Quest for 50

I was on the Runners Round Table again tonight, It was hosted by Eddie Marathon and we were joined by Ashland Dave and Kevin from Just Finish. We talked about the quest for running a 50 mile ultramarathon. We had a good conversation all in all but it dawned on me that I have never written a lessons learned on ultras to date. Granted I am not an expert, frankly I am still a rank novice but here is my short list of what I have learned thus far:

1. Fueling - create a plan, try it, after it fails, new plan, try, fail, repeat until success.
2. Fluids - drink normally the week of, take in the right amount during the race.
3. S-Caps - use them but try to stay in sync with #2.
   
4. Long runs - Back 2 backs, I like to run 25 to 30 then 12 to 20 or vice versa.
5. Footwear - training no issues, same pair, races, bring back ups, coat feet in vaseline & desitin.
6. Clothing - bring extra everything, days change over 12+ hours if you are slow like me.
7. Pre Race (1) - reduce weight (some day I will), watch what I eat, hydrate normally.
8. Pre Race (2) - have two or three pairs of shoes ready to go
9. Training - train on the type of course you plan on running on, run up and down hills, lots of them.
10. Course - choose one that works for you, would recommend one close to home for your first one although you can't beat McNaughton (Illinois) for the amount of time you have to finish.
11. Plan - then re-plan, plan again, re-plan for things like drop bags, socks, items 1 to 10, etc....
    
12. Post Race - take a day off if needed and then resume light running until next race.
13. Last Lesson - Have fun, enjoy yourself, take it all in..................
    

That's my short list and it was fun talking with the guys but we barely scratched the surface so maybe we will get back together for additional conversations. Take a listen.