They are aerobic machines with bodies that carry no excess baggage, efficiently and constantly fueling the powerful legs that transport them over seemingly endless kilometres.
Compare this type with the large assortment of shapes and sizes swarming our roads, putting in their last months of training before the big event, and one appreciates the amazing power of the human will, as thousands, on 16 June, will display remarkable courage, determination and camaraderie, while masochistically forcing their ill-equipped bodies to endure enormous stress.
There is a quantum difference between the happy jogger and the committed ultra-distance runner, yet many of the former can be found drifting into the territory of the latter, without quite respecting the incompatibilities. The enjoyment of 5 and then 10 km fun runs spurs many to train for the more challenging events, such as the half-marathon (21.1km) and then the full marathon (42.2km)*.
However, the lure of the world’s greatest ultra-distance event, the (strangely misnomered) Comrades Marathon, is seductive. There is huge spectator support that inspires suffering runners to endure, and the atmosphere of shared effort is so stimulating that thousands of ordinary, less than truly able entrants, persist, through all sorts of body-damaging strains, to cross that enticing finishing line before the final gun is fired.
Whatever one’s ability, there is absolutely no substitute for genuine lack of preparation! Nonetheless, to offer my ten cents worth of assistance, if you persist in the dream, against all sensible guidance which should tell one that running 90 km in under 11 hours is less than wise, I suggest a few preparations which are essential for the ultra-distance junky.
For the average, hoping-to-finish amateur Comrades trainer, you need to have run at least 50 km a week, in your early preparations for the event. To train for any event, naturally, you need to develop the particular skills associated with your sport. Ultra-distance running requires stamina, the development of muscles and movements that enable one to cover distances with sufficient comfort to enable one to persist. Books offering specialised training schedules, such as Norrie Williamson’s Everyone’s Guide to Distance Running, give runners of all abilities the best advice on how to prepare adequately for the race. Mine are merely a few tips to assist your muscles to perform so that they don’t let you down on the day.
Endurance events of over 90 minutes of continuous exercise dictate
that muscle glycogen stores, the hi-octane fuel for all muscular effort,
need to be replenished, just as fluid intake must be controlled, to
compensate for sweat losses. Thirst is never a good indicator of your
fluid needs; expect to lose anything up to one and a half litres per hour,
and aim to replace about 80% of this weight loss by drinking. From early
in the event, take in 150-250 ml of fluid, every 20 minutes or so. Sports
and electrolyte drinks are most superior for this role as they are
absorbed into the bloodstream faster than water or fruit juice, and they
help replace the carbohydrates and electrolytes lost in effort. Generally,
the carbo concentration of the sports drinks is 5-7%, which allows the stomach to empty fast and without any gastro problems, such as stomach cramps, diarrhea or wind. Caffeine-containing cola drinks are not recommended, as the stimulant increases urine production and dehydration.
Carbohydrate is the essential fuel for energy; both before, during and after extended exercise. The body needs to be fed carbohydrate in the correct form, to allow it to perform at its best. Your general diet, throughout the year, should always consist of a minimum of 60% complex carbohydrate foods; muscle-supporting protein foods should make up another 15%, and the rest of your consumption, of necessary fats, mostly in the form of mono and polyunsaturated fats, should make for optimum nutritional health.
However, while training, one needs also to consider methods that will ensure that you have a constant supply of energy for your activities, and that this supply is continually replenished.
Assuming that you train for one to two hours a day, the amount of carbohydrate you need depends on your weight, but 7-8 grams of carbs per kilo of body weight is a safe bet for the endurance runner. Most important in selecting carbohydrate foods to boost sports performance, is the Glycaemic Index of the foods. This refers to the fact that foods can be ranked according to the speed at which they enter the bloodstream. The longer it takes for carbohydrate foods to break down in digestion and enter the bloodstream, the lower the ranking. The G.I. ranking of pure glucose is set at 100; all other foods are ranked on a scale from 0 to 100, depending on their effects on blood sugar levels.
The following principals may act as a guide to your choice of G.I.foods:
At least two hours before training or running the event, consume low G.I. carbo foods, as they will deliver greater amounts of carbo energy to the muscles later in the race. These slow-release light and low G.I. foods include basmati rice, barley or wholegrain breads, porridge cereals and pasta. Beware of fat-filled cheese sauces as they slow digestion; rather, cover your pasta with vegetable or tomato sauces.
During the long run, to preserve muscle glucose levels and prevent fatigue from hypoglycemia, consume high G.I. foods, preferably in liquid form (850 ml of a sports electrolyte drink contains 75 g carbohydrate and has a 75 G.I), though, as the race progresses, chewing jelly beans (80 G.I. and 10 g carbs for every 10 consumed) and other high G.I. solids should provide some welcome variation.
After every training session and event, when muscles are carbohydrate hungry, a high G.I snack should be taken, to quick-stimulate more insulin, the hormone responsible for transporting glucose into the starved muscles and storing it as glycogen. Look for 50-100 g carbohydrate within 30 minutes after exercise, to replenish stores.
Carbo-Loading. This well-established form of preparation before the big event no longer requires the old, painful practice of depleting all carbo supplies before loading up again. Having followed a regular, nutritional programme that has included consuming some 10 g of carbos per kilo of body weight, three days before the big event, start to consume a higher percentage of carbo foods. Don’t use this period as an excuse to pig out on junk carbo foods, such as ice creams, chocolates and cakes.
These are high fat foods that interfere with the digestion of the energy
foods you really need. Eat plates of pasta (not lasagna, as this is mostly
fat-filled meat and cheese) and tomato sauce, crumpets and pancakes (no
butter) with honey, muffins, baked potatoes with low fat toppings, breads,
rolls, fruit loaf, breakfast cereals, untoasted meusli, canned fruit,
thick-crust pizza with vegetarian toppings and less cheese, breakfast
bars, and fruit smoothies, with fat-free milk or yogurt. These foods will
ensure that your glycogen levels are as high as possible, providing the
first supply of energy before the body begins to call on the foods you
ingest during the long and arduous run
The following are just a few examples of the G.I factor of carbohydrate foods available (Each serving is followed first by the G.I., then the number of grams of carbos):
Medium apple (38, 18); 1/3 cup All Bran (42, 22); Apple Muffin (44, 44);
Bran Muffin (60, 34); White Bagel (72, 35); Banana (55, 32); 1 cup boiled Basmati Rice (58, 50); Brown Rice (76, 57); 1 slice White Bread (70, 15); 1 slice Wholemeal Bread (69, 14); 1 slice Dark Rye (76, 21); 30g French Baguette (95, 15); Breakfast Bar (78, 29); ½ cup Porridge (46, 12); 1 cup Cornflakes (84, 26); 1 cup Rice Crispies (82, 26); ½ cup Muesli toasted (43, 33-untoasted=56, 32); 2 Rice Cakes (82, 21); Can of Fanta (68,51); Jelly Beans, 5,10g(80, 9); Mars Bar 60g(68, 41); 2-minute Noodles(46, 55);1 cup cooked Macaroni(45, 56); Spaghetti(41, 56);Microwaved potato(82, 17).
For those of you who never met a chocolate you didn’t like, choose instead to suck on sugared sweets, as the fat in chocolate interferes with rapid digestion. Remember, too, while you’re out pounding the tarmac, only the mediocre are always at their best. Train with discipline, experiment with your diet, long before the day, to see what works best for you, and in that way ensure that you keep fueling those muscles right until the line is crossed. Ultra-distance running can be a dogged, lonely venture; make sure to look out for number one, and take care not to step into number two!
* Remember, the original Greek who ran the historic first marathon, died as a result of his heroic efforts!