On this month-to-month article collection, ultrarunner, race director, and coach Gabe Joyes solutions reader questions on something and every part working. Study extra about this ask-the-athlete column, and you’ll want to fill out the shape beneath to submit your questions for a future article!
On this article, Gabe solutions questions on uphill coaching frequency, discovering crew members, and embracing studying alternatives. Additionally, snacks!
Gabe’s Tip of the Month
In case you are studying this text, for higher or worse, there’s a strong probability you might be the kind of one who will get recommendation from the web. There’s certainly plenty of good data on the market, however indubitably, it’s muddled in with all types of questionable opinions and beliefs as nicely. Slightly than incomes your path working schooling via seemingly genuine and dependable Instagram content material, YouTube movies, or Reddit posts, kick it old fashioned and end up a path working mentor. Hunt down your personal native legend — that group chief who has been there and completed that for years — to glean a little bit of their hard-earned information and expertise for your self, too. You’ll acquire infinitely extra knowledge than you’ll from yet one more social media submit, and also you simply would possibly make some associates for all times as nicely.
Class is in session on the Faculty of Onerous Knocks with Ty Draney (middle) and Jared Campbell (left), two of Gabe’s (proper) mentors within the sport. Picture courtesy of Gabe Joyes.
Uphill Coaching Frequency
What number of days every week ought to I be doing uphill coaching for a mountain extremely? -Jeff
You aren’t alone in questioning this, Jeff, as I get this query rather a lot! It’s a bit tough to reply, as it could actually rely rather a lot on the place you reside, the kind of terrain you could have entry to, and the way a lot climbing you could have completed up to now. Nonetheless, as a common suggestion, intention to have your lengthy runs and common coaching runs have comparable elevation acquire and loss per mile as your objective occasion. For instance, if you’re coaching for the Onerous Rock 100with roughly 33,200 ft of climbing and descending over 100 miles, you need your runs to have about 332 ft of elevation acquire and loss per mile.
That is simply a mean, so it doesn’t must be exact. After I skilled for the 2025 Hardrock 100, most of my lengthy runs averaged someplace between 290 and 360 ft per mile — completely shut sufficient to that 332 objective quantity.
Prepare your legs for each the ups and the downs of mountain working. Picture: Niko Carste
The mathematics is a bit completely different for restoration runs and high-intensity exercises. The purpose of a restoration run is to assist your physique really feel higher, to not add extra coaching stress. Even when you’ve got a climbing-heavy race on the schedule, doing restoration runs on principally flat terrain is a savvy selection to assist shed some muscular fatigue. For top-intensity, interval-type exercises, I’d counsel the full elevation acquire and loss per mile be lower than your objective race. Persevering with with my Hardrock instance: I’m not capable of do many intervals on tremendous steep terrain and nonetheless hold my working tempo and cadence excessive, so I lose the velocity advantage of the exercise as a result of I merely can’t go that quick. As an alternative, I did my uphill intervals on hills within the vary of 150 to 250 ft per mile. That’s steep sufficient for lots of power improvement from working uphill, however at a grade the place I may really run and never simply really feel like I used to be spinning my wheels and going nowhere.
With this strategy, your weekly common elevation acquire and loss per mile will probably be lower than your objective race, however you’ll positively nonetheless be ready for the calls for of race day. Many runners make the most of treadmills for vertical coaching — both as a result of they lack entry to steep terrain or for comfort — however I’d urge you to take a measured strategy to this. More often than not, when runners’ legs fail them in steep terrain on race day, it isn’t on the up, however on the down. Treadmills are an amazing software for uphill intervals and provide a incredible coaching stimulus, however as a result of they lack the descent and terrain specificity — your race isn’t on a clean rubber mat — they need to be used as a coaching software, and never a whole substitute, for vertical coaching.
Gabe discovering terrain-specific downhill coaching useful within the Brecon Beacons mountains of Wales through the 2025 Dragon’s Again Race. Picture: @nolimits.photographs
Crew Conundrum
I’ve completed a pair path races however haven’t approached the extremely distance but. One in all my massive hang-ups about attempting an extremely is asking individuals to crew for me. Not solely does it really feel considerably egocentric to ask individuals to commit their time in such a approach, however I don’t have very many associates who’re aware of extremely racing. How would you go about this? -Matt
From the skin wanting in, ultrarunning can look like a egocentric act, however I don’t purchase into that type of pondering. Numerous athletes have discovered that ultrarunning actually is a group sport, they usually couldn’t do it with out the help of associates, household, and volunteers.
Think about going to a theatre for a present. There most likely is a lead position, however that doesn’t imply the supporting actresses and actors, extras, mild crew, sound crew, director, and costume designers don’t all serve vital roles. If you put collectively a help group for an extremely, it isn’t for these individuals to serve you, however to be a essential a part of the group and be on the journey with you. As you make your race weekend plans, be considerate about learn how to create a enjoyable, memorable expertise in your help crew and the way to make sure they really feel appreciated and valued. When speaking to your potential crew, ensure you talk about plans by way of “we” and never “me.” Lastly, give your family and friends an opportunity. I’ve discovered that most individuals are actually enthusiastic about supporting others who’re pursuing a giant, scary objective. In actual fact, a few of my favourite race experiences are as a part of a help crew, and never as a racer.
My crew on the 2025 Hardrock 100 proving as soon as once more that ultrarunning is a group sport. Picture: Niko Carste
Studying From Failure
What’s the worst climb or descent you’ve ever needed to do? -Gilbert
Ah, Gilbert, I respect this query! Nonetheless, I admit I may not have the ability to provide the reply you might be searching for, as as an alternative, I’m going to let you know about one in every of my favourite descents ever. About midway via the primary day of the 2025 Dragon’s Again Race in Wales, runners climbed up Tryfan, a craggy and rock-strewn mountain within the coronary heart of Snowdonia. Many of the ascent, I used to be beneath the clouds, however someplace close to the summit, I used to be engulfed in fog that made macro navigation unimaginable, and I may barely see just a few boulders in entrance of me. It had been raining many of the day, and every rock was slick in a approach that I had by no means skilled earlier than. Moreover, for my part, there was no outlined path on Tryfan, and I used to be transferring blindly ahead within the dense fog. Descending the mountain was an immense problem for me and required a stage of focus and emotional administration I had by no means skilled earlier than: I tensed up, may hardly breathe, and moved with zero confidence in my footing or myself.
Later that evening, as I lay in my tent, my head was spinning as I went over all the abilities I wanted to enhance to get via the remainder of the race — and to by no means transfer so poorly in terrain like that once more. That descent off Tryfan was the catalyst for me to enhance my technical descending abilities, pursue footwear with higher rubber compounds, and work on my respiratory, physique management, and self-talk whereas descending. I can draw a direct line from that day on Tryfan to improved descending abilities in comparable slippery, rocky circumstances. Though tough on the time, I’m so glad I had that have!
Definitely, Tryfan is one in every of my favourite descents ever!
Gabe working full-on technical terrain through the 2025 Dragon’s Again Race. Picture: @nolimits.photographs
Snacks
Greatest gasoline station working gas or assist station meals? -Annabelle
Behold the nice trifecta of ultrarunning gas: Potato chips, Peanut M&Ms, and Coke! It’s a high-calorie, cost-effective, and satisfying trinity of extremely processed and simply accessible working gas. Definitely, it has the candy, salty, fatty, and yummy all happening.
Unpopular opinion: Nerds Gummy Clusters are profoundly overrated.
Your writer not even the slightest bit embarrassed by his potato chip consumption on the 2025 Canyons 100 Mile. Picture courtesy of Gabe Joyes.
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