Learning this MASSIVELY improved my LONG RUNS!

[@BenNotley]

Superb running Mark! Huge kudos for grinding out that 20 miler mate. I hope you had a great time in the peak district I look fotward to hearing about it. 😎🤘

[@markg99]

Cheers mate. The peaks were great, though I was a bit shy about talking to camera with company, and trying not to be rude plus it was mega windy, so I might have to attempt a voice over 😄😆

[@MihaiGoRunning]

Mark, your dedication to pushing through despite challenges is truly inspiring! Your insights into the mental aspect of long-distance running are spot on. It's amazing how much our mindset can impact our performance. Keep up the great work, and looking forward to more of your videos, buddy! 🏃‍♂

[@markg99]

Thanks a lot mate 👍🏻👍🏻 That combination of physical and mental effort on the run is such an interesting challenge. I think it's part of what makes us keep coming back and trying to improve. Cheers!

[@IRunDaily]

Great job, Mark. Tired leg running is indeed a skill and a balance between risk and reward. I would be tempted to do a track ultra, just to see how long i could go without stopping!

[@markg99]

Thank, Ian :) I've been leaning more towards rest after a big run lately. These have been huge training runs, compared to what I'm used to, and I've shied away from risking it sometimes. Will do the same for the next month. As you said, the hay is in the barn, so no point breaking myself before the big day. The track ultra would be "fun"!

[@ChasingFeatsXtra]

Great video Mark. Strong running. Can't wait to see how you do at the event!

[@markg99]

Thanks! I was very pleased with this one. Getting so close to race day and still seeing improvements in my fitness is fantastic, and probably a new experience for me 😄👍🏻

[@ChloeHamard]

I saw this run on Strava and thought "okay someone's smashing the ultra training!". Well done Mark! Sensible to push it back a few days until you had somewhat recovered from the speed work. Learning to run on tired legs is always a work in progress!

[@markg99]

Thanks, Chloe :) I'm getting old and wise enough to back off when I need to recover (most of the time!). It's hard to get right all the time, so I just need to keep being careful for the next month, ready for race day.

[@largeeddie]

Great run and great thoughts, Mark! My old line about long runs is that it never really feels any better to run 10 or 15 or 20 miles. You just learn that you don't have to stop when it feels that bad. But I'm still trying to find my forever pace. All the best!

[@markg99]

Thanks, Eddie 🙂 I'm thinking perhaps the term Forever Pace might be over selling it a little bit eh? 😄 I was glad to get through 32km at any pace in the end! I enjoyed trying to run the vast majority of it with just a few short walks. Race day looms closer now... 😬🙂👍🏻

[@largeeddie]

@@markg99 Forever is quite a long time to run, most definitely.😄I knew what you meant though. But I've been trying to get up to two-hour long runs and I haven't found that pace myself. So far slowing down just seems awkward and inefficient and I don't get as far before it feels like I'll do more damage than I care to if I go on. Pro tip: Don't get old.😁All the best for the approaching race. The pre-race can be more stressful that the race itself. Good luck!

[@RunSensible]

Look at you all fit and strong. Great video. Rest and recovery is the key to progress and staying injury free.

[@markg99]

Cheers mate. I'm doing my best to recover well, skipping some bits of the plan when I'm feeling on the edge of trouble.

[@PromEth3usILV]

Great motivation! Congrats on smashing your longest run. Im not ready for that distance but I will be watching this again prior to attempting my longest.

[@markg99]

Thanks! :) I only have a couple of big training runs left before the big day. Time is flying by. Hope your training is going well too.

[@ecosseliftingservices466]

Brilliant Mark, really rooting for you 😊

[@markg99]

Thanks, Angela 😊👍🏻 Much appreciated as always! Less than a month to go now 😬😁

[@lornamc5928]

I learned a lot from that! Thank you ! Brilliant run! 🎉

[@markg99]

Thanks, Lorna 🙂👍🏻 Hope your training is going well, with the big day approaching. I'm sure you'll do great and get it done with a smile on your face (most of the time! 😄). All the best.

[@TheDeterminedRunner]

Good effort Mark, sounds like you're getting the hang of the tired leg running, now if you'd just like to run up here, I'll put the kettle on for you ☕Enjoy the Peak's 👍

[@markg99]

Cheers mate! I appreciate the offer but I was talking about running on tired legs, not wearing them down to stumps lol.

[@Smashycrashy]

There is a couple parts of running on tired legs that I have learned, one is psychological and the other physiological. You covered the psychological well, keeping the legs turning can be a mentally tiring thing. The brain is asking to stop or lower the pain. Now there is nothing wrong with walking but the idea that you can fight past that and keep the pace up is powerful. On physiological, if you are producing lactate faster than your body can process it eventually it robs you of the energy necessary to keep the legs turning regardless of mindset. Doing higher paced runs for as long as possible helps teach the body how to process lactate more efficiently and even begin using it a bit as fuel. The problem with those runs is they can increase injury risk. Finding a big hill/mountain and pushing the walking pace to keep the heart rate high reduces the injury risk while increasing that lactate threshold. One last thing for me was using a magnesium supplement, that really reduced DOMS and helped me do b2b long runs. I did 2 50k with 18k b2b runs with lots of vert within 11 days of each other and PB’d both 50k. I think both magnesium and working my lactate subsystem helped me in that regard.

[@markg99]

Hi, that is a lot of useful info, thanks. I don't really use supplements, but I eat at least one banana a day, and often use them as a pre-run snack/breakfast. The magnesium in there must be doing something good. I have done a couple of run/walks in the big hills of the Peak District during this block of ultra marathon training, so hopefully that will stand me in good stead for race day.

[@averagewanderers]

hahahaha love the skeleton saying not me. Great video as always, you are just absolutely dominating your training. I love ultras for the fact that its more normalized to walk, helps me mentally be able to take a break from what I am doing haha. Can't wait for you next ultra and how it goes in comparison to your last!

[@markg99]

Thanks, Jen! 😁👍🏻 I can't believe how well the training has gone so far. I'm just praying it stays that way for 4 more weeks, then we'll find out how it affects my race. If I don't get lost on the day, that will help 😄🤞

[@RunFreeandStrong]

Mark, congrats on the 32K long run. Agreed, it's possible to run 50K without walking, but I found that back-to-back long runs create a better training stimulus (running on tired legs on day 2) while reducing recovery time compared to a single 50K run. You're doing fantastic with your training!

[@markg99]

Cheers, Reto :) I doubt I will ever tun 50k without walking, but I was doing my best to fix the idea in my mind that I can run a lot more in the next race than I managed in my first 50k, where my lack of experience, and sub-par training meant I was walking a lot. I have a few more back to back long runs on the plan, though I'm honestly finding myself feeling pretty beaten up after the first one, given how these are some of my longest runs ever. Will play it by ear :)

[@raleyadventures]

Great work as always, We really cant wait to see how you tackle the 50k

[@markg99]

Cheers guys! I'm getting excited for it now. My main issue will probably be getting lost with my iffy navigation skills. My two running buddies have both dropped out of the race now so I'm on my own 😬😁

[@raleyadventures]

@@markg99 🤦‍♂️oh no 🤯🤯 sorry to hear this, you’ll be fine on navigating, just make sure to take your time 🙌☺️

[@bev9708]

You are really killin’ it these days Mark, bravo!!!! Well, that’s a theory all right , and we all know Mark that in theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there really is!!😂😂 Me I just did a huge 51.5km trail race last Saturday, 900m gain💪🏻💪🏻🏃🏻‍♀️💪🏻💪🏻 but the constant never ending mud was an absolute killer!!! Finally I did really really well just to get it done in under 7h… coughing and wheezing all the way thru with the tail end of bronchitis!! I AM indeed gonna put your theory to test however at the end of June when I will do the Sri Chinmoy 50km in the Bois de Vincennes (Paris)!! Maybe you’ve never suffered from leg cramps during a race??? That’s what forces many to walk and if it’s never happened to you, you’ve no idea!!!

[@markg99]

Thanks, Bev :) My theory might not stand up to too much detailed inspection, but I think I had the runners' high half way round this run and I was spouting whatever came to mind lol. 7 hours is my dream 50k finish time. Well done on that result!! I'd be happy with under 8 hours, without the mud and illness to contend with. Good luck with testing out my theory. If anyone can do it, you can! I've been lucky with the lack of cramps so far, but I have had them occasionally at rest, so I know how horrible they are. I would not be trying to run through one of those!!

[@tworunningbrooms]

Don't stress about the speedwork. Going by your intro clip you appear to have a natural burst of speed so can probably rinse yourself on speedwork. I would imagine a purpose of a session such as 6 x 5 mins is to improve your aerobic or LT. Therefore, you don't need to go all in when doing these. Well done on the 20 miler and enjoy the rest of the training.

[@markg99]

Thanks mate! Really appreciate the insights. Being self taught and using a paper training plan probably isn't optimal 🤔😄 so getting tips like this is really useful. Hopefully you're smashing your marathon as I type this 💪💪

[@tworunningbrooms]

@markg99 there was some smashing going on. My knees for starters 😉

[@soupyruns9709]

I didn’t know you were already an Ultra runner 😜😂😂 great advice mate, looks like you’re far better prepared for this one 👍🏻 will you have a tracker on so we can do a bit of dot watching online to see how you’re progressing during the race?

[@markg99]

I know mate, I hardly ever mention it! 😂 I'm feeling good at the moment, just need to get through the next month on one piece and it should be a decent day for me. The website mentions tracking, with this being the first time they've done it. It's a bit short on details at the moment, but I'll try to post more info when I have it. I've definitely never been dot-watched before lol. www.gobeyondchallenge.com/ultra-marathons/shires-and-spires-ultra/

[@soupyruns9709]

@@markg99 I’ve dot watched a few times, like my father in law would say … “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it” 😂😂😂

[@RunningToMyPast]

Great update and very sensible to postpone the 32km run until you felt better. Whenever I watch your videos now I question my age and gender 😂😂

[@markg99]

Haha! Thanks, Deputy 😊👍🏻 I should probably stop going on about middle aged men all the time now lol.

[@trailsandbeers]

great run 👍 but it's not really a trail that you are running on, it looks more like a pavement... regarding running uphill, there is a point (gradient) where walking is as fast as running and is more efficient.

[@markg99]

Thank you! 🙂 You're right, this route was mostly fairly smooth, or at worst gravel covered, groomed trail/path, with some brief roadside pavement sections. I tend to avoid the more technical trails when going for a longer distance than I'm used to, just to avoid adding too much extra work at once. I spend a surprising amount of time pondering when it's best to walk or run during ultras 😅 My current thinking is when my breathing gets noticeably louder, it's time to walk for a while, until the gradient levels out a bit.

[@TBasianeyes]

9:36 does your watch show 156 heart rate? that is most likely not what you call "forever pace", it's definitely outside of zone 2. if i was you i'd slow down even more on the long runs

[@markg99]

Yes that will be in my zone 3 at that point, having been jogging up a gentle slope, talking to camera for the minutes prior. My zone 2 upper limit is 153 currently. My average for the whole 32km run was 152 so it wasn't a low heart rate run, good point. I was trying to run the vast majority of the time, and my average pace was 6:50/ km. I find it hard to run much slower than that but if my main goal was low effort, I should walk more, especially with the 353m of elevation gain on this run. Hope your training is going well, thanks 👍🏻🏃‍♂️

[@adabsurdum3314]

Can I ask anyone with the expertise... Is there any equivalent or similar 'muscle memory' in running as compared to weight training?

[@markg99]

From what I've read, it is easier to regain previous fitness than to gain it initially, for several reasons. I'm not sure it's identical to the muscle memory we might experience with strength training, but it gives a similar effect. This article covers it pretty well I think: www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a775073/muscle-memory/

[@adabsurdum3314]

@@markg99 appreciate it

[@timeonfeet]

Great work on the training Mark. Completely get that too when your training with volume and intensity can just creep up on you with feeling beaten up! Good idea to postpone the long run to give the body a bit of time to recover more.

[@markg99]

Thanks, Ben! I think allowing myself some extra recovery has been my biggest improvement this time around.

[@skinnylegsbarefootshoes]

Wow smashing it mate 🤩 glad your training is going so so well!!! And SO jealous 🤣🤣👍

[@markg99]

Cheers mate. Phil let me know he won't be joining us, so we're a merry duo at this point! :)

[@skinnylegsbarefootshoes]

@@markg99 Oh no that’s not good that Phil has had to drop out. I’m not doing too good myself tbh. Just finished a course of antibiotics from the doctor that has done sweet fa for these coughing fits ☹️ see what happens next for me. But awesome training mate honestly so impressed 🙌😁

[@markg99]

@@skinnylegsbarefootshoes oh boy. Focus on your health then mate. Would be great if you could do the race but I'm planning on turning up anyway, assuming nothing disastrous happens at this end. One month to go!