Top 10 Ultra Running Tips From A Pro
Running an ultra is hard, but if it's on your bucket list.
Maybe you've signed up to do one in the future or you're thinking about it.
We've gone straight to professional ultra runner Tom Evans, winner of UTMB
CCC, to get all of his top tips for ultra running.
And if you stick around to the end of this video, I'll be sharing with you my one
top tip that I used to win CCC at UTMB in
2018.
So make sure you hang around for that.
First, though, please do hit, subscribe and tap that bell icon.
So you get notified when we upload new videos, all about running to The Running Channel, which we do every
week.
If you haven't heard of Tom Evans, where have you been?
He has got so many accolades to his name, probably best known for winning
CCC at UTMB.
In 2018, Tom burst onto the ultra running seen in 2017, running
the Marathon de Sables after having a cheeky bet with a friend.
I love that story and then ended up getting the
best European time in the races history.
Just a casual little first race there for you.
Amazing.
Since then, he has grown from strength to strength with some of his achievements, including first
place and course record at the Tarawera 100 k winning UTMB CCC
Breaking records on the Coastal Challenge, Costa Rica and South Downs
Way 50 And even covid couldn't stop Tom while we were all at home
feeling sorry for ourselves.
Well, some of us were doing backyard marathons.
Tom went one better and did the three peaks on a treadmill.
Brilliant.
So if you didn't know before, you are certainly going to want to know Tom now.
And the good news is I am here with him to pick his brain about all things ultra running.
Tom, thank you so much for joining us.
No, I am.
Yeah.
Honoured to be be back on the show, so thank you very much.
Mhm.
So we're gonna kick off with the big question.
If you had one tip for your fellow ultra runners, what would it be?
I think for me, the most important thing is to set a goal and
Once your goal has been set, you can then plan your training around that.
So for me, I find that specificity is the
key.
And in order to be able to train specifically for of course, you need to replicate
the terrain that you're training on, so but it But if you live in the UK and
you're planning on a race in Chamonix, you might not be able to get out there the whole time.
So it's thinking slightly outside the box.
And what my top tip for that is to print out and laminate the
course profile for the race that you're going to do.
And then you can then do it on the treadmill with the right incline, and you can set the speed for
me.
That helps to keep it, keep it fairly interesting and keeps me motivated when things are tough and I'm
stuck in the UK
Okay, so once you've hit the trails, then any tips for our
runners out there, I think the first thing is to keep your head up and for your eyes,
looking forward a lot at your feet down below you.
That's such a weird thing to do when you're running because you obviously want to see where your
feet are going.
Do you ever worry that you're gonna trip like, have you got any tips for the more nervous runners?
Yeah, I think the great thing about running on the trails is pace doesn't matter, and
you run on how you're feeling and you listen to your body.
And I think if you are a little bit more nervous on the trails and there's a bit of a sketchy
bit, then you can slow down.
You can walk, and if you need to compose your watch, but
actually I tend not to, because it's all part of the learning
experience, and the more you do something, you'll improve at it
and fast forward.
Six months and the bit that used to walk on you'll now be running on.
Pacing is such a crucial part of racing, but I know that over long distances it can
become increasingly difficult to pace yourself, especially if there's a range of elevation.
Actually, normally I end up with, like a bit of a slow death march towards the end cause I've gone out too hard.
So what are your top tips when it comes to pacing for ultras, especially on trails.
Yeah, and a painting is painting is incredibly important.
And when I'm training on the trails, I use a real combination of
pace and feel.
Some days they will match up together and be exactly how
I thought.
And then other days they won't be.
And for me, having features such as Pace Pro really
allow me to better understand my body and how fast I'm moving, whether that's
on flat terrain inclines and declines, and typically when
I'm running, I do like to run at a fairly even effort.
So far, my pace pro it is.
It is fairly even.
But what I will always do is save a little bit in the tank for
that final downhill because training sessions aren't complete
until you've completed it and races aren't won until you finish them.
So, Tom, speaking of hills, your watch can actually help you with the ascent.
So what are your tips when it comes to running uphill?
So I think I get asked this question a lot, and there are a
lot of people who do not like running up hills, and
for me, I have a mantra of control, the controllable.
And when you were running up hills of the normal question people get our
people ask is how much longer have I got?
And for me with Climb Pro?
What that does is one.
It gives you that that real time information of how much longer the climb that you've got
to do.
And that's really motivating, because you know how much longer you've got to work
for, and also when you're planning training sessions or when you're looking at the
roots of a race, if you've not got the luxury of going out and running the course
before, you can see everything on your computer and then on your watch
when you're when you're in the race.
So, Tom, what are the things that we can do is runners to improve our efficiency when
it comes to running uphill, I think that's the key word efficiency.
What we want to do is to run faster with less effort,
and when we come talking on hills, the best way to improve your efficiency
is by improving your technique.
So might have three top tips would be, firstly, to increase your
cadence, take shorter steps, but more of them.
Secondly, it would be armed drive.
You can drive your arms.
Your legs will follow where your arms are going.
And then my third point is that you need to look up.
We spoke about it earlier, but actually looking up keep you nice and tool.
You'll find it easier to breathe and you will become more efficient.
Mhm.
So let's talk about navigation.
Have you ever got lost out on the trails?
I know I have.
Yes, I have being ex military.
I have got lost quite a bit.
My map breeding is not the best.
And But now when I go out on the trails, I always have my
maps feature, um, up just just so I can't
get lost because one, it helps what?
It just knows where you're going.
People like knowing what they're doing.
And you like those controllable factors and no one wants.
No one wants to get lost.
And especially if you're in 100 mile race, you don't wanna get lost because you don't want to run anymore,
Miles.
So make life as easy as you can for you, And it will give you that warm, fuzzy feeling
that you're in the right place and every step you're taking is getting you closer to the finish
line.
Okay, so I think you and I both know that ultra running.
It's kind of an all day picnic.
You're out running.
You have some snacks, you go to do some more running, you have some snacks.
So how do you make sure that you are fuelling correctly when hydration and
nutrition plays such a key role in these long races?
I think you're right.
I think nutrition and hydration is key to success.
Whether you're there to to win a race or to finish a race and
taking on that nutrition that is specific to the individual is really
important.
And there can be certain times in races where you may forget to eat and forget
to drink.
So, actually, for me, having a feed and a
hydration alert through my watch just gives me that gentle nudge, that gentle
reminder to keep consuming my nutrition
and my hydration products.
And, like I used the example of in
CCC and at UTMB, there is a 13 mile downhill section.
People don't like running people, so people don't like eating when they're running downhill because your stomach
is going up and down so people forget to eat you, then get to the bottom of the valley.
You've got a big climb, so people get there and they're not talking and they're really
tired.
And they have not got the nutrition, and they really slow on the uphill.
So all of that hard work that they've done to get there they can't put into place.
So making sure that you can consume these different foods,
whether it's in liquid form, what's in solid form, yeah, is really important.
And the only way to get good at it is to practise in training.
And you can then put that into practise when you race.
Because most people d n a.
From races because of stomach issues, and you don't want that such a controllable
factor.
You don't want that having an impact on your day.
So as runners, there is so much data and different metrics available to us.
Is there anything in particular that you take into consideration when you're trail running?
Yeah, I think sometimes it's great to go out on the trails and to just listen to your
body, you might be really tired.
It might be a recovery run, and listening to your body sometimes can be the best way.
And for me, listening to myself will always be a factor.
But like you said, we've got so many different metrics that we can use, and there are a
couple that I find really, really useful.
So, for example, heart rate heart rate is brilliant, and
for me, every training session I do serves a purpose.
Whether it's a slow, easy recovery run or it's a tempo
or its intervals.
Your heart rate zone for that is so important, and to be able to see what zone
you're in, an individualised heart rate zone is really important to
make sure that you are training the right effort and the light intensity
for what you're supposed to be doing.
Because what I tend to find is people, and I have done it myself,
is I run my easy runs too fast and my heart rate zone is too
high.
So what I have done is I have I have changed and I have individualised
training zones.
My heart rate zones on my garment.
I'm then making sure that I am ticking every single box, and I'm making
sure that I'm progressing in the right ways that I should be, he said.
There are a couple that you pay attention to.
