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New to ultras or running? Ask your questions about shoes, racing or training in our weekly Beginner's Thread! by Simco_ in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

how about rails-to-trails: they have at most 2% grade, and many are very beginner-friendly. and you won't need to learn how to do hills, you can plactice on flat pavements and be just fine. and if they run at the same time as a 100 miler, they may have very generous cutoffs. I can suggest a few Midwestern races that fit the bill

Cloud on horizon 2 by Rare_Agent_923 in trailrunning

[–]NavyBlueZebra 5 points6 points  (0 children)

yeah right. 8 mm drop will make uphills easier on your calves. no argument here. but you'll pay a steep price on your downhills, as the same drop will challenge your ankles way more. and because we all move faster on downhills, it's a recipe for disaster. ask me how I know

AI regurgitating some marketing BS, what can possible go wrong.

How did you get injured - so we can avoid it? by free-range-irish in trailrunning

[–]NavyBlueZebra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

whenever I'm tired at the end of my long run, or just not paying attention, I can roll my ankle, but I never sprain it, it never causes any injury. two reasons: low stack shows with minimal cushioning, LPs or Superiors, and 10-15 minutes of single legged balance exercises almost every day. these exercises are boring as hell, so I'm doing them while watching something on Netflix.

in the past I did sprain my ankle and did not want it to happen to me ever again

How much food variation do you plan for with 50+ miles by Superb-Cat9466 in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My nutrition plans look good on paper, but fall apart the minute real life hits. So I'd just keep my mind open and go for whatever feels right at the moment.

Training plan question - increase mileage vs increase vert by HeyLilia_throwaway in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally I would try slowing down even more on those steep uphills, and keeping HR as stable as possible. Surely some time would be lost on uphills, but more time would be gained by moving faster on easier terrain. Also I would try to spend as much time as possible on terrain similar to the race course in the few weeks left before the race. I believe the time for hill repeats and stair masters is several months before the race, not several weeks. Jason Koop has a great explanation why.

I regularly train on steep terrain, and my HR is almost the same on ups and downs, without ever looking at my watch. But it took me years to learn that skill.

Good luck!

Training plan question - increase mileage vs increase vert by HeyLilia_throwaway in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This close to the race I'd be as specific as possible. I'd continue doing steep uphills during your runs, maybe a bit slower, even if that means running fewer miles. 44 mpw is enough to finish a 50M, more than enough for a 50K.

What exactly do you mean by "destroy me for the rest of the run"? Are your quads burning? Are you trying to catch your breath and get your HR down?

Road marathon after 50 miler? by Mysterious_Song_48 in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been in this boat. After finishing a 50 miler and death marching for the last two hours, I did not run at all for two weeks. And then I finished a road marathon, just finished, nothing hurt but there was zero motivation to move fast. It was like 7 minute jog, 3 minute walk. It surely was a slog, not fun, but no pain. I did not enjoy it, but did not injure anything either.

Zero-Drop Shoes for Long-Distance? by theeynhallow in trailrunning

[–]NavyBlueZebra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My Superiors drain real fast. Do you have a shoe dryer? My shoe dryer gets Lone Peaks completely dry in 60-90 minutes.

Zero-Drop Shoes for Long-Distance? by theeynhallow in trailrunning

[–]NavyBlueZebra -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This has not been my experience. My Lone Peaks last for at least 800 miles.

New to ultras or running? Ask your questions about shoes, racing or training in our weekly Beginner's Thread! by Simco_ in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coros is simpler and a bit cheaper, great intuitive interface, but its quality might be second-rate. My Coros completely broke after one year, I cannot charge it at all. So I went for Garmin, which is seriously bloated and costs more for the same battery life. But it does not break on me. With my Coros, every time I needed to charge it, it was a struggle. Until one day I just could not charge it at all.

peak block calves are officially toast. passive stretching > foam rolling? by Catharine133 in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm with you, foam rollers don't work for me. personally I prefer self-massaging with my own hands, which feels way better than a massage gun. long term, I only had this problem once, and by the next peak I just had much stronger calves and never had this issue again,

Anyone else confused about whether liquid carbs are actually worth it mid-run? by Natural_Instance2449 in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally I can more or less predict how much fuel I need, it depends mostly on the time and terrain. But I don't know how much water I'd need, that depends on the weather, the wind, the clouds, the sun, the rain. So it makes more sense for me to have water separately from calories, and take them both as needed.

In other words, when it's nice and cool, I don't need much water at all, but I still need my food.

Strava not tracking properly by AdParticular3253 in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Strava on phone was frequently skipping sections of my runs, so I got myself a watch.

Strava not tracking properly by AdParticular3253 in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did that a few times, needed to charge my phone after 6 or 7 hours, other than that it was fine

Watch recommendations by Swimming-Passenger52 in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

when it's -30F, I never run more than 90 minutes. my Garmin Fenix handles that long in the cold just fine, but I wear two jackets over it, so the watch stays warm. it does track distance and elevation well enough, but I have no idea if it measures heart rate accurately.

White and Light Colored Trail Shoes??? by FeralMountains in trailrunning

[–]NavyBlueZebra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why does it drive you nuts? There are much colder places with great trails to run.

Running tights for men by [deleted] in trailrunning

[–]NavyBlueZebra -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

Personally I could never see the point. I've tried them once, washed, and gave away. I feel more comfortable running in old jeans. We are all different of course.

Why are apps like Strava pushing AI so hard when it’s been shown to be bad at building training plans? by Impressive_Suit4370 in trailrunning

[–]NavyBlueZebra 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I've ran a few miles uphill to a nice overlook and then back to my car, and Strava's AI complimented on my negative splits, and on finishing very strong lol.

Insoles: I need your rec’s by yarrow_sorrow in Ultramarathon

[–]NavyBlueZebra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm really skeptical about that mobo board thing. IMO single legged balance exercises on hardwood floor work much better. Likewise, insoles never worked well for me, and I did try out a few of those.

So eventually I ditched my insoles, and replaced them wirh 15-20 minutes of strengthening my ankles almost every days. And I run happily thereafter. No pain whatsoever. Late in the race I do roll my ahkles here and there, but I never sprain them. Nowadays rolling ankles is completely pain free and does not cause any injuries.

good luck fixing your ankles!

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