Rowan Wood: Preparing for an Ultra

By Rowan Wood

Preparing for an ultra is simple, right? You put the miles in, then turn up on race day and smash it. Not necessarily easy, given the amount of physical effort you have to put in, but not exactly complex either. So why do we get so many DNFs, and reports of races going badly wrong when it’s that simple? Because maybe there’s a little bit more to a successful race than just the physical training – and the longer you go, the more important it becomes to cover all the bases in your preparation….

I’m going to share with you here a bunch of my top tips for preparing for your next ultra. But we’re not going to talk about the usual topics of mileage, threshold runs, intervals and strength work. Instead, we’re going to look at all those hidden extras that are often neglected in the lead-up to a big race. These little strategical nuggets that people often don’t talk about or even misleadingly think they’re not serious or fast enough to bother with. Regardless of your level, and no matter whether it’s your first or fifteenth ultra, these all apply to you. Incorporate them into your prep, and I can guarantee your racing will be more successful.

Know the course

Setting out to run an ultra with no real idea of what awaits you on the course is a surefire way of running into problems in your race. Pacing is a huge element of ultra racing, and if you don’t know what the terrain or elevation is like, then you have no way of accurately pacing yourself to the right level.