Comrades Part 1: Training for the unthinkable

The Aftermath of a 50K

Sometimes an experience is so full of describable moments that you actually find yourself unable to find the words to begin. Perhaps you are unsure what pieces of information are important enough to share or maybe you just are not ready to share them at all. This is what has happened to me since my last actual post in April 2011. So much has happened this year—so much running, so much amazing travel, and so much that most people will never really be unable to understand. But, I’ll start now to finally let more people in to what training for Comrades, running Comrades, and then the predictable reality that comes when it is done is actually like. So, here we go on the training part first…


As many of you that have been following my blog know, I signed up for Comrades in Sept 2010 after running marathons and such for several years (I had about 17 marathons under my belt). The first question I get asked is: “Why in the world would you sign up for something like that?” To me, that is the craziest question to answer because if someone is asking that question they probably will never run an ultra themselves, or more importantly, do not really want to understand what one is like. They have already made the decision up that 56 miles is crazy, traveling Africa is crazy, and I’m the craziest of them all. Period. But, for all those that are curious as to why I signed up, my answer is quite simple. We have amazing bodies and we are meant to run. Humans can do incredible things. I wanted the ability to see what incredible things I was able to do…while I was young, with the opportunity. This way, when I’m 80 or so years old and my body is failing like everyone else’s, I can say I did something incredible with my Body at its peak. Plus, let’s get real…it’s South Africa and that is just plain amazing! It was the ultimate Will Run for Travel moment and I knew there was no reason to be scared. Just do it and don’t think too hard about all the reasons that it could potentially be a bad idea. Because, frankly, if you think too hard about anything you could likely come up a handful of reasons why not to do it.

Run you 1st 50K and win it? Sure, why not?

The Training

I’m a firm believer to do something as challenging as an Ultra, you have to have this burning drive to do it. It has to be deep within you and something you can literally feel, but most likely couldn’t describe to others. You have to want it…bad. Because, training for an Ultra (and one on the Road vs. Trail) is no joke. It’s hard, it’s excruciating at times, and it requires you to really like yourself and your alone time. Because, you will have a lot of time with yourself and your thoughts. Add the winter weather in Boston to the mix and it was literally the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and likely ever will (Unless, I do it again, of course….) I really don’t want to sugarcoat this part of it (something so many runners so often do), because it’s an important part of the process. I frankly found the training to be one of the most rewarding parts.

So, how did I train? First off, I had an amazing coach…my friend Erika. A very accomplished runner and Triathlete in her own right, she helped me every step of the way with a plan and advise. It was as if I had another person invested in this with me. Someone I was accountable to. It was that accountability that got me out there when it was literally 0 degrees BEFORE wind chill and my face bleed from cracked wind-burned skin (true story). I think a coach revolutionizes your running and it is the best investment I ever made. First pieces of advice—don’t go at it alone. Get a coach or a group. 56 miles is too much to manage alone.

After the coach, the rest of training came down to 1 main thing. Prioritization and the Prioritization of running YOUR training plan. I often pride myself on my life balance—the ability to go out and have a well rounded life that includes work, friends, culture, family, AND running. I don’t like to make sacrifices…I like to push myself to do it all. Comrades changed that for me. I had to prioritize it, no matter what. That meant running at 4am before a full day of work and an event at night. It meant running no matter what the weather was. It meant no excuses. It also meant having to say “NO, I can’t” to a lot of people I love. This caused me a lot of angst because I wanted to do it all and just physically couldn’t. I think the people closest to me 100% understood, but it was me that sometimes put the guilt on myself. That is one of the biggest lessons that I learned—the people that truly love you will understand. They will understand that your intentions are in the right place and that you just are doing all you can. That also made me realize the same in others and I came out being more understanding and flexible in general. Life is busy and everyone has their priorities, but generally good intentions. Quite a freeing thought, actually. Stop worrying about other people’s priorities. Worry about your own.

 I don’t often talk about training on Will Run for Travel. I guess, that is not what Will Run for Travel is about. But, in this case I’ll give you the real info…because, people have asked. The key to my Comrades training was back to back long runs for 6 months. Every Sat and Sunday I ran back to back double digit long runs. This trained me to work through tired legs and it forced me to experience what I’d likely feel during the race itself--- extreme lactic acid build up. It also got me mentally tough. The 2nd element to training was running with a heart rate monitor and teaching myself to not think about pace, but time on my feet. The key to that is to keep your heart rate low enough that you keep your body efficiently working. If your heart rate is low enough, you are trained enough and have the proper nutrition to you can literally run forever. It was truly an incredible strategy. The 3rd element was Nutrition, a concept foreign to me until I got into Ultras. In an Ultra you are running a distance where you body literally cannot do it without water, calories, and salt. In a marathon, you actually could technically run it without any additional caloric intake (you may go slow, but you can do it…) In Ultras, you body will fail you. So, I learned the art of purposeful nutrition. Here was my plan (just in case you were curious):  

• I ate 1 Whole Wheat Bagel + Almond Butter exactly 2 hours before the start. I also drank water, but not obsessively. Enough to quench my thirst, but I didn’t “over hydrate”. I always craved coffee, but just couldn’t handle it before a race.
• I carried a 24oz running water bottle + fanny pack. I started with a Half packet of powdered Perpetum in my water bottle and sipped it continually through the 1st 2 hours of the race.
• I took 1 Gu Gel every 47-50 minutes, with 2-3 Endurolyte Tablets 20 minutes after my Gel. I know that seems very intense, but it was that regimen that helped me focus vs. thinking about the sheer number of hours I had to run. It actually distracted me!
• Late in the race I refilled my water bottle with more Perpetum. I also took a bit of Gatorade and a couple salted potatoes with about 10K left. I just needed a little something!

As I was training for Comrades I really practiced my Nutrition with ever run, including trying out more flavors that I ever really wanted to of Gu and various powdered substances. So, before I get too much into the boring details, I’ll end by summing up my Top 10 Tips/Things to Know about Training for Comrades. So, here we go:

10) Find a cross-training plan, including strength training, yoga, and Spinning.

9) Don’t think to hard about running. Just run.

8) Get used to being sweaty. As I said before you will likely be sweaty more than you are clean. Embrace it!

7) Put your training runs on your schedule, including your work schedule. This has to be a top priority in your life and you need to figure out how to say “no” to those things that just don’t fit with training.

6) Practice your Nutrition…a lot. Try lots of combos and try to work through an upset stomach during your runs. Your stomach will likely hurt at least once during the race. Might as well practice how you are going to manage that now!

5) Get a Heart Rate Monitor Garmin and stop worrying immediately about your pace. It’s all about heart rate and time on feet. Even distance isn’t as critical. It’s a different game.

4) Don’t overeducate yourself or become obsessed with reading what OTHER people have to say about the race or their plan. Don’t over think it. Just think about YOU, YOUR PLAN, and your running. You are doing this for you, not based on someone else’s opinion of what you should do.

 3) Invest in the best gear you can afford. Get multiple pairs of shoes, buy great quality compression tights, base layers, gloves, sports bras, etc. The truth is simple: you’ll be in running clothes more than “real” clothes, so you better like them.

2) Find a support system of friends, fellow runners, coaches, etc that can keep your accountable and motivated. Also, they can remind you of what the “real world” is like. It’s good to remember that world isn’t Ultra Marathoning. There is a lot more to do beyond just run.

1) Truly understand WHY you want to run an Ultra and be sure it’s compelling enough a reason to really push you. It’s just too hard if you don’t have that.

Welcome to the joys of Trail Running