Being a beginner ultrarunner: Training plan, gear, energy, inspiration and mentality
I ran my first ultra in the summer of 2014. I was 20 years old. Half a year earlier, my two sisters had decided to participate in their first trail race of 50 kilometers (Tjejmarathon) and had started training for it together. It didn’t take me long to decide I also wanted to take on this intriguing challenge. I couldn’t just sit around on the couch while they were out there, could I?
None of us had ever run longer than a 5K, but the distance didn’t scare me. I had no idea if I was going to make it. I simply wanted to try something new and didn’t really have any expectations or goals, other than crossing the finish line. And I did finish that race: 50 kilometers in 5:57. I was beyond happy. I was overjoyed. I was completely in awe of what my body had just done. I had never run a marathon prior to this race (and still haven’t) and now I’d just run about 10 k more than that. WOW!
At the finish line of Tjejmarathon 50 km in 2014 – tired but happy!
When I first started with ultra running in January 2014, I didn’t even own a running watch — nor did I know want an interval was. There was no pressure to run fast or to finish in a certain time, partly because I didn’t have anything to compare with. I just tagged along with my sisters, ran in borrowed shoes, and enjoyed our time in the forest together. It didn’t matter if we had blue skies or thunderstorms, we still got out there and did it, and every run was a new adventure. A chance to discover something new.
Two months after finishing Tjejmarathon I found myself at the starting line of my second ultra, this time fifty miles at the Black River Run. I finished the race in 10 hours and I remember asking myself at the finish line: how far is it possible to run? Is there a limit where I just can’t go any further, or will I be able to keep going for all eternity?
Finisher t-shirt and medal after completing 50 miles at the Black River Run
We’re all beginners
Let’s face it: we are all beginners at different things. We can’t be the best at everything. And anyway, where’s the fun in that? Being a beginner means a chance to learn so much: about your new hobby or sport, about the world, and about yourself. A beginner’s mind is like the mind of a child that is open to all possibilities. It’s all about the learning process — and having fun.
I thought I’d share with you how it all began for me — my entry into the ultrarunning world and how I learned to navigate my way through it in terms of training plan, gear, energy, inspiration and mentality.
Training plan
Sometimes during a long run you have to stop and take a break…
Unfortunately i don’t have my training schedule for 2014 anymore, but my spring training for 5 months (together with my sisters) looked something like this:
Two easy runs/week, from 5 k in the beginning up to 15 k towards the end of spring.
One interval/tempo session – it could be hill intervals or fartlek for instance.
One long run/week between 2-4 hours (for 3 weeks, and then a recovery week without long runs every 4th week). Pace or distance didn’t matter, it was all about time on feet. These runs were also a great way of trying out different energy plans – what works to drink/eat and how often should I make sure to get some energy. We had an alarm clock on our phones that rang every 30 minutes telling us to drink. The alarm clock was also a signal that we could take a little walking break as we were eating. Every hour we took 2 BCAA’s and ate something. My favorite was rice balls with salt! Today I’m a big fan of homemade energy bars… I’ll post my recipe soon!
Some functional runner’s training, body weight. No gym needed, I did most of my strength workouts at home. A lot of focus on core and leg strength/stability.
YOGA! I despised yoga in the beginning. I was restless and didn’t understand why I should do it. I remember the first time I practiced yoga with my sisters, it was a 15 min hip yoga video on Youtube. I quit after just a few minutes, thinking I didn’t need it. But as time went, I started to enjoy the yoga practice more and more. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but eventually yoga became a huge part of my identity as a runner and human being, shaping my view of myself and the world around me. I learned that yoga was about so much more than just stretching stiff muscles. It’s a way of life, and a great tool for body and mind that I think anyone (runner or not) would benefit from.
The schedule was the perfect fit for me, I remember feeling stronger and stronger the whole spring and I didn’t have any physical problems or pains. One of the most important things as a beginner is to start easy and to run slow — in order to avoid injury and overtraining.
Ultra Interval Challenge is a great way to train for your ultra goals. Our next event is on March 21st!
In the spring leading up to our first 50k race, my sister Satu and I also participated in the Ultra Interval Challenge (UIC) as part of our training for the race. UIC is a virtual, world-wide event where you run every third hour for 24 hours. That means 8 intervals and a total of app. 80 km running. If you don’t want to run all the intervals you can also do something else — or simply do fewer intervals. Back then my sister and I did three intervals and a total of 30k, and we were very happy with that!
Gear
Shoes: At first, I ran in a pair of shoes (pictured below) that I got from my sister because they were too small for her. They were not specifically trail shoes, but I didn’t have to pay anything. And on less technical, dry trails they worked just fine. Later I tried the brand Altra, but my feet are very small and Altra shoes are too broad for me. My favorite shoes eventually came to be the ones in the Salomon S-LAB Sense series. Perfect for my feet and quite minimalistic!
Watch: My first watch was a simple Garmin watch that I loved. I can’t remember which one though. The features of this watch were few, but it was everything I needed. As I started running longer and longer races, however, I realized I needed a watch with longer battery time. So I got the Suunto Ambit2 women’s fit (because I also have tiny wrists…) which served me well for many years. Last summer i switched to the Suunto Ambit 3 Peak, which is one of the best price-worthy options out there if you ask me. Accurate altitude measurement and long battery life for a good price.
Hydration vest: My first running vest was a 6L pink/purple one from Nathan Intensity. I remember getting it in the mail and feeling like I’m a real ultrarunner now – because I’m running with a backpack! On one hand it felt really convenient to be able to carry everything I need with me in the pack, but on the other I was a little bit shy at first. I felt like everybody would look at me – that girl running with a backpack – but I couldn’t have been more wrong. And anyway, if people did look, it was probably because I looked badass.
Today I run with the Ultimate Direction Ultra Vesta, hands down my favorite running vest so far.
Ultrarunning gear doesn’t always have to be the most fancy things you can get hold of. But a GPS watch, running shoes and a hydration vest are very useful!
Energy
The more colorful food is, the better! A lot of veggies, grains and beans. Like a beautiful palette…
I’ve been a vegeterian since I was 11 years old, and vegan (on and off) since I was 19. Somehow, it felt like my entry into the ultrarunning world also made me more creative with my cooking. I loved to cook all kinds of colorful food with an emphasis on different types of veggies, carbs and beans or tofu. Basically throwing everything that you have in the fridge together. This is still my way of cooking and it never gets old :-)
My all-time favorite snack: A lot of peanutbutter with a little bit of banana!
Sports drink and BCAA to fuel long runs and ultra races
I started trying out different types of sports drink and mixtures with BCAA powder to fuel my long runs. BCAA (branch-chained amino acids) are a group of three essential amino acids and the building blocks of protein. It is most commonly used by athletes in the form of pills or powder (as above). Read more about BCAA for endurance athletes here.
My favorite sports drink quickly turned out to be Tailwind Nutrition, a brand that is quite famous for its technology and how the drink is meant to be kind to your stomach. It was my favorite for many years, but I’ve recently switched to Maurten which works just as good for me, or maybe even better.
Beetroot juice for ultrarunning performance?
I also experimented a lot with beetroot juice, as it is said to enhance your performance as an endurance athlete. I drank these beetroot shots (Beet It), once every day for 7 days leading up to my first ultra race. For tradition’s sake, I still use this method before a race…
Inspiration
Rich Roll’s Finding Ultra – one of my all time favorite books about ultrarunning!
BOOKS ABOUT ULTRARUNNING
I tried to get my hands on every book about ultrarunning that I could find. These are some of my all-time favorites that I recommend everyone – no matter beginner or veteran, runner or not – to read:
Emelie Forsberg: Sky Runner – Finding strength, happiness and balance in your running (2018)
Scott Jurek: Eat and Run – My unlikely journey to ultramarathon greatness (2013)
Haruki Murakami: What I talk about when I talk about running (2009)
Dean Karnazes: Ultramarathon Man – Confessions of an all-night runner (2005)
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
I watched a lot of YouTube videos in the beginning – both to get some tips and tricks (for example this video with ultrarunner Scott Jurek) but mostly to get inspired by other runners. I had an extremely romanticized view of ultra and trail running (which can be both good and bad, I suppose) and probably watched this video of Emelie Forsberg running downhill like, 10 000 times. She was (and still is) truly my biggest hero!
Mentality of a beginner: like being a kid again
Like I mentioned earlier, being a beginner was – to me – rather carefree. Of course there were a lot of things to learn, but I trusted that I would learn as I went. The most important thing was to explore new trails with my sisters, find out how my body and mind would develop and to see how far I could go. Being a beginner was like being five years old again.
It was never about being the best or proving something to myself or others. Because, like I said: I didn’t have anything to compare with. I was very happy in my little running bubble. But as time went by, I started to learn more about different aspects of running, participating in more and more races and becoming increasingly competitive. I realize today that as a competitive person at heart, starting to perform well in training and in races at that time gave me a kick that I mistakingly thought was the same as joy. For some people it might be, but I eventually got so lost in a fixation with pace, split times and comparing myself with others that I lost some of my love for running. And it took quite some time and energy to re-gain it again.
Tired after a fast 5K run in July 2014
Fast forward to February 2020. On Sunday I went for a long run, 20 k on trails in my hometown. It was a beautiful day and I could sense spring in the air – blue skies, blinding sunshine, chirping birds and dry trails. During my run I listened to an episode of the Rich Roll Podcast where he talks to ultra runner Rickey Gates. Rickey is a talented ultra runner and artist who has moved away more and more from the competitive scene in the last years, turning more toward his love for art and community and using that in combination with his running.
I absolutely loved the episode, recognizing myself in so many of Rickey’s words. Listening to it, I was reminded yet again of why I started running in the first place, and why being an ultra newbie was such a wonderful experience: because it was all about fun over fast.
A beautiful February day out on the trails… Spring long runs are just the best!
So I guess if there’s one single advice I would like to give every beginner it’s this: Never grow up (growing up is optional!). Never stop playing. Never stop learning. Relax — and don’t take running too seriously.
Never let the thought of having to perform or “proving something” wipe out your will to just have fun and enjoy being out there.
Never stop being a beginner.
❤
/Jënni
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A photo I posted on Instagram back in 2014. Don’t take running too seriously :-)
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