Tag Archive for 'Ultramaratona'

Peak performance in ultramarathon is of the over40

Nikolaidis PT, Knechtle B. Performance in 100-km Ultramarathoners-At Which Age, It Reaches Its Peak? J Strength Cond Res. 2020 May;34(5):1409-1415.

The age of peak performance was 40-44 years in women and 45-49 years in men when all finishers were analyzed, whereas it was 30-34 years in women and 35-39 years in men when the top 10 finishers were considered in 5-year age groups. When we analyzed finishers in 1-year age groups, we found the age of peak performance at 41 years in women and 45 years in men considering all finishers, and at 39 years in women and 41 years in men considering the top 10 finishers. In conclusion, the age of peak performance was younger in women than in men, which might reflect the overall younger age of women participants than men. Compared with previous studies, we observed the peak performance at an age older by ∼10 years, which could be attributed to an increase of finishers’ age across calendar years. Because the knowledge of the age of peak performance is unique for each sport, coaches and fitness trainers might benefit from the findings of this study in the long-term training of their athletes.

Knechtle B, Valeri F, Zingg MA, Rosemann T, Rüst CA. What is the age for the fastest ultra-marathon performance in time-limited races from 6 h to 10 days? Age (Dordr). 2014;36(5):9715.

Recent findings suggested that the age of peak ultra-marathon performance seemed to increase with increasing race distance. The present study investigated the age of peak ultra-marathon performance for runners competing in time-limited ultra-marathons held from 6 to 240 h (i.e. 10 days) during 1975-2013. Age and running performance in 20,238 (21%) female and 76,888 (79%) male finishes (6,863 women and 24,725 men, 22 and 78%, respectively) were analysed using mixed-effects regression analyses. The annual number of finishes increased for both women and men in all races. About one half of the finishers completed at least one race and the other half completed more than one race. Most of the finishes were achieved in the fourth decade of life. The age of the best ultra-marathon performance increased with increasing race duration, also when only one or at least five successful finishes were considered. The lowest age of peak ultra-marathon performance was in 6 h (33.7 years, 95% CI 32.5-34.9 years) and the highest in 48 h (46.8 years, 95% CI 46.1-47.5). With increasing number of finishes, the athletes improved performance. Across years, performance decreased, the age of peak performance increased, and the age of peak ultra-marathon performance increased with increasing number of finishes. In summary, the age of peak ultra-marathon performance increased and performance decreased in time-limited ultra-marathons. The age of peak ultra-marathon performance increased with increasing race duration and with increasing number of finishes. These athletes improved race performance with increasing number of finishes.

Ultra runners have never been so numerous

Few days ago RunRepeat has published one study, to explore the trends in ultra running over the last 23 years, analyzing 5,010,730 results from 15,451 ultra running events, making this the largest study ever done on this sport.

Key results

  • Female ultra runners are faster than male ultra runners at distances over 195 miles. The longer the distance the shorter the gender pace gap. In 5Ks men run 17.9% faster than women, at marathon distance the difference is just 11.1%, 100-mile races see the difference shrink to just .25%, and above 195 miles, women are actually 0.6% faster than men.
  • Participation has increased by 1676% in the last 23 years from 34,401 to 611,098 yearly participations and 345% in the last 10 years from 137,234 to 611,098. There have never been more ultra runners.
  • More ultra runners are competing in multiple events per year. In 1996, only 14% of runners participated in multiple races a year, now 41% of participants run more than one event per year. There is also a significant increase in the % of people who run 2 races a year, 17.2% (from 7.7% to 24.9%) and 3 races, 6.7% (from 2.8% to 9.5%).
  • There have never been more women in ultrarunning. 23% of participants are female, compared to just 14% 23 years ago.
  • Ultra runners have never been slower across distance, gender and age group. The average pace in 1996 was 11:35 min/mile, currently, it is 13:16 min/mile. The average runner has added 1:41 min/mile to their average pace, which is a slowdown of 15% since 1996. We don’t believe that individual runners have become slower, but that these distances are attracting less prepared runners now because the sport is more mainstream.
  • Runners improve their pace in their first 20 races, and then their pace stabilizes. From their first to their second race runners improve by 0:17 min/mile (2%) on average. But by their 20th they improve by 1:45 min/mile (12.3%).
  • The fastest ultra running nations are South Africa (average pace 10:36 min/mile), Sweden (11:56 min/mile), and Germany (12:01 min/mile).
  • A record amount of people travel abroad for ultra running events. 10.3% of people travel abroad to run an ultra, for 5Ks this percentage is just 0.2%.
  • Runners in the longer distances have a better pace than the runners in the shorter distances for each age group.
  • All age groups have a similar pace, around 14:40 min/mile. Which is unusual compared to the past and to other distances.
  • The average age of ultra runners has decreased by 1 year in the last 10 years. It has changed from 43.3 years to 42.3 years.

The experiences of ultramarathon runners

Review

“It’s Not about Taking the Easy Road”: The Experiences of Ultramarathon Runners

Duncan Simpson,  Phillip G. Post,  Greg Young,  Peter R. Jensen 

The Sport Psychologist, 2014, 28, 176-185

Ultramarathon (UM) running consists of competitive footraces over any distance longer than a marathon, which is 26.2 miles  The distances of UM races vary from 31 to over 100 miles and are often distinct due to the challenging environments in which they take place (e.g., forests, mountains, jungle, and desert).

Research that has been conducted has primarily examined the sport motivations, changes in mood states, and sport-specific cognitions of UM runners. Research on UM participant motivations suggest that these athletes compete to experience feelings of personal achievement, to overcome challenges, socialize with other runners, and to be in nature.

Evaluations of UM runners’ cognitive orientations, race thoughts and mental strategies indicate that these runners are more confident, committed to running, have higher goal-orientations compared with other athletes, use dissociative thoughts (e.g., thinking of friends, music) and use several mental skills (i.e., imagery, goal setting, self-talk).

Results

The present study explored UM runners’ experiences of training and competition using the method of existential phenomenological interviewing: 26 participants ranging in age from 32 to 67 years.

UM Community was the most prominent theme that emerged from the interviews. Specifically, these participants perceived the UM community helped them to effectively prepare for events (e.g., obtain information on how to train), manage in race demands (e.g., support from crew members), discover new environments (e.g., running new races) and enhanced their sense of personal achievement (e.g., the exclusivity of the small number of individuals participating in UM).

UM Preparation/strategy highlights the amount of time, dedication, and personal sacrifice needed to be a successful UM runner. While prior research indicates that training hours are key predictors of success, it does not adequately describe the dedication and sacrifice made by these runners. UM runners train for long periods of time without large incentives (e.g., monetary rewards, sponsorships) or established training protocols (e.g., coach, training guidelines). To train effectively these UM runners often sacrificed social relationships, family, and work needs. Therefore, the incentive to train and decisions about nutritional/training needs largely rested with each individual.

UM Management is consistent with prior UM research examining cognitive strategies and goal orientations. With regard to goal orientations, prior research suggests that UM runners focus on task goals (i.e., process) more than outcome goals (i.e., winning the race). This was supported in the current study, with the majority of participants indicating that they were primarily focused on simply doing their best. This included running specific time goals or simply finishing the event within the allotted time. In terms of cognitive strategies, participants described using goal setting, self-talk, attentional focus strategies, cognitive restructuring and imagery to assist with managing the physical and mental demands of the race.

UM major factor in dealing with pain was being able to accept the pain. Specifically, before the race participants acknowledged that the run was going to hurt, and as long as the pain did not exceed a certain threshold, it was viewed as a normal aspect of the race. Several runners also described using associative strategies to manage pain.

UM Discovery and personal achievement suggest that UM are motivated to participate in these races to experience personal achievement, to push themselves beyond their perceived capabilities, and to experience nature. Discovery was also about exploring the unknown, overcoming fear, and unveiling new personal insights (e.g., that they were capable of running a much farther distance than they thought possible).

 

Book review:Ultramaratoneti e gare estreme

Ultramaratoneti e gare estreme

Matteo Simone

Roma Prospettiva editrice, 2016, p.298

Parlare di ultramaratona è difficile perché con facilità si può scadere nella retorica del sacrificio, del no pain-no gain. Questo libro, invece, parla di questo tema dando voce alla esperienze positive e negative di chi corre. Infatti si parla all’inizio della corsa, anzi del movimento, e di quanto sia importante muoversi quotidianamente scegliendo la misura che è più indicata e piacevole per la persona. Successivamente il lettore è condotto nel mondo della corsa di lunga distanza e quindi anche in quello dell’ultramaratona. Qui il racconto assume sempre più una dimensione narrativa in cui Simone Matteo fa parlare i diretti protagonisti attraverso le loro esperienze. La maggior parte di loro sono persone comuni, non atleti professionisti, che parlano delle ragioni che sottendono a questa scelta sportiva. Sono in generale motivazioni che nascono dal desiderio di migliorare la conoscenza di se stessi, attraverso la conoscenza di quali siano i propri limiti e come superarli. Il corpo parla continuamente a questi amanti dell’endurance, poiché la distanza determina sollecitazioni che le corse brevi e di media lunghezza non arrivano a determinare. Ascoltarsi vuol dire anche sapere quando fermarsi dando retta proprio ai segnali che provengono dal fisico. Non ascoltarli significa andare incontro a problemi fisici anche gravi, come viene raccontato da alcuni runner. Il libro scorre in modo interessante poiché Matteo Simone narra delle storie personali senza avere la pretesa d’insegnare cosa sia l’ultramaratona ma lasciandola scoprire al lettore attraverso le parole di chi la pratica. Ognuno di noi se ne farà quindi un’idea personale, basata su cosa riteniamo sia la corsa, la corsa di lunga distanza e il nostro rapporto con il movimento. E’, quindi, un libro aperto a diverse soluzioni interpretative dettate dalle esperienze di chi legge e credo che questo sia il suo pregio principale.

The mental coaching for the ultramarathons

  • Il prossimo 28 giugno centinaia di atleti parteciperanno alla 40^ edizione della Pistoia-Abetone. Ad attenderli ci sarà un duro percorso di 50 km. Possiamo dare qualche consiglio su come affrontare al meglio questa gara?

La pazienza è la prima qualità che deve dimostrare di possedere un ultra-maratoneta. All’inizio della gara ci si deve annoiare, nel senso che il ritmo della corsa deve essere facile ma non bisogna cadere nella tentazione di correre più veloce di quello che si è programmato.

  •  In una competizione così lunga sono inevitabili i momenti di crisi. Come è possibile superarli?

Nella corsa di lunga distanza le difficoltà sono inevitabili, quindi la domanda non è tanto “se ci troveremo in difficoltà” ma “quando verrà quel momento cosa devo fare per superarlo”. La risposta non può essere improvvisata in quel momento ma deve essere già pronta, poiché anche in allenamento avremo incontrato difficoltà di quel tipo. Quindi in allenamento: “come mi sono comportato, che cosa ho pensato, quali sensazioni sono andato a cercare dentro di me per uscire da una crisi?”. In gara abbiamo dentro di noi queste risposte, dobbiamo tirarle fuori. Ogni runner in quei momenti deve servirsi della propria esperienza, mettendo a fuoco le immagini e le emozioni che già in passato gli sono state utili.

  • Malgrado le difficoltà e i sacrifici per affrontare una gara di lunga distanza, il popolo dei maratoneti è in aumento. Come si spiega questa tendenza?

La corsa corrisponde a un profondo bisogno dell’essere umano. Infatti noi siamo geneticamente predisposti alla corsa di lunga distanza e più in generale si può affermare che il movimento è vita mentre la sedentarietà è una causa documentata di morte. Sotto questo punto di vista la corsa si è tramutata nelle migliaia di anni in attività necessaria per sopravvivere agli attacchi degli animali e per procacciarsi il cibo in un’attività che viene oggi svolta per piacere e soddisfazione personale. Inoltre, oggi come al tempo dei nostri antenati, la corsa è un fenomeno collettivo, è un’attività che si svolge insieme agli altri. Per l’homo sapiens era un’attività di squadra, svolta dai cacciatori per cacciare gli animali; ai nostri tempi la corsa soddisfa il bisogno di svolgere un’attività all’aria aperta insieme ai propri amici.

  •  Cosa non bisognerebbe mai fare a livello mentale in una competizione sportiva?

Non bisogna mai pensare al risultato ma concentrarsi nel caso della corsa sul proprio ritmo e sulla sensazioni fisiche nelle parti iniziali e finali della gara. Nella fase centrale è meglio avere pensieri non correlati al proprio corpo.

  •  Chi è per lei un campione?

Chiunque sia in grado di soddisfare i propri bisogni è il campione di se stesso e deve essere orgoglioso di avere raggiunto questo obiettivo personale. Quando invece ci riferiamo con questo termine ai top runner, i campioni sono quelli che riescono a mantenere stabili per un determinato periodo di tempo prestazioni che sono oggettivamente al limite superiore delle performance umane nella maratona e che in qualche occasione sono riusciti a superare.

  •  Nella sua esperienza di psicologo al seguito di atleti partecipanti alle Olimpiadi, c’è un ricordo o un aneddoto che le è rimasto nel cuore?

Prima di prove importanti i campioni provano le stesse emozioni di ogni altra persona. Spesso le percepiscono in maniera esagerata, per cui possono essere terrorizzati di quello che li aspetta. La differenza con gli altri atleti è che invece riescono a dominarle e a fornire prestazioni uniche. Ho vissuto questa esperienza per la prima volta ad Atlanta, 1996, in cui un atleta che poi vinse la medaglia d’argento, non voleva gareggiare in finale perché si sentiva stanco ed esausto. Questa stessa situazione l’ho incontrata in altre occasioni ma questi atleti sono sempre riusciti a esprimersi al loro meglio nonostante queste intense espressioni di paura.

  • Analizzando il panorama dell’atletica italiana, si ha la sensazione che i risultati migliori arrivino da atleti anagraficamente non così giovani come ad esempio negli anni Ottanta e che il vivaio di talenti stenti a decollare. Quale interpretazione possiamo dare di questo fenomeno e come evitare l’alta percentuale di drop-out sportivo nell’adolescenza?

Nel libro intitolato “Nati per correre” di A. Finn e dedicato agli atleti keniani vengono prese in considerazioni molte ipotesi sul loro successo emerge con chiarezza che la molla principale risiede nel loro desiderio di avere successo.

“Prendi mia figlia, ha aggiunto, è bravissima nella ginnastica, ma non credo farà la ginnasta. Probabilmente andrà all’università e diventerà medico. Ma un bambino keniano, che non fa altro che scendere al fiume per prendere l’acqua e correre a scuola, non ha molte alternative all’atletica. Certo anche gli altri fattori sono determinanti, ma la voglia di farcela e riscattarsi è la molla principale” (p.239).

  •  Si può affermare che la pratica di uno sport svolga un ruolo di prevenzione rispetto a disturbi mentali quali l’ansia e la depressione?

Lo sport e l’attività fisica promuovono il benessere se vengono svolte come attività del tempo libero e per il piacere di sentirsi impegnati in qualcosa che si vuole liberamente fare.  Al contrario quando vengono svolte allo scopo di fornire prestazioni specifiche possono determinare, come qualsiasi altra attività umana, difficoltà di ordine psicologico e fisico. Direi che vale anche per lo sport e l’attività fisica la stessa regola che è valida per qualsiasi attività umana. Il problema non proviene da cosa si fa: sport agonistico o ricreativo ma da come si fa: crescita e soddisfazione personale o ricerca del risultato a ogni costo e dagli obiettivi del contesto sociale e culturale nel quale queste attività vengono praticate: sviluppare la persona attraverso lo sport o vincere è l’unica cosa che conta.

(From Runners e benessere, Giugno 2015)

Lizzy Hawker ultramarathon mentl coaching

Interview to Lizzy Hawker, five-time winner of the 103-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and former 24-hour road running world record holder . (by The Guardian)

What do you think makes you good at running ultras? Have you got something different – or have you managed to connect to something everybody has inside them? For me, endurance just comes naturally. It’s always been a way of life – from before I ever got into racing and long-distance running. Even when I was a child I preferred to walk than to take the bus – to cycle rather than drive. That’s always been there. That’s probably different for most people. With ultra and endurance sports the mental side is really very important, and that’s also part of who I am. I guess we’re all looking for something in life – I find something through running.

What’s the best thing about running for you? I think I just like moving – but under my own power – and of course I love the mountains. The love of running is a little bit separate from that because I’ll run wherever I am, whether it’s pavement or trail. Maybe it’s the physical movement … and the mental freedom.

If someone asks you for a training tip, what do you say?
With long distances, it’s really about staying in the moment. If you can do that, and have the confidence to try a long run, then our limits are never where we think they are. You realise you can go beyond what you thought was possible for you.

When you’re running these enormous distances you must hit ‘the wall’ numerous times. How do you deal with that? I think it’s matter of knowing that there will be times when you feel great and there will be times where you feel really, really not great. It’s one of those truths about life – that nothing lasts, everything is impermanent – so it’s just knowing that those bad patches are going to pass and you’ll come through the other side and trusting in that.

If you stand on the start line of a 24-hour race and think about how long you’ll be running it’s almost inconceivable. You have to take it moment by moment. It’s the same in a 100-mile race – if you think about the finish at the start then you’re probably not going to make it – but if you take it step by step, stage by stage, then you realise it is actually possible to run that far. If I have a race strategy it’s just to run the best that I can at any point in the race.

The mind in the ultramarathon: how to train it to overcome the crisis moments

As part of the events organized on the occasion of the 100 km of Passatore, Italy, Thursday, 21 May (h.20.30), at the Faenza Galleria Comunale  will host a meeting on nutrition and training. The meeting, organized in collaboration with Iuta (Ultramarathon Italian Association) provides interventions with Luca Speciani on “Diet and performance in sports, in competition and out: the paradigm shift power signal”, and Alberto Cei, on “the mind in the ultramarathon: how to train it to overcome the crisis moments.”

Who wants to meet me can do it during this evening.

The marathon mental coaching

Speaker: Alberto Cei

Date: April 15, h. 6pm-7,15pm (CET+1)

Abstract: Participation in the marathon is one of the most extreme performances that enroll every year hundreds of thousands of people. Many runners are at their first time, others are more experienced runner and finally some athletes are of absolute level. For all the psychological preparation to tolerate the mental and physical fatigue is a task from which no one can escape. The main topics of the webinar will cover the mental skills that runners of all ages and levels have to use to deal with success and satisfaction the 42,195 km.

By attending this webinar you will gain skills on:

  • The management of the fatigue
  • Thoughts of marathoners
  • Be able to maintain the race pace
  • The management of the wall of the marathon runner
  • The final part of the webinar will be devoted to the question time, where you can ask questions to Alberto Cei

 

You will receive a confirmation e-mail within 24h from the payment

My run of 100km

At the end of the month of May it has been run the Passatore 100km, from Florence to Faenza, with a climb of +1000 meters. I participated in this race in 2011. I came from years when I had run several times ultra- marathons and skyrace and at that point I began to think of this experience. I did it for the challenge with myself, and to see what they tell you your brain and your body while you’re involved in making an effort so long. The training is different from that of a marathon, because my run has become slower and because in many sessions have been engaged for four/five hours having only meant to run and let the time goes (this for me that I had the goal to be a finisher). These are tests that train to be patient, calm and develop thoughts that are not challenging, not wasting unnecessary energy. I learned that the warm-up time (the first 35/40 minutes) is not only necessary for the body but also the mind, to gradually move away from its usual state in which dominate the daily thoughts, to concentrate on a mental statemuch more restricted. In other words, once you established that the body begins to respond to the impulse of that type of run and it’s finding the stride you want to keep, my mind turned away from this focus on the body and on itself, leaving to slide thoughts and moods as they appeared but without giving them importance. It’s interesting to feel how the body finds the right stride without an apparent intervention of the mind. The motor memory is well stabilized and this ease access to the stride and especially the ease to keep it for a long period allowed me to better manage fatigue and save energy. In this sense, run alone was particularly useful because it is difficult to find companions who follow this pace without tending to accelerate over the miles. I was happy with how I lived the experience of training; was a major achievement to be able to live with satisfaction the passing of the days, without thinking about what would happen in the race.

The race – At the start, all participants appear relaxed, chat waiting for the go, probably because for most of us there is not the problem of time to accomplish. After the start immediately begins the ascent up to Fiesole continuing for 48km with about 10km down in the middle. The race is addressed by the runners in different ways, there are those who always runs , who alternates between running and fast walking. In addition, there are many cycling accompanying the runners. It’s a show different from the usual road racing, as you are 35km from the start the cars following the runners, which by that time will follow the race until the end. It’s a psychological and practical help, you can change the sport suit, eat and receive psychological support. It’s a kind of caravan like for the bike races. The company of friends on this long journey is essential , they run with you even long periods, and this allows you to maintain your pace, to exchange a few words, to run when it is night and the road is very dark with another light next to you. During the race, if the body is fit enough,the mind is always crucial, not so much to think about anything in particular but to avoid negative thoughts that arise from the sensations you feel and understand the pace you have to keep  in the different parts of the race. The last 25km I focused only on the light reflected on the asphalt of my bulb without worrying about anything and in this state of mind I finish it. It was a great experience of 13h5m .

The world toughtest ultramarathon

Dangerous: Despite the warning signs, these racers continue running through the extreme heat

The world toughtest ultramarathon in the Death Valley National Park, California