Super Carbs - Η νέα γενιά υδατανθράκων για αγώνες αντοχής

πηγή: UCAN - Roberts et al. Nutrition Oct 2010 

Οι αθλητές αντοχής (ποδηλάτες, δρομείς, κολυμβητές, τριαθλητές) γνωρίζουν την σημασία της τροφοδοσίας και ενυδάτωσης μέσα στον αγώνα τους, αλλά γνωρίζουν και τι θα πει "οικονομία" στην κίνησή τους. Ο καλός αθλητής έχει καταφέρει να πηγαίνει πιο γρήγορα, πιο μακρυά, αλλά... καίγοντας το κατάλληλο καύσιμο. Τα αποθέματα γλυκογόνου στο σώμα μας αρκούν για 2 ώρες στην καλύτερη περίπτωση όταν η προσπάθειά μας είναι στα όρια του αναερόβιου κατωφλιού (έντονη). Το γλυκογόνο είναι το πιο εύκολα προσβάσιμο και άμεσα ενεργό καύσιμο στο σώμα μας... αλλά δεν έχουμε αρκετό για να μας "πάει" σε έναν αγώνα 3 - 6 - 10 ή περισσοτέρων ωρών. Το άλλο "καύσιμο" που κουβαλάμε είναι το λίπος μας. Οι αθλητές που καταφέρνουν να "εκπαιδεύσουν" το σώμα τους να καταναλώνει όσο γίνεται μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό λίπους και μικρότερο γλυκογόνου γίνονται πιο "οικονομικοί" και πάνε πιο μακρυά και συνήθως πάνε και πιο γρήγορα! Ο λόγος για το "πιο γρήγορα" είναι απλός: Το λίπος στο σώμα μας είναι ένα αξιοσημείωτο ποσοστό του βάρους μας. Το σώμα που αντλεί ενέργεια διασπώντας λίπος, κατά την διάρκεια της μεγάλης προσπάθειας, προφανώς επιτυγχάνει να έχει και μικρότερο συνολικό βάρος. Δύο ποδηλάτες που βγάζουν την ίδια "ισχύ" στο πετάλι, αλλά ο ένας είναι ελαφρύτερος από τον άλλο, προφανώς σε μία δεδομένη διαδρομή ανηφόρας, ο ελαφρύς θα φτάσει πιο γρήγορα από τον πιο βαρύ!

Μία άλλη παράμετρος της διατροφής έχει να κάνει με τις στομαχικές διαταραχές που πιθανά προκύπτουν από το είδος και την ποσότητα της τροφής - καυσίμου που καταναλώνουμε. Οι στομαχικές διαταραχές, είναι ένας από τους 3 πιο σημαντικούς παράγοντες προβλημάτων σε αγώνες αντοχής και υπερ-αντοχής. Τις περισσότερες φορές αυτού του είδους τα προβλήματα ξεκινάνε από το γεγονός ότι μέσα στο στομάχι "κάθονται" κάποιες ποσότητες υγρών ή τροφών που έχουμε καταναλώσει για να συνεχίζουμε την προσπάθειά μας. Οι τροφές και τα υγρά μας είναι χρήσιμες την στιγμή που φτάνουν στις μυικές ίνες που τις χρειάζονται. Μέχρι τότε, είναι πιθανές πηγές προβλημάτων! Καλή τροφή είναι αυτή που "εγκαταλείπει" γρήγορα το στομάχι και αρχίζει η διαδικασία της χώνεψης που μέσω του λεπτού εντέρου επιτρέπει την απορρόφηση από το αίμα που στην συνέχεια παραδίδει στους μύες τις ουσίες που χρειάζονται.

Μία νέα γενιά υπερ-υδατανθράκων έχει παρουσιαστεί πρόσφατα. Αυτοί έχουν μεγάλο μοριακό βάρος από 500.000 μέχρι 700.000 (σακχαρόζη έχει βάρος 180, η μαλτοδεξτρίνη που χρησιμοποιείται σε gels κλπ έχει βάρος από 1.000 - 10.000). Το ακριβές βάρος δεν έχει τόσο σημασία, απλά το αναφέρω για να έχουμε στο μυαλό μας τις τάξεις μεγέθους. Επίσης έχουν πολύ χαμηλότερη ωσμωτικότητα (μικρότερη απορρόφηση νερού). Οι γνωστοί μας υδατάνθρακες (δεξτρόζη, μαλτοδεξτρίνη κλπ) απορροφώντας εύκολα νερό καθυστερούν την "εκκένωση" από το στομάχι μας. Η νέα γενιά υπερ-υδατανθράκων προχωράει πιο γρήγορα εκτός του στομαχιού λόγω μικρότερης όσμωσης και μεγαλύτερου μοριακού βάρους. Άρα και λιγότερες πιθανότητες στομαχικών διαταραχών, αλλά και ταχύτερη επεξεργασία από το λεπτό έντερο και κατ' επέκταση είσοδος στο "σύστημα". Σύμφωνα με κάποιες έρευνες οι νέα γενιά υδατανθράκων περνάει στο λεπτό έντερο μέχρι και 2 φορές πιο γρήγορα από τους μέχρι σήμερα χρησιμοποιούμενους. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι μπορούμε να προσβλέπουμε και σε αυξημένο ρυθμό "εισαγωγής θερμίδων" ανά ώρα σε σχέση με τα μέχρι σήμερα γνωστά δεδομένα. Σκεφτείτε να μπορούμε να αναπληρώνουμε όλες τις θερμίδες που καίμε ανά ώρα και μάλιστα με μικρότερες πιθανότητες στομαχικής διαταραχής! Προς αυτή τη κατεύθυνση κινούνται αυτά τα νέα ενεργειακά προϊόντα.

πηγή: UCAN - Roberts et al. Nutrition Oct 2010

Ας δούμε και το θέμα του fat burning - άντληση ενέργειας από το λίπος. Οι νέοι υπερ-υδατάνθρακες, "ξεγελάνε" την ινσουλίνη στο αίμα μας και δεν δημιουργούν "πετάγματα" τουλάχιστον όχι τόσο ψηλά όσο η παρουσία δεξτρόζης, μαλτοδεξτρλίνης και παρόμοιων. Παρέχουν ικανές ποσότητες υδατανθράκων και ταυτόχρονα έχουν πολύ χαμηλότερες επιπτώσεις στην ινσουλίνη στο αίμα μας. Η ινσουλίνη ανεβαίνει όταν καταναλώνουμε ζάχαρες γιατί το σώμα προσπαθεί να "ελέγξει" τα ανεβασμένα επίπεδα σακχάρου στο αίμα. Τα σάκχαρα παραμένουν στο αίμα γιατί τα μόρια τους από μόνα τους δεν μπορούν να διαπεράσουν τα τοιχώματα των κυττάρων. Με την ινσουλίνη που "δένονται", μπορούν! Άρα κατά κάποιο τρόπο η ινσουλίνη τα μεταφέρει μέσα στα κύτταρα για αποθήκευση. Το πρόβλημα εδώ είναι ότι οι ποσότητες των "εύφλεκτων" παραδοσιακών υδατανθράκων μπαίνουν "μαζικά" στο σύστημά μας και συνήθως ένα μέρος τους, με την βοήθεια της ινσουλίνης, πάει και γίνεται λίπος για αργότερη χρήση! Για αυτό ακούμε ότι πρέπει να αποφεύγουμε την κατανάλωση ζάχαρης και ειδικά μία ώρα πριν και μία ώρα μετά από την προπόνησή μας. Οι νέοι υπερ-υδατάνθρακες έχουν πολύ μικρότερη επίπτωση στα επίπεδα ινσουλίνης στο αίμα δημιουργόντας μία πιο "στρωτή" ροή στο σώμα μας. Με αυτό τον τρόπο "εκπαιδεύουν" το σώμα να αναζητά πηγές ενέργειας και στο λίπος, σε μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό από ότι αν χρησιμοποιούσαμε τα συνηθισμένα προϊόντα.

Οι ενδιαφερόμενοι μπορούν να βρουν τα προϊόντα Vitargo από τον Έλληνα αντιπρόσωπο που είναι η εταιρία Μαλαμίδης. Το site είναι http://www.malamidis.gr/shop/vitargo.

Θα μας κάνουν να τρέχουμε ή να ποδηλατούμε πιο γρήγορα; Να αντέχουμε περισσότερο; Αν τα χρησιμοποιούμε μόνο μέσα σε έναν αγώνα... δεν νομίζω! Η εκπαίδευση του σώματός μας στο να καταφεύγει στις αποθήκες λίπους είναι κάτι που διαρκεί καιρό και πρέπει να το δουλεύουμε στις καθημερινές προπονήσεις μας. Άρα ο τρόπος να κερδίσουμε από αυτά τα νέα προϊόντα είναι να τα εντάσσουμε και στις μεγάλης διάρκειας προπονήσεις μας. Επίσης πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να συνδυαστούν με μείωση της χρήσης ζάχαρης, αποφύγει δε τελείως πριν και μετά την καθημερινή μας προπόνησης, και ίσως με μικρή αύξηση της παρουσίας λίπους στις τροφές μας. Έτσι το σώμα παίρνει την "εντολή" ότι το λίπος είναι πιο διαθέσιμο για ενεργειακή κατανάλωση. Στον αγώνα μας με κατανάλωση κάποιων προϊόντων από τους υπερ-υδατάνθρακες θα δίνουμε μία σταθερή, ικανή και πιο ασφαλή ροή ενέργειας στο σώμα μας. Έτσι θα μπορεί να επιβραδύνει την κατανάλωση γλυκογόνου και να αυξάνει τον "δανεισμό" από τα αποθέματα λίπους. Όλη αυτή η διαδικασία είναι θέμα εκπαίδευσης προφανώς!
Τα προϊόντα αυτού του είδους που έχω ακούσει εγώ πρόσφατα είναι δύο:
- Generation UCAN που είναι εξειδικευμένο σαν συμπλήρωμα πριν και μετά την προπόνηση
- VitargoS2 που με την ίδια λογική επικεντρώνεται στην κατανάλωση κατά την διάρκεια του αγώνα.

Κανένα από τα δύο δεν περιέχει ούτε ίχνος ζάχαρης ή καφεΐνης.

Είναι νέα προϊόντα που είναι πολλά υποσχόμενα για να γίνουν η νέα γενιά gels ή αθλητικών ποτών στα επόμενα χρόνια. Περισσότερες επιλογές θα παρουσιαστούν πιστεύω σύντομα. Και σίγουρα όσο περισσότεροι δρομείς, ποδηλάτες και γενικά αθλητές αντοχής - υπεραντοχής τα δοκιμάζουν τόσο περισσότερα θα γίνονται γνωστά για την σωστή χρήση τους. Στην ουσία είναι παράγωγα από κριθάρι, αραβόσιτο, ή ακόμα και από πατάτες, που με επεξεργασία αποκτούν το μεγαλύτερο μοριακό βάρος και την μικρότερη ωσμωτικότητα στο νερό.

Ίσως κάποιοι αναγνώστες με καλύτερο επιστημονικό υπόβαθρο να μπορούν να προσθέσουν σαν σχόλια κάποια περισσότερα στοιχεία.

Για περισσότερο διάβασμα:
Superstarch: The Patriots' Secret Performance-Enhancer
Nutrition Journal
SuperStarch & Its Applications | Athletes' Performance

Why do I run?

Running is an activity which seems, for the majority of people, a very unpleasant thing to do. Involving a lot of sweating, some physical discomfort with the heart beating more intensely, risk of injury for the joints and muscles, and of course all of these things are happening during our free time, at least for 99,9% of us runners!

Running is primarily about covering distances, with your own physical ability. Secondarily, speed may get in the way, how fast one can cover a given distance. But first comes always the fact that the runner must be able to cover the distance. Two elements are highlighted here: covering the distance and doing so only by using your body.

In sports, people tend to reveal their real character because of the simplicity of the situation. The connection between effort invested and the result returned is very straightforward and linear. No tricks can be applied and no shortcuts exist to be taken. Your way of thinking, your physical capability will get you to the destination. Even when doing a casual run, the runner is able to feel his body and observe his performance. And this activity requires, after a few minutes in it, the full attention of the participant. No distractions are allowed. It is absorbing our body and mind.

So running is a "back to basics" activity. Regular running will change ones life in many aspects. A morning run will make you feel fully charged for the day ahead, an evening run will relieve most of the stress. Eating will become more pleasant, digestion will be easier, and above all, at night when time comes to go to sleep, your body will be needing it. There is a notable side effect involving our hormones and the feeling of happiness we get out of most of our runs. Also it is a character shaping activity by testing our determination, discipline and capability to achieve our goals by overcoming some simple physical difficulties. Long distance running (whatever "long" is for each one of us) will test our mind and character against some very primitive and elemental instincts, because we will experience feelings of discomfort, exhaustion, maybe pain, hunger, thirst. While running each one will address the emotions and difficulties according to his character and mentality. And there are no external factors to assist you.

About myself: I run because while on the move I have this unique feeling that I can hear my self without any obstructions! I see my thoughts and emotions. I feel the earth rolling under my feet and I have this unique sense of flow. Over time, I realized that every run (especially long distance ones) includes a life of its' own, with a great deal of self awareness, but also realization of the characters of those running next to me. There is no better way to get to know people. Including myself!

Why do you run?

Happy New Year to everyone! May this year be the one you run the most you have ever run.

My "no plan" 100miles mountain run: ROUT 2011

It has been 2 weeks already since my participation at Rodopi Ultra Trail (ROUT) 100miler. This is the first race in which I have applied (following my blog post a few weeks ago) a "no plan" approach. I started the race with no pacing plan and even further, just a quick look at the altitude profile and the space between support stations. This is a special race with lots of trails and sparse support stations: only 6 stations for 100 miles. Also it offers an experience of isolation, since there are only two village crossings and at the same time with only 63 participations it is guaranteed to lonely in the trails.

I arrived at the registration area just the day before the event (actually early afternoon). Set up my camping tent with my buddies at a very nice spot near the start line.  I tried to avoid any discussion about my plan (non existent) and details about the course. It was clear in my head that I would run only by feel. The race does not have any requirements regarding equipment and accessories. So it is a good opportunity to follow your instinct and go according to your own needs. So my pack included 1lt of water (when needed I could go up to 2.3lts), some sandwiches, bars and gels, as well as minimal clothing, a light wind-stopper jacket, a pair of gloves and a light wind stopper over-trouser. The weather forecast was very favorable for the whole duration of the event. I also packed my GPS and two headlights. Some more clothes and food was packed at my drop bag that I would have access at two spots during the run (69 and 123km).

At 06:00am Friday 63 runners were forming a small friendly group ready to start. A light breakfast was already in the belly and the weather even though cold, it was just fine given the early morning start. In my mind I have adopted a very simplistic approach: It was just one more long run at a very easy going pace. Did not know much about the altitude profile or the terrain, but... nothing could go wrong!

Started my run at a very relaxed pace. For the first few kms I was among a group of 8-10 runners leading just behind the leader who was already out of sight! A call to nature delayed me a bit, but after a couple of kms I was back in the group. The weather was really promising! My backpack contained only water, calories, two retractable running poles and a GPS. Around 3kgr in total. One more stop to get rid of my light wind stopper and then on the move again.

The feeling of the sun raising and the clear blue sky was very nice. It was not too hot or too cold. Around 12-14deg C. Hydration needs were normal, which was very important. After the first 10 kms I found myslef running alone for a while. I was going at my own pace feeling like I could go on for ever. And that is how I kept going. Around km 30 I caught up with a group of 3 runners, two of them familiar, Makis and Dimitris, along with a third rookie in ultra trail runs. We were running a bit like accordeon, opening and closing the distance from uphill to downhill or from check point to check point. I had this pleasant feeling and I did not care much about the pace or how much distance I have covered, or what was lying ahead. I had this pace of "going on for ever", and that was enough for me.

The route was magnificent, in dense vegetation, forests and on trails or forest roads. A couple of steep downhills were making me a bit more cautious not to overstress my quads, even though at one point it was really demanding and reminded me a lot of UTMB inclination. It was the long downhill of Oksia which challenged my quads for a while. But after that, everything was more gentle again. What is interesting is that I never got too anxious about what was coming up next. I had almost no clue. Dimitris was familiar with the route and from time to time he was revealing some details of what was ahead, but that was it. My mentality was, that I can take whatever comes! Weather was on our side. At some point I was running critical on water, but as long as I used my last drop of water, after 10 minutes we crossed a nice stream an was happy to refill my camel-back.

My approach was working fine. I had no ups or downs. Usually at km 80 I start feeling a bit discouraged, being half way through the run and feeling a bit tired makes you wonder how are you supposed to manage the 2nd half. This did not happen. My explanation resides to the fact that my "no plan" approach removed one complication from my run: I had nothing to compare with! There was no point that I would say that I am going a bit faster than the plan, or any point were my slow pace due to tiredness would make me think that I am falling behind my plan. This was a revelation to me. These thoughts are multiplying your emotions when in a race. So ... I did not have this effect!

Night came and we were at km 80. Our pace was spot on for sub 30 hours. But I tried to keep this kind of calculations out of my head. The guys (at that point we were reduced to 3 in total - the young fellow slowed down wisely), were a bit surprised at our pace since they had an estimation in their mind when they started and it was nowhere close to 30hrs! Anyway, we kept going. Night goes by faster than day! Senses are more alert and the last thing you think about is the time or the uphill that you meet. The only thing that I do not like about night time, is that I am missing some nice views!

The weather was fine. Temperature was close to zero, but it did not matter as long as we kept moving. Warm soups at the few aid stations were more than welcomed (caution... not too hot!). We were moving at a constant pace and before we realized it, we were at the end of the loop (the route consists of a tail and a loop - the tail is the part that we go out and then we do it again when we return towards the finish). A fellow runner, Christos, was catching up with us from station to station, but our fast walking pace at some parts was too much for him since he as shorter than the three of us.

The early morning sun found us at the last major station before the finish line: Prasinada! We were consistent for a sub 30hrs finish. Legs were ok, no low point feeling for me and we were exchanging motivation bursts with the guys trying to speed up a bit. After we passed the 130th km mark, I did not care much about anything. I knew that I had a very pleasant run with friends. The last 30km could not change that and I was confident that the finish line was in sight.

Well... this race has a special finish! Consists of a steep uphill starting at km 146, just 20km before the finish! This is a quad killer! Imagine a total of 1000m of climb (incline of 16%) while you are already at the 148 km in the race... We started going up all happy and psyched about our imminent sub-30hrs finish. Half way to the top of this uphill, even though we kept eating consistently, our legs were totally burned! No bad feeling or frustration, since the finish line was very close... But legs were really struggling to keep pushing upwards. A sort flat and downhill break, made us laugh at the sight of the three of us, not being able to run the downhill trail! And then it was again all the way up! By that time we have totally forgot the 30hours goal. just 12 kms before the finish and yet feeling our legs heavy as anchors.

We got to the top. As I said, there were no hard feelings in me. Just some heavy and empty quads. I knew that there were 7kms left of a slightly uphill route but normally, completely runnable. We have agreed to finish all together. We were position 4-5-6 in the ranking. I was suggesting some running intervals every now and then, trying to find some nice motivational excuses for the guys. Always in races like this one, I start feeling the finish line anxiety in the last few kms. I had it now as well, but we were a team the three of us and we would go together. A great team it was!

Just crossed the finish line. Me in the middle.

We crossed the finish line all together, running and happy, at 31hrs 42min and ranking 4th all three of us (yes... we are organizers' ranking nightmare). I must admit that this was the endurance run with the less low points I have ever done! Following my analysis of the no plan approach I would say that I need some more ultra running events to finalize my opinion. One thing though is clear: Planning creates one more complication in our mind. It is up to us to make good use of it or not. But it is certain that a plan will amplify your feelings when you realize that you are deviating from it. My next ultra running event, will be without plan as well. I enjoyed ROUT a lot!

I fell asleep during the massage session after the finish. Legs were just fine the very next day. Three days after was able to go out and run again, but managed to constrain myself. My annual 4 weeks "off" period has started.

38 finished the 100miler out of the 63 who started. The event is one of these casual, no-fireworks ultras but also with a sufficient and well planned organization. I ate some sandwiches of banana-bread with peanut butter and honey, 4 sesame bars, 5 nature valley bars, 10 gels (I found very efficient the High5 4:1), some salty crackers and several dozens of sugar jelly beans. Drunk about 10 liters of water and another 2 liters of isotonic.

Yes... I did carry all my garbage packaging all the way back to Athens. 

Here you can get an idea of the remains!

Jelly beans frenzy.

Saturday evening, I packed my tent and moved to the nearby city of Kavala to sleep at a friends house and spend some time in the sea-side city. Sunday evening was back in Athens and the whole stream of news about the crisis was all over the place. At least we got some peace of mind, a nice winter jacket with our name embroidered on it, and a long lasting experience up on the trails of Rodopi.

A big thank you to the organizers. Race details: www.rout.gr

Running an ultra with a pace-plan, or by the feel?

Having ran 10 ultras in the last 3 years (I consider myself as an intermediate ultra distance runner) I am getting ready for my 2nd 100miler run later this month (the first one was UTMB 2009). I have completed several marathons always improving and right now I have a 2:49 personal best. Also completed 3 Ironman triathlons and my most recent one was getting close to the 10hour mark. I like endurance sports!

I have always been preparing and running, every single one of my long distance races with a plan. By "planning" I mean breaking down the event to segments and planning my time passings for each segment / part. And on race day or days (!) I was trying to stick to my plan or using it as a benchmark during these long hours out in the nature. Of course there are other race-specific plans, like nutrition and hydration plans, but these are not within the scope of this article, as I will explain later on.

My thinking has always been to prepare, analyze and monitor my performance during the event (in terms of time achievement) to see how successful was my pacing plan afterwards, as well as pace myself efficiently. I think that this is the best way to identify the problems and mistakes I may be doing during a long run or any endurance event (by doing my evaluation afterwards), or learn how I could make my planning more accurate for the next event, by fixing inaccurate factors and wrong assumptions or calculations. These are also essential ingredients for the training-preparation period, since I can locate my weaknesses easier, or  experiment with new routines and procedures that would address my weaknesses for future events. It is part of this famous trial and error routine that one way or the other we all apply to our training!

But it has become very clear to me that all these benefits can come also by simply recording your effort and studying after the race. So we must not confuse evaluation which can come from simply recording, with the actual achievement during the ultra.

I will focus for the sake of simplicity on the 100 miles event that I want to complete this month. Following a race plan has some major contributions to a key event like this mountain ultra run:

• Control and avoid mistakes, mostly with the pacing and energy management
• Focus and enhance runner confidence during these events, who will eventually encounter low or high points (physical and mental-emotional)
• Breaking down the big thing in small pieces - intermediate targets!
• Create benchmarks for training and future ultras (which can also be achieved by simply recording the event and analysing afterwards!)

On the other side, when you become more familiar with long distance running, planning a race is by definition a study on your own limits and capabilities. As such, it is obvious that by working on these details, one sets his limits and imprints them in his mindset. So I am starting to wonder... Is this situation affecting my performance? Is this analysis affecting my experience of the event and my search for my own limits? I think yes.

Advantages and disadvantages of planning your pace
+	-
Control Focus Benchmarking Segmentation of the task	Mental & emotional influence Barrier for trying new things Delayed reaction - adaptation to circumstances due to tendency to stick to the plan even when there are obvious reasons not to!

On the other hand, getting in an ultra endurance event, without a pacing plan, can have some positive aspects. The obvious one is that you avoid being affected mentally by falling behind or going faster than planned! Believe it or not, even the most mentally strong or disciplined endurance athlete, gets affected by realizing that his pace is different to what is dictated by his well prepared race plan! If actual pace is slower compared to what is on the paper, sooner or later the athlete will start feeling "discouraged" because he/she is not achieving according to expectations. Also it will obviously lead to an effort to speed up in order to catch up with the plan! On the other side, if going faster than planned, the athlete gets in the mood that he/she is ahead and may start to either slow down as a reward when not feeling so well (which tends to appear faster when feeling safe and "in control") or because of insecurity of overdoing! This way, we do not explore our limits, our potential for an optimum performance, since we are affected by the same indications which are supposed to help us get to the finish line as fast as possible! Basically it looks like we are adding one more parameter to the situation, which is making things more complicated, in exchange for a possibly more effective performance.

Advantages and disadvantages of no race plan
+	-
Less influence from variations in pacing Easier adaptation to circumstances More confidence during the event	Increased insecurity before getting to the start line Perception of the event is less "organized" in runners mind and more vulnerable to personal emotions Easier to push harder than you should

Let me define optimum performance: Fastest (according to personal capability at the specific time) completion of the required distance, when energy and hydration intake are kept within the limits.

Having read several studies and publications on the way our body and mind are handling ultra endurance efforts, I have come to the conclusion that our mind, when standing at the starting line, is consciously and subconsciously aware of the distance and the effort required to complete the event. By "aware", I mean that our brain, based on previous experience and a "body-systems" control has already prepared a plan for the upcoming effort. Previous experience does not have to be on the same route or distance. The mind is projecting an image of what it may encounter during the event, is comparing to similar experiences in the past, and prepares a reaction plan. When the pain, or discomfort, or insecurity kicks in, the body and mind will react based on previous experience. Also it is defining the limits of how fast or how slow we should be moving in order to get to the finish line. All these are based on experience and past efforts!

The proof for these remarks is very simple: Look at how kids of ages 4-6 years old, are addressing any running event. They start all out and  usually they are ready to collapse within the first hundred meters, even if they are supposed to be running a kilometre. Young kids, do not have experience and their brain cannot plan and regulate the output to the muscles. They go "all out" and exceed their capacity even though most 4-5 year old kids from the bio-mechanical point of view, should be able to cover quite long distances! The brain of the child is defining the limits by trial and error, as I said before. Of course, quite fast for children, the strategy is revised, imprinted and then applied in any future race.

So it is quite obvious that analysing and planning the pace is affecting our approach to an ultra endurance event. In this category I will include also the many monitoring sensors most of us are using in races: heart rate monitors, speed and pace counters, pedometers etc. By just taking a look at the watch, we can instantly know the details that will allow our brain to calculate how we are doing according to the plan! But I think that recording is in a different category.

Having said all these details, I am coming to the conclusion that, as in the famous Heisenberg uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics, the observer (in our case the analysis, pace-plan, monitoring) is messing up the probable outcome of our effort in an ultra endurance event. Of course there are some variations in this assumption. Below I present a graph with my thinking on when planning should be done and when not!

There are 7 axis of important aspects for any endurance athlete (coloured magenta). The centre represents an approach closer to "running by feel" and the outer part of each line is "running with a time-pacing plan". The line is connecting the 7 axis, and is moving closer to the centre or further out, according to how well each strategy is scoring to each one of these aspects.

Every reader can adapt this spider web according to his character and beliefs, and help him visualize his / her  approach to the question: "run by the feel" or "run with a time plan"? Having said all these things, I can positively state that I am going to do my upcoming ultra running event, based on my feeling and not with a pacing plan. In the end, I will let you know how it all went for me. But if it goes well, then it is certainly going to be a huge confidence boost for any future event. I will take a look at the altitude profile though!

It is really important to clarify, that nutrition and hydration plans, should always be applied and followed in any endurance event. If we rely only on our feeling and senses for these parts, then it is certain that we will mess up everything! If we wait to feel thirsty to drink... then probably it is already too late! So my assumption does not apply in these two essential factors of a successful race. We should always have a nutrition and hydration plan.

Also my approach assumes that there is some experience of previous ultras. A beginner should try to have a plan for his first ultras. Experience is helping define in our brain how slow - slow should be and how fast - fast should be for given distances. I can never forget one of the most universally accepted mistakes that most runners do: their slow runs are faster than what they should be, and their fast runs are slower than what they should be!

RunBlog: UTMB 2011 - Comparison of US and European elite trail runners

The 2011 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (100miles - 9.400m of accumulated ascent) has produced a lot of discussion about the poor performance of elite US ultra mountain runners, compared to their European counterparts. In the same year, the Europeans did very well at most of the ultras they choose to participate in the US (Jornet at WS100, Heras at San Francisco 50miles...), leaving behind the favourite US runners. So it looks like there is a deficit of performance of the elite US runners compared to the Europeans!

I have finished some ultras of my own, including the UTMB in 2009. I am not an elite runner, but I like reading about the sport and I follow closely the US scene for the past 3 years, through specialized magazines, publicity and blogs. I have even tried to register for Hardrock 100 for 2010, but the limited number of accepted runners and the resulting lottery left me out of the starting field. I like to test my limits, and find out how far I can go, and then after how fast I can cover this distance. My approach to the sport is that there is nothing heroic about ultra running, and that increasing numbers of simple people, with no special equipment shoulf be able to excercise this sport out on the trails. I am not a big fan of elitistic events and elite athletes, since their professional sports background is not compatible with 99% of the rest of the field in a starting line of any mountain running event (ultra or not). But reality is that they are role models and they inspire more people to go out and run on the mountains. So they are usefull in a certain way! That is reason enough for me to look at them from time to time and evaluate their performance.

The US field of elite ultra trail runners, is not comparable to the European field in certain important aspects. These points (according to my opinion and experience) I analyze below. This does not mean that in some cases a top US mountain runner cannot win an event against top European runner! But statistics will always be in favor of Europeans as long as the following areas remain as they are today. I also think that most of these remarks, apply to all levels of trail runners if we try to compare them between the two continents. So here is my list of important differences for elite runners of mountain ultra running events:

1. Number of runners at the start line - In UTMB and in many other wellknown European mountain and trail running events, the number of participants is thousands, or several hundreds. In the US most of the races are with a few hundreds of runners. This affects in two ways the runner: Emotionally - In European events you are always close to another runner. In ultras emotions are a big part of the strategy of the race. Seeing fellow runners pass you or fall behind because of different capacity or different race strategy is sending emotional messages to the runner, changing his mentality and emotions for his own effort. Take a look at Roes and Krupicka comments of the downhill break aways of Kilian Jornet at 2011 WS100 and you can now imagine what is going on in the head of a competitive ultra runner! They are not always running the race they planned (as done when in a lonely - not crowded event). They respond and adapt their race strategy according to the messages they receive from fellow competitors. And in crowded events like in Europe, this is happening a lot throughout the race. Pacing, Strategy - As explained in the previous point, for the emotional side of it, pacing yourself in a lonely event is a matter of focus and discipline. In Europe these two attributes of the ultra runner, have to be even stronger. Competitive runners react and adapt their strategy when another competitor is trying a break away. In the end, you do not run your race as you plan, but according to the dynamic field around you. Therefore an ultra runner, able to perform well at a consistent uniform pace throughout the race, must be able to stick with his plan, when he sees others speeding up at a downhill. One has to understand that there are many runners who can take the hammering of the downhill better than him/her but by following them you end up with burned muscles sooner than you should. On the other side, if you let go, most likely will catch up at a subsequent uphill!
2. Support model - Mountain ultras in Europe follow the model of semi-autonomy for the support of the runners. There is no point in stressing the obvious importance of nutrition and hydration in any endurance event. The comparison of European with US ultras, is showing differences in the following two ways: No pacers are allowed in Europe - No one is allowed to help you carry water or food. No one can supervise on the course your calories and fluids intake. No one can push you a step further when you start feeling slugish and hit a low point. You have to carry all the food and fluids needed to get you to the next station which can be 2 or 4 hours away! Only for water this can mean an extra 1,5kgr of weight at your back! Plus equipment! The backpack - Mountain ultra runners in Europe are always with a backpack. The image of a mountain ultra runner without one a backpack does not exist! Most of the times you see them carrying walking poles as well, since the existence of a backpack at steep uphills is forcing them to have the sticks to support their back for the extra weight. Many races in the US are not like that at all.
3. The terrain - Ultra trail running in Europe consists of 80% single track trails usually. UTMB is considered to be one of the moderate difficulty trail running events. Forest roads an wide trails have to be a small minority in these events. In the US the popular events, include long stretches of forest roads and easy going trails. Also the altitude profile in most continental events at first sight, is not runnable! Constant up and down without any flat parts or even with runnable incline. The hammering of the legs and the heart is without a break. This makes a big difference for the body and the mentality of the runners. Somehow we could say that European ultra trail runners, are stronger mentaly and physically, just because they evolve through this kind of races. There is also a very strong technical aspect in this element. I've noticed that it is very common in US mountain 100mile races to see finishers with achievements of less than 24 hours. This is very rare in Europe. Only the winners some times manage to finish in less than 24 hours. Running (or crawling when it comes down to it) on the mountains for more than 20 or 24 hours in most of your races builds different characters and approaches to the sport, compared to events lasting 17-20 hours for the winners. As Anton Krupicka wrote recently, following his injury, he came to realize the importance of fast walking during a mountain running effort! Elite US runners are used to ... basically run the whole event! Well, this is not feasible in the terrain of most European races!
4. Professional approach to the sport - After 2011 UTMB I was walking around the streets of Chamonix and saw Geoff Roes and some friends of his trying to find a spot at an overbooked creperie to get their dinner fixed.
   At the same time Kilian Jornet and not only him, was with his Salomon Team specialists applying their recuperation plan in a nice hotel room. Most of the European elite runners, are supported by a sponsor - brand which is investing in them heavily (for the standards of this sport). Nutrition specialists, physios, doctors, trainers, training facilities, race-specific adaptation trips, and personalized equipment and training plans, are available to these runners. Some are commenting on details on the race calendar of athletes like Kilian, but it is not the specific details that make the difference. It is the fact that his support team, consisting of scientists and professionals, know him very well and can optimize the racing - training calendar according to his capacity, weaknesses and advantages! For example I was reading recently that many US mountain ultra runners, do not like interval training! Scientifically it is proven that this kind of training is an important feature of any running training plan! Elite runners not only should do interval training, but furthermore, be able to personalize and plan it in their race season accordingly. It is elementary! Intervals can address uphill or downhill skills, anaerobic threshold build up etc. No one should be proud of not doing his homework! Salomon team uses computers to analyze the performance of their athletes, as well as their most likely competitors in many events. They study the weaknesses of their opponents.
5. Racing season, calendar - I read many comments about the high altitude training of most of the European ultra trail runners, and their advantage of leaving at high altitude. These are small details compared to the big picture of the full race season of any of these runners. After all, if one looks carefully on the top runners at UTMB for example, there are many runners who do not live at altitude of 1300m or have no clue of how to ski! Also Boulder Colorado and many other similar resources exist in the US as well. European racing scene consists of many events which are not so common in the US. I am reffering to events like vertical kilometer mountain runs (1000m of ascent within 5-6km of distance = average incline of 25%), or very technical uphill and downhill events of short distance (in rock gardens or in total absense of trails) or even at mountaineering ski competitions at Les Alps or Pyreneans at high altitude (which basically involve anaerobic effort at steep uphills at high altitude, carrying some equipment)! At these races, the starting line again consists of several hundreds of runners and competition is fierce. This side of the sport is available not only to elite mountain runners (who can participate in as many events as the need to because of their professional resources), but also to any level of mountain runner in Europe. These events are quite common and even if someone does not have access to mountain skiing he can make up with vertical kilometer runs during winter time. Planning a race season (always with the support of the specialists team) is an important but also common task for elite runners in Europe.

As I said at the opening of my post, I do not particularly like the professional and elite side of mountain running as it has evolved in Europe. I prefer the more casual and less "superman-like" approach and this is more close to the US ultra runner scene. I like the Anton Krupicka kind of runners with their worn out shoes and cotton t-shirts (if they are wearing any...). After all, the metnality of ultra running on the mountains is 85% about how far one can go, and only 15% of how fast! The field of runners and their admiration of finishers (and not only speedy ones) proves my point. But elite runners, are platforms for promoting the sport and the apparel - equipment that goes with it. Personally I care about the evolution of the sport in the direction of attracting more and more people in it. Human nature is such that we try to immitate those that we admire. Therefore, elite runners have a role in this scene as icons.

In my opinion, US elite runners in order to catch up with their European counterparts have to address these 5 areas of the sport. I believe that it will be a big help to the US field, if events like HardRock 100 open up to more entries and avoid the lottery system while adopting a point-system for overcrowded events. Also it will be nice to see more technical events (again like Hardrock) with no pacers allowed and a semi autonomy background. By increasing the number of participants, you make up for the safety issues that arise from the solitude of the top runners in these events (they will not be alone!).

Ultra mountain running, should involve technical terrain, discouraging uphills and knee-killing downhills, but I would like to see more people running these with cotton t-shirts, and sandwiches at their backpacks at the start line rather than "shop-window-dolls" like elite runners in white compression outfits, and hi-tech power-bars and space-like powders for their nutrition.