Mastering Ultra Marathon Training: Fuel, Mindset, and Smart Pacing Strategies
Finding Your Flow: Fuel, Mindset and Smart Pacing for Ultra‑Running
It was 3 am, the sky a bruised violet, and I was perched on a rocky outcrop 7 km from the finish line of my first 50‑mile race. My legs were a bundle of screaming cords, my stomach growled like a restless bear, and the aid station lights flickered like distant beacons. I could have quit, but I remembered the promise I’d made to myself at the start line – to run with the mountain, not against it.
The Moment That Changed Everything
I still recall the exact second I decided to stop treating the ultra as a single, endless mile. A fellow runner, half‑covered in mud, shouted a simple phrase: “Break it down, mate – one aid stop at a time.” In that instant the race transformed from a monolithic beast into a series of bite‑size chapters. Each aid station became a checkpoint, each hill a paragraph, each flat stretch a breath.
That mental split‑up is the heart of the concept I want to explore today: segmenting the race and the training so the distance feels conquerable.
Why Segmenting Works – The Science Behind the Split‑Second Focus
Research on ultra‑endurance performance repeatedly shows that athletes who chunk their effort maintain better physiological control. A 2018 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that runners who used pace zones – low, moderate and high – kept their heart‑rate variability higher, a marker of reduced stress, compared to those who tried to hold a steady speed the whole way.
The brain, too, prefers short‑term goals. Neuro‑psychologists explain that dopamine spikes when we achieve a mini‑goal, reinforcing the behaviour and keeping motivation high. In practical terms, breaking a 100‑mile race into 10‑mile “stories” helps the brain stay in the reward loop.
Turning Theory into Self‑Coaching Practice
1. Create Personalised Pace Zones
Instead of a single target pace, define three zones based on recent training data:
| Zone | How it feels | Typical speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Conversational, can hum a tune | 5‑6 |
| Steady | Breathing deepens, still sustainable | 6‑7 |
| Hard | Short bursts, used on short climbs | 7‑8 |
A simple spreadsheet or a timer‑enabled watch can alert you when you drift out of the zone you’ve earmarked for that segment.
2. Use Adaptive Training Sessions
Plan weekly long runs that mimic the terrain of your target race, but let the duration of each segment adapt to how you feel that day. If you’re fresh, extend the “steady” portion; if you’re sore, add a few extra minutes in the “easy” zone. Over weeks, the plan self‑adjusts – a hallmark of a good self‑coaching system.
3. Build Custom Workouts Around the Zones
Design a “zone‑shuffle” workout: after a 10‑minute warm‑up, run 5 minutes in the easy zone, 3 minutes in the steady zone, 2 minutes in the hard zone, then repeat for 45 minutes. This mirrors the ebb‑and‑flow of an ultra and trains your body to transition smoothly between effort levels.
4. Leverage Real‑Time Feedback
A watch or phone app that vibrates when you cross a zone boundary provides the gentle reminder you need without looking at a screen. The feedback is subtle, keeping you focused on the trail while still respecting the pacing plan.
5. Keep a Collection of “Chunked” Race Plans
Save a few template race‑segment outlines – for flat, hilly, and mixed terrain – in a personal library. When a new race appears, you simply copy the relevant template, tweak the aid‑station distances, and you have a ready‑made plan that feels bespoke.
Fueling the Segments – A Parallel Strategy
Just as you break the race into zones, break your nutrition into intervals. The research mentioned earlier also notes that regular calorie intake (every 30‑45 minutes) stabilises blood‑glucose and reduces perceived effort. Set a timer on your watch to remind you to take a bite or sip, even if you don’t feel hungry – the stomach often lags behind the muscles.
Practical tip: Carry a small pouch with three types of fuel – a quick gel for the hard zone, a solid bite (like a nut bar) for steady, and a salty snack for easy. Rotate them as you move through the zones; the variety keeps your gut happy and your mind engaged.
Community Sharing – Learning From Others Without Losing Your Voice
One of the less obvious benefits of keeping a personal collection of race‑segment plans is the ability to share them with fellow runners. When you upload a plan to a community board, you get feedback on where others might have struggled on similar terrain, and you can fine‑tune your zones. The exchange is a two‑way street: you help others while sharpening your own self‑coaching instincts.
A Simple Workout to Try Tomorrow
The “Zone‑Flow” 45‑Minute Run (distances in miles)
- Warm‑up: 10 min easy jog (5‑6 mph).
- Repeat the following circuit 5 times:
- 5 min easy zone (5‑6 mph)
- 3 min steady zone (6‑7 mph)
- 2 min hard zone (7‑8 mph, preferably on a short climb or a slight incline)
- 1 min recovery walk or very easy jog.
- Cool‑down: 5 min very easy jog.
Set a timer to vibrate when each interval ends – this is the real‑time feedback that keeps you honest without glancing at a screen.
Closing Thoughts
Ultras feel intimidating because they ask us to think far beyond the familiar 5‑km loop. By segmenting the distance, personalising pace zones, adapting training on the fly, and feeding the body at regular intervals, the mountain becomes a collection of stories you get to write yourself. The tools that let you create, adjust and share those stories are simply extensions of the runner’s own intuition.
Happy running – and if you want to put this into practice, give the “Zone‑Flow” workout a go tomorrow. Feel free to tweak the zones to suit your own numbers, and share what you learn with the community. The trail is waiting, one segment at a time.
References
- Race Like An Ultra Veteran (Part 2) - Trail Runner Magazine (Blog)
- Hardrock 2012 and the Rocky Mountain Slam – iRunFar (Blog)
- 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Ultra - Trail Runner Magazine (Blog)
- Beyond 26.2 on Dirt - Trail Runner Magazine (Blog)
- Yes You Can: Run an Ultramarathon - RUN | Powered by Outside (Blog)
- Jenn Shelton’s Ultimate Ultrarunning Tips - RUN | Powered by Outside (Blog)
- 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Ultra - Women’s Running (Blog)
- Ultramarathon Advice: 10 Top Tips – Men’s Running UK (Blog)
Collection - 2-Week Segmented Running Introduction
The Zone-Flow Introduction
View workout details
- 10min @ 11'00''/mi
- 4 lots of:
- 5min @ 11'00''/mi
- 3min @ 9'20''/mi
- 2min @ 8'05''/mi
- 1min rest
- 5min @ 13'00''/mi
Easy Long Run with Fueling Practice
View workout details
- 5min @ 12'00''/mi
- 60min @ 11'00''/mi
- 5min @ 12'00''/mi
to import the collection after you install it.
