October 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

7lenny7 wrote: »

rheddmobile wrote: »

Anyway, I’m looking forward to trying something new! No idea how long we’ll be able to go, since the mile loop is half gravel and my legs have a gravel allergy. But we’re going to give it a whirl! Does anyone who has done one have any advice for a 24 hr race, re: pacing, fueling, gear, and so on?

That sounds fun! I've only done one 12 hour race, but here's my thoughts

• Bring at least one extra pair of shoes, of a different model. If your feet start to get sore, just a change of shoe might be all you need. Also bring a couple extra pair of socks
• Consider alternating your loops so you run one, walk the next, etc.
• Don't run so slow that your form becomes inefficient. Better to take walking breaks.
• If the loop has any uphill, walk it.
• Every once in a while go into a fast stride for 20 to 30 seconds to wake up your system and get your stride efficiency back.
• With a such a short loop, just bring the bare minimum in gear. I have a 12 hour race this Sunday with a 5 mile loop. No need to bring any food or water with you.
• Start eating right from the start to keep your energy up. If you wait until you're hungry, you will have a hard time catching up.
• Don't hesitate to take a break between loops if you need the break, either physically or mentally.

Good luck! My race goes from 7AM to 7PM Sunday. 5 mile loop, with a 1 mile loop for the last 2 hours.

• Bring extra chafe protection. Reapply before you need to.
• See if you can find out what they will have for food and drink at the aid station to make sure you're body is compatible with it. Supply some or all of it yourself if necessary.
• Trim your toenails prior to the race
• Don't let pebbles stay in your shoes for too long. Take the time to get them out right away.
• Don't let hot spots turn into blisters. I carry Leukotape with me to prevent this, though I've never had to use it. It's hard to tear so what I did was to take pre-cut strips and roll them around the small plastic tube in the center from a roll of dog poop bags. You could also use a AAA battery.
• If I had your 12:30 walking pace, I would walk a lot.
• Consider walking your first lap or two as a warm up. You've got all day and you'll be walking at some point eventually, might as well use it to warm up too.
• If you're mentally struggling after many laps, start to play mind games. Did you ever play that road trip game where you first find something that starts with the letter "A", then the letter "B", and so on? That's a good one to play. Another thing I like to do is to thing of someone I love who is no longer alive and just spend time thinking about all the memories with that person. Sometimes I'll even dedicate a race to someone, like my older brother or sister and think about them often throughout the race. Just a warning though, tears may flow.
• I imagine you'll have a space for your drop bag, or box. Be thoughtful how you lay things out in there. Have a ziploc bag for small items so they don't hide from you. I use another bag for things I know I won't need again. Stuff your extra socks in your extra shoes.
• Bring a chair in case you want to take a break.
• Some of these types of races will let you bring a tent and some folks take naps.
• Bring a backup light, or extra batteries, or both.
• If your GPS can be charged while in use, bring a small battery pack and cable to use while charging. Otherwise bring an extra GPS to use when the main GPS needs recharging. That's only if GPS data matters to you.
• To make your GPS battery last longer turn off bluetooth mode and the backlight. You'll turn bluetooth back on later to sync to your phone.
• Every so often stop and stretch your muscles through their full range of motion.
• I've not done this yet, in fact I just thought of it...if you know your maximum calorie intake per hour (mine is 250 to 300), have a plan for getting these in. If you're bringing your own food, prepackage it up into 1 or 2 hour increments so you can grab a bag and know that you have to finish it before the next period starts. Make sure you take into account the calories you drink.