HOW TO CRUSH AN ULTRA

Even If You Don’t Live in the Mountains

Alissa St Laurent has managed to carve out an impressive career as an ultramarathoner, dominating 100-mile-long races that consist of running up and down mountain passes. Yet she lives in the (relatively) flat city of Edmonton. Her coach, Ryne Melcher, shares some tips on how to train for mountain running sans mountains.

FIND A HILL, ANY HILL

Even if it’s not a mountain, grinding the local hills can pay off. Melcher points out that although it’s hard to replicate “those long, quad-crushing descents,” doing repeats of shorter hills can still be valuable preparation.

“The key to quick downhills all really boils down to posture, cadence and technique,” he explains. You can practice these elements on shorter descents.

As far as technique goes, “downhill, you want to avoid leaning back as it loads the quads and puts a greater burden on the knees,” he says. Make sure that you’re driving your knees forward, your foot strike is immediately below your knee, and that your arms are working in unison. Remember a marginal tilt forward will ensure your quads don’t get overworked.

Melcher suggests timid athletes start off by working on having good technique and a high cadence while using a “S” curve down the hill. “Then as you become more comfortable with the enhanced strides-perminute you change that “S” curve to simply straighter down the hill.”

Not sure of where the best hill in your ‘hood is? Check out the nearest downhill ski hill – you may find others training for ultras doing hill repeats on the grassy slopes in the summer.

WORK YOUR CORE

Melcher is hardly the first coach to recommend strength training and core exercises. But when it comes to mountain running, a strong core is your ticket to survival. And there are no excuses: you don’t even need to go outside to work on your foundation.

“Strength training is paramount to any sort of running but especially hills, climbing and descending,” he explains. “A strong core is really where everything starts. The more you focus on that on your off days, the more doable climbs and descents become.”

USE FLAT TERRAIN STRATEGICALLY

“To run downhill fast, you need the ability to turn your legs over fast,” says Melcher, who regularly incorporates speed work into St Laurent’s training plans. If you’re stuck on the pancake flats, do intervals that focus on foot speed instead of just trying to go fast.

TREADMILLS AREN’T YOUR ENEMY

Sure, treadmills are pretty much the exact opposite of running gnarly terrain outside. “But if it’s all you have, use it,” says Melcher. He says there’s a “sweet spot” of six to eight per cent incline that is good preparation for summiting real mountains. Break it up with power hiking at a 10–15 per cent incline.

If you’re lucky enough to have access to a machine that simulates downhills, go to town on that, too.

GET AWAY FOR THE WEEKEND

St Laurent drives out to mountains on weekends for day-long trail runs. Sure, it’s not viable for everyone, every weekend, but if you’re training for an ultra, scheduling in one real-world leg-buster before the race that’s farther afield is not a bad idea at all.– Ryne Melcher