This last article in the series on training for the ultra race deals with the logistics of the race itself.  Often times, the fittest athletes make logistical errors that cost them time and placings in their race.  Managing the race is as much a part of your success as the training leading up to the race.  Here are some tips and tricks to keep  yourself rolling and minimize problems.

Race Rules :  Know your race rules and know the course.  Do not make the mistake of missing a check point, or a course marking.  You are responsible for knowing each rule. Attend the pre-race meeting and ask for clarifications if you need them.  Ask any question you feel is relevant, but know the rules.  In 24 hour racing, for example, some events use the 12 o’clock rule and some don’t.  The 12 o’clock rule refers to whether or not a racer is required to ride another lap if he or she comes in before 12 o’clock.

Equipment: I have stressed this before, and it bears repeating again.  During your long training rides, you should have been dialing in your equipment from tire choice to the gloves on your hands, you should know that everything you are using is something you can tolerate for multiple hours in the saddle.  I once wasted valuable time searching for another pair of gloves after discovering that my grips, which had served me faithfully for the cross-country season, were destroying my hands in an ultra.  A few tips on equipment:

• If you run a camelback, consider the weight.  While it is wise to carry extra tools, etc, it is also wise to ensure that you are not overloading yourself. If you are on a multiple lap course, chances are, you won’t need some of the equipment you are carrying.
• DO carry a multi-tool.  These come in tiny, compact sizes now. In my opinion, there is no excuse for a racer not to own one of these little gems and have it in his or her pocket at every event.  (Well, okay, I HAVE forgotten mine out of nervousness, but I do own one!)
• Have a spare saddle in your pit area.  A common theme in endurance racing tends to be the “broken saddle” syndrome.  Strangely enough, I have heard of more broken saddles than anything else (besides a flat tire).
• Have a spare set of sunglasses, and if you can, purchase sunglasses with interchangeable lenses. Should you crash, sunglasses are easily lost, and should conditions change, you might need to change your lenses out.  (For 24 hour racers:  have a separate set of glasses ready to go and change them out when you put on your lights).
• Spare, spare, spare.  Not all races allow you to change bikes, but many allow you to scavenge parts of a spare bike.  It does not hurt to have extra everything!
• Know how to do the quick fixes.  Attend a maintenance class or hit up a friend for some training. You need to know the basic fixes: adjusting your derailleurs, straightening rotors, fixing chains, and putting tubes in a tubeless wheel.  The last thing you want is to be at the farthest point away scratching your head over a simple fix.
• Lights and batteries:  if night riding is a component of your race, you should have tested all of your lights and batteries AGAIN the week prior to the event.  Know the length of time your battery can last, and keep a spare, if possible.  Have a plan to change batteries out and get them charged.  I use 3 batteries and have a back-up light set available. Each battery is marked with a number, and my crew (my husband!) changes them out depending on the lap time. I never spend much time in transition as a result.

Nutrition:

• Eat your last full meal 3-4 hours prior to the event. Keep it low in fat to avoid gastric distress.
• You should fuel every hour of the event with plenty of carbohydrate. These can be in the form of gels, blocks, or whatever else you find palatable and digestible.  As mentioned in previous articles, you should have been practicing fueling on the bike, and should have a good idea of what works for you.  Generally, people need approximately 40-60g of carbohydrate per hour to sustain hard exercise.
• If it’s a particularly hot day, dilute your carbohydrates and any electrolyte/carbohydrate drinks a little more than normal.  I have often found that even the most tried-and-true formulas can contribute to gastric distress on a really warm day.
• Energy bars are good choices if you feel like you need a little more in your stomach during a long race. I typically race off carbohydrate gels alone for anything up to 12 hours, but sometimes, that “empty pit” feeling can really take over. Energy bars are a good way to combat this feeling.  Again, only use things you have used in training—unless you get into trouble.  If you are starting to feel like you are going to bonk, you need to eat, plain and simply.
• Hydration/electrolyte balance.  This is a tough area and comes to the best racers with practice.  Because it is so individualized, it is very difficult to quantify the amount of fluids and electrolytes you should take in.  Just remember that, in hot conditions, we sweat on the order of LITERS per hour.  Generally speaking, you want to replace what you’ve lost.  Remember that these are extreme events, so you should be listening to your body every step of the way. Don’t drink so much water that you start to become waterlogged. This can be a very dangerous situation.   A gram of salt per liter of water/hour is the average sodium requirement for a racer.  Again, people sweat with a widely varying rate of salt concentrations.  If you notice white crusty lines on your clothing, chances are, you need more electrolytes than the average person.
• If you are doing a multi-lap event, take a bunch of bottles and pre-mix as many as possible.  Approximate the number of bottles you’ll need and then add more!  Differentiate between water bottles and bottles containing sports drinks using a band of electrical tap around the side, OR another simple system such as bottle color, or cap color.   This works beautifully if you are self-supporting and working out of a cooler.  (if that’s a case, strap a bag to the side of the cooler and toss your empties in it so that you can maintain your grab and go system).

The devil is in the details in ultra racing.  You need to manage each detail very carefully. Take this part seriously because no matter what your goal is, these tips can make the difference between a miserable day and a fantastic day in the saddle:

• Do not stop pedaling.  Keep transition time quick, and stay on the bike.  This will give you minutes on a competitor, and will keep your motivation high.
• Create a checklist.  Everything should be on this checklist- from what to pack to where to put things.  You should have every single detail worked out on paper, so that you do not have to spend time worrying before your race.
• If you are doing a 24 hour event, print an hourly weather forecast off a website. Tape it  to your cooler, your team area, or whatever.  Highlight any significant weather changes and DRESS APPROPRIATELY.  If the temperature is projected to drop, you should have a plan as to what you are going to wear, and WHEN you are going to put that equipment on.
• Have a race bag with everything you can think of in it.  Raincoats, arm warmers, skull caps, and any other equipment should be in that bag in the spring and fall. Anything you think you might need based on the weather- down to the clothes you’ll wear before or after your race, needs to be in that bag. This is the time to overpack!
• Organize your race bag. For example, all items of X type are in the side pocket (such as spare socks, or anything to do with hands or feet), and all items of x type are on the left or the right.  I once had a friend marvel at how quickly I grabbed exactly what I needed out of my race bag at 2am.  He said, “either you got lucky, or you knew exactly where that was.”  It wasn’t luck.
• When you set up your pit area and team area, think through everything you can do to save yourself from HAVING to think during the race.  This goes right down to where you plan to hide your car keys!  Be very methodical. If you aren’t typically methodical, talk it through with a friend—often times, fellow racers will interject things you have NOT thought of!

When you finish your race,  in the days following, write down a few of the things you had problems with or ideas you got from others at the venue. Keep those things for next time, because, after the soreness subsides, and after you start to feel fresh on the bike again, you’ll start thinking about the next time!

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Sara Krause, M.Ed. is an exercise physiologist and owner of Krause Sports Performance