Ultrarunning to Improve Ironman Performance

Paul's posting some thoughts on ultrarunning on his blog:

Boy, this one got me thinking a lot. Will ultra running really make me happy or just open up a can of worms and down a rabbit hole that will take me off my real path/goals/desires?

Ah, ultrarunning is a big question mark. You have to follow your heart. Spending a few months over the winter and spring doing some trail runs and maybe a few 50ks or 50 milers won't hurt and will probably help. It can recharge your batteries and maintain/enhance your run base.

I've always loved running and got into ultras one run at a time. I honestly can't remember a trail run I didn't enjoy (although maybe there were one or two that got epic and miserable... but who doesn't enjoy that?) But my goal with them was always to improve ironman performance. I did my ultras in 2007, culminating in a 100 miler a couple months before IM Fla. Rtarded.

The problem I had was that to train up for the ultra I jettisoned my bike and swim. They really suffered.

My aerobic base was huge. But my run speed was dismal. Plus, recovery after the race took a while. It would have been a week but i lost two toenails and had an allergic reaction to foot tape that blistered my feet for weeks.

After the season I concluded that the ultras didn't help my ironman performance. And directly speaking, they didn't.

But through 08 I felt comfortable doing 21+ milers every wednesday. And I was able to train through im louisville, running the day after and putting in a 20+ miler the week before and after.

I think that the ultras gave my legs some more durability. That durability is a huge limiter in ultras. Being able to run through muscular fatigue is a skill that serves you well on heavy training weeks. In the end I think that my ultrarunning in 07 helped me in 08 by allowing me to absorb more work.

And going much longer than ironman time can't hurt the endocrine system. Fat burning is key.

With a little tweak to the schedule ultras could have helped me inside of one season too. Don't put your first 100 miler a couple months before your A ironman race. Run long early and then add speed in the mid part of the season. Every season I find that I have to move my speed-building portions earlier and earlier because it takes a while to build deep, solid, repeatable speed.

And I could be completely wrong. These are my thoughts right now.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! Because I truly love running. It's my therapy. If I didn't love it I'd have a harder time justifying it. Like ultraswimming... not in my future... at least not any time soon.

At the very least I'd recommend to Paul that he sign up for one 50k race in Jan/Feb/Mar. It'll help him carry his run base through the winter and will get him exploring the ultrarunning world. Plus, we'll be able to get some good trail runs in together. And Carriere may join in too!