June 17 - This Long Run Was Fast? The 60/30/10 Rule

AM KEY WORKOUT: 20 Mile Run
Course: Greenbelt White Trail
Time: 3 hours, 36 minutes
Weather: 75F, P. Cloudy, Humid

OK, now for the details of this run. I talked with another ultramarathoner who has done several of these 100 mile races. He has a system that he uses that makes a lot of sense. He basically goes by something called the 60/30/10 rule for 100 mile races. The first 60 miles is supposed to be as easy and as comfortable as possible. In the first 60 miles, I make sure I'm adequately hydrated and sated, make sure that my running is as balanced as possible, never force any sort of pace, and keep moving as much as possible.

At 60 miles, if everything is right, this is where the race begins. A great deal of this section is night time running. I will be exhausted, lacking energy, maybe hallucinating, etc. I need to make sure I keep moving and try to get to the 90 mile mark. It's a psychological advantage to make 90 miles the goal instead of the finish at 100 so that I can limit this section to 30 miles.

At 90, no matter what condition I'm in, whether I'm on my feet or no my knees, I can thank the fact that I only have 10 miles left in my trip and could walk it in if it all comes down to that.

And that is the 60/30/10 rule.

But first, I need to practice the "60" part. That is, how to run very, very easy.

I left my watch at home this morning. Without that influence, I can then allow my body to dictate the pace. I started off on a real easy road mile to the beginning of the white trail. Once on the white trail, I shuffled up the various hills, and glided through the downhill sections. The Parks Department did clear away some of the deadfall from this spring's wind storm, but there were still sections where I had to climb over some serious obstacles. Nevertheless, when I got to the halfway point at Crookes Point at Great Kills Park, I felt great.
Coming back I still felt great. I got back after running 20 miles and saw the clock.

It read 3 hours 36 minutes.

That would mean an 18 hour prediction for the 100 miler. This is way too fast a pace; a goal of 24 hours. To put this pace into perspective, a true 24 hour pace for 100 miles would have me cover 20 miles at 4 hours, 48 minute.

That's over an hour slower than my pace!

Now granted, I haven't factored in aid stops and the more extreme hills that the Vermont 100 course contains, but a 72 minute difference is very significant. It means I can still go slower and still have a lot of time left to walk, eat and drink at aid stations, etc. If I can make this 20 mile run slower by 30 minutes, I'm pretty sure I can really extend my strength through the first 60 miles of the ultra.

The trick is, can I slow it down that much?

I might do this same run tomorrow. If so, I'll really try to slow it down and see how I feel at the end of the 20 miler. It should be an interesting outcome.