GET PSYCHED if you’re running 100 or 50km at The North Face this weekend!

This Top 10 goes to 11.

Run Loud everyone!

 

The North Face 100: Top 10 Tips for Newbies

Continuing the great tradition of ‘Top 10′ lists which may delight, misinform, or annoy you, here is our list of Top 10 Tips for first-timers running the fantastically unmissable North Face 100 in the Blue Mountains in barely 12 days from now. Whether you haven’t run 100km before, or you just haven’t run this particular 100km… Enjoy!

The Hoka OneOne Australia Top 10 Tips for TNF100 Newbies

  1. If marathon distance is the furthest you’ve ever raced or trained, savour the moment when you pass the 42.2km mark. You still have 57.8km to go.

    You only get a buckle… if you don’t buckle.

  2. Keep your pack as light as functionally possible, but remember that most of the elite runners who carry a 59 gram rain shell are usually back in their hotel room before sunset.
  3. Guys, stick to one lycra garment – shirt, or pants. Not both at once. Please.

    Try to find that happy middle ground where technical fabrics and individuality meet.

  4. Try to spend more time running than talking about running. You’ll have more to talk about later.
  5. Death by chafing is worse than death by hypothermia, which is worse than death by effort. Lube everything and keep running. You’ll be fine.

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! And that’s just the shirt.. (prevention, prevention, prevention . . .)

  6. Press ‘start’ on your GPS watch 5 seconds before the race actually starts. Then you can press ‘stop’ before you get your Finish photo taken. Then yours will be different than everyone else’s. Difference is good.

    Typical ultra starting line…

  7. Shuffling 7km/h up Kedumba on 80km legs is about the same as running 34km/h on flat road without a backpack.
  8. No pain, no elevation gain.

    Fortunately, the sky isn’t full of vicious flying lizards.

  9. There is a hospital at the final checkpoint. You do not want to stay there. Keep running.

    Of course, some runners belong in a hospital.

  10. The nice thing about racing 100km is that nearly everyone gets at least one good patch. But it’s what you do with the bad patch that makes the difference. A runner has just dropped you, your legs hurt, your stomach is in a somersault, it’s so cold, and you ask yourself ‘why am I doing this?’ The answer is at the finish line. Just. Keep. Running.

UTMF: latest video from Japan of Mt. Fuji winner Yoshikazu Hara!

We were so excited by news of Ultra Trail Mt. Fuji winner yesterday that we wrote all about it here.

Today, moving pictures! Some great bits of video are showing up about the place so we’re excited again to post them here.

This clip shows the start of the weekend’s epic miler in Japan. This looks like a race to definitely do at least once for any ultra runner living in Australasia.

Here is the challenging terrain from the first part of the race.

And there is more footage to come, including our hero, Yoshikazu Hara, arriving at the finish line to claim victory in his Bondi Speeds from Hoka OneOne.

But we’ll post that tomorrow….

Just kidding!! More footage still to come tomorrow, but for now taste the brilliant Japanese victory of UTMF 2013 winner Yoshikazu Hara!

Visit the Australian Hoka OneOne shop if you live in Australia or New Zealand for all the running efficiency and protection your courageous feet will ever need!

Mt. Fuji winner in Bondi!

In Japanese healing and martial arts, the word ‘Hara‘ refers to the abdominal power centre – in typical Japanese appreciation of a world in dynamic balance this is both a place of great softness, which exposes the vital organs when open, and a place of deep strength, from which great physical and spiritual efforts originate.

So it is appropriate that the winner of Japan’s newborn but iconic 100-miler, Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji, over the weekend was none other than homegrown hero Mr. Yoshikazu Hara. Even as one of Japan’s top road runners – a blazing 6:33 for 100km – Hara even flew under Japanese radar prior to UTMF, without any prediction of his success. This is unsurprising, as road speed frequently does not translate to trail dominance. Australia (and Inov8‘s) own Brendan Davies has himself bucked this trend, devoting himself to building an impressive array of trail skills and showing the results for it last year, recording a sub-7-hour 100km in the World Championships just months before smashing an already exceptional Great North Walk 174km/100+ miler course record by close to 2 1/2 hours.

To get a sense of how tough the Fuji course must have been for runners on the weekend, Davies secured an impressive 5th place at UTMF, finishing barely an hour behind the leader in an internationally competitive field. On the Great North Walk course just 6 months ago, without anybody to really run against after the first 30km and an extra 14km in the legs, he was able to finish a full hour faster. This indicates what a toll the cold conditions and over 9,000 metres of ascending must have taken on runners in Japan.

So it is with some excitement that we read of the success of 4 Hoka runners, with the most prominent being Mr. Hara himself! A doctor, rather than a professional athlete, Hara raced to victory in a pair of Bondi Speeds bought from a running shop after initially testing models brought in by the local importer of Hoka OneOne.

UTMF 2014 winner Mr Yoshikazu Hara, his lovely partner, and his Bondi Speeds!

UTMF 2014 winner Mr Yoshikazu Hara, his lovely partner, and his Bondi Speeds!

With the top 3 this year finishing within a 10-minute window, and Mr. Hara beating out last year’s winner Julien Chorier by only 8 minutes, competition for the victory was intense. A quick summary from the French Hoka crew describes his race as follows:

He ran a very clever race , taking his pace , not trying to be among the very first ones at start . At km 55 , he was 20min back over the 2 leaders at that time , one of them being our team manager and athlete Cyril Cointre .
He caught up with the leaders at about km 70 , following a long moderate grade climb .
He built a small advantage yet his lead was never more than 10 min . Everybody was chasing him but his mental strength, the crazy support of thousands of Japanese fans, and of course his Hoka Bondi B made him fly to this amazing victory ahead of 2 of the very best Ultra runners in the world!
Three other Hoka runners featured in the top 15, with a Uruguayan athlete by the name of John Tid taking 6th place, Hoka team manager and athlete Cyril Cointre placing 9th, and Christophe Le Saux from Team Hoka France coming in 13th on a course he might well have found short compared to his more typical outings.
Congratulations – obviously not just to the winners and the Hoka wearers but to all participants, organisers, and volunteers at this great race. As the sister even to UTMB and just a short flight from Australia, UTMF seems set to become a regional jewel in the ultra running crown over coming years.
And for any Aussie trail runners still wondering about their gear selection for The North Face 100 – yes, Bondi work beautifully on trail.
And remember to run from your hara!

City 2 Surf training program (and endurance running tips)

Jess running in the recent Bobbin Head edition of Mountain Sports' short course series, pic by Mason Photography

Jess running in the recent Bobbin Head edition of Mountain Sports’ short course series, pic by Mason Photography

Every fitness site seems to have a top 5 training tips, with many of them seeming to have been harvested from every other fitness sites’ top 5 training tips. So here’s a refreshing change – training tips from a runner who embodies commitment to the joy of hard running.

In addition to a variety of successes over every distance from half-marathon to 100 miles, Jess Baker is the joint holder of the outright Newcastle to Sydney course record for the brutal 250+km run along the Great North Walk. She was one half of the women’s team that came second at the World Rogaining Championships in Prague last year. She was 6th fastest woman at the 2012 North Face 100km in the Blue Mountains, running a smoking 12:38. And she is one of only 28 adventure racers in the world who can currently call themselves a 4 Deserts Grand Slammer.

So when we saw the training tips that Jess had put together for a personal trainer to help motivate charity runners preparing for something a little shorter – the 14km City to Surf, we liked it so much we thought it worth sharing.

It’s not a definitive guide, and it doesn’t claim to be. Realistically, there’s no guide that’s going to be definitive for everybody anyway! It’s just solid, down-to-earth advice from someone who runs over 5,000km per year and embodies their practice.

We think many of you will find it helpful.

Designing your own Training Program by Jess Baker

A good City to Surf training program might include: 1) Endurance; 2) Speed; 3) Rest; 4) Hills; 5) Cross-training

1)      Endurance: These are your longer, comfortable and steady runs, with talking allowed!  The typical rule (although it is disputed) is to not increase your mileage more than 10% per week.  For example, if you run 20km in your first week, your next week should be no more than 22km.  The purpose of this is to avoid injury. Although these are endurance sessions, it does not hurt to practice running a bit harder at the end; always aim for that “big finish”, even if you are running alone.

2)      Speed: There are a variety of ways to include speed in your training program – and they don’t all need to be measured or scientific.  Try racing to one lamppost and then jogging to the next or run several fast reps around your local oval with a short recovery between each one.  Other more measured examples might include: 6 x 400m reps; 8 x 200m reps; 5 x 1 km reps.  Challenge yourself.  These sessions won’t be conducive to talking, you might feel sick, but, you will feel good at the end!

3)      Rest:  Don’t run every day. Give your body a rest and chance to recover.

4)      Hills:  The only way to get better at running up hills (e.g. Heartbreak hill!) is to practice running up hills.  Uphill running will build leg strength and downhill running will help your legs get used to moving faster*.  Find a big hill near you and run up and down it a few times. Or plan a hilly route to run around.

5)      Cross-training:  Cross-training helps to include variety into your exercise program and to balance your muscle groups.  The specific exercise will be personal preference, but recommendations include Pilates, yoga, swimming, cycling or weight training.

* Note that posture is one of the first things to go when running hills.  You might find it easier to take shorter strides, and your posture should remain upright!  The same for running downhill – remain upright.  When you start to feel in control, lengthen your stride.  If you start to run out of control in your descent, shorten your stride until you feel more in control again.

EXAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAM

 

Mon

Tues

Weds

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Week 1

5km Intervals 4km Hills Rest 6km Cross-train

2

5km Intervals 4.5km Hills Rest 7km Cross-train

3

5km Intervals 5km Hills Rest 8km Cross-train

4

5.5km Intervals 5km Hills Rest 9km Cross-train

5

6km Intervals 5.5km Hills Rest 10km Cross-train

6

6.5km Intervals 6km Hills Rest 11km Cross-train

7

7km Intervals 6.5km Hills Rest 12km Cross-train

8

7.5km Intervals 7.5km Hills Rest 13km Cross-train

9

8km Intervals 8km Hills Rest 14km Cross-train

10

9km Intervals 9km Hills Rest 15 Cross-train

11

6km Rest 6km Hills Rest 10km Cross-train

12

4km Rest 4km Rest Rest Rest RACE DAY

 

 

 

 

 

Extra tips:

  • Be Flexible: Make a weekly plan that works for you. If you miss a day, don’t freak out. Just run the next day. If you don’t have time to do your long run, don’t worry, just run what you can; any exercise is better than no exercise.
  • Accept discomfort:  It is part of getting fitter.
  • Know that it will get easier.
  • It is much easier to train with a buddy.
  • Know that not every single run will be a good one, and that a bad run is still better than no run.
  • Vary your training routes.  This will keep running fresh and prevent your body from becoming acclimated.  Road is hard on your body – try to hit some trails if possible.
  • Runners need to drink more water.
  • To aid recovery, the most crucial time to eat and drink is the hour immediately after your run, especially your long run – and try to make the food high in protein.
  • When you are running, ask yourself, “Can I give more?”; the answer is usually: “Yes”.
  • To prevent blisters or chafing use Vaseline/bodyglide/hydropel/loobit (or similar) wherever things rub. Men, consider plasters over your nipples.
  • Yes, running takes energy, but then it gives it back to you ten-fold.
  • Favourite quote:  “Don’t stop when you are tired; stop when you are done.” If you want to stop…don’t!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guy Andrews kicks ass at Gold Coast Triathlon

Hoka OneOne athlete Guy Andrews had a big weekend, taking 2nd in the 40-44 age group and 21st place from a 2400-strong field at the Luke Harrop Memorial Triathlon on the Gold Coast on Sunday. The outright winner of the Open women’s category was still to cross the line when Guy closed out his race with sub-4-min kays on the 5km run leg.

Smashing it out in his Tarmacs at the Gold Coast Tri over the weekend, Guy Andrews is a machine.

Smashing it out in his Tarmacs at the Gold Coast Tri over the weekend, Guy Andrews is a machine.

Luke Harrop was tragically taken 11 years ago when hit by a car in a pre-dawn training accident aged just 23. His story and already impressive list of achievements can be reviewed here.

Another inspiring ultra running story.

Another inspiring ultra running story.

And a predictably perfect choice of running shoes…

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