Relentless Forward Progress_ A Guide to Running Ultramarathons - Bryon Powell [60]
A good light keeps you running safely all night. (Photo by PatitucciPhoto.com)
Although relatively uncommon, ultrarunners sometimes put a headlamp around their waist or use a pack with a light attached at the waist or sternum. These lights provide the same depth-perception benefits of a flashlight while freeing up your hands. However, when they’re used without a second light source, it can be hard to spotlight a trail blaze or something that goes bump in the night.
Runners frequently combine two light sources to get the best aspects of each lighting system in addition to shedding more light on the trail. For instance, a headlamp–flashlight combination is quite popular. In this combination, the headlamp serves as a broad floodlight while the flashlight is used for spotting and depth perception. The combination also allows the runner to tuck the flashlight away temporarily if both hands are needed.
Whatever lighting option you employ, it’s hard to go wrong with lighting sources based on light-emitting diodes or LEDs. Not so long ago, an ultrarunner had to carry a spare bulb in case his or her light burned out or broke. In the context of running, LEDs are nearly indestructible and have largely eliminated the need to carry backup lighting options. LED-based lighting systems do, however, have two quirks of which you should be aware. First, LED lights that lack a “regulator” quickly lose their maximum brightness before continuing to operate with slowly decreasing brightness for a long period. Regulated LEDs have the opposite problem. They maintain near-maximal output until the batteries are close to failure. For both these reasons, it’s highly recommended that you change the batteries in any LED lights before a race even if the current batteries seem to be providing adequate light.
Getting Carried Away: Options for Hauling Gear
Ultra training and racing often warrant or mandate carrying food, fluids, and gear. When your hauling needs outmatch the storage capacity of your hands and pockets, it’s time to pick up something with a bit more carrying capacity. Your options include waist packs and a variety of shoulder packs.
Waist or fanny packs are great for runs up to couple of hours as well as many races. Most waist packs hold a few essentials like keys, a few hundred calories of food, and some toilet paper. Adding an accessory pocket or two to the front of the waist strap expands the capacity of many packs. As mentioned in chapter 8, some waist packs include a rear holster or two for water bottles. You may need to experiment with a few models of water bottle waist packs to find one that neither bounces excessively nor ejects bottles during descents.
A small shoulder pack—with a capacity of 5 liters or less—is great for unsupported runs of half a day or more in good weather. These packs are also a reasonable racing option for those who don’t like to wear something around their waists. A small shoulder pack lets you carry more water (up to 100 ounces) and more food (1,000-plus calories) as well as spare clothing, lighting, maps, and a few accessories. The front pockets on some models are great for accessing food or electrolyte tablets without stopping. Small capacity vest-style packs are increasingly popular, especially when racing, in large part due to their snug designs that minimize bouncing, even at faster paces. The primary drawback with vest-style packs is that they can be quite warm on hot days.
Except for races with long mandatory gear lists, you’re unlikely to race with a shoulder pack that’s 10 liters or larger. There are, however, many packs from 10 to 33 liters that are designed for running. Packs at the smaller end of this range are excellent for self-supported day-length runs and run commutes to and from work. Packs holding 20 or more liters are best suited for multiday adventures and races. Some multiday packs are available in multiple sizes for different torso lengths,