FIND YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT AND TRAIN FOR AN ULTRA
Athlete weight is generally a constant concern in endurance sports. Up to marathon distance, the body composition found in Elite Athletes is very low and the recorded weight is well below average for their respective ages and gender.
When we approach distances greater than a marathon, the energy requirements are so high that efforts can be maintained for several hours, that the dietary care to be taken is distinct, often leading to the conclusion that the cause of the difficulties experienced during the competition is related to excessively low weights, or with a lack of adequate energy supply during the effort itself.
In the June 2008 edition of Sportlife, I had the opportunity to share some of the basic principles related to preparation for an ultramarathon. In this edition, in addition to suggesting a 16-week preparation plan so that you can prepare for a 100km race, I intend to fundamentally address the issues of nutrition and ideal weight for a runner who is dedicated to ultra-distance.
Indicators of a Racing Weight:
- You recover well from training sessions;
- You sleep well and without disturbances that affect your nights;
- You are not permanently hungry;
- You achieve good performances in competitions and good times in training;
- You feel highly motivated to train and compete.
How to find your Racing Weight?
Even with the use of scientific methods for assessing body mass, there is one parameter that ends up being directly applicable and easy to monitor. We can call it Perception or Sensation.
To do this, you need a logbook to record your weight and training/competition sensations. You should record your weight regularly and note the times in specific training sessions, competitions, and training sensations. After a few months, the direct relationship between your weight and the results achieved/sensations will tell you, with minimal margin of error, what your racing weight is.
Training Plan for a 100km Ultramarathon
Preparation for a 100km race requires a very high training base. Only those who have already been training very regularly for at least 4-6 years should venture into these distances.
The training intensities are lower than those usually used to prepare for other shorter distances. Even so, all intensities that are below or equal to what are primarily called aerobic speeds should be developed preferentially. Training only long distances, always at low intensities, is not enough.
In the Intensity table you can identify 4 Zones, all of them referenced to Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR).
| Max HR | Z1 | Z2 | Z3 | Z4 | ||||||||
| 150 | 98 | – | 113 | 114 | – | 120 | 121 | – | 128 | 129 | – | 135 |
| 152 | 99 | – | 114 | 115 | – | 122 | 123 | – | 129 | 130 | – | 137 |
| 154 | 100 | – | 116 | 117 | – | 123 | 124 | – | 131 | 132 | – | 139 |
| 156 | 101 | – | 117 | 118 | – | 125 | 126 | – | 133 | 134 | – | 140 |
| 158 | 103 | – | 119 | 120 | – | 126 | 127 | – | 134 | 135 | – | 142 |
| 160 | 104 | – | 120 | 121 | – | 128 | 129 | – | 136 | 137 | – | 144 |
| 162 | 105 | – | 122 | 123 | – | 130 | 131 | – | 138 | 139 | – | 146 |
| 164 | 107 | – | 123 | 124 | – | 131 | 132 | – | 139 | 140 | – | 148 |
| 166 | 108 | – | 125 | 126 | – | 133 | 134 | – | 141 | 142 | – | 149 |
| 168 | 109 | – | 126 | 127 | – | 134 | 135 | – | 143 | 144 | – | 151 |
| 170 | 111 | – | 128 | 129 | – | 136 | 137 | – | 145 | 146 | – | 153 |
| 172 | 112 | – | 129 | 130 | – | 138 | 139 | – | 146 | 147 | – | 155 |
| 174 | 113 | – | 131 | 132 | – | 139 | 140 | – | 148 | 149 | – | 157 |
| 176 | 114 | – | 132 | 133 | – | 141 | 142 | – | 150 | 151 | – | 158 |
| 178 | 116 | – | 134 | 135 | – | 142 | 143 | – | 151 | 152 | – | 160 |
| 180 | 117 | – | 135 | 136 | – | 144 | 145 | – | 153 | 154 | – | 162 |
| 182 | 118 | – | 137 | 138 | – | 146 | 147 | – | 155 | 156 | – | 164 |
| 184 | 120 | – | 138 | 139 | – | 147 | 148 | – | 156 | 157 | – | 166 |
| 186 | 121 | – | 140 | 141 | – | 149 | 150 | – | 158 | 159 | – | 167 |
| 188 | 122 | – | 141 | 142 | – | 150 | 151 | – | 160 | 161 | – | 169 |
| 190 | 124 | – | 143 | 144 | – | 152 | 153 | – | 162 | 163 | – | 171 |
| 192 | 125 | – | 144 | 145 | – | 154 | 155 | – | 163 | 164 | – | 173 |
| 194 | 126 | – | 146 | 147 | – | 155 | 156 | – | 165 | 166 | – | 175 |
| 196 | 127 | – | 147 | 148 | – | 157 | 158 | – | 167 | 168 | – | 176 |
| 198 | 129 | – | 149 | 150 | – | 158 | 159 | – | 168 | 169 | – | 178 |
| 200 | 130 | – | 150 | 151 | – | 160 | 161 | – | 170 | 171 | – | 180 |
The 16-week plan I present to you includes participation in a Marathon at the end of the first 3 cycles of 4 weeks, which is an excellent way to train for long distances with replenishment and company. But pay attention to the following: these Marathon training sessions can be detrimental if you do not approach them as simple training. You should run much slower than your best time for the distance, imagining that you are starting a 100km race, but that you stop at 40 or 50.
As much as possible, include the planned cycling workouts; they are excellent for recovery and continuing to train at the same time.
As for your ideal weight, you already know. Find your racing weight, and regularly assess whether you are at the right weight. The theory that the leaner the better does not work for these competitions, and after 50 or 60k m of running you will see that even if you start the race with 1 or 2 kg extra, you will not be penalized for it, quite the contrary.
If you want to know more, you can consult some of the pages related to long-distance running:
www.runningthroughmountains.com
