Monday 18 August 2014

The Spine Race Guide Part 9. Energy Levels


Energy Levels.

         Lack of energy reserves is the primary reason of feeling cold during the race and not lack of warm clothing (unless you are an idiot and choose gear based on  minimum weight).
          If you have no fuel to generate heat then you will suffer.

        We need energy to compete.
        This energy can come from two sources:   1. Food consumed during race.
                                                                                 2. Body energy reserves built up before race.


 Most of you tackling the Spine Race will have had Ultra experience. If you have completed a 100 mile race you will have taken on a fair amount of food during the race and may think that you have a good idea of how much you need to eat to complete an ultra

  When thinking about the Spine race you need to focus on the day and days after that long Ultra

     Take the next day . 
     Just how much did you eat and how hungry were you over that 24hrs?
     I am willing to bet that you could eat anything put in front of you!

     The intense feelings of hunger expose the fact that you have dug deep into your normal reserves and have in fact developed an energy deficit.
      The fact that you may not have been very hungry during the race could be because your hormonal system  effectively suppressed  hunger pains in favour of your Fright or Flight Mechanisms.

       We all differ in how efficiently we burn our energy reserves .


      Post Race  you probably felt short of energy and took that next day real easy. It may have taken some time to get back to eating normally and as for running another ultra, well that was out of the question for a long time.
     OK Now consider the Spine.  After the  first 100miles you need to get back on your feet and face another Ultra then another then another! and Another.
    To put it another way after the first 100 miles you will have to try to  replenish your energy levels in order to keep moving.  Attempting to do this  'fully' during a short break at a CP is almost impossible. 
       If you treat your second 100 miles the same way as you eat your way through the first, you will soon run out of energy. 
      This is a serious problem as it,s not just a matter of slowing up and trying to eat more. It is very difficult to make up your nutritional deficit while you are still expending energy. 
     If you slow down to much you will not generate enough heat to keep warm . 
     Once you get cold one of the first systems to shut down is your ability to digest food! 
    The simple truth is that you have to eat and digest more whilst you are out on the trail  than you would on any other Ultra you have ever competed in . 

   Your body will cope better with a steady intake of food rather than famine and binge.
    The standard Ultra format is to have a checkpoint at approx every 10 miles. 
    The act of arriving at a CP will remind you to eat and having food laid out ready will facilitate eating.
    the Spine is different . With Ultra distances between each CP it will require more will power and awareness from the runner to keep topping up.

      Many of you have will normally have  difficulty eating and running . The food will just sit in your stomach making fast progress out of the question.
      Time now to change the way you normally think. I talked in my last blog of the hard to believe fact that if you can maintain 20min miles while moving  you will probably podium.   Moving at 20 min mile pace makes digesting food much easier. 
  To digest food its best to eat little and often. ( This is one probably one of the key factors that enabled Garry Morrison to finish the Spine 3 times). However eating every 15 Min's as Garry does is not easy. I know it does not suit me. I eat less often but in larger quantities when I do eat.
  In  training for the Spine you need to consider training to eat on the move. How slow do you need to be moving to digest food and what will your stomach tolerate? 
        Leaving a CP or pub with an over filled stomach which slows you down is not a problem in the longer term. Ok you will may move slower at first but in the long term food in your belly means you mar need to consume less later that leg . Your average leg speed will be greater. 
          As the race progresses your body will adapt to taking on higher than normal food volumes. It is probably true to say that by the time you reach the finish line your whole sleep , endocrine , appetite and  metabolic system will be set at totally different levels from what they were at the start . This is why it takes so dam long to wind back down after the Spine.

 Back to back 30 mile training runs are fine and good but if the food is not in your system then no amount of fitness will stop you grinding to a halt. 

The other problem of running out of energy is that it will have a marked effect on your mental energy. The Spine Race is a race completed or DNF.t by your mental state. 
         If you use you head then baring accidents you can make it to the finish line. It follows that you have to look after your head / mental state.  The less physical strain you put on your body the more you will free up mental energy to plan and make good decisions. 


             What Hill Food To Carry? 

             Race Rules state min 3000Kcals. Some of this should be emergency Hi Cal Dehydrated Food.
              I like to have some emergency food in reserve that I plan hopefully not to use : An Expedition foods dehydrated main meal and Porridge for breakfast 2600Kcals in total.
             The general consensus of opinion is that Energy jells are no use on longer Ultra,s
              Almost all runners trying to use high tech energy supplements as their main energy supply will fail to eat properly and end up DNFing.
              Even Challenger Racers have to keep their digestion system's running efficiently for over 40 hrs . Using High Cal ,Hi Tec lightweight foods will screw up your digestive system . 
             You may move faster for a while but you will probably DNF faster as well.
             The closest I come  to high tech  foods , is carrying Cliff Shot Blocks which I use as a snack not a main form of energy supply. (I have clear reasons why I use them which I discuss later)

              You need to choose food that you like rather than what you think you should eat.
               The aim is to encourage yourself to keep eating.
                I  like to carry high fat and protein foods such as Cheese, Pies Canned fish Sausages and Boiled eggs. 


               I never pass up the opportunity to raid a pie shop or indulge in hot fish and chips.


               My current favourite  is Wraps with plenty of re-fried beans and veggies.


                The resulting bad breath and farting may explain why I frequently run solo!


               MY FOOD PRIORITY THOUGHTS ARE :DO I HAVE ENOUGH FOOD AND NOT HOW MUCH WEIGHT CAN I SAVE CARRYING LESS.


          
              Small snacks such as Peppermi , Baby bell Cheese  and extra strong mints can also help to keep you awake in the hours before dawn.


            I always try to avoid foods that give you a sugar rush and any Caffeinated product. You should try to iron out the peaks and resulting troughs in your energy levels.


           My general lack of fitness and poor gait means that I am a very inefficient energy converter and I will eat far more than other competitors during the race. It is not unusual for me to exit a CP carrying  well over 1Kg of hill food.
            Whatever your requirements you will find that you will have to eat extra food outside the CP,s
      Pubs ,Shop's and Cafe' foods  are allowed within the  race rules.
     I have made up a list of their locations and it may be worth marking them on your Maps.


Make a mental note to yourself to plan food for the next leg while you are still 15 mins away from a CP.

          
             AS PART OF YOUR   ACTIVE  RACE  STRATEGY  YOU SHOULD CONSIDER POTENTIAL RE_SUPPLY AND FEEDING OPPORTUNITIES  FOR 24+ HRS AHEAD. 

          By choosing to sleep at a CP you may pass a feeding stop that is closed 
          Before checking into a CP , consider food  shopping for the next leg first!

Supported runners have a big advantage in not having to plan  for shopping stops.

           

          Delays While Waiting To Be Served.

             Food service at CP's will be slower for any runner not leading the pack.
             CP staff will be falling over each other to help and feed the front runners.
             As the later runners rolling CP's things slow up.

             Pubs and Cafe's

            This will happen at Pubs and Cafe's  and it can be o long time to wait. Sometimes it,s faster to get a pie in a shop . 
            The Gargrave  Co-op  hot pie cabinet will get you back on the trail faster than a Pub meal
             However if you need a proper pack off and sort yourself out stop, then perhaps a pub meal with a seat beside a roaring open fire is the  better option.
             BY Combining several   race functions such as kit sorting ,nav re-grouping, eating and warming up. you will save on race down time.

             At times it may be just plain quicker to get out your stove and cook up a re hydrated meal rather than wait queueing for food in a pub.


               CP Food

               The choice and quality of the food on offer varies each year.
               Generally you will be offered a main meal or breakfast  or possibly both.
                The CP's operate on normal time so you may be unlucky to arrive at a CP when they are serving Breakfast when you would like a main meal.
                 The CP staff try to be as accommodating as possible but planning to feed a bunch of grunting  Spine Racers on differing time clocks is an up hill struggle.

                 The CP do not provide sandwiches  or food for you to take out on the trail.
                 You may be able to steal the odd packet of crisps or biscuits but you should organise your own hill food.


                    Drop Bag Food Stocks

                  You start the Race with a 20Kg max drop bag ( It will be weighed!)
                   Hill food for CP1 to CP2 needs to be in the bag .( Gargrave is the first opportunity to shop for extra food).
                   You always need spare food in  the drop  bag just in case you get out of synchronisation with Pub/shopping hours. Freeze dried meals are the most weight efficient option.
                    If you miss the Bellingham Co-op opening hours you have no shops easily available between CP4 and the finish line (And that's probably 48hrs with no extra hill food)
                    Supported runners won,t have to worry ,giving them a big advantage.


          


  Planning Food Consumption 

(locations of food on course in order).

    

         In order to finish The Spine Race you will have to consume way more food than that provided by the CP's
          KNOWING WHERE YOU CAN TOP UP WITH FOOD WILL HELP YOUR RACE PLAN
          You also need to note any opening/serving times .

             Start the race on a good breakfast. Don,t worry about a full stomach slowing you down at first ,you will reap the rewards later that day.

           The White House Inn is evidently off limits in 2017 for all racers!!

                  This will have a big  negative impact on most of the field. Not having the opportunity to top up with food in the warm before CP1 will increase the percentage of DNF's on day one.

               Burger Van at M62 crossing (the only hot food on leg one)

                         Probably open till 10pm for Challengers and Spine Racers.
                         He may possibly stay open longer but no Guarantee.
                         From the M62 to CP1 is a long way to go with no hot food inside you.
                         No real shelter in which to eat your food.
             
                  CP1
                 Food --Main meal and breakfast available .
                This CP has been known to run short of food for tail end runners.
                 Even if you don,t stop to sleep you need to eat as much as you can.


               Pondon Cafe    SD 979379

                  Located in weird furniture store up the road W from the reservoir (Look for the sale reduction signs)
                  You will have to take a 1k deviation off the PW then 1k to rejoin.
                  Probably opens after 9am and has excellent all day breakfasts.
                  Extra milage but will set  you up for the day.

                 Lothersdale Pub

                     Set up to harvest your trade during the race .
                     Hot butties available from 7am .
                     Main meals served 11am till late.
                     Bang on the trail and expecting Spine Racers!
                     Seats covered in cling film and extra mats on the floor.
                     Set price deal for Spine Racers now the Landlord has got his head around the idea.
                     Now part of Spine Tradition to drop in!

                      Gargrave 

                       Several pubs 
                       Co op food store with hot pies (On RHS 100 m down road just after the bridge)
                       Co op 7am to 10pm with a Hot Pie stand !.faster runners tend to eat all the pies.
                       Coop is last food shop to stock up before CP1.5
                       The Co op may well be your last chance for food until Horton and that's a long way!
   

                     Malham

                          Several Pubs (I have never reached  there before they stopped serving evening food)
                          Not aware of any food shop but I think there is a cafe
                          Many runners pass through Malham after closing time.

                      Malham Tarn

                           Bugger all except the kettle
                           BYO food.

                     Horton Cafe .

                         Expecting racers normally stays open all night.
                         Feed up, it's bloody miles to Haws! And much of the trail is high and exposed.
                         Spicial Spine Race Meal Deal.


                     Haws 

                         Several pubs and food shops. Possibly a chippy (it may have been an hallucination)
                         Remember to Stock up before finding CP2 if it,s near dusk.
                         Tackle Shunner Fell on a full Stomach.
                         Meal at the YHA CP but no takeaways except for the odd biscuit.
                         This is an out and back CP so you will pass the shops twice.
                         Check to see if there is a chance that the `Tan Hill Pub will stay open all night before leaving the Haws CP.

                     Tan Hill Pub

               Normal opening hours.
               Some years the bar has been open all night for racers. (Warm chips and an honesty box)
               Other years Pub closed at night but foyer open for Marshals to shelter in .
              
                        

                   Middleton + CP

                The Butchers  Deli  has some of the best pies in the UK.
                Again it may well be worth stocking up on hill food.
                 Once past The  Middleton Food Shops there is no place on the trail to re-stock until Bellingham. The Co-op in Bellingham 7am till 10pm. 
                 The CP is a long way past the shops but you re pass the shops to get back to the trail on leaving the CP
                 The Shops  may be shut when you re pass them! So best to go shopping on way into CP.
                 Usual CP food available.

                   Dufton.

                    Pub and Cafe. 
                    Open normal hours . Cafe is expecting your trade. 10 am till 4.30 pm
                    Don,t expect the Pub to go out of it's way to serve you food. (not always pro Spine Race)
                    Village hall (if open) Kitchen and Kettle good for re hydrating food.

                    Gregs Hut.

                     Usually a tin of hot  pot noodles available.
                     Eat them all up !You are still hours from Alston
              

                      Gargill    (Shop and Pub on RHS of green.)

                     Post Office Store.
                                                   Minute shop short  rather random opening hours.
                                                   Don,t bank on it being open when you pass.
                                                   Limited food but a good place to pick up your pension.
                       The Pub              Was closed for a time ,(May have re-opened) 
                     

                      CP4 Alston

                                         A Long way before Alston  town.
                                          Remote from the trail , Usual CP food.
                                          Eat well next readily available food is at Greenhead  unless you make a detour to Alsto Co op.

                        Alston town Co-op  food store.

                           Opens 7 am till 10pm
                            Probably 300m off the PW and 300m back.(you will be reluctant to leave the PW)
                            Petrol station in Alston may serve snacks.
                            Last place to buy extra food if you  may miss bellingham CO-OP

                         Greenhead.

                            Pub and Cafe 300m off trail
                              As soon as you cross the A69, climb the bank (following the PW signs)and you will find yourself at the end of a dirt road . (The PW is straight on  over this road) If you  go right along road and you arrive in Greenhead.
                                Good reception at both places.
                                Go back up road to rejoin PW (don,t shortcut!).

                            Hadrians Wall
                                   Sod all places to eat (No wonder the Romans hated the place!)
                                    Fill water bottles at tap by toilets , no  clean water for 20+km 
                                    The one fast flowing stream crossing the trail is the outflow from a  still lake.


                            Honeystead Farm. GR: NY 815773

                                  FollowSpine Pit Stop Signs.
                                  On the  PW trail
                                  A real life saver of an Oasis in bad weather.
                                  Comfy Chairs ,Snacks and a Kettle  Fridge.
                                  Relief when you will most need it                                        
                                 This place is an old farm shed. The owners are very generous to walkers.
                                  Honesty box SO PUT SOME DOSH IN IT!

                            Bellingham CP5

                                          Cp is 1Km short of the Co-op in town. 
                                          Seriously take into account stocking up on hill food now as this is your last chance to  buy and carry extra food before the Finish Line.
                                           You will need extra  Hill Food for the Cheviots!
                                           Ask yourself will the Co op still be open if I sleep at the CP first  .
     IF I AM SHORT OF FOOD I WILL SHOP IN BELLINGHAM CP THEN WALK BACK TO SLEEP IN THE CP. (two extra 2 Km is a small price to pay for a well fed runner heading for potentially the hardest part of the course!) 


                             The Forrest Lodge, Byrness   CP5.5

                          soup and Sausage and Mash   ( + veggie option).

                           No second helpings.

                          The best and most Spine Orientated  CP food on the whole course in 2016! 


FROM BYRNESS TO THE FINISH LINE THE ONLY FOOD IS WHAT YOU CARRY.
Once out of Byrness there is no good running water so fill all your bottles at CP5.5

                            THE FINISH LINE

                                Food in the Pub Is Good.
                                A few snacks available in village hall.
========================================================================

            Psychological Boost From Eating.

           I like food and during the race I use this fact to keep my spirits up . Low energy reserves will depress mood and alertness especially in the hours before dawn.
           The distraction of feeding myself can take my mind off my other troubles.
           It is possible at times to feed yourself awake.
           The use of drugs such as caffeinated foods or PRO PLUS will give a short term boost but if your reserves are really low then the trough after the boost can be catastrophic. I regard this sort of action as loosing control my race .
            Loosing Control is only a short step away from the DNF.
            I do have one unconventional crude trick to shock my body back awake and this is to suck on a sachet of brown source Stolen from a take away on the drive to Edale. It is disgusting but for me it can work.


          Choosing Hill Food With A Focus On Your Speed.

          Sorry I am not talking about carrying less heavy food.

          At any point during the race you will have to expend energy multi tasking.
          A sprinter only really has one task:To Sprint.
           A Spine Racer can be swamped by multiple tasks. Eating is one of them.
           Even the process of chewing will slow you up to some extent.
           Locating ,opening,inspecting,getting in your mouth ,chewing ,swallowing then stowing all the food wrappers will all loose you ground.
            Pre planning will help. Start with stowing: that front pouch should be a nose bag full of food.
            Remove all surplus wrappers
              : Take Baby Bell mini Cheeses  as an example : They come in a string bag -----DITCH,
                                                                                           Cellophane red wrapper---DITCH 
                                                                                           The red wax case ----retain so the cheese does not become contaminated. (it is possible to eat the wax and crap it out later!)
            You can move faster by not having to unwrap the various layers.
             This is one small example but the principle can be applied to everything you eat.
                                                                                                                                                                            
            Opening wrapping should be easy but for much of the race you will be wearing gloves . You may have to stow the gloves even  in order to hold a packet of food.
           Wrappers that can be opened with your teeth lead to less faffing.
            It may be worth taking food out of original wrappers and putting it in ziplock freezer bags.
            Avoid sweats that get sticky when wet .
             Try to keep your front pouch nose bag reasonably clean and organised.

              All these points seem rather petty but you can test how much speed you can loose by trying to keep up with another runner while you try to eat . The drop in pace is dramatic!

              Part of your race prep should be practising eating on the move.

               Time lost  while eating may appear trivial . The real problem comes when another runner is in range . While  you eat, they will move faster than you .  This is not always a problem but from a mental viewpoint you may well put of eating in order to maintain your own pace. This short term advantage may well  bight you in the ass later when your lack of food really damages your pace.

Staying in charge of your race is all about taking control of all the factors affecting your efficiency

              DO YOU KNOW IF YOU CAN CONSUME A POUCH OF HOT RE_HYDRATED FOOD WHILE WALKING WITHOUT SPILLING IT ALL DOWN YOUR FRONT ?
                                YOU SHOULD DO.

               Reasons  why I use Cliff Shot blocks. Mountain Berry Flavour( Caffine free)


            They can be stowed in pockets of my pouch with one end sticking out.
             I can tug them out of the pocket wearing Mittens.
             I can open them with my teeth.
             Once open they do not leek goo.
             I can squeeze them into my mouth one block at a time with Mitts still on.
             I can re -stow them without looking down.
             They are easy to share with other runners.
             THEY ARE A LOW LOSS OF SPEED SNACK.

            The Dedicated Rubbish Bag.

                     A long time ago I was issued with a Velcro attached  dedicated rubbish string pouch at the start of the UTMB.  It has been astonishingly useful in saving time separating used food wrappings from live ready to eat food. 
                    Customise the front strap of your pack by hanging an easy to get at pouch on the strap.
                     All to often runners expect to buy a pack that does everything . 
                     Each race you do is different so get out that needle and thread and get customising!
                     Somewhere on the front of your pack system there is room for a rubbish bag.
               


         When reading various Spine Blogs you have to take into account who wrote them .
         A tail end Spine Finisher will have to survive fur perhaps 3 days longer than the winner and this has to be reflected in every approach to the race .
         I have said before that I am a very inefficient runner and this probably extends to the way I burn up my energy reserves. My Spine Food Consumption is extreme :Probably over 10,000Kcals per day by the end of the race. It takes me some time to wind myself up to this level of gluttony,but it works for me .

       Dealing With Extreme Cold.(and how this can impact your food consumption)

         I have covered  the issue of water turning into ice above.
          Your Snickers Bars can also freeze solid.
         It is highly likely that at some point during the race you may have to deal with extreme cold conditions.
           It is not just a matter of wearing more layers , you need to try to plan further in advance.
           Everything ,and I mean everything is harder if the temp falls below-5 and you have wind chill to deal with.

           The subject of gloves is a major issue. In particular gloves V Mitts.

            I theory having gloves gives you more manual dexterity to use your maps ,GPS controls and access your food. The reality is that if it is well below freezing the gloves you need will be padded and cumbersome . They will be fine for holding poles and perhaps a map and GPS but if you need to press the correct button  on the GPS or refold a map  or unwrap food , you will have to take your gloves off.
           Gloves have a larger surface area than Mitts so weight for weight a Mitt will always be warmer. I find mitts are also easier to take on and off.
            Strangly the worst combination can be glove liners inside Mitts. This works ok for warmth but the problem comes when you need to take them off. You can,t easily get your fingers back into a glove that is inside a Mitt. 
             What tends to happen is that you have to stow your Mitts while you get your liner gloves back on . The whole process can be fiddly and you will need to place your Mitts in a safe place while getting your liners sorted. 

            A Mitt liner can sometimes be left inside the outer Mitt making getting your hands out for fine dexterity work faster and easier.
            The other advantage is that it is easier to put hand warmers inside Mitts.
            I have found that the touch screen of a Garmin Oregon GPS if set up correctly can be viewed using the top of running pole to prod the screen.



                             Hydration

    Getting dehydrated will reduce your pace dramatically.
    Although the race is held in cold conditions you will still need to stay well hydrated.
    In low humidity freezing conditions you loose a large  amount of water just breathing.
     Staying Hydrated is not always easy. Fresh clean water is available at times on the course but is far from dependable.
     From past experience I can tell you that the road head Marshals supply very little water and it all gets given to the front runners!
    The tail enders will have to use streams. and whatever source they can find.
     If taking from streams use fast flowing water.
     Some people take filters but as far as I am aware they don,t end up using them as it takes up far to much time.
     Avoid filling up with water from the outflow streams of large ponds. The pond/lake water is often suspect.
      Farm field run off water is also suspect.

      Kit list says ability to carry 2l. most of us start with only 600ml then fill up after reaching high ground . 

      My personal choice is to use water bottles as they are faster to fill and I hate demand valve tubes.


             Some parts of the course such as the CHEVIOTS and Hadrians wall provide few water sources  especially if snow is on the ground. you need to fill up at CP5.5 and 4.

  


     Note For All Support Teams/ Spectators  And Road Head Marshals.

       There is never enough clean water available on the course so anyone attending road heads can help by having a 5+ltr drum of water (savers supermarket brand) available for any passing racer to top up with water. Tap water is fine ,we are not fussy.
          Please ask any race visitors to carry extra water for racers!

           FREEZING WATER containers

           2012 and 2013 were the years when every ones water bottles and bladder tubes froze up .
           In subsequent years  this fact has to some extent been forgotten. 
            You need to thread your bladder tube through an insulated pipe and if possible tuck it inside your jacket.
             Water bottles hung on the outside freeze remarkably quickly. Make a holster for them out of insulating material and if possible cover the tops.You can use old waterproof socks.
              Carrying 800g of ice along the course does nothing for your moral. You can,t ditch the ice as it won,t come out of the bottles which you will need later.
               If you use electrolytes they may help to  reduce water freezing point so experiment now with
 samples in your freezer.
                It is possible to tuck a lighter fuelled hand warmer such as that made by ZIPPO along side a water bottle to keep it liquid ( I have managed to keep a Zippo hand warmer running for 18 hrs on one fill)
            It takes as much gas to melt snow as it does to boil water (Snow ---Boiling 2X gas  consumption.
             During  the TEFT,s  stop in hut 2 on the cheviots we used up 4 gas cylinders to produce about 1l of boiling water and 2l of melted water to drink!   And it took hours.)


 Bonus Hot Drinks For Challenger Racers

      In 2016 the local Mountain rescue teams attended several road heads supplying Hot Drinks and water. This may well happen again in 2017 but it is part of the support  for the mountain rescue teams competing . Now we have split starts they will probably not be around for the Spine Racers starting on the next day.

          It is possible ,and desirable to train your body to make better use of it,s reserves.
          I have often referred  to the importance of "Running Your Own Race". Eion Kieth uses the term :Staying in Control . Control is the key to avoiding the DNF and improving your race position.
                
   
           Eion The 2016 Race winner  takes a very different approach to nutrition on Ultra,s . It certainly works for him but I do't think I have the self discipline to copy his long term nutrition strategy. His blog is well worth a read:https://eoinkeith.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/the-spine-race-2016-nutriton/


  I have had a few more thoughts on how your body may react as the race progresses.
 I should say that I have no medical training but did study Physiology a long long time ago.  Its what happens to the body on extreme races that particularly fascinates me.

  Several books have been written on ultras.
 I particularly like Dr Mike Strouds "Survival of the fittest"    This book gets right into the guts of what you could face during the race . Mike Stroud has accompanied Sir Ranulpf Feinnes on many of his expeditions . His insights on expeditions in extreme cold are particularly interesting and relevant to what you may face on the Spine.

      

             
       
                 

      



No comments:

Post a Comment