Ultra Marathon

Written by Evolution Trail Founder Elaine Collins Lose Hill Beginners Trail

7th February 2021

So as we move into February, everything feels pretty much as it did in January, cold and icy with the odd break in the weather including this Saturday. Lucky for me as we had chosen Saturday to be a long run day to maximise recovery time.

We left Ashbourne and set off to visit some of the pretty neighbouring villages; Mayfield, Mappleton and Tissington before returning to Ashbourne via the Tissington Trail. Thankfully, The rain stayed away. Then as we arrived at the highest point, we were lucky enough to be afforded great views of Thorpe Cloud.

The training run was my longest run for almost two years, with some hills thrown in for good measure! Eighteen miles, over 300 metres of elevation and it was everything I needed from a run.

The marathon I am training towards - The Leaden Boot Challenge - has over 1700 meters of elevation so I still have a long way to go in terms of hill training. That aside, I feel like I am in a good place with over three months left to train. I am happy with my rate of progress.

When I have previously trained for a marathon, I have run well without needing any snacks mid-run. This week I decided to try a new eating strategy which worked well. I consumed an Active root gel, a protein bar, and a Snickers. The gel gave me a boost of energy within a few minutes of having some. It is a sugar/ginger mix; and for someone who rarely eats refined sugar, the effects were immediately noticeable.

How the training plan pans out for the next few days will depend on how quickly I can recover. At this current time, I would say it is going pretty well; I feel strong and well-rested.

I have ordered a new hydration vest; my current vest has been good this far. However, as the distance increases, the vest doesn't have enough capacity to carry all the things I need. It is also a little bit big around the shoulders.

The next three months will be difficult, but I feel optimistic about my chances of completing my first trail marathon. Stay tuned for next months blog, in which we'll see how things pan out as the training intensifies.