Relentless Forward Progress_ A Guide to Running Ultramarathons - Bryon Powell [88]
About the Author
Bryon Powell has loved trail running since going out for his high school cross country team in 1992. A decade later, his introduction to ultra-running gave him the ability to run his beloved trails nearly without end. By October 2007, he found himself increasingly drawn to informative writing on the subject, which led to his development of the trail running and ultramarathon website, iRunFar.com. This love blossomed, as well. In May 2009, Bryon left his job as a Washington, DC, attorney to dedicate himself full time to spreading the word about trail running and ultrarunning. His work has appeared in numerous national publications, including Outside, Runner’s World, Running Times, Trail Runner, Competitor Running, and UltraRunning. He’s also a contributing editor at Trail Runner and an advisory board member of the American Trail Running Association. In addition to writing, Bryon has coached many runners to their first ultra or first 100 finishes while helping others break course records at major ultramarathons. Needless to say, despite his writing and coaching, Bryon still runs ultras. He’s twice placed in the top ten at the Leadville 100 (’06 & ’09), twice won the under-30 age group at the Western States 100 (’04 & ’05), and was part of the first American team to place in the top three at Morocco’s Marathon des Sables (’09).
iRunFar.com
Want to learn about the people, places, gear, and races that make trail running and ultrarunning so exciting? Look no further than iRunFar.com. Published by Bryon Powell and a team of experts, it regularly provides:
In-depth reviews of shoes and other running gear
Race previews and post-race analysis
Live race day coverage
Interviews with top ultrarunners and trail runners
News and discussions on ultramarathoning’s hot issues
Training and racing tips
iRunFar.com is also your supplement to Relentless Forward Progress. Find resources and updates to the book at: www.iRunFar.com/rfp/resources.
In addition, iRunFar.com is more than an online magazine, it’s a community. In the comments on each article, you’ll get insight from coaches, race directors, industry insiders, and elite ultra-runners, as well as runners like you! Use the iRunFar forums at www.iRunFar.com/forums to have your ultrarunning questions answered by the iRunFar staff and readers. The community and its conversations continue on iRunFar’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Visit iRunFar and get involved today!
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Table of Contents
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
FOREWORD
Eric Grossman
1
SO YOU WANT TO RUN AN ULTRAMARATHON!
What Is an Ultramarathon?
Why Run an Ultramarathon?*
Training for and running an ultramarathon is something to get excited about. (Photo by PatitucciPhoto.com)
How to Use This Book to Run an Ultramarathon
Why Run an Ultra?
Krissy Moehl
2
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ULTRAMARATHON TRAINING
Turn Up the Training Volume
Training Pace
Weekly Mileage
Increasing Weekly Mileage and the 10 Percent Rule
On the Long Run
Put Your Back into It: Back-to-Back Long Runs
Bonk Runs
The Need for Speed: Intervals, Fartleks, and Tempo Runs, Oh My!
The Need for Speed?: Why Speed Training Is Unnecessary for Ultramarathons
Geoff Roes
Racing Far Is No Excuse for Training Slow
Ian Torrence
Recovery
Tips for Recovery
Tapering
Ultra Cross Training
Adam W. Chase
Burnout and Fear of Missing Out
Overreaching and Overtraining
Rest and Recovery
The Finish Line
Do You Need a Coach?
Conclusion
3
TRAINING FOR COURSE SPECIFICS
On Footing