5 Lies You Believe About Ultra Marathons
Running in Ultra Marathon is definitely not easy, running a marathon itself is not easy, as people say respect the distance and I surely believe in that phrase. Here are 5 lies that you will hear from runners wanting to do Ultra
1. I can’t run an ultra yet—I’m not in my best shape.
I’ve seen some epic love handles and beer bellies cross the finish line at several ultras. And although not all runners are visibly out of shape, many do have a target area that is far from perfect—flabby bits or underdeveloped muscles. If you’re waiting to be in the best shape of your life, you will never run an ultra. (Remember there is always Fat Fit)
Running with extra weight is far from easy, whether it is bulky muscle weight or fat. But weight has almost no effect on your potential to cross the finish line. This finish line is about mental strength and raw determination. Don’t worry about achieving perfect fitness. The more you run ultras, the more your body will adapt to running ultras. Then before you know it, your body will be perfect for…running ultras
I myself is far from having those chiseled abs or a body close to model or godlike, I am just any regular Joe on the street.
2. If I’m running in the back of the pack, I’m in the wrong training group.
Many runners are embarrassed or ashamed to bring up the rear, to the point that they will switch training groups. But I’m not here to impress anyone—I’m here to get better, and I want to do it as fast as possible within my own time limits, In a race or any given race I am my own challenge.
Struggling to keep up with a strong group is how I’ve grown. Fast. I’ve picked up tips and invaluable knowledge that might have taken me years to learn otherwise, and it also keeps me extremely humble. I have ran with people faster and also I have run with people who are just picking up running.
Obviously there’s a limit—you don’t want people waiting forever for you to catch up. But your own common sense and/or pride will prevent you from hitting any extremes. I’m referring to runners who are only a few minutes behind the second-last person, assume the group is too fast for them, and leave.
I want people in front of me, driving me forward. I want to be friends with people who can kick my ass any day of the week, who are better trained, and have more experience. The rewards are far better in last place than in first. There is tremendous opportunity to advance. The day I’m the best runner is the day that I didn’t learn anything.
3. I’m too old to start running ultras.
Age in ultra running means grace, wisdom, and respect. You are admired and consulted for advice. If you watch an older ultra runner, there is a calm and carefree aura around them. It’s like they know every step of every trails, what’s underneath every rock, and the location of every bug.
Their sense of direction is inhumanly sharp, and you get the feeling that if you were to ditch them in the middle of nowhere on the other side of the world, they would run back and ring your doorbell in about a week. Other sports cut you off after a certain age. In this sport, you become a legend.
4. After I finish an ultra, everyone will admire and praise me.
The runners who give off a vibe of “Hey, look at me!” generally don’t stick with ultras. This is because if your goal is social acceptance and praise, there are much easier ways to get it.
When you run a marathon, all your non-running family and friends think you’re a superstar. They might meet you at the finish line, talk about you with pride, and tell you how awesome you are. Come on for crying out loud, why do people want social acceptance when running ultra, like I said in point 2.. we are our own challenge. I race myself to better my time and nothing more.
To me running an Ultra is more like a spiritual journey and pushing my mental ability, I tell my tri group buddies that running ultra is nothing but a few more clicks down the road, and yes they have all signed up for the TMBT 2013. All five of us will be running it and I am so glad.
5. It doesn’t appear that anyone else is struggling as much as I am. I must not belong.
The ultra distance is hard to get your mind around. That’s why people give ultra runners puzzled looks. But once you break down that wall, run your first ultra, run your second ultra, and then realize you’re hooked—all those lies you believed about yourself are exposed. And it’s easier to see yourself as you really are—strong, courageous, and able.
Well anyway Happy New Year again, This weekend bike and run for the first week of the year ! hope you are all having a blast
Train Hard, Race Harder
The North Face 100 Race Pack
The North Face 100® wants you to run further than you ever have in 2012!
(Pic courtesy of TheNorthFace100.com.sg)
Promoting the genuine spirit of exploration since its kick-start in 2008, The North Face 100® has become the most well-received and anticipated distance trail running series of seven Asia Pacific countries in its fifth year: Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, China, Australia, Singapore and Japan. Whether you are an aspiring trail running beginner or a seasoned racer looking for new challenges, unparalleled experience is offered in each competition of this region’s largest trail running series.
Break all boundaries and Never Stop ExploringTM.
| Singapore 13 Oct 2012 | |
| Other Asia-Pacific Country/Area | |
| Feb 03-05 | Thailand |
| Apr 15 | Taiwan |
| Apr 20-21 |
Philippines |
| May 12 | China |
| May 19-20 | Australia |
| May 19-21 | Ultra Trail Mt. Fuji |
| US Endurance Events | |
| May 05-06 | Bear Mountain, NY – Trail |
| Jun 02-03 | Washington DC – Trail |
| Sep 15-16 | Madison, WI – Trail |
| Oct 13-14 | Atlanta, GA – Trail |
| Nov 17 | Kansas City, MO – Road |
| Dec 01-02 | San Francisco, CA – Trail |
Race Pack Collection at Novena: Velocity Mall
As usual the race pack collection is held one week before the race, and as usual I will give my low down on the goodies given to participants. After my usual weekend swim I headed down to Novena at about 2pm hoping that there wont be any crowd and true enough there wasn’t any.
If you notice the registration staff is wearing the ultra bright neon green race t. I was asking the guy in the pic, lets swap T when he is done cause I wanted the neon green cause I do run a fair bit in the night and it would be very helpful for me. (the color reminds me of Saucony ViziPro)
This was the first time, the race map was printed full page on the race booklet, if you can see the person holding it. 100k, 50k, 25k and the 15k all clearly indicated in it. Not sure how accurate it would be.
So whats in the Bag you ask ?
- Menshealth Magazine
- Suunto brochures
- Active discount vouchers
- SFI Warehouse brochure
- TNF100 race directory
- TNF100 race course Map
Useful stuff
- Gu Chomps
- Active muscle rub
- Jacob “Original” biscuit
- Viartril-S 500 capsules
- 2 Toms Blister prevention
- SingGourmet “Ready Made Rendang Sauce” (not what I expect in a TNF100 race pack)
The only highlight of the race pack and saviour was the Running T and Race Bib, which I deem is pretty much decent.
Unbreakable at Western State 100 mile endurance run.
Are you into Trail Running? Well if you are, you definitely heard of the 4 kings of Trail running, if not I have listed them below:
1) Killian Jornet
2) Hal Koerner
3) Geoff Roes
and my favourite
4) Anton Krupicka whom I got the honors to run with, when he was in Singapore a while back (read the post here)
and now imagine this, as (more…)
Riding the Wind with Anton Krupicka
You say Marathon was hard ? what about Ultra Marathon? those that goes beyond 100km, Call em Crazy, but what about UltraMiler? not sure if they are the same but I guess not cause once they call it mile its not in the km anymore you gotta x 1.6 to it and so you call yourself a Ultramiler,
“It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners.
Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit”
- George Sheehan
So who is Anton you say ? he is the
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