Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 119, June 2019 | Page 75

COACHING the calendar around the country. However, keep in mind that the ultra is there to challenge us, both mentally and physically, and anyone who thinks that an ultra is simply going to roll over and hand out medals or PB’s is horribly mistaken! So here are some essential tips to follow when chasing that new best beyond the 42km mark. 1. Get going: One of the biggest mistakes runners make is to go into hibernation for three or four months (and sometimes longer) after Comrades, and by the time you get back onto the road you have to rebuild from scratch. The better approach is to give yourself enough rest – anything from two to six weeks – and then get going again. The benefit is that you’re able to use that base that you’ve built as a stepping stone to become a stronger and faster ultra-runner, and that stronger base will push you to that PB. • Which races am I going to do between now and then that will help me reach my goal? • What do I need to do differently this year? 4. Adapt: Training is all about adapting the body physically, metabolically and biomechanically in order to achieve your goals. Make sure that you’re training for your goal race and nothing else. If you’re training for an ultra, then you need to be running at a pace that will best prepare you for it, and not training at a pace that will prepare you for a marathon, or an even faster pace for shorter distances. 2. Get your head in the game: This doesn’t require hours on the couch talking to your shrink. Start by committing 100% to your goal, make sure it’s realistic but challenging, and start believing that you can achieve it. 3. Planning is crucial: The difficulty with an ultra is that because of the toll it places on the body and the amount of recovery required post-race, you only have one bite at the cherry. If you build up and train to run a fast 10km and things don’t work out on race day, picking another race the following week is not a problem, but if things don’t quite go according to plan in an ultra, you can’t simply choose to run another one soon thereafter. This makes planning a crucial part of success, and you’ll need to answer these questions when doing your planning: • What do I need to do to achieve my goal? • Do I have enough time to build up injury-free? About the Author: Ray is a USATF and NAASFP certified coach. Find him at www.runetics.com or [email protected]. BODY SCIENCE Take a Day Off (runny nose, stuffiness, sneezing) usually don’t pose a risk, as long as you don’t push yourself too hard. However, the doctors say that you should still err on the side of caution, as training with anything worse than a minor cold can escalate into more serious conditions affecting the lower respiratory tract and lungs. For example, sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinus cavity, with symptoms that include a runny nose, cough, headache and facial pressure. With a full-blown sinus infection, you rarely feel like running, but if you do want to continue training, the experts recommend a 72-hour waiting period. “No running for three days,” advises allergist/immunologist Dr Jeffrey Dobken. “Even without the presence of a fever, some sinus infections, when stressed by exercise, can lead to pneumonia or, in extreme cases, respiratory failure.” The Thermometer Test If you’re still in doubt whether to run or not, take your temperature. If it’s above 37 degrees Celsius, rather skip the run. “Some people think that they can ‘sweat out’ a fever by running,” says medical researcher Dr David Nieman. “That’s wrong. Running won’t help your immune system fight the fever. In fact, running with a fever makes the symptoms worse, and it can lead to other complications.” Runners don’t like to skip training sessions or miss a race when they’re ill, but at this time of year, colds and flu are par for the course. Here’s how to decide when you should take a day off from running. – BY SEAN FALCONER P icking up a head cold is usually not enough to deter an avid runner from heading out the front door, but there are times when going for a run can do more harm than good. The general rule of thumb applied by many runners is called the ‘Neck Rule:’ Symptoms below the neck (chest cold, bronchial infection, body ache) require time off, while symptoms above the neck For starters, during exercise, your heart pumps a large amount of blood from your muscles to your skin, dissipating the heat your body generates. If you have a fever, your temperature will rise even higher, and your heart will be put under greater strain to keep your temperature from soaring, and in some cases, this can cause an irregular heartbeat. Also, a virus can cause your muscles to feel sore, so exercising when your muscles are already compromised could lead to injury. “I recommend that runners with a fever or the flu hold off until the day after the symptoms disappear – and then only go for a short, easy run,” says Dr Nieman. “You should wait one to two weeks before resuming your pre-illness intensity and mileage, and most importantly, obey your body and the thermometer, not your training programme!” 75