Filed under: Dig Deep Races, Eight Point Two News | Tags: trail races peak district, trail races suffolk, ultra running peak district, ultra running suffolk, ultra running uk
We would like to introduce another elite ultra runner who will be speaking at both the Dig Deep Peak District and the Dig Deep Suffolk event. James Adams is a popular figure in the ultra running world and you may have come across him in one of the many ultra running forums or heard about his epic run across America. He has just released his first book to brilliant reviews, which, incidentally you can find on amazon here 😉 So without further ado I will let James introduce himself…
James Adams Running and Stuff
Hi. My name is James and I am a fairly normal person with a regular body and regular mind. I have however completed some endurance challenges that some might find extraordinary. I have run 150 miles in one go several times, run 200 marathons and ultra marathons and a couple of years ago ran across the USA, from Los Angeles to new York. 3200 miles in 70 days, that’s 45 miles a day in what was the worst heatwave in living memory. People say “you must be mentally tough to get through that kind of thing” and I agree, you must be. However I certainly don’t believe I am any more mentally resilient that the next guy. I get upset and angry and paranoid and jealous just like we all do. However I do believe I have some valuable insight into what goes on in the human mind when trying to complete endurance challenges. I have been running ultra marathons for seven years and studying psychology for three and I have made it my mission to try and join the two together. I will be presenting a story of what I have learned about the human brain while running. When I started ultra running I didn’t appreciate that I will be participating in an intense and long term psychological study of on. I think anyone studying psychology should spend a summer running across the States as I reckon you learn more about the human brain while puking your guts up on the side of a road in New Mexico than you would in a lecture theatre. The talk is going to be a combination of the stuff I have run and what I learned about my brain in the process, including;
- What motivates it in general and throughout a race
- How to deal with stress and paranoia that will attack you in a race
- What to do when the task feels overwhelming, or boring, or pointless?
- How to use your mental training to deal with novel event that might pop up in races
- Some general tricks on making yourself feel awesome
Ultimately I hope to answer the question “Why I bother?”
I have also written a book about my adventures over the last few years. Running and Stuff is available on amazon.
My blog is here www.runningandstuff.com
Filed under: Dig Deep Races, Eight Point Two News | Tags: suffolk trail ultra marathon, trail running peak district, trail running suffolk, trail ultra marathons peak district, ultra running peak district, ultra running suffolk
Keep things interesting.
Sticking to a structured ultra marathon training plan, running the same routes at the same times of day can get really monotonous and hard to keep up. You see the same views, jump over the same puddles and if you’re not careful it can become more like a chore and less like fun. With a long lead up to a race, like the Ultra Tour of the Peak District (90Days) or The Ultra Tour of Suffolk (5 months) that original training plan can seem like a curse.. or worse still… boring.
Before you tear up that carefully crafted training plan and slam dunk it into the nearest bin just take a moment to think. Try taking your runs to different places, somewhere you’ve not been before. This new experience will boost your enthusiasm, your confidence and it’s always great to continue the search for “the perfect trail”. You never know what you might find, perhaps a view you never knew about or a hill that’s much better for hill reps than the ‘bump’ that you were believing was a hill. Trail running is meant to be fun, it’s meant to test you and let you forget the everyday stuff.
Root hopping on Parkin Clough
It’s not just excitement that new routes can bring you, venturing into the unknown will help hone your navigation skills, forcing you to use that map & compass instead of taking it as a token on your regular trail run. Perhaps it will bring into perspective where your nav skills are, allowing you to top them up where needed. Don’t forget, you can save minutes on race day easily by sharpening that nav – it’s not just fitness that will affect your time!
If you’re limited to where you can train and going somewhere new is more tricky, there are other ways to freshen things up. Why not run your route in the other direction, try it in the dark and at other times of day. Find a running partner, run with your dog, your neighbours dog (ask them first) – listen to an audio book, learn a language … you get the picture.
Running at Night can change your perspective of a route
So next time you’re feeling the boredom monster knocking at your door, think of something new for your next run, it’ll put a smile on your face and a spring in your step!
Check out our latest addition to the Dig Deep Race Series: Dig Deep Suffolk, 6th&7th September 2014.
Featuring 4 fantastic trail races through Suffolk:
5.5 mile Rendlesham Dash Suffolk Trail Race starts at 10:30am on Sunday 7th September £13.00
20KM Rendlesham Suffolk Trail race starts at 10:15am on Sunday 7th September £17.00
28 mile Suffolk Trail ‘Intro Ultra’ starts at 10am on Saturday 6th September £40.00
50 mile: ULTRA Tour of Suffolk (Suffolk trail ultra marathon) starts at 8am on Saturday 6th September £55.00
Eight Point Two 