Calf sleeves

Hey, I’m seeing a lot of people wearing calf sleeves for long distance, I’ve never tried them and never cramp but wonder if they’d help much? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Anyone use them, able to give feedback?? Thanks.

My buddies were just going to wing it and I was stressing over these details! I know things will fall apart at mile 12 but at least I’m feeling confident for my friends that will be crewing for us. I want it to be as easy for them as it will be for me to run 200 miles! I like how there’s a lot of information for the crew. They will know who is crewing and at what location. They have each others phone numbers, there’s GPS coordinates, addresses, and landmarks for them to follow. It even has a pace guesstimate for a pace that we discussed. Granted the 15min/mi pace is really slow but that should also account for our aid station stops and will be an average for the day. Honestly I like the mileage chunking so I can mentally wrap my head around the distance and to cross things off as we go. I like having a plan and I believe this is a decent plan to start with!!

Mandatory Kit

Waterproof coat with sealed seams – Min 10,000mm

Base layer long sleeved (Separate from Start Kit in a dry bag) in your pack.

Water bottle or bladder – min 1 litre capacity

Fully charged mobile phone

Emergency Blanket, e.g. foil blanket

Headtorch min 75 Lumens

Back up light source min 25 Lumens (Not your Phone)

Emergency Rations min of 500 calories

Whistle

I’m running a 50 miler in 3 weeks and training has gone sweet! I’ve run around about 600 miles across 12 weeks without injury, peaking with a 32 miler long run. I now need to sort my kit for my first Ultra.

https://www.gbultras.com/pennine-barrier-50/

The weather will likely be hot and dry but I need a waterproof jacket. Anyone in the U.K. recommend a super cheap jacket to tick the box?

Back up light source recommendations?

Is the base layer long sleeved just a standard long sleeved running t-shirt?

Thanks for the help!

Sharing some exciting news that a new race has been created and received permits/approvals. The course should be pretty epic, but also a bit “softer” than the Ouray100 or Hardrock. It’s being put on by a bunch of local Durango runners and should be a good time! Registration is open on ultrasignup:

https://sanjuansoftie.com/

https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=112648

To make a long story short, I had my first DNF at the Zion 100. Descended down Flying Monkey in the dark, fell and almost slid off the side, and it completely destroyed me mentally.

Post race, the tops of my feet are so bruised. Painful to have weight on my feet, and moving my toes around is pretty excruciating.

Anyone experienced this before? What the hell causes it?

I wondered if maybe my laces had been too tight, but I didn’t have them any tighter than usual.

🤠 howdy.

Title says it. My training block for my 50k is going meh but the rest of it will be better. I'm not really going to push it on my 50k, but I don't want to treat it like a "training race" and just say F it, either. But my 100k has changed to my goal race and I think I have a good shot at placing.

I'll have about 18 weeks to get some training in between the races. Assuming the 50k goes well, how much of a break before the next block starts? Or should the training basically never stop? Should I basically rethink this whole season as 100k prep and have the 50k worked in as part of it, or should I treat them as separate things? Last time I did a marathon, I needed 2 weeks off my legs. But my mileage was not where it needed to be going into it.

The 50k is 100% trail and more technical. The 100k I've heard of people wearing road shoes because the trail is really compact and it's 15% road which like... :( but I don't live near good trails.

Thanks for your assistance mountain goats! 🐐

Super random, but does anyone else get that raspy voice after an ultra? Or just me? Lol just wondering because this always happens to me afterwards.

I’m doing my first actual race. It’s a 30k, end of June. Training is going great. I have done only a couple triathlons in the past. Question is, I plan on running with a hydration vest. There will be 3 aid stations, will I be the only one wearing a vest? I see so many on here not even wearing one on a 50k. It’s goin to be 80-90 degrees. Tips are appreciated. Thanks

I love the ASICS Novablast and can get away with running shorter distances in them, but the toe box feels too small as the run distance increases. Has anyone run in a similar shoe that might have a bit more room?

Going to be running my first 100 Miler in June. Any tips for drop bag essentials or comforts?

Did a 50mile race yesterday. Legs were fine but after 15 miles the top of my foot was extremely painful. Loosened off the shoe and went away. Came back 30 miles in. Think is mainly because I have high arches. Anyone have an answer to this. Contemplating putting padding Either side of the top of the foot to reduce the pressure. Would extensor exercises help? Have the same thing after while in cycling shoes.

I’m finding that my appetite is becoming borderline insatiable while logging high volume weeks. (High volume for me anyway, 10hrs roughly)

Im not gaining any weight or anything like that, but im increasingly aware of wanting more after finishing every meal and then thinking about my next meals in between meals. Not to mention my ballooning portions.

Has anyone found that after a while their appetite sort of gets back to being a bit more reasonable even with larger training volumes? Or should I simply expect to be eating more to facilitate the larger calorie expenditure.

Completed my first trail ultra yesterday. Prior to this I was pretty much exclusively a road runner. I’ve completed 1 official ultra (TGNY 100) about a year ago that was 100 miles on 95% road.

I took this race as a training run for longer distances I did 10 mins of running 2 min of walking and took a gel every 3rd round of walking. I also walked all of the uphills.

The course: I was under the impression this was 50-50 road and trails it was not. Aside from the first mile and a mile towards the very end it is all trails with the occasional road crossing to go back into trails. I wore road shoes for the race since I haven’t trained on trails much (at all) and need to break in my trail shoes still.

The course was well marked and I only got of course once which I consider a success. It rained the day before (and during our race)so areas had the mud that could suck your shoes off. There were planks of wood to avoid the water but on a couple occasions the wood portion was broken, non existent, or submerged. Within the first 5 miles my shoes were fully soaked through—which is a new experience.

Aid stations were every 5ish miles and while they were boasted about being fully stocked they seemed bare. A couple of PBJ sandwiches, some m&ms, and maybe some bananas. One station did have pickles which was exactly what I needed at the time.

My experience: I should have trained for trails. Alas, in my head it was a 50k and I did 100 miles on pavement and this was half pavement anyways (it was not). 10mins on 2 mins off worked well though seeing everyone rush past at the first walk messed with my head a bit. I was definitely running too fast as a result. Around mile 6 I fell and busted my leg open. I popped back up quickly and just kept running. After looking at it briefly at a bathroom stop I made the decision to ignore it until after the race. I declined the first aid kit at each aid station, and multiple people told me my leg was bleeding. 😐

I was able to keep 10 on 2 off until the end. Started gassing out around mile 27 and grabbed an ice t which helped instantly (yay sugar).

The finish: It was lackluster. They sold the race that the finish would be a big party with a bbq and everyone hanging around. There was some luke warm Hormel chili and water. The weather was gross and drizzling at that point but there was no comforts at all. Worst of all NO MEDAL! Apparently they don’t do medals and instead do a bottle of sand. I know a lot of people don’t care about medals but, I love me a good medal. Also the bottle of sand just has a sticker on saying “shore 2 shore 25k 50k”. Nothing about the year, nothing differentiating the25k to 50k.

All and all I had a good run—finished around 6:15ish and got to test out what trail running is. I do have a decent gash on the side of my knee but I’m just gonna keep it clean and pretend it’s fine. OH that reminds me, at the finish line I decided to use the first aid kit. It was picked clean. I wound up using a spare shirt and water to clean it and tied the shirt around it instead since there were no bandages.

If you’re a local to Long Island or want to give trail running a shot this race isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t travel for it and I’d keep expectations low.

Hi guys,

I am hoping for some fueling advice before my first long race. I've run a half marathon years ago but I am just peaking in my training, running 60km a week for a 43km/1100m (27miles/3600ft) trail run on 18th May. I expect it to take me about 6 hours, but my hope is to finish and feel empowered to run an ultra later this year.

In my long runs I have been gut training, aiming for 90g carbs/hour (two 30g gels and a wrap/rice/sandwich). My last 5 long runs are over 2h, inc one 3h and one 3h45. I've not experienced any GI issues. I have two 30km long runs left before tapering.

My questions are, should I reduce my carbs a bit for the race? There are 3 aid stations on the route, that in principle have my favoured gels, would it be silly to carry all my own fuel (12 gels and 6 snacks)?

Cheers, Tom

I've been training with and without poles. This is the course: https://www.hellodrifter.com/events/black-mountain-50k-25k-half-2023?race_id=5691

This is my first ultra. Would poles be appropriate for this course or overkill?

There is aid stations every 3-4 miles

Im only filling up one bottle at a time so that when i get to an aid station ( need be ) i can just use fill the other. ALSO* im leaving a dry scoop of scratch in the empty one when i refill i already have my electrolytes ready to mix.

A drop bag is optional at the turn around point, so at mile 15. I stuffed mine with 4 more gels (1 caffeine one for the last leg), some gummies and an extra pair of socks and shirt just in case i “need” it.

The ziplock back has 3 dried mango jerky

The yellow ziplock has maybe 10 salt tabs

A friend of mine has an issue with her pack. I've taken a screenshot of her Facebook post. Anyone ever have this and if so how did you solve it?

Hey everyone. I’ve got a weird yet very important question for y’all! I’ve been running ultras for a few years now, and every time I get to mile ~25-30 I can’t get myself to force down salty foods anymore. In my day to day life, I’ve never met a chip I didn’t like. But often on runs I can’t find a chip I actually want to eat. So tell me, what’s your favorite potato chip to snack on during an ultra? Salty snack ideas count too. (I’m not interested in taking salt supplements as I’ve observed a lot of issues with them in other runners) Thanks!!!

Hey guys, I'm new to the ultra runnings scene and have what I'm guessing is a fairly rookie question. I'm looking at getting a hydration pack/vest in the near future as I train for a 50km coming in July. I have seen plenty of suggestions for packs but I wanted to ask more, how long did it take you to get use to the weight of the pack? Did you even notice? I would like one with a bladder because I will go a long stretch without anywhere to fill up a bottle and I imagine adding 2L of water has to add up to a fair bit of strain on the legs.

Thanks for any advice anyone might have

Hello everyone,

I ran my first 50k a few months ago and during the race this part of my leg was pretty sore by the end (only on my right leg). Today was my first longer run since the race and again, it was pretty sore.

Does anyone have any good workouts for strengthening this muscle?

Thank you.

I will see a doctor next week. Just looking for anecdotal experiences. I had a couple of biggish weeks two weeks ago - 85 miles each, all pavement. I've since developed a "throbbing ache" at the top of my left tibia. Not my knee - that feels fine. When it first occurred it was somewhat pronounced and my left leg felt weaker and somehow hollow at the start of my runs. I backed off and it's been very low key since - 1-2 / 10 and I can do modest runs on it without any difficulty. I can do one off longer / harder runs on it as well without any real impediment but the ache will kick in a short while after finishing. I feel it (still at 1-2 / 10), lying in bed at night. I've been googling "tibia head stress fracture" but that doesn't appear to be a thing. Any idea what it could be beyond some undiagnosable running niggle?

I just got over Covid. Positive test Monday. Negative today.

I have an ultra one week from today 32 miles and lots of vert.

I never spiked a fever but had other symptoms.

Should I run the ultra? I did a 6.5 mil trail run today and my heart rate was high.

All my training went really well up until I got sick.

Hi everyone,

I'm training for my first 50k in September, the Wy'East wonder, and I think I'm a bit ahead of schedule. Yesterday I completed my longest run: 30k with 3k feet gain at 11:23 mile pace (that was moving; I stopped the watch a couple times to filter water and mess with my gear which I was testing). For the week I ran 44 miles with 5k feet gain. The Wy'East Wonder has 4,222 feet gain total over 50k.

Definitely was in some pain after the run yesterday, but I was still able to go about my day and even hang out with my insane 2yo. So I felt all right.

My question is: With a pretty big amount of time before the race (21 weeks), should I alter my initial goal?

When I started training for this, my goal was simply to finish the race, but training has been going really well overall and I wonder if I should push myself a bit more by adding a time goal. If so, what do you think is challenging but achievable for me?

I'd love to know your thoughts! Especially for those remembering their first race. I'm always torn when it comes to goal-setting — whether setting a specific goal is pushing oneself or limiting oneself. Anyway, I feel good about where I am overall.

Hey Reddit,

I’m running my first ultra in June. 72km extreme mountain marathon in the Dolomites! 💪🏻

I live in dubai and the heat has really kicked up a notch. Im spending ALOT of time in the heat and sun when I’m out training - especially on my long runs.

I was hoping for some recommendations on best kit to wear when training in the heat / in the sun for long hours. In the day it’s around 35-37 degrees at the moment and will only be getting hotter towards June. Im training super early, but as soon as that sun comes up… it beats me up lol 😆

So any general reccomendations are welcome… I also need some sunglasses that are really lightweight, comfortable and don’t move whilst running if anyone can help.

Thank you 🙏🏻

I’m running a 100km team run in 5 weeks that is mostly along the beach and along coastal paths. I’ve ran my first mountain 100km (5200m elevation) 3 weeks ago with no issues so now I’m just looking at maintaining fitness for the next 5 weeks but thought perhaps I could do some more specific strength training for the beach, as I know it’s hard on the Achilles tendon in particular. Looking for recommendations, thanks!

Headed down to AZ in mid-May to take on R3.

Yes, I know temps in April would be friendlier, but we’re committed at this point.

With that in mind, I’ve got a couple questions for any of you who have done it:

1. The completionist in me wants to do SK-NK-BA to tag all three trails, but I’m hearing a lot about the best views being on SK (which we’ll miss on the decent in the dark). Kinda leaning toward SK-NK-SK at this point. Can anyone out there sell me on why SK-NK-BA would be better?

2. The crux of this run, without doubt, will be the heat for me. Any insight on the latest in the day you’d feel good about coming back thru “the box” on the return? I’m thinking that will dictate our target start time.

I want to run my first ultra, 33 miles, this June and I’m wondering how hard it might be and looking for any advice on training leading up to it. Or if it’s even realistic for me to attempt, given the limited time to train beforehand.

For background - the longest distance I’ve ran is 16 miles. The first half was mostly hiking due to the trail being mostly stairs and having a less active hiking buddy. I ran up/down probably 1/3rd of the stairs with lots of breaks to let my cousin catch up, but the last 6 miles were solo and all running, mostly uphill. I’ve been very active and in a variety of sports for my entire life but just took up running again in November 2023.

I’m 26f, 5’4, and 118lbs. I run 2-4 times a week, usually for about 6 miles. I recently spent 2 weeks walking 10 miles per day and rounded that off with the 16 mile run/hike. I felt AWESOME at the end of those 16 miles. I honestly wanted to keep going, which is what inspired me to pursue ultra running.

Is this an unrealistic goal, based on my experience?

Hey, asking here to maybe find someone who had a similar experience, and managed to treat it.

I have been struggling with Medial tibial stress syndrome (or commonly shin splints) in both legs on the posterior part for almost half a year now. The problem appeared shortly before the last race of last year (end of October), it forced me to take a week off just before the race, but I decided to participate anyway. During the race pain was not that bad, nor was it debilitating after. I then took almost 2 weeks off for detraining and gradually started to come back to running. The problem returned shortly after (like the second run).

Then it was on and off, sometimes better sometimes slightly worse, but not as bad to stop me from training (I was doing shorter runs when it was a bit worse, and normal training otherwise), It never disappeared, however. That went on until mid-January this year, after I came back home from the work trip.

From then on it started getting worse, even tho I was not increasing volume or anything like that. After two weeks I was down to doing only 5k a day to somehow manage it, but beginning of February I had to stop running completely.

I thought I take 2-3 weeks off running, working with the Physical therapist, and the problem would be gone. I came back to running very gently again with slow 4-5k runs, and after 3 of them it got worse again. I felt pain around the inner side of the shin bone, as well as the posterior tibialis tendon.

Fast forward to now, I have worked with 3 different physical therapists and an orthopaedist doctor, and the diagnosis is always the same - MTSS (done X-ray - there are no stress fractures).

Right now I am doing strength training prescribed by the doctor, and trying to do 4-5k every other day, which on some days seems to not make it worse, and on others (like today) increase the pain again.

I am kind of losing my mind as I cannot get rid of this injury, no matter the amount of time off I take or the amount of rehab I do, and running is very important to my mental health.

It seems that the moment I go around or above 5k with around a low zone 2 pace, it gets worse - I do not feel much pain when running, but I do feel it after and basically feel it slightly at random times during the whole day, or even the next one.

Just for context, I am not new to running, I have been running a lot for the past 5 years, consistently putting in 100k+ weeks, finished many ultras, and never had an issue with this injury in the past. I am keeping a similar weight all the time, so this is not a factor either. I also do not think it is an aging-related issue, as I am 27.

Has anyone experienced something like that and managed to heal it?