Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning: Training for an Ultramarathon, from 50K to 100 Miles and Beyond

Copyright © 2014 by Hal Koerner

All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by VeloPress, a division of Competitor Group, Inc.

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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Koerner, Hal.

Hal Koerner’s field guide to Ultrarunning: training for an Ultramarathon, from 50K to 100 miles and beyond / Hal Koerner, with Adam W. Chase.

pages cm

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-937715-22-9 (Paperback: alk. paper); ISBN 978-1-937716-59-2 (e-book)

1. Marathon running—Training. 2. Extreme sports. I. Chase, Adam W. II. Title.

GV1065.17.T73K64 2014

796.42’52—dc23

2014021541

For information on purchasing VeloPress books, please call (800) 811-4210, ext. 2138, or visit www.velopress.com.

Cover design by Andy Omel

Cover photograph by Tim Kemple

For my family and my wife, Carly.

They’ve been down since day one.

CONTENTS

Writer’s Note

Foreword by Scott Jurek

Preface

1.GETTING STARTED

Why Run an Ultra?

Who Can Do an Ultra?

You Know You Are an Ultrarunner If…

Tackling the Distance—50K, 50 Miles to 100K, and 100 Miles

50K—Steps to Increase the 26.2-Mile Threshold

50 Miles to 100K—Time on Feet Becomes Crucial

100 Miles—Putting It All Together

Choosing Your First Race

Setting a Goal

2.TRAINING

Pace

Trail Technique

What if I don’t live near trails?

Ascending

Power Hiking

Trekking Poles in Ascents

Training for Ascending

Technique Tips for the Ascent

Descending

Training for Descending

Technique Tips for the Descent

Intensity Training

Hill Training/Strength Work

Speed Work

Tempo Runs

Easy Runs

Long Runs

How long is long?

Mileage–Quantity Versus Quality

Preparatory Races

Recovery/Rest Days

Am I overtraining?

Taper

Weight Training/Core Work

Crosstraining–yes or no?

Road and Trail—Mixing It Up

Stretching

Do I Need a Coach?

3.NUTRITION AND HYDRATION

One Guy’s Fueling Strategy

How Many Calories Do I Need to Run an Ultra?

What Nutrition Do I Need?

Gels

Gel Alternatives

Fat-Based

Fruit-Based

Baby Food

Energy Chews

Sports Bars

Salt

Sodium Content

A Word About Whole Foods

Nutrition-Dense and Portable Whole Food Options

Caffeine

Hydration

Water Versus Sports Drinks

Recovery Drinks

Recovery Drink Ideas

Beer

4.GEAR

Shoes

Do I need a trail-specific shoe?

Are my shoes worn out?

Clothing

Performance

A Short Word About Socks

Gaiters

Compression

Hydration: Packs Versus Water Bottles

Trekking Poles

Flashlight/Headlamp

Choosing a Headlamp

Watch

GPS

GPS: A Caveat

Music

Hal’s Playlist

5.MAINTENANCE, SELF-CARE, AND FIRST AID

Preventing and Caring for Small Injuries

Blisters

Blisters—Preventive Measures

Toenails

Hal’s Manity Kit

Chafing

Should I shave?

Rolled Ankle

Kinesiology Tape

Cuts and Bruising

Tummy Troubles

Pain Relievers

Vomiting

Why do I feel sick, and how do I deal with it during a race?

Diarrhea

Kidney Failure

Hyponatremia

Cramping

Am I racing too much?

6.DEALING WITH YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Technical Versus Nontechnical Trail

Running in Mud

Running on Ice

Running in Snow

Water Crossing

Running at Altitude

Tips for Better Breathing at Altitude

Altitude Sickness

Lightning

Cold/Heat Management

Cold

Hypothermia

Heat

Heatstroke

When You Have to Go—A Few Tips

Going to the Bathroom

Animals

Safety Tips in the Wild

Snakes on the Trail

Running with Dogs

Watch Out for Stingers

Going Off Trail

Trash on the Trail

Getting Lost

Drinking from Natural Water Sources

Drinking Unfiltered Water—A Few Tips

Night Running

Tips for Running at Night

7.RACE DAY

Traveling to Your Race

Warming Up Before the Race

Preparing Your Crew and Pacers

Check the Rules

Crew

Pacers

What makes a good pacer?

Muling

Should I go it alone?

Drop Bags

Fueling and Hydrating During a Race

Dining chez Aid Station

Fluid—What, How, and When to Drink

Monitoring Weight Loss During a Race

Pace on Race Day

Top 10 Must Do’s on Race Day

Top 10 Do Nots on Race Day

Cutoff Times

Mental Focus on Race Day—Tips and Strategies

Talking on the Run

Racing with Friends

Nasal Strips

Passing on Singletrack

DNF: When Is Enough Enough?

Tips for How and When to Make the Call

Cooling Down After the Race

8.TRAINING PLANS

Intensity Workouts

Tempo Runs

Fartleks

Hill Repeats

Training Races

The Plans—50K, 50 Miles to 100K, and 100 Miles

Training Plans and Setbacks

Afterword. What’s Next?

Index

About the Author

WRITER’S NOTE

I WILL NEVER FORGET THE DAY. I DOUBT HAL REMEMBERS IT, but for me, it is an indelible moment. We were racing an early-season 50K in Chatfield State Park, southwest of Denver, Colorado, when Hal came up on me at about the 30-kilometer mark. In his cool-as-a-cucumber, affable way, he passed by me and encouraged me along. I was able to stay with him for a while, and we chatted about his plans for the season. Then he strode away at a pace I could no longer sustain.

I’ve been passed by many a runner since then, but this was a decade ago, when it didn’t happen very often. And it had never happened before with this friendly, respectful, excited young guy who had obvious signs of talent and longevity in the growing sport of ultrarunning. Yet it didn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, as this running phenom pulled away, I remember smiling to myself, feeling as though in some small way I was symbolically passing the torch to the next generation of impassioned ultrarunners. Later, I recall sharing this notion with Hal, telling him that I saw him as carrying the torch for the future of ultrarunning. From the perspective of more than 10 years in the rearview mirror, it turns out I was right on target. Hal has indeed been a primary author in writing the future of this emerging discipline.

Six years after that Chatfield race, after Hal had gone on to win some of the biggest races in the sport, I wrote a story for Running Times magazine about Ashland, Oregon, the new Mecca of ultra-distance running. To get the whole story, I traveled there hoping to get a feeling for what this place was all about. I basked in the warmth of the Rogue Valley Runners, which quickly became apparent to me was better known as the community that Hal built. While many of the best ultrarunners had moved there to train on the area’s soft mountain trails, it was Hal himself—his depth of knowledge, kind words of encouragement, easygoing demeanor, and infectious smile and laughter—who had really drawn the outstanding crowd of young ultrarunners to Ashland. What a treat it was to run and hang with that pack, savoring the friendly banter and humor that Hal kindled, stoked, and shared in.

With this guide, things have come full circle, with Hal sharing his experience and stories with yet a new generation of ultrarunners. My hope is that the text flows like a conversation you’d have with Hal during a long training run or if you stopped in and asked him a question at his Ashland running store. Hal has so many rich stories and lessons to impart to those already in, new to, or aspiring to be in our sport, and I’ve relished the opportunity to get to know him even better, and on a new level, through this effort. He (quite literally) makes a fast friend.

—Adam W. Chase

FOREWORD BY SCOTT JUREK

PART OF WHAT MAKES THE SPORT OF ULTRARUNNING SO alluring is its unique cast of colorful characters and the welcoming sense of community. If it weren’t for an eclectic group of influencers and encouraging friends, I don’t think I ever would have made that big leap to my first ultramarathon.

Hal Koerner is most definitely one of those characters, and one I’m proud to call a longtime friend. I can’t recall whether it was a mountainous 50K in Virginia or a rocky 50-miler in Arizona where I first met Hal. He was a lanky Colorado kid who had his hat pulled down so low you could barely see his chin, but underneath that brim there was always this enormous grin that stayed put, no matter how hard we were hammering up a climb. It was almost unsettling! The other thing about Hal? His undeniable cool. When it came to race mornings, he would barely make it to the start line before the gun went off. However, no matter how late he was, he’d remain utterly unflustered, taking his time to guzzle some coffee and finding his water bottle and gels in the nick of time before springing off to the start with a smile. The thing about Hal is, he never seems to sweat the small stuff—well, except when it comes to picking his race outfit. His race kit was always styled to a T that even the best fashionistas couldn’t top!

For 15 years, Hal and I have shared miles on the trail, both racing and training. And despite those many years passing by, not much has changed. Hal is still that same easygoing guy whose smile can set anyone at ease, but yet who can flip the competitive switch and throw down when it matters.

He brings that same laid-back yet competitive style to this guide. Whether you are a newbie ultramarathoner or a seasoned veteran, Hal’s down-to-earth advice will give you the confidence to get to the finish line or set a personal best. He dispenses hard-earned wisdom on everything from running a downhill properly to wild-animal encounters on the trail. Included are special sections on shaving and, yes, a Manity Kit—I’ll let Mr. Koerner do the honors of explaining himself on those two points!

The practical, sage instruction in this guide is what helped Hal take the podium in many an ultra, including two straight Western States 100 wins. Hal is hard-core and as ultra as it gets, there is no doubt. And yet, while he can rattle off ultra stats like the most studious of ultra geeks, it is his down-home approach and cool head that have served him best in the sport’s most grueling and competitive events.

What I enjoy most about Hal is his inviting, fun-loving style, always so welcome on the trail. He brings this trait to his book in spades, all the while serving his guidance straight up like his favorite whiskey. But he gives more than just good advice. Great guidance and best-laid plans can help anyone better understand and participate in our sport, and yet, the truth is, ultramarathoning is too capricious and individual for any rule to be set in stone. It has been said, Running an ultra is 90 percent mental, and the other 10 percent—that’s mental too! Often it is a strong mind that wins out over strong legs. Hal knows that. He provides you with crucial on-the-ground knowledge in this book, but more important, he’ll give you confidence, which may turn out to be your best asset during the inevitable moments of truth in any ultramarathon.

As comprehensively covered as the topics are, I have to admit to being a little disappointed he hasn’t included a section on preparing for and recovering from extensive post-race festivities. At these, Hal is the master, as I am sure anyone would agree who has tried to toe the line with him after a race!

I, like Hal, sincerely believe that anyone can run an ultramarathon, and if you follow his advice you won’t just complete an ultra, you’ll have a lot of fun along the way. Because that’s Hal: completely committed to the task at hand, but completely committed, too, to enjoying the journey. I sincerely hope you take that lesson to heart and enjoy your own journey. And in those low moments when it seems impossible, those times that make you wonder if you have any more to give—dig deeper. That’s what ultras are all about.

Keep digging deep!

PREFACE

I CAN STILL RECALL THE PUNISHING WIND AND THE WHITE-caps that danced atop the Snake River as I made my way alongside a trough of water raging next to a black strip of road that turned out to be the easy miles of the WSU 100K. Looking back on 20 years and some 130 ultras, I find it wonderful and perplexing that it all began in this rugged and desolate place around Pullman, Washington, far removed from just about everyone and everything I knew, which is probably the reason I loved it most.

I had always had a passion for adventure. In my younger, formative years, I played every sport, became an Eagle Scout, dabbled with endurance on the bike—but finally I found the repetition of my two feet could take me places that many my age could not possibly have dreamed. That day in Washington was my inaugural journey. I recall a sense of relief that the towering cedar and taut Douglas fir would let me skate by unseen beneath their generous cover so that I might not disappoint anyone or be disappointed in myself if I wasn’t able to pull this off. Truth is, I was completely and woefully unprepared, but for whatever reason, I was ready to bet the house on this ridiculously long race.

I had absolutely no idea how to train for something like this; in choosing this race, I had all but thrown a blind dart among the dozens of brief classified ads in the back of UltraRunning magazine. The description for the WSU 100K was succinct: Sixty-two miles of mostly paved, rolling countryside that includes a 1,900-foot downhill as well as a 1,700-foot climb on dry, dusty, gravel roads. I supposed this was all I needed to know.

Not quite.

This book, or compendium, if you will, has been gleaned from a lot of sweat and soil, a few masterful moves, a sprinkle of podium pride, and the amusing and maybe not-so-amusing errors and near escapes that have made up two decades of running. In sum, things didn’t always go smoothly. But if there were no mistakes, how would we learn? What I want to offer you here is the guide that I wish had accompanied me on my first ultras. While its contents may not dull the ache of weary legs spurred on by a furious, spinning mind during those many miles, I do hope it entertains, teaches, and, most of all, inspires you.

I fell from first place that day in Pullman, right at the 26-mile mark, and then entered into a battle for a step on the podium on that last gradient into town. And although I watched my winning run turn into a stutter and an eventual walk, I have to say that out of my top 10 list, that race remains one of the biggest victories of my life. Sure, I couldn’t walk for a few days afterward, and I struggled even to stand up and sit down, but I was hooked. Moments from that day are indelibly seared into my mind, lending further proof that this was truly a life-changing event. When I crossed that finish line, it was one of the first times in my life that I was not questioning my internal compass or wondering what my next move was. That magic effervescence stayed with me and got me out on my feet a second time, and then another, and, my friends, the magic hasn’t let up yet.

These pages offer a peek at my own reasons, drive, and motivation that allow me to keep placing one foot in front of the other at moments when every fiber of my being tells me to give it up. You can certainly read this book from cover to cover, but if you prefer, the material is laid out so that it may be quickly scanned, allowing you to pull from the pages what you need in the moment. This book will also offer you a set of tools for your own tinkering, as you prepare to throw caution to the wind and test the bounds of your running potential. My hope is that, after you read it, the voices of self-doubt and anxiety on your personal road to discovery grow a little more diminutive, just like the distance.

1

GETTING STARTED

ULTRA, BY ONE DEFINITION, MEANS EXTREME.AND SO IT is perhaps not surprising that when people first hear the term applied to a running race, they imagine that event must be 100 grueling miles or more. While it is true that some ultras are 100 miles, and certainly some are also quite grueling, the fact is, an ultramarathon is simply any distance beyond the marathon distance, or 26.2 miles. On the flip side, sometimes runners joke about having done an ultra because they ran to the start line of a marathon from their car or hotel, adding a mile, or ran to the bathroom when the marathon was over, adding 0.2 miles to their race. So for the jokesters out there, let’s be clear that by ultra, I am referring to the actual race distance. The most common ultramarathon distances are 50K, 50 miles, 100K, 100 miles, and multiday runs.

WHY RUN AN ULTRA?

Everyone has his or her own reasons, which are as wildly varied and unique as the people who run ultras. For me, part of the appeal has been that ultrarunning takes me places—both within and without—that I didn’t know existed. I have had the privilege of running in some of the most beautiful places on earth, from the southeastern Idaho wilderness and the stunning San Juan Mountains of Colorado to the pristine Alaskan interior, the majestic mountains of Europe, and beyond. Ultras have been my excuse to explore places I’ve never seen and may never have seen if it weren’t for running.

Mentally, ultras have the power to transport me to yet a different kind of unique place, one where I feel totally in the present and everything else sort