I enjoy the planning element of running an ultra. As I was working on my planning spreadsheet for the upcoming kMR Ultra I thought that others might find it helpful. So I’ve decided to quickly type out this post that outlines my plans for race day for the kunanyi Mountain Run Ultra which is taking place in a few days time. This might be helpful for some. I am always interested in how others plan their runs so I am sharing my methods. I am sharing my spreadsheet and outlining how to use it along with the following elements of race planning:
- Race Goals
- Planning spreadsheet usage
- Pacing Strategy
- Nutrition plan
- Hydration plan
- Gear
- Checkpoint plan
For more information about the event you can read my post about running it last year.
Race Goals
| Goals | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A | Time | Finish under 9 hours |
| B | Time | Reduce amount of time spent at aid stations by 50% |
| C | Time | Fall back goal finish under 9.5 hours |
| D | Process | No racing till Cathedral rock summit |
| E | Process | Run my own race and set a sustainable pace |
| F | Process | Stay consistent throughout and finish strong |
Planning Spreadsheet
I use a spreadsheet to plan out my races. I use data to help inform my pacing, nutrition and hydration and to give myself an overview of all of the legs. I will share a link to the spreadsheet below, feel free to save a copy and edit the data to suit your own plan.
The spreadsheet consists of 5 tabs:
- Race Info
- Checkpoints
- Timeline
- Data
- 2022 Results
Input data into the yellow cells. Do not tamper with the rest of the sheet, unless you have a decent understanding of google sheets.
Race Info
The race info tab contains general information about the event, the only input required in this tab is the start time of the race, which will be either Wave 1 or Wave 2.
Data
Input data into this sheet. Sunrise and sunset are already in there. The only input required is the calories per hour which will be used on other sheets to determine the amount of food required for each leg.
Checkpoint Plan
The checkpoint plan contains information about each of the aid stations along with the distace between and the elevation gain of each leg. This tab is used to input items to grab and drop off at each aid station. It is also the location to enter different section split scenarios. These splits will then feed into the Timeline tab and allow for comparing different scenarios. I have left an additional blank row for a third scenario to be added.
Timeline
This tab gives a timeline of the race and calculates the time of day, light, number of calories required and how much water is required for each leg of the race.
2022 Results
In this tab I have compiled the results from the top 17 runners from last year. I have used the numbers to determine the amount of time spent in aid stations and used it to inform my splits. This tab is helpful to inform yourself on pacing strategies.
Pacing Strategy
I paced quite well last year and was able to finish feeling strong and overtake many people in the final legs. But in hindsight I think I probably went out too slow and finished too fast. It is an unusual outcome for an ultra but it makes me think I could start out a little quicker.
I wanted some splits as guidance so with the helpful data from last years results I made a spreadsheet and analysed the top 17 finishers (arbitrary number chosen at random). I looked at the amount of time each person spent at an aid station and also looked at the times for each leg as a percentage of their total time. This gave me a good indicator of the people that went out too fast and paid for it later.
I wanted to choose my splits based off someone who paced the race wisely. I decided to base my times off Meg Sinclair as it looks like she paced quite well. So I used her leg percentages and applied them to my 9 hour goal and was able to get some split times for each leg that I will aim for to keep on track for my 9 hour goal.
Regardless of splits I like to always try to follow this mantra when pacing a long race
"Start easy and slow down as little as possible"
‘Easy’ refers to rate of percieved exertion (RPE), it has to feel relatively easy at the start. If it feels hard at the start it’s going to be hell by the end.
Nutrition Plan
I know from experience that I can handle a Koda gel every 25 minutes. Each Koda gel contains 117cal and I am eating 2.4 per hour which equates to 280cal/hr.
So I aim to hit this target using a combination of gels and solid foods. To ensure I stick to the plan I have an eat alarm set on my garmin watch that beeps every 25 minutes. I decide on how much food to carry based upon the amount of time I am expecting each leg to take.
Using the spreadhseet I calculate how many calories I need between each resupply location based on the time I expect it to take to run each leg. I use these values as a guide then typically add a bit extra for contingency in case something goes wrong and I am slowed down.
Hydration Plan
Over time I have monitored my sweat rate for different ambient temperatures and I now have a rough idea of my sweat rate at a given temperature. So I use this number along with the forecast temperature on the day to give myself an idea of the amount of fluid I need to consume on each leg. I calculate the total sweat loss and then I plan to replace 50% of the lost volume through water containing electrolytes. This can be calculated in the Timeline Tab of the spreadsheet, you just need to input your sweat rates for each given temperature. I mostly use these numbers to give myself a rough idea of the carrying capacity I need with me on the day and how much I should be filling up at each aid station.
I also drink to thirst on the day. I tend to forget about all of the numbers around hydration once I am out there and just ensure I am filling up at each aid station and drinking plenty in between. I use 1 x koda electrolyte tab per 500ml of water, I’ve not done a sweat test but I’ve found this to be the most I can take in based on the taste test. I once tried 1.5 koda tabs per 500ml and the taste was too much for me.
Gear
The only things to note about gear is that I get my gear checked well before the event then vacuum seal the items that I am unlikely to actually use to reduce their volume and allow everything to fit well in my pack.
The only piece of gear out of the ordinary for me for this event is trekking poles. I didn’t use them last year but have since bought a pair and have been training with them. I am hoping they will be a gamechanger on the steep hikes.
Checkpoint Plan
I analysed idle time from last years results and found that I was the most idle person from the top 17 finishers. I am making it a goal this year to be faster at transitions. I am hoping to halve the amount of time spent at aid stations. This is low hanging fruit for improving my time overall so I am going to streamline my aid station visits by having my flasks ready to be filled. I will be using drop bags again this year. So I will be keeping my drop bag contents to a minimum and just having a single ziplock bag of provisions to grab. The more stuff in the bag the more faffing time.
I am still yet to decide on the contents of my drop bags, I will probably be meddling with it right up until the time I drop them off. I will use the Checkpoint Plan tab of the spreadsheet to enter the items I plan to grab and leave at each aid station.
That’s all for my rundown of my race plan. Feel free to save a copy of the spreadsheet and edit it to suit your goals and see how you go.