NDW100 post race thoughts

Things to consider, things that went well or could be better. 

Training preparation.

I usually try to be consistent with running. I registered for this race kind of last minute in comparison to others. I usually try to do a 20 week training plan leading up to a race. This one I did more focused training over 6 weeks. More long runs and then uphill tempo runs on the treadmill were my main focus. This did however work great but I did notice one thing. Normally I’ll do 10-14 weeks of strength training before getting more specific closer to the race and swapping to the treadmill tempo runs. I skipped the strength with this short build up and I felt it during the race. Quads were tired more than they normally are. These strength sessions, muscular endurance more specifically, give your muscles the longevity needed for these distances. Noticing this was a good thing because I know I could’ve raced better! 

Race thoughts.

Pacing was perfect. I ran well within my ability, I maybe could’ve pushed it a bit harder, but you never know what the repercussions could be later in the race. Maybe could have benefited from poles on the climbs despite the non-mountain race course. I know I hike much faster with them. 

Aid stations could still be faster! I felt I ticked this box and did really well. In and out super fast at the majority of the aid stations. I did spend a bit more time at the drop bag locations but I can justify it. Changing socks and eating real food does take time, but did I really need 15 plus minutes? I think it could be faster. Take the food in a bag and eat it walking? Have more of a plan for kit changes etc.? 

Kit thoughts.

Everything seemed to work fine, really no need for more, especially as less is likely better. Less to deal with less to worry about! But a few things and a few thoughts that could be nice.

Base layers, socks, spare rain jacket at all drop bags. Spare rain jacket was excellent! So nice to swap it out! My Våga hat got soaked, I was routinely wringing it out. Spare? Something more water resistant? Dry clothes and more clothes could really save the day. Cold, shivering, chafed, and wet can really detract from focus and also over cool your body sapping energy. Spare clothes at the ready should be mandatory. Probably consider a “baseline” option to always have and then adjust pertaining to weather forecast. 

Another consideration would be to have spare footbeds or sock liners. Shoes these days don’t really stay wet and hold water but underfoot a new footbed could be nice; dry socks, dry footbeds could replace an entire shoe change. Having an arch supporting footbed as a replacement could be nice for tired feet as well. 

I’ve always thought arm warmers were kind of stupid, but since considering their use under a rain jacket to improve breathability I’ve been really intrigued. Also when using a race vest sometimes your core is warm but arms get cold. Also could they help with my cold hand issues? Worth experimenting for £10-£30.

Hands. Borderline got “crab claws” during the race. Not bad but I really need to consider this anytime it’s wet out. I had synthetic liner gloves but they would’ve just gotten wet. Maybe I need to always have a waterproof over mitt at the ready. They weight nothing, pack down tiny, but could be a solution. 

I had access to my phone the entire race. I didn’t go to it more than a few times but it did get wet despite being in a ziploc bag. After the race it had moisture in the charging port and wouldn’t charge. Maybe a dedicated waterproof bag for it would be a good idea? Other electronic thoughts are that I didn’t need some of the things I had with. Never having used my phone and headphones for a race I was unsure of the battery life. I had a small power bank, cables, and spare headphones. Didn’t need any of them, dead weight. I suppose I should maybe have these accessible in a drop bag, but otherwise no need to carry them. 

Same went for my watch. I have had bad luck with my Coros watch and the battery has died in the past three races I’ve done. It was operator error on my part, I needed to fine tune settings for optimum battery. Mainly I had the auto backlight on which is a giant battery suck. This time I was carrying a spare watch though! I guess mainly for the navigation so I didn’t get lost. I bought a used Polar Vantage V for like $50, normally $500 I think, it was an older model but worked great. I had been experimenting with heart rate data and just decided to drag it along just in case. Totally unnecessary. When I realized the Coros battery was fine I put the Vantage in a drop bag. 

My drop bags are super light and the watch face got damaged, kind of a bummer as I can’t resell it but I can at least still use it. Probably consider a more durable bag and also what I have in it next time. My rain jacket had a hole rubbed through it too. My bag must have been at the bottom of the pile and dragged, the watch rubbing against the jacket and ground, putting a hole in the jacket, drop bag, and scratching the watch. 

ALWAYS have a spare light battery! My Petzl Nao headlamp is fantastic but it’s getting old. I’m not too worried about it but since I rarely run with it for extended periods or much at all I don’t get a gauge of the battery. The battery indicator started flashing within 30 minutes of turning it on! Annoying! I immediately swapped to a fresh battery that was fine but I shouldn’t really even have needed a spare with me as the life should be at least 6 hours, I looked at my UTMB report and I got 8 hours! Post race the “low reading” battery was showing plenty of life?! Not sure what happened but I guess a reminder to always have back up options. I do carry a required spare light but it’s tiny and really only for emergencies. 

Food thoughts.

I need a solid food solution. It’s time consuming but seems to do me well! Every time I stop and eat a bowl of pasta I feel great. Is it the stopping? The food? Not sure, but my stomach always gets benefit. I need to do more experimentation with this. 

I also tried a liquid fuel called Tailwind again that I got from aid stations. I’d tried this before and it seemed to work well, many people swear by this stuff, elites and amateurs. I also have tried it in training but I seem to always mix it too strong. It’s an expensive thing to experiment with though which is annoying. I contacted the RD at Centurion for their mix ratio because it seemed right for me. So, maybe I’ll play with that too. I do like to drink water but one bottle of each was nice. Tailwind is convenient to have it all in one place: hydrate, electrolytes, calories.

I brought along Veloforte chews this time. We had them at work so I knew I liked them and they have a boat load of carbs in them. They worked great, likely race with them again. One thing I did do was remove them from the packaging and dump a ton of them in ziploc bags. 4 bags for about a quarter of the race each, two I picked up at my half way drop bag. The night portions I had caffeinated chews mixed in too. No trash to mess with just fish out a ziploc and grab some food. Downside was late in the wet race they started to stick together. Not really an issue but more an inconvenience. They are really soft and dusted in powdered sugar to prevent sticking, when a wet hand is in and out they’re bound to stick. 

Post race considerations.

I seem to always get this wrong favoring a lightweight less bulky bag to travel with, it’s just easier though on a train. Some items that would’ve been nice after running all day and night. That being said there really isn’t a wrong here, it’s just comfort items that aren’t always necessary but nice. 

Warm, comfortable clothing. I only had casual shorts and really lightweight running pants. Comfortable but would’ve been nice if I had a warmer option. It was coldish until the sun came out. This one can be tough as I normally am traveling and I’d rather travel in normal clothes.

I had a sleeping bag and forgot I had a tiny sleeping pad. Pads are bulky but this tiny thing hides like a back support in my little travel backpack. I usually use it for a seat when it’s wet out. I just forgot I had it.

Massage gun and a foam roller may be nice but the gun is heavy and cumbersome as a roller can be. You can get tiny foam rollers, but rollers in general take physical effort to use! 

Snacks, healthy recovery food. Sometimes the cafe, if there is one, doesn’t have what you crave or you’re just not interested. Maybe having an official recovery food/drink with just to be sure I have something of value could be beneficial. Food post race is always odd, despite what you just accomplished you’re not hungry, but need to eat. It’s weird. 

That’s it I guess for things to learn from, change, or consider. It’s UTMB week and I’ve got friends running, crewing, and just spectating. Sure wish I was there in one form or another. I could easily go every year. It’s such a rad thing.