A thread on ultra running!!!
@dragitoff good luck, I am psyched for you. Though currenlty sitting on the bench with a bum ankle I have shifted my focus to ultras over the past few years. I have found the ultra running community to be welcoming and fun and the races to be laid back and supportive. To this point I have completed 3 - 50k’s, 2 - 50 milers and 3 - 12 hour races. It has been a steep learning curve at times but so awesome. I am still really just a novice at this so I am not sure I have too much to offer that has not been shared. But I would really encourage getting onto the trails as much as you can, try to find trails that mimic your race - is it hilly, is the trail technical, winding, water crossing, what is the surface like - compact dirt, soft sand, rocky, is it woodsy (is this a word?) or out in the open. Maybe it is a bit of all of the above? I found that the more I got comfortable with the conditions before a race the more success I had in the race.
Others have talked about hydration, food, etc. I agree that dialing this stuff in through long runs will help. But I have found the aid stations to almost have anything you could need. I do really like Tailwind and to that I simply bring some Shot Bloks and then pick off the aid station tables. I would encourage you to think about footwear. Only my opinion but I have found that terrain and shoe really need to match. There are some great trail shoes. I ran my first 50K in my street shoes and slipped all over the place. It was a very wet and muddy course. Since then I have transitioned to shoes that I feel give me more control/traction and treat my feet well.
The only other thing I would add is what a friend told me - for an ultra “start slow and then slow down”. Again, just my opinion but if the race provides lots of elevation, challenging surfaces, etc. A 50K will feel like a lot more than a marathon + 5 more miles. Pacing is everything. Anyway, sorry for writing a small novel, I get very excited about ultra. Good luck and enjoy the trails!