How to keep on running for 12 hours: Top tips for those preparing for the St Albans Stampede

The inaugural St Albans Stampede - a 12 hour enduro race - will take place next month and if you haven’t entered yet, there’s still time to do so via the Active Training World website 

Completing such a long-distance event will be fun, rewarding... and a very tough challenge.

 

Careful preparation is needed if you are going to perform at your best, so with that in mind, here co-race director Nick Bradley gives his top tips on how to succeed in a 12 hour ultra…

1. Train specifically for the challenge

The Stampede is a trail ultra marathon so you need to prepare your body for running off-road. I’d suggest heading to Heartwood Forest and trying the route out in advance of the race - you’ll get a feel for the terrain, there may be the chance to practice running in mud (yes, mud!), and you’ll also test your fitness on the undulating hills.

The other key thing to think about is the distance. It’s likely that the winning solo participant will cover more than 60 miles during the course of the day, so you need to think about how far you want to go! This doesn’t necessarily mean doing lots of 30-50 mile training runs, but you need to get used to being on your feet for a couple of hours at a stretch.

Another crucial thing is to remember to practice walking because you could end up doing a lot of it - and that is absolutely fine - walking isn’t cheating when it comes to ultra marathons!

2. Invest in the right gear to get you through

Shoes: Get fitted properly and invest in a pair that works well for you and your running style. Remember to size correctly to take into account the time you will be on your feet and how your feet may swell. I’d also suggest considering a pair of comfortable trail shoes to protect your feet and provide extra grip on certain sections of the course.

Clothing: This should be as comfortable as possible, lightweight, and moisture wicking. Also consider multiple layers to accommodate for changeable weather. As the event is on a circular route, you can always leave spare gear waiting for you at the race HQ… and trust me, you want spare gear! A change of socks half way though can be a life-saver, as can a waterproof jacket if it starts to rain.

Hydration: Water will be available at the race HQ so you can stock up each lap. But I’d certainly recommend carrying water, even if that is simply a hand-held bottle. Some people go for hydration packs from brands like Salomon or Ultimate Direction which have the dual benefit of helping carry other items like a phone, camera or iPod (to help cure the potential boredom from running for 12 hours!), or food. The choice is really yours and what you feel comfortable with. I tend to favour a hydration vest which carries multiple gear and bottles.

Food: Again, some nutrition and supplies will be available each lap at the race HQ. But it’s always best to bring some of your own gear, focusing on the stuff that works for you. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Some people like gels, others need real food. I always recommend having some electrolytes in tablet or drink format. The key thing is that your body will burn a lot of energy and you have to replace this energy, little and often, approximately every 20-30 minutes. Don’t forget to eat!

Other essentials: It’s often the little things that make a big difference. Don’t forget an anti-chaffing product such as Body Glide to rub on feet, nipples etc to prevent blisters and sores. A hat is useful to protect from the conditions - whether that’s shielding your face from the sun, wind or rain. And I carry always toilet paper in a backpack… just in case.

If you need to buy anything visit, Ultramarathonrunningstore.com. They are our event partners for the Stampede and will be giving all entrants a 15% discount code for purchases up until the event.

3. Plan your race strategy in advance

Ultra marathons are as much about getting your head in the right place as your body. I find the best way to feel confident going in to an event is to plan as much as I can in advance. What pace will I try and run at? Will I start off slow and build up, or go hell for leather from the beginning? Will I take breaks at the race HQ during the day? How often will I eat? What will I do if that niggling calf injury flares up?!

It’s impossible to predict everything and you simply won’t know how you’re going to feel on the day. But one thing usually happens to everyone in all ultras – there will be a point where you want to quit and you’ll question why you’re doing it in the first place. Strange as it may seem, the fun comes from taking yourself beyond this point and exceeding what you thought were your limits. If this is your first time tackling an ultra, have a think about that feeling in advance and it will certainly help on the day.

4. Don’t try anything new on race day

This one is a classic, and it still astounds me how many people ignore such sage advice… especially when considering an ultra marathon. If you’re running a 10k, you may get lucky throwing on those brand new running shoes and avoid suffering from blisters and sore feet. But new shoes worn for 12 hours is a completely different story. Your feet swell the more time you spend in them, the chance of getting blisters is greater, why take the risk? The same applies for clothing, nutrition etc – stick to what you know works for you.

The golden rule is – try everything during training first, not on race day.

5. 12 hours simply too much? Take on the Stampede as a team!

The Stampede is designed to be a challenging but fun event. If 12 hours solo running is not your thing, get a team of 4, 6 or 8 together and make a day of it. Some people dress up, others have a mini picnic set up with music, it’s common for supporters and family members to come along throughout the day to be part of the atmosphere.

Need some more tips? Here’s what Striders who have run ultra races before recommend…

• Break the race up into small achievable chunks and focus on finishing that rather than the whole 12 hours, in the case of this event it’s easy to do so by breaking it up into laps.
• If you're in a team make sure you're all on the same page regarding goals – is the aim to have fun or to win?
• Teams should prepare an area in which to relax between runs as you might be hanging around a while. Take camping chairs, picnic blankets and warm waterproof clothing in case the weather turns bad.
• Power walk up hills and run effortlessly down hill to save energy.
• Scheduled walking breaks. Walking early and often can be hard when you feel good at the start of a race, but will likely increase the chances of a strong finish.
• Ask friends and family to come and support you by cheering you on, shouting motivational slogans and ensuring you’re eating enough.
• Don't stay too long at the food station. Grab what you need, put it in a sandwich bag and carry on going. Walk if necessary.
• Take on food early and often. Start with savoury foods and move onto sugary ones - boiled potatoes, peanut butter sandwiches, ham sandwiches, biscuits and dark chocolate make good on-the-move snacks. 
• Bring as much spare kit as possible including shoes. Change your socks often… but don't look too closely at your feet!
• For a sugar hit, take a bottle of coke but de-gas it in the week of the event so it’s not fizzy. 
• Pack paracetamol in the event of needing a painkiller. Do NOT take anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen as these can cause potentially fatal kidney problems when taken during endurance events.
• Don’t be afraid to talk to fellow competitors – ultra runs can get boring so having chat can help pass the time.
• After the event, don't sit down for too long. Keep moving to prevent yourself from stiffening up.
• You may not enjoy every minute but enjoy as much as possible!

This is our first year running the event, and on behalf of the Striders, we hope that runners and spectators have a brilliant time so it can become part of the annual running calendar - providing a challenge to those taking part and inspiration to those watching.

If you have any questions, please get in touch via stampede@stalbansstriders.com or visit http://stalbansstampede.com. See you on Saturday September 5!

Jack Brooks tackles the UK's toughest road marathon, follows in the footsteps of Steve Prefontaine and avoids a grizzly bear in his latest races

JACK'S RACES APRIL TO JUNE 2015

Run Around the Reservoir Trail Marathon, Northampton: 5^th April 2015

This is a 6 lap trail marathon organised by my friends, Dave and Linda Major. Graham Ridley, who used to be a driving force in St Albans Striders when I first joined the club and who emigrated to Australia around 2000, had run the race with me 2 years ago and wanted to run it again this year whilst on a short return visit. Consequently we both entered the race and decided to run the first 3 laps together. After this we had a right battle with probably no less than 200 metres between us for the rest of the event. I led until about mile 25, but then Graham swooped and finished a whole 28 seconds ahead of me. His time was 3:48:48 and mine was 3:49:16. We were both overjoyed to get under 4 hours for the first time on this course.

Huddersfield Marathon: 19^th April 2015 

This marathon bills itself as “possibly the toughest road marathon in the UK”. After the 2^nd mile there were some brutal uphills and some equally vicious downhills and we had the extra thrill of knowing that with a 2 lap course we’d have them all to contend with a second time. From early on I decided that this was a race where pacing myself would be really important. I finished the first lap in 2:05 and then gritted my teeth. On the second lap only one person overtook me and I found that I was steadily passing other runners. Most commented on the difficulty of the route and one joker pointed out that even one of the underpasses was sloping upwards. I was extremely relieved to get to the finish line in 4:26:43. This won’t be a marathon that I rush back to run a second time.

London Marathon: 26^th April 2015 

As usual there was great support around the course from the Striders contingent. However, my legs still felt heavy after Huddersfield Marathon and I finished in 3:50:01.

Milton Keynes Marathon: 4^th May 2015 

The course was described as gently undulating, but I found the relentless ups and downs pretty testing. I rediscovered in the second half why I hate underpasses and the hill at 24 miles was a killer. All in all I didn’t enjoy the race although once again the support around the course from a large Striders contingent was greatly appreciated. My time was 4:04:00.

Riga Marathon, Latvia: 17^th May 2015 

After travelling to Macedonia and turning up for the start of Skopje Marathon only to be told that the Government had ordered the race to be cancelled for “security reasons” (which we later found out to be a major gun battle north of the city) it was nice to find that Riga Marathon definitely was going to proceed. I’d picked up a slight cold in Skopje and this stayed with me for Riga, where it was perpetually chilly and rained every day (particularly on the day of the marathon). There were around 1,400 runners taking part in the marathon and 4,000 in the half marathon. The start was close to my hotel so I didn’t bother with a drop-bag. There are no hills in Riga so my race plan was to start off with the 3:45 pace group. However, by about 16k I realised that I was going too fast and dropped back. I eventually finished in 3:57:00, grabbed my finisher’s medal and walked back to my hotel to get dry and warm as quickly as possible. 

Walled City Marathon, Derry, N.Ireland: 31^st May 2015 

I enjoyed this marathon so much in 2014 that I decided to make a return visit this year. In addition my friend, Rich Holmes from North Carolina was running his 500^th marathon at this event. The race was as good as I had remembered although it was windy in places. My time was 3:53:10 and I was 2^nd vet 60/64.

 

Heartland Series Minnesota Trail Marathon, Great River Bluffs State Park, Winona, USA: 7^th June 2015 

Roger Biggs from Stevenage and I spent a couple of days in Wisconsin visiting friends before driving down to Minnesota for this trail race. We’d been advised that trail shoes would be required, but I don’t think anybody had anticipated quite how bad the weather would be on race day. After a night of continuous thunder and lightning we drove to the State Park ready for the 5am race start. Fortunately both the thunder and the lightning stopped about 20 minutes before the race start, but it was still raining cats and dogs. The fact that it was raining heavily and that the race route was largely through a wood made visibility difficult and underfoot conditions hazardous and after virtually everybody had fallen at least once the organisers switched the route to a gravelled track, which wasn’t too badly potholed. I’d run 4 laps along the initial course, which left me with 13 laps of the out and back “revised” route to run. About halfway through the race the sun made an appearance and the heat became the new problem. I was relieved to finish in 4:51:31 (15^th out 0f 83 runners and first vet 60 plus).

Dam Trail Marathon, Oakridge, Oregon: 13^th June 2015 

After flying from Twin Cities to Seattle we picked up a 2^nd hire car and visited friends in Yakima, Washington for a few days. We then drove to Oakridge for their marathon. Our friends, Rich and Jeanne Holmes had been keen to find an event in Oregon after the Eugene Marathon switched dates. Rich was planning to complete his 5^th marathon circuit of all 50 States and Jeanne was due to complete having run a half marathon in all 50 States. We’d also arranged to meet Tom Detori and his wife, Eileeen at the race. Tom is an old friend who I’ve run with many times and who helped me get round Des Moines Marathon in 2007 when I was injured and really struggling. The majority of the marathon route comprised a circuit of Round Hills Creek Lake and about 40% of the course was on rough potholed gravel tracks and footpaths with the remainder being on tarmac roads. It was hot at the race start and remained so throughout the race. However, the scenery made up for this and I thoroughly enjoyed myself finishing in 4:05:13 (14^th out of 46 runners and 1st vet 60 plus). From Oakridge Roger and I drove to Coos Bay for sightseeing and to visit the birthplace of the legendary distance runner, Steve Prefontaine. The Oregon coastline was spectacular and I also got to talk to someone in the Tourist Information office who had taught Prefontaine when he was at school. 

Mayo Midnight Marathon, Mayo, Canada: 20^th June 2015 

We drove from Coos Bay to Seattle Airport where we met up again with Rich and Jeanne Holmes for our flights to Whitehorse in The Yukon, which appears to be the furthest airport in the North of Canada to which Canadian Airways fly. We spent 2 nights in Whitehorse exploring the area and visiting the longest wooden fish ladder in Canada before driving around 250 miles North to Mayo on the Friday. The race was at 8pm on the Saturday night so in the morning we drove further North to visit Keno, which is still a large silver mining area. With sunset at around 12.30am there is pretty much 24 hour daylight in Mayo at this time of year and it was still very warm at the start of this marathon. The route was effectively 13.1 miles out to a turning point along an undulating highway and then back. What gave the race a slight edge was the fact that this is grizzly bear territory. I suffered in the heat, but fortunately I didn’t encounter any wildlife along the route. However, a bear crossed the road in front of the runner who was 3 places behind me. I’m glad I only found out after the race had finished. The only downside to finishing the race after midnight was that mosquitoes were out in force and as a result I returned to England with plenty of very itchy “souvenirs”. Unusually the largest age group in the race was the 60 plus age group and I was 3^rd vet 60 plus in a time of 4:20:12 (10^th overall out of 15 runners), having been pipped to the post by a couple of Polish runners. 

Herts Hobble Trail Marathon: 28^th June 2015 

This year’s Herts Hobble started from Buntingford. It is a route-description event and took us through some beautiful countryside and picturesque villages. While Liz Walls disappeared into the distance Adam Mellor and I ran round together finishing in 5:49:00. This was a good day out.

Parkrun, hiking fun and peach schnapps in the Peaks! What happened on the Striders Weekend Away 2015

This month a group of Striders travelled to the Derbyshire Dales for our 'weekend away'. If you couldn't make it, here's what you missed...

As group members began to arrive at our accommodation for the weekend, there was a sense of excitement and apprehension...particularly from a few brave new Striders – and even some non-Striders – who were not quite sure what they were letting themselves in for!

With the help of name badges, a licensed bar and a good northern feed, we quickly got to know some of those faces that we often say hello to at track. The night passed in good company, several drinks and making plans for the weekend ahead.

Saturday morning brought an early start – there was only one wise Strider who placed sleep before running and stayed in bed. Fuelled by croissants and a full cooked breakfast, we headed to Graves Park for the local parkrun. Cathal and Pete bravely attempted to tackle the unrelenting hills on bike – which Cathal is still trying to attribute to his placing behind Jen at parkrun – while the rest drove in convoy.  

On arrival at Graves Park, we pulled on our Striders vests, added a splash of face paint and tried to ignore the laughter from the locals when we asked if the course was hilly. Seeking reassurance from a friendly marshal, we were glad to hear of the downhill start before ‘slight uphill, slight uphill, huge hill, hill of death – and then you’re onto your second lap!’ While the route was somewhat hillier than the St Albans course, we were later to agree that the hardest part was running through the centre of an animal farm with a hangover!

Our northern compatriots warmly welcomed us during the pre-race introductions and even challenged us to a friendly competition with their own Steel City Striders. With Graham Smith in 3rd followed by 1st, 3rd and 4th places in the women’s category, we have challenged them to a rematch at our home fixture later this year.

Parkrun glory was followed by post-run refreshments at the Rose Garden Cafe before we set off on the next part of the weekend – more running! By now, some members were jokingly referring to the scheduled exercise programme as bootcamp. Losing one or two to the more appealing notion of a tour of Eyam followed by tea and cake, the hardier of those amongst us drove in convoy behind Jen – who was to become increasingly skilled at navigation, map-reading and head-counting over the course of the weekend – to Curbar. After enticing Lucy, Emma and Doug away from the warmth of the car, we enjoyed a gentle 10k run along Froggatt Edge – a rocky sandy track with big boulders and impressive views over the surrounding countryside.

A quick shower and lunch followed before we were back out enjoying the scenery on an afternoon hike. Starting from Castleton, the whole group were duly led by Peter up the steep stepped path to the summit of Mam Tor – which, at 517m above sea level, offered dramatic views over the Peak District. We followed the ridge to Hollins Cross, Back Tor and Lose Hill, before returning to Castleton for a well-earned beer – or, for others, a craved-for cup of tea! Our recovery was aided further by a three-course dinner in Eyam followed by lots of cider, beer, wine and laughter!

After the previous day’s ‘bootcamp’, Sunday brought a enjoyably slower start – aside from Graham who, buoyed by the excitement of relocating his lost Garmin and potentially still slightly drunk from the double peach schnapps of the previous evening, decided to take to the hills around the hostel before breakfast.

After checking out, we ventured into Eyam to explore its history, culture and tea shops. As we sat enjoying the sunshine in the village square, we were somewhat surprised when a convoy of nearly 100 tractors drove by – we later found out we had visited Eyam on the day of the Annual Tractor Road Run, which, for the city born and bred amongst us, was a very surreal experience indeed.

Finally, it was time to part ways but we headed back to St Albans refreshed by the beautiful countryside of the Peak District and with new friends, tired legs and lots of hilarious memories. When’s the next one?!

Team spirit, PBs and cake! What the MWRRL is all about...

The MWRRL begins tomorrow! Of course it officially stands for Midweek Road Race League as an accurate description of the running events taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings for clubs in the Herts and North London area.

But if you’re still not sure what the MWRRL is all about, here’s what it also stands for…

M is for… Make new friends (and enemies!)

Taking part in the league is an excellent way to get to know your clubmates as there’s time to chat before, during (depending how hard you are pushing yourself!) and after the 10k races. Make the most of regaling your clubmates with your mile splits and race analysis as you’re unlikely to get such an appreciative audience with non-running family members at home!

A group shot from a previous year to be replicated tomorrow in our new vests!

If you do want to run as hard as you can, pit yourself against a similarly-paced rival club runner. Having a rival can push you to run harder (it worked for Seb Coe and Steve Ovett!) so see if you can stay ahead of your running nemesis throughout the league!

W is for… Win! Win! Win!

  

Our trophy haul from a previous year

There’s a friendly rivalry between the clubs and many will be looking to end our recent winning streak as the champions of Division One! Don’t think if you’re not a fast-paced runner that your contribution to the team doesn’t count - where you could finish could push down a scoring runner from another club or you could contribute to the performance of our B or C teams or make up a winning Vets team.

R is for… Run in your shiny new Striders vest!

Wednesday's race will be the official first outing of our new club vests! Please remember you can’t run in the old vest as we are no longer registered to compete in it according to British Athletics rules. If you haven’t got a vest yet, they are available to buy here. If that doesn’t leave you with time to get one for tomorrow please let the captains know when you register to run, or post on the Facebook page or messageboard to see if you can lend one for the first race.

R is for… Race for free!

Paid up members of the club can take part in all races in the league for free. As race entries are increasingly getting more expensive, this offers a cost-effective opportunity to compete and go for a 10k PB without breaking the bank! As the races are held from May to July, it’s an ideal way to see if you can improve your speed and fitness by the final event.

Cake will be waiting at the finish!

L is for… Loads of cake at the finish!

At the end of each race there’s lots of CAKE - a tasty incentive to run as fast as you can so you can get to it first! For healthier eaters there’s also sandwiches and fruit as each host club puts on a buffet for all runners to enjoy at the finish. To this end, we need food contributions for the race we are hosting on 4 June. We need donations of homemade or shop bought sandwiches/rolls, savoury pastries (sausage rolls/quiche etc), cakes/cookies, biscuits etc. Please email Tina at catering at stalbansstriders.com and let her know if and what you are able to contribute.

So if you’re now keen to take part in the league to enjoy the race atmosphere, team spirit (and cake!) these are the dates for your diary (full details on each race are emailed by the road captains and posted on the messageboard in advance)…

MAY 13 STEVENAGE

JUNE 4  ST. ALBANS

JUNE 18 ROYSTON

JULY 2 TRENT PARK

Ahead of the first race tomorrow, here’s some final instructions on what you need to do if you are planning on running.

1. Email Lucy (women) or Joe (men) on ladies at stalbansstriders.com and men at stalbansstriders.com respectively so that we can assign you a race number (don’t worry if you are reading this just before the race and haven’t emailed. Still come along as we can assign you a number on the night but it just makes it much easier and quicker for everyone else if we can do this in advance).
2. Turn up to the race HQ below in good time to park and pick up your race number from Joe or Lucy who will be at the race HQ up until about 10 minutes before the start.  As this is the first race in our new vests we are planning a group photo at 7:30pm so please try to be there for that.
3. Remember to bring your NEW Striders vest and safety pins. 
4.  Run! Afterwards you will be given a ticket with your position in the finishing funnel. Keep hold of this and give it to Joe and Lucy who will be near the finish so that they can record it on the team results sheet.
5.  Enjoy the buffet! Results will appear asap on runherts.com