Hi everyone,
I have been experimenting with ultra mileage while being 40+ for some time.
I thought that there might be other people out there who want to try, but are a bit afraid to.
This guide is meant to help them.
Distances are in km.
1. Prerequisites (parenthesis added for relative importance).
You need to be smart (7/10)
You need good time management (7/10)
You need to have a decent level (7.5/10) else you are going to be too slow to log in the miles
You need to be very healthy, thin and having a reasonable diet. (8/10)
You cannot have a heavy, stressful, time consuming-soul job (8.5/10)
You need to be very good at recovery (9/10)
You need to be somewhat injury immune (9.5/10)
You need to be commited (10/10).
2. General guidelines
You have a wife and kids, so your schedule is not going to be the one you have typically seen online or on this forum. It is going to be very fluid time wise and you should always prioritize your job and family time. You best bet is to aim for around 25 to 35km per day, every day, with low days at 20 and heavy at 45, sometimes 55. You need to be smart on how to squeeze a run at the right time.
a. Clothing
What I do: I have two bags: one for running clothes, one for job clothes (suit). These two bags need to fit in a larger bag. I buy the right suit clothes and then I learned to fold them in a bag and unfold them without a mark. I also carry my shoes, bathing stuff and my laptop in my bag.
Learn to get dressed and undressed very quickly if you need to.
This way, I can run to and from work if I don't work from home.
b. When to run
What I do: I run every morning before my kids are awake and log as many miles as I can during that time while always following a simple rule: always go VERY easy in the morning, so that going outside does not become a chore. I start very slow and finish slow. I keep it an enjoyable ru and finish very fresh and relaxed.
If you work from home, you may be able to log a lot of miles here and there, especially at noon (probably the best time for track or tempos).
In the evenings, when kids are sleeping, if my wife wants some time alone to relax from her day and eat with a friend, etc., I can log a few more miles. Or not.
Week ends: very fluid as it depend on the family schedule, but if you can and want, you can log a Long Run or even a very Long Run by waking up at 4 am or going to sleep later.
You might be able to log a few more if you kids bike, skate, play soccer, ... while you watch over them while running around them.
Overall you should target 3-5 runs/day during the week and 1 or 2 in the week end. For each run, don't target a distance but rather a maximum time allocation.
You need roughly 3h per day and it can be as simple that say 1h10 in the early morning, 45 min at noon and 2x30 min going to and from work. Not many miles each time, but it adds up pretty fast when you multiply by 4 or 5 each day. You WIN when all this becomes a habit for a very important reason: when it is a habit, you do preparatory things automatically, i.e. without thinking, and this way you start gaining a lot of times before and after your runs. You also go out early in the morning because this is what you do.
c. Injury prevention
If you are injury prone, it s going to be way harder, granted, but by multiplying the easy runs, you increase you recovery time and therefore injury prevention.
You should limit your harder efforts to a couple per week and focus on being really easy most of the time.
As you train several times per day, you don't really need a long run, even though doing 30km at once should feel -even at the end- very easy after some time. In a way, 30km stops being a long run in your mind, it is just that this time you had more time and did 30, and with more time you would have done 40 or 50.
Of course, you should progressively up your training (I suppose that you would try doing this kind of mileage only with years of training and running habits, else it is way too soon). When you reach ca. 200km/week, keep it for like 2 weeks and then go down to 120/150 for the next one to ensure that the body digest the added load, then again 2 weeks and 1 week off, and then 3 weeks at 200, etc.
I always keep in mind a very important rule: I should never end a run being weary or feeling fatigued. This way I am always ready for the next one and it does not become a burden but rather a way of life. Injury comes from fatigue, intensity, or both most of the time.
d. Diet
Eat a lot, especially salt (without being crazy of course). Losing salt is a major factor that will make you feel sleepy and fatigued. Above 100miles/week, eating itself can become an issue. Above 200km, it definitely becomes one. If you under-eat, you will feel the fatigue creeping in and you will lose your motivation and running will again will feel impossible. Above 200km, I remarked that I eat virtually all the time and still lose a bit of weight compared to 100m/w. Food becomes a budget.
e. Shoes
Focus on shoes that are hyper comfy and a bit too large. Good, tight and light shoes for races, but for the rest, remain hyper relaxed in your shoes, running should feel like going out for a (generally short) walk to enjoy the view and looking at the world going without worrying about the cardio or pace.
Change socks :-).
f. Sleep
Ideally, learn to do the fast 20-30 min sleep during the day. It helps.