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Ultramarathon Pace Logistics

July 31, 2016 by Helen 7 Comments

This is the first in a series of articles ultra marathon preparation and logistics – in honor of my husband’s first 100-mile race (Pine to Palm 100) in September. I am a planner and an organizer. If you are similar, then you will probably relate to much of what I write in these articles. If you are the opposite, you may appreciate some of the legwork that I put in to each race. Either way, putting some effort into your race-day logistics will help you and your support team have a great ultramarathon experience.

Ultramarathon Pace Predictions

As race day approaches, you should start to have an idea of your race-day pacing based on your training and the elevation profile of the race. Setting time goals may not be appropriate for everyone, but some estimation is necessary to help plan your journey.

Your pace estimations will guide your drop bag preparations, fuel planning, crew instructions and cut-off awareness. Your time into each aid station will determine where you place essential gear, such as night-time lights and layers, caffeinated products, sunscreen for re-application, to name a few. Your crew will need to know when to expect you and you need to have an idea if you will be up against any aid station cut-off times.

How you choose to use pace predictions during the race is up to you. The danger in real-time pace comparisons is that they can diminish your enjoyment of the race if you are falling behind your predictions. They can also cause you to needlessly slow down if you are ahead.

When I started running ultramarathons, I always carried time predications with me during the race. That was my indication of how I was performing compared to my expectations. As I have become more experienced, however, I have developed a better sense for how I am feeling, so paces during the race have become less relevant to me.

Pacelette 003
I used two pacelettes at the Wasatch Front 100

One aid station at a time

These days, the information that I most want during a race is the mileage and elevation profile between aid stations. Over time I have developed a system where I wear this data on my wrist on a “pacelette.” I generally no longer include paces on this bracelet, but the name has stuck. I make one for every trail race of 50 miles or longer.

I use the pacelet in conjunction with my GPS watch to break the race into aid station segments. This allows me to always focus primarily on getting to the next aid station.

This focus breaks the daunting ultramarathon task into smaller, more manageable trail runs, and is one of my key race-day strategies.

Running from one aid station to the next to finish the Silver State 50-miler
Running from one aid station to the next to finish the Silver State 50-miler

Using your GPS watch on race day

I have used Garmin GPS watches since I started running. I am not familiar with the other brands, but I will describe how I setup my Garmin to support aid station segments.

My Garmin screen setup is as follows: a screen with data fields for the entire run and a screen with the same data fields, but only as applied to the current “lap.” The current lap is always the segment between aid stations.

In order for this to work, you must have “auto-lap” turned off and the lap button needs to be enabled if it is not already. Every time you enter an aid station, you need to remember to hit the lap button. You can always hit it on your way out – it doesn’t matter – but being consistent will help you get into the habit.

Practice this way with your watch on training runs and at training races. On race day, I keep my watch set to view the lap screen almost the entire time. It’s easy to compare the current lap with the data on the pacelette.

If you are running 100 miles, you will need a plan to swap out watches or recharge your battery on the fly. I like to swap watches at a set drop bag location. If you are doing this, make sure that the spare watch is secured in a way that it won’t accidentally get turned on in the drop bag. Also, you may want your pacelette mileage to start over at zero where you swap out watches.

Before race day – when you arrive at your race destination – turn on your watches and leave them outside for 20 minutes. This process of “soaking” your GPS device helps it know which satellites to listen to for the area and improves accuracy in the first minutes of the run. After soaking, turn off the watches and then top off the charge. Don’t turn it on again until 15 minutes before the race.

Finally, if technology is “not your thing,” don’t let it stress you out. I am a tech-geek and enjoy this stuff. If you don’t enjoy it, simply do what meets your needs to plan your 100-mile journey. If you are somewhere in the middle, practice with your watch ahead of time, and you may find it to be a useful tool.

Filed Under: Run Ultras

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Comments

  1. Nikki says

    July 31, 2016 at 8:05 pm

    This is great Helen! I no longer do ultras but found a few helpful hints that can translate for my shorter distances. I didn’t know that trick about “soaking” my Garmin. Sometimes I have to start it after the gun goes off, still waiting for it to latch onto satellites.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      July 31, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Thanks for the note, Nikki! My husband is an even-bigger tech-geek than me… I learn lots of tricks from him.
      ~Helen

      Reply
  2. mark says

    August 1, 2016 at 11:47 pm

    Helen – would love to hear your methods for generating the elevation profile in the background of your spreadsheet data – any tips would be welcome, TIA!

    Reply
  3. Helen says

    August 11, 2016 at 1:30 pm

    Hi, Mark,
    I’m going to try to write a whole post about making the pacelettes, but, in short, I use a spreadsheet program – I have used both Numbers and Excel. After I have the table created, I copy and paste an image and then stretch it to fit the table. Then I adjust the column width to fit each aid station distance. Depending on the profile that I have available, sometimes it is a wild guess based on approximated mileage, and sometimes it is easy to line up because it’s already on the profile image. Good luck!
    Helen

    Reply
    • mark says

      August 11, 2016 at 1:45 pm

      Very creative, thanks!

      Reply
  4. Jeff Merrell says

    August 12, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    Helen,
    Good stuff! Looking forward to the post on the pacelettes. I’m also doing my first 100 at Pine to Palm but doing it solo. See you there.
    Thanks,
    Jeff

    Reply

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