Patrick Large - Zugspitz Ultratrail - 100km - Race plan
My Why:
· To give the poorest of the poor children a chance.
· Because I am a quitter. I’ve quit more than I have finished. This one needs to be finished, I need to flip the script on this bitch and finish what I started.
Goals:
· Get home in one piece: FINISH!! Cross the line exhausted, uninjured and with tears in your eyes.
· Enjoy the day: this isn’t about racing, it’s about experiencing. Take it all in and love every minute: the good, bad, and the ugly
· Make friends: be social, encourage, help and be helped, lean on and be leaned on. Wherever they are, you will be there as well.
Keys to the Race:
· Know that “it will happen and it will pass.” Whether it is a cramp, fire in the legs, vomiting, complete exhaustion, whatever. Repeat to yourself, “this too shall pass”
· Stay in my box. What can I control right now? If I cannot control it, let it go. If I can fix it, waste no time: fix it. Don’t think- just do it.
· EAT and Drink!!! Don’t let yourself get behind. At every aid station refill bottles/calories. EAT savory food at the aid stations, nothing sweet. SOUP!
· At aid stations: what problems need to be solved or issues addressed?
· Goggin’s 40% rule: When you cannot take another step and your body is broken, you’ve really only gone 40% of what you are capable of. Tell yourself to “shut the fuck up”, put one foot in front of the other, and press on!!!!
Execution:
Unfortunately, there is very little specific that I can prepare for as race day will be the first time I am on the course. I have met a few people on facebook who are racing it (some first timers like me, others this is their 4th year), so I will meet up with them on Thursday / Friday and compare notes.
· I will run this aid station to aid station. 10km at a time
· I will walk all the up hills, run the down hills, and run/walk the flat
· Eat on the climbs or flats
· I will latch onto a group of runners or runner that is my ability
Course specific:
· Start – V2: All I want to do here is shake out the nerves. I will be nervous! From what I can tell from previous years (video), there is a lot of semi technical singletrack climbing. This should be slow and with huge groups.
· V2 – V5: This is where the shit gets real and you take your first kick in the nuts. Two big climbs and the first one gets you to the peak elevation of the race. I would guess this is where it is going to thin out a bit. By V2 I should have my pack and just grove with them. Be in the Goldilocks zone. Not too fast not to slow.
· V5: take some time. This is the half way point and I could be a bit banged up already. Change cloths, get rations, and prepare for the night.
· V5 – V8: Looks relatively flat and elevation is much lower. Use this time to easy into the night and second 50K.
· V8 – 10: In typical fashion the big “fuck you” finale. V8 is a critical aid station. I need to have EVERTHING I need for this last climb. Take some time, think, do I have EVERYTHING??
Other titbits:
Stolen from @tim cronk
REN:
R's- Relax, Rhythm, RPM's- 1. Relax -think about body from head down to toes then back again, 2. Rhythm- just listen to your breathing and find your rhythm, 3. RPM's- cadence short quick easy turn over
E's- Easy, Efficient, Effort - 1. Easy- just go easy, are you going easy enough? 2. Efficient- think about your movement head to toe being as efficient as possible with no wasted movements while choosing the most efficient line, 3. Effort- think about your effort and where you are is it easy enough for the beginning ? Is it hard enough for the end?
N's- Nothing, No Pain, Never Stop- 1. Nothing- This is Nothing I can do this all day, 2. No Pain- I feel nothing , yes a little uncomfortable but NO Pain, 3. Never Stop - Never Ever Stop Moving Forward!
Gear List:
Feet: Injinji socks, Altra Timp 1.5
Lower body: Patagonia shorts, UA tights, leg sleeves, rain paints
Upper Body: UA sleeveless shirt, UA long sleeved shirt, Falke warm shirt, Zoot cool arm sleeves, warm arm sleeves, glove liners, warm gloves, Salomon Wind jacket, Asics rain jacket, warm neck gator, cool neck gator, Leki Poles, Salomon Vest w/ quiver
Head: Clear and sun glasses, Arc'teryx baseball cap, North face warm hat, Buff light hat, Petzl neo+ headlamp
Misc: first aid kit, phone (waterproof pouch), watch, GoPro or DJI Pocket
Nutrition: (5000 kcal + aid stations)
Tailwind: 7x with and 7x without caffeine mixed in 500ml bottle
1.5L plain water
Overstims UTMB bars x10
Snickers Bars X4
At Aid stations: Fruit, chips, gherkins, veggies, soup, (stay savory)
Drop Bag:
New socks
Hand sanitizer
Pickle juice
Warm/dry shirt
Warm hat/gloves
Bars to refill pack
Tailwind in ziplocks
Extra battery for head lamp
Extra shoes (Timp)
Snickers Bars
Logistics/Travel:
Thusdays:
Long Time table:
4:00 wake up
4:45 leave for bus station
5:17 bus from Haarlem to Schipol
6:00 @ airport
7:15 flight
8:40 in Munich
12:00 leave Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
31:30 arrive in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
14:00 arrive at guest house
14:00-20:00
· 30 minute run
· Grocery store
· Make some sense of busses and transportation
· See who else is around
· Relax- check or Garmisch
20:00 Movie night (maybe)
Friday:
Sleep in!!!
9:00 – 21:00 Check in
17:30 Pasta party
19:30 official race meeting
Proposed schedule
· Get to check in early
· Go to Expo and meet Tom
· Get back to Garmisch and relax – get everything ready for race
· Get to Pasta part close to 17:30, attend the mandatory meeting, then get back home
Saturday:
4:00 wake and eat
5:00(:30) leave for Grainau
6:00 be in Grainau
6:30 line up at start
7:15 Gun goes off
Sunday:
After race hang for a bit
EAT and DRINK BEER
Shower and change in Grainau
Comments
@Patrick Large good skills for your race. I listened to your podcast last week with Coach P and was impressed with your approach for selecting and training for the race. I'm looking forward to reading your successful race report!
Thanks @Jeff Phillips
In my mind I've already won. I needed a journey and story and I've written that shit the best I could. One more chapter left :)
Looks good . Very thorough.
Do you start in daylight? 7:15am?
When does it get dark?
Make sure you plan to drop/pick up headlamp with room to spare. Consider a small back up headlamp to have or positioned at least one aid station earlier than you think you will need it.
Will your watch/phone last the entire event? Do you have a charger for your watch/phone? Is the charger positioned in a good spot on the course? Dont forget to dump it after you use it and at the next aid station.
Make lists for each AS based on time of day and weather. You can memorize them , bring them ,or put them at drop bag locations. That way nothing gets missed. I find when I come into an aid station focussing on one or two important things I tend to forget other stuff. If I am picking new stuff up I may forget to drop other stuff I no longer need, or I may walk off without eating or filling bladder since I was focussed on other things. Lists help, engage the AS volunteers, how far to next AS? , What time is it?, What is the weather forecast? Its such a long day , your needs change quite a bit.
@tim cronk I want to address some of these just so I have talked though it.
The day looks like it will be Hot and Wet at least at the base/start. 78F and scattered showers/T-storms. Not sure if that translates to cold and snow at the peaks, but I will find out.
Do you start in daylight? 7:15am? YES, sun rise is 5:20-ish
When does it get dark? 9:15-ish, almost 16hrs of day light
Make sure you plan to drop/pick up headlamp with room to spare. There is only one bag drop at the half way mark and I think I am required to carry headlamp at all times.
Make lists for each AS based on time of day and weather. Again only one bag drop at V5, so V1-4 and V6-10 are all the same. So there is only one pick up and drop off and I will do a full cloths change and nutrition reload at V5. Other than that I think I will have an order of operations. #1 physical check, major issues with feet, legs, back, gut, head?? #2 Refill water / tailwind . #3 Eat and Drink.
Will your watch/phone last the entire event? No- Phone is for emergency only and will be off or in airplane mode the entire time. Watch will get about 11 hours. I will see tonight if it will run while plugged into a power bank.
Do you have a charger for your watch/phone? On my shopping list for tomorrow
Is the charger positioned in a good spot on the course? It will be very small and portable (one charge) so I will carry it or leave at drop bag at V5
Great plan Patrick and congrats on the work you've done to get here. +1 on what Tim said about packing/carrying an extra headlamp. Stuff breaks on the trail and a backup light could save your race. In one of the Barkley videos I watched, one of the favorites put on his light, clicked the button and nothing. His race would have ended right there if someone hadn't given him their spare.
My only other comment is about "running the downhills". That's a lot of descending, especially that last long descent to the finish. Be sure to save some descending strength for that last hill.
Good skill to you!
Thanks @Clark Mitchell thanks for the words.
Keep in mind "running" is all relative. I'm not trying to make up for lost time on the climbs, but I would rather not "walk" the down hills. Either way every km will be a game time decision based on fuel, strength, head space, etc.
@Patrick Large you said:
My Why:
· To give the poorest of the poor children a chance.
How do you plan to do this? and how can the rest of us help?
@John Withrow Thanks so much for asking.
Part of my journey to this race has been fundraising for the Kidshare Foundation here in Netherlands. Kidshare's main beneficiaries are the children of Malawi (ages 3-7). They build schools, supply vaccinations and food. Most importantly unlike many charities in the US, something like .95 of the dollar goes directly to building, vaccinations and rice (the staple of the diet in Malawi).
I have manager to raise 3,303 euro (approx 3,740 USD) for the foundation and have one school committing to fund raise annually.
THERE IS STILL TIME TO CONTRIBUTE... EXACTLY THIS MUCH TIME
Use this link and donate on my behalf.
http://pif.one/opportunity4children
@Patrick Large Donation sent. Thanks for supporting such a worthy cause.
I'd encourage anybody who has been following Patrick's ultra journey to support his cause in whatever financial amount makes you comfortable. We are all so fortunate to have the means to spend extravagantly on travel and gear to do these sports we enjoy... And something as low as the cost of a couple cups of coffee can make an impact on a kid's life for an entire year. Imagine what a months worth of coffee could do. (p.s. I don't drink coffee, but you get the gist...)