People die and people deal with it in different ways. I'm not sure what is unique about this. Lots of people learn to get in shape for marathons.
And if they all wrote about their experiences, I'm sure we'd read some of their articles, too.
Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
21–30 of 126 posts
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#22Research suggests a genetic preponderance towards physical fitness. With self control, you can make it to what your body can maximally achieve. But no amount of self control can guarantee the finish of an ultra-marathon if you're genetically not designed for it. PBS/Nova [1] took a shot at the question - "Can anyone run a marathon?", and found a certain lot more likely due to their genetics. [1] http://www.pbs.org/wg…
Most people just walk these ultras, probably anyone healthy can do that with enough time to prepare.
As well, probably anyone healthy can slowly jog a marathon with enough time to prepare.
But not everyone can qualify for boston, or make the olympics.
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#23It should be: how I learned to run 100 miles marathons due to having a high lactic acid threshold
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#24I'm a bit evangelical about low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diets nowadays, especially keto. Personally, I'm not at the fitness level where I could conceivably run a marathon. Maybe a 5K or a half. But the article mentions him hitting walls as he hit certain mile markers, and having his wife help him reach the finish. This guy: https://youtu.be/96VZFklUM_Q runs ultra marathons, using fat for fuel. He leaves his fellow comp…
>He leaves his fellow competitors in his dust because he doesn't have to carry glucose packets to keep his body fed. How do you know that is why he leaves others in the dust, vs him just being more talented, or training more, or training smarter, or just setting higher goals than the last generation of endurance runners? Also you should keep in mind that while there is at least a plausible story you can tell about >…
I agree with the speed aspect, but I wish there were better studies that actually tested this. I realize that "explosive" power is diminished when you're burning fat vs. glucose, it would be interesting to know by what amount. Moreover, is it something that normal people need to know about or is it something that occurs at the extremes of performance?
In regards to your first point, I mean, in the video, he stated that he used to try running with the glucose packets and he stated that he got sick trying to keep it all down, and it really slowed him down. It's anecdotal evidence of course, but I wasn't trying to present as anything other than that. :-)
Edit: Holy run-on sentence. I'm going to leave it for posterity.
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#25I'm a bit evangelical about low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diets nowadays, especially keto. Personally, I'm not at the fitness level where I could conceivably run a marathon. Maybe a 5K or a half. But the article mentions him hitting walls as he hit certain mile markers, and having his wife help him reach the finish. This guy: https://youtu.be/96VZFklUM_Q runs ultra marathons, using fat for fuel. He leaves his fellow comp…
Timmy Olsen has been hit or miss as far as leaving his competitors in the dust.
There are a LOT of other factors. Who's on top in the ultrarunning world is constantly changing, and, the ultra races are extremely vaired: 100 mile road races to the Barkley Marathons.
Just last year, Karl Meltzer broke vegan runner Scott Jurick's Appalachian Trail speed record. Obviously, they had very different diets.
I think the real requirement for ultrarunning (and other long-term thinking activities) is grit. Grit includes will power but also the ability to endure.
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#26Research suggests a genetic preponderance towards physical fitness. With self control, you can make it to what your body can maximally achieve. But no amount of self control can guarantee the finish of an ultra-marathon if you're genetically not designed for it. PBS/Nova [1] took a shot at the question - "Can anyone run a marathon?", and found a certain lot more likely due to their genetics. [1] http://www.pbs.org/wg…
Most people just walk these ultras, probably anyone healthy can do that with enough time to prepare. As well, probably anyone healthy can slowly jog a marathon with enough time to prepare. But not everyone can qualify for boston, or make the olympics.
Source?
I participate in these kinda of events.. I'd be interested to know where you are getting your information.
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#27Research suggests a genetic preponderance towards physical fitness. With self control, you can make it to what your body can maximally achieve. But no amount of self control can guarantee the finish of an ultra-marathon if you're genetically not designed for it. PBS/Nova [1] took a shot at the question - "Can anyone run a marathon?", and found a certain lot more likely due to their genetics. [1] http://www.pbs.org/wg…
Most people just walk these ultras, probably anyone healthy can do that with enough time to prepare. As well, probably anyone healthy can slowly jog a marathon with enough time to prepare. But not everyone can qualify for boston, or make the olympics.
Go ahead and try it! How hard could it be?
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#28I'm sorry, but this is all gobbledygook.
Nice ad for "sword" sportfood products, though.
For one thing, running 100 mile races isn't a very good standard for willpower or self control.
There is virtually zero use for this capability, so whether you spend 5-10 hours a week to do so or not isn't really a question of self control.
It's a question of what activities/hobbies you want to pursue in your free time.
Staying fit is a good-for-you type of thing, but you don't have to do anything close to that level of training to stay fit.
My advice, whether you want to get/stay fit or achieve some athletic endurance goal is to make sure you find a way to enjoy the training.
It takes consistent long-term training and you wont't have to worry about your willpower Or self control if you enjoy doing it.
Along those lines: start slow - the hardest and most painful part is getting started. E.g., use a C25K program; find your own goals - whether that's completing 100 mile runs, or a 5K PR, or 1000 miles this year, or an 8:00 pace or a 365 day running streak or whatever.
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#29I'm a bit evangelical about low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diets nowadays, especially keto. Personally, I'm not at the fitness level where I could conceivably run a marathon. Maybe a 5K or a half. But the article mentions him hitting walls as he hit certain mile markers, and having his wife help him reach the finish. This guy: https://youtu.be/96VZFklUM_Q runs ultra marathons, using fat for fuel. He leaves his fellow comp…
As someone currently training for the SF Marathon, here's my perspective on low carb and glucose packets.
Low-ish carb is great. It helps you endure long runs overall and it's a good habit in general. Especially for recovering after the race and getting all those calories back.
During the long run itself however, glucose packets are absolutely necessary. You run out of glycogen stores every 45 minutes or so. That's when you start cramping up and having trouble. A glucose packet gives you some caffeine (helps with stamina and pain tolerance), and some electrolytes (helps with cramping and hydration), and some 100 calories of sugar (helps with glycogen levels and mental fortitude).
Crucially, you aren't replacing all the calories you burn. That's impossible. In a 4 hour marathon I burn between 2500 and 3000 calories. The packets replace only 500 calories.
The difference between packets and no packets is that with packets, I am able to be a human person after a marathon. Far less cranky, far less tired, generally feeling okay. Without the packets, I'm basically a walking zombie.
That said, it took a lot of practice to figure out the right timing for those packets, to train my body to absorb them and so on. It's definitely not something you want to start experimenting with on race day. That's a recipe for puking.
Re: Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
>He leaves his fellow competitors in his dust because he doesn't have to carry glucose packets to keep his body fed. How do you know that is why he leaves others in the dust, vs him just being more talented, or training more, or training smarter, or just setting higher goals than the last generation of endurance runners? Also you should keep in mind that while there is at least a plausible story you can tell about >…
I agree with the speed aspect, but I wish there were better studies that actually tested this. I realize that "explosive" power is diminished when you're burning fat vs. glucose, it would be interesting to know by what amount. Moreover, is it something that normal people need to know about or is it something that occurs at the extremes of performance? In regards to your first point, I mean, in the video, he stated th…
The range of aerobic power that people put out is pretty huge, its possible that at the extreme low end, having no glycogen to burn wouldn't be a limiter, but certainly at the moderately trained average joe level, it is still a limiter.
But early on, you don't need to worry much about it, just get out and move every day. If you keep it up for a year or two, and want to get faster, you can start adding things to be neurotic about =)