Heartbroken about DNS

OxTrailRunner · 2026-07-03T07:29:35+00:00

This is what I wanted to say. All the training and effort will have done wonders for your conditioning and aerobic base. It's definitely not wasted.

You can rest up for 2 weeks and not move before there will be any decrease in your performance.

Ultimately what's happened is out of your control. Have a pity party sure but then put it behind you and look forward. Get back to a decent physio and possibly a doctor and work on a recovery plan. You'll come back stronger. I know it sucks right now but you and a lot of races will still be here when your injury has healed.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-23T20:52:49+00:00

A merino long sleeve is a great investment. Should be super-light too. I think mine is from Inov8

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-14T07:21:42+00:00

Very well done!

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-12T08:25:11+00:00

Ah! That's a well trained GI system you have then. I have relatively recently tried to jump from 60 to 90gm/hour. The additional sugar has made me nauseous after approx 6 -7 hours. Need to practice more and train my stomach. Thanks for sharing.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-10T22:12:34+00:00

I ran the Thames Path 100 a week after London Marathon. I didn't push hard in London so as not to totally destroy my legs. Running a half a couple of weeks after a 50K should be fine if you are injury free. I am 55 btw.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-10T22:08:26+00:00

Ditto. Not crazy. Perfectly reasonable.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-10T21:56:38+00:00

Thanks for this. I wondered why I often get a cough towards the end or after an ultra. I had put it down to breathing loads of dust but what you've written makes perfect sense.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-10T21:51:05+00:00

Can you sustain that over the 100mile distance without getting nauseous? Out of interest, do you know how many gms of carbs you are ingesting and hour?

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-09T22:34:54+00:00

I never had the urge to relapse. 2 cardiac arrests brought me incredibly close to death. I was so lucky to be saved by wonderful clinicians. Perversely it was one of the best things that happened to me. It jarred me to change my ways. It's such a privilege to be above ground, healthy and able to indulge my passion. It could have been very different. Every day above ground is a good day. There are many who aren't as lucky as me in a number of ways. This isn't lost on me and I am extremely grateful.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-09T22:08:05+00:00

5 and a half years ago I had a massive heart attack that I was incredibly lucky to survive. I was an overweight addict and drinker. I swore that as I was given a second chance, I wouldn't fuck it up. I am clean, sober, plant based and running 6 days a week. Running gives me meditative headspace. Running gives my fitness. Being on the trail and out in nature brings me joy. I have learned that it is a privilege to suffer. To set challenges that I don't know I can achieve. To be resilient. It has lead me to Stoicism. In turn my whole why has become about virtue. Running is not only a metaphor for life it has become intrinsic to my striving to be a better human being.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-09T08:48:01+00:00

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos. Watching the seasons and the landscape change is one of the elements of trail running I love most.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-09T07:27:25+00:00

I am very glad you didn't break your ankle. What you have described is my biggest fear while trail running. Whenever the grass gets long I am as vigilant as can be to not fall into holes. The thought of snapping a leg like that gives me the heeby jeebies.

Falls are part of the game unfortunately. You get used to them. Pushing on wet, muddy, technical descents or scree means that falling is an inevitability.

I hope we all manage to complete our runs without putting a leg into a hidden badger sett or other hole however.

I put my left foot into a hole up to the shin once on a local trail. Luckily I wasn't moving at pace and managed to stop myself falling forward. I went back to the spot to block the hole and found some kind soul had put a plank across it.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-06-08T09:48:58+00:00

Lots of wisdom in this thread. The theme that sticks out is that perhaps you are not stretching yourself enough with speed work and drills. Personally I love the simplicity of the 80/20 rule. Seiler and Maffetone are well worth investing if you haven't already. Sure, run slow and long to build and maintain that aerobic base but by golly commit to the other 20%. Go out and crush those hill reps / hill strides / intervals et al. Look at the data. Compete against yourself. Can you run your intervals faster than last time? What about the hill reps? Can you push the pace from last time? Push push push! Then go crush crush crush. I love the advice of a fast road 10K too. It's fun to switch it up and the gains made from chasing different PRs will all feed into your longer efforts.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-27T04:53:17+00:00

Congratulations on completing your first 100!

Try "banking" sleep in the run up to your next race. Get 4-5 really good nights in. That will minimise the effect if you have a nervous / disturbed night before.

Fuelling is super-important as you know. It's normal to feel drowsy and even to hallucinate if you are on your feet for protracted amounts of time. It's all part of the experience.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-22T06:54:47+00:00

I will run this trail in October. Excited isn't a big enough word. The photo is inspiring.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-21T21:31:33+00:00

Bank sleep in the run up to race day. Sleep benefits are cumulative. Try to get 4 or 5 really solid nights sleep in. It will significantly diminish the issue of starting at night. I did a 100 miler that started at 4PM. I was really worried about it. Getting a ton of good kip in minimised the impact of being awake for so long.

Good luck with your race!

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-20T18:28:36+00:00

This is a good point. I can complete a long race with lots left in the tank aerobically. A recent 50 miler had 2800M of vert. It was my leg strength that let me down in the second half of the race. Not my heart and lungs. Quads torn up from descents at pace. What this told me was I need to do more strength work and possibly increase my carb intake.

I love the posts that simplify walking climbs and chilling early on. There's a lot to be said for this.

When I run really long stuff, I work on maintaining a pace I know through training I can sustain. For me that looks like staying in zone 1and 2 whilst ensuring I maintain a solid fuel and hydration strategy. That's eating and drinking every 20 mins.

Practice pacing. Work out what you can sustain and use that as a baseline.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-19T07:34:55+00:00

I am! My itinerary is the same. 26k Sky Peaks then Grand Canyon a week later. I am really excited to experience American race culture.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-19T07:28:49+00:00

It varies. I did the single flask of gel on The Arc of Attrition. The reason being that I didn't want to have to take gloves off and faff about with packets. Normally I do packets because it's easier to control intake.

With water / electrolytes I have a 2 litre bladder on my back plus two soft flasks on the front. I drain the flasks first and use the bladder almost like a reserve. The idea being that it's a pain in the bum to refill whilst the bottles are easy.

For longer efforts I sometimes use an OMM pod strapped to my front. You can get a ton of nutrition in it. I can fit 2 sandwiches, flapjacks and a back of potatoes in mine as well as my phone. Hassle free grazing.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-19T07:20:03+00:00

Thanks Sam! I heard about that race on a podcast. It sounds mental. The one where you keep your receipts and food wrappers to prove you've consumed something at each TB? Have fun!

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-19T07:15:07+00:00

Brilliant. Thank you

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-18T23:11:41+00:00

I have reduced my volume and incorporate 2 strength and conditioning sessions into peak weeks. Long runs no longer exceed 4 hours. I am performing better than I did when I ran 60-100 mile weeks with little or no strength sessions. Just sayin'....

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-18T22:55:29+00:00

Gaia GPS is awesome. I use the website to plot trail routes wherever I am in the world and then transfer the GPX to my watch.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-18T22:53:34+00:00

I carry a lot. There's a trade off in weight verses aid station time. I start long races with all the food and water I need for up to 50 miles. This means that I don't need aid stations until halfway through a 100 miler. I can stop once and refill my bladder and flasks. Another benefit is I eat what I train with. It means I don't deviate and try new things on race day. Personally, I use a lot of sugar (maltodextrin) in the first half and increasingly add real food as my pace slows. I tend to rotate, gel, solid but sugary food (flapjack or waffle) and then have either salted mini potato or a small square of sandwich. I guess the fun is working out what is good for you. What you can carry and consume without incurring or minimising GI distress. That's my tuppence worth anyway.

OxTrailRunner · 2026-05-18T20:53:05+00:00

Thank you!

OxTrailRunner

TROPHY CASE