Forums >General Running>Long Distance (tips needed)
Good Day All
I am planning to run the comrades this year (87km). I recently completed the Two Oceans which is just over 56km but lately I have been cramping when running more than 40 km. Do you guys have any advice, I did take cramp stop pills but they didn't really help. Am I cramping because of two little mileage or maybe should I use more cramp stop pills.
The comrades is also in 7 weeks and I am probably not quite ready, I was speaking to some other runners at the club and 1 guy said I should try loose 5 kg's it will make the run a lot easier while another said no I need all the reserves. I am probably 1.8m and lets say 87 kg, quite fit but I could probably loose 5 kg's if it would help.
Thx team
There is a person/coach I follow on youtube called Sage Canaday (spelling?) His channel is called "Vo2maxproductions" If you search for the channel name, he has tons of videos for the ultra runners competing in 50k -62k - 100k and marathons too. He has lots of advice about fuel / foods/ drinks / gear / training blah blah blah. check him out man, his videos have helped me!
5k = 19.48 10/1/13
10k = 45.28 4/16/13
Half Marathon = 1:38.53 Summer Sizzle 7/13/14
Operation Jack Marathon 12/26/12 4:39.11
Solo O Marathon 06/02/13 3:52:10
Operation Jack Marathon 12/26/13 3:40.34
What's a cramp stop pill?
Ignore the guy that said you need the reserves. Even at very low body fat percentage everyone has plenty of fat to fuel a long distance run. Lighter is better until you get to a point where you don't have the muscle mass needed, but that's an extreme situation. At 1.8m and 87kg your running would definitely benefit from losing some weight.
That said it's not always so easy to lose weight when you're in the middle of high mileage training...
Run more. Losing weight helps, but losing weight while trying to build mileage *can* be counter productive, though isn't always.
It's more likely the cramps are brought on by muscular fatigue than by electrolytes or dehydration.
How much do you run per week now?
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." Emil Zatopek
Yeah probably between 50 and 60, sometimes 70 not often. The comrades is in 7 weeks so I want to up my mileage for the next 4 weeks and then maybe focus on weight lose for 2 weeks and then just rest and chill the last week.
I don't know that 7 weeks is enough time to make any significant changes. At best, you could drop a couple kg of weight without having it affect your training. It is probably best not to focus on that, as cutting weight hard can lead to running injuries. 70 km/week is about minimum of what you need for good ultramarathon endurance. 50-60 km is sufficient to finish races but that is about it. Trying to ramp up to 70+ km/week now also puts you at risk of injury.
One of the original online Comrades training plans called for back-to-back long runs. I can't find it anymore, and it bordered on the ridiculous, with 8+ hours of "running" on consecutive weekends for several weeks in a row. Nevertheless, a few 2-3 hour back-to-back long runs, the first now and the last just before starting your taper, could go a long way towards giving you the endurance you aren't getting due to not quite enough weekly kms. Just don't do back-to-back long runs on consecutive weekends because you don't have the base for it. Other plans call for a lot of hill work, so maybe alternate the remaining training weekends with back-to-back on one, longish-hilly (1.5-2.5 hrs) the next. Good luck.
Faster Than Your Couch!
I'd say your weekly mileage might be a bit low for attempting 87 km, but for some people, it works.
I usually do 80 to 100 km per week for a 80 km race, but on the other hand, what mileage works for you is a highly individual thing, so your training might be right for you. It will help to build your mileage over the next few weeks, but to get more benefit out of it, you'd need to run a few months at the higher mileage to build a base.
I also assume your cramping results from too little training, not necessarily from a lack of electrolytes. What is your electrolyte replacement schedule right now, at what temperatures, and what temps do you expect for the race?
Run for fun.
Thx for all the advice guys. My mileage is definitely not enough to run a good race but I should be able to finish. Going to start focusing on some hill training and back-to-back long runs ons weekends 20's and 30km's. I doubt the cramping is due to electrolytes, the temps are between 20-30 C, the race is in the winder so it will start off at say 5 C and then midday will be between 20-30. I am going to a comrades novice seminar on Tuesday and Bruce Fordyce will be discussing many issues hopefully I will gain more tips and I will keep you guys in the loop. Thx !