How to Get Faster Without Getting Faster

These are just some quick thoughts I had about things you can do right now to cut time off your next race. Obviously, training hard and efficiently, as well as losing weight and having a good diet are the primary ways to get faster, but these are a few logistical tips that can help you get to the finish line quicker without gaining any speed.

Carry less:

Having been to a number of races over the years, it never ceases to amaze me how disproportionately too much stuff people carry for the distances they are running. For most folks the big culprit for extra weight is water. Even at 5k and 10k races I see people with hydration packs, despite the fact that water is provided every few miles on the course. Even if you are walking these distances, unless it is extremely hot, you will not need to carry water, or food. For half marathons and marathons, it might make more sense to carry a water bottle and food, but a 70 ounce pack is still overdoing it when you have the option to refill something smaller, like a 20 ounce bottle, every couple of miles. Every extra pound of weight you carry could add 10-15 seconds per mile to your pace. Carrying an unnecessary 3 lbs of water could add 6-7 minutes to a half marathon and 10-15 minutes to a full marathon. Plus, you need to consider how the extra weight will effect your muscles and joints which will be working harder to support it.

The second biggest culprit for carrying excess weight is gear. Now, let me be clear, I've done ultras where you might have several hours between aid stations, or a drop bag. Given that amount of time, you might have to carry gear you may not end up using. I'm talking more about when you have 4-6 miles between aid stations, and likely no more than an hour in between. If you are on flat trails, or not in the mountains, there's a pretty good chance that carrying a flashlight, extra batteries, trekking poles, a spare rain jacket, extra socks, gloves, a camera, a cell phone, a solar charger, 20 granola bars, 5 apples, 4 bananas, water filter, a dead yak, and using a 20-30 liter pack is a bit of overkill. Remember, you are paying for a race to supply you with what you need at the aid stations, so you might as well use them.

Lastly, as far as carrying extra weight, is the small stuff. Lots of small things add up, and even people like myself can be surprised how much it can all amount to. I put this to the test this past summer and fall when I analyzed a breakdown of the items I planned to run with during one of my fall marathons. The first gear list looked pretty minimal on paper.

- 6 gels (6 ounces)
- 10 ounce Nathan bottle with Nathan Trail Mix Belt(21.2 ounces)
- arm sleeves and calf sleeves (6 ounces)
- Standard running shorts and tech shirt (9.5 ounces)
- Standard hat (2.3 ounces)
- Adidas Energy Boost 2 (19.7 ounces)
- iPod Nano (1.5 ounces)
- Garmin Forerunner 310 (3.5 ounces)

Total weight: 66.4 ounces

Notice that this list is all pretty standard stuff for running, but still weighed in at over four pounds! We tend to forget how much we are carrying, especially when the weight is distributed over the entire body like our running gear is. I then modified my gear list, with the biggest changed being that I wasn't going to carry any water. I also chose not to wear any compression clothing, as they would soak up sweat and add weight. The remaining clothing and shoes were swapped out for lighter options, which was a more dramatic weight cut than I expected. Of the original items, I decided to keep the iPod and Garmin and figured it was worth the extra weight to be able to stay motivated with music and know my pace and distance. The new gear list, which is what I ended running with, ended up like this.

- 6 gels (6 ounces, fyi no gels were provided on the course)
- Nathan 5k pack to hold the gels (3 ounces)
- Brooks hat (1.5 ounces)
- iPod Nano (1.5 ounces)
- Garmin Forerunner 310 (3.5 ounces)
- Saucony singlet and shorts (5.3 ounces)
- Hoka One One Clifton 1 (16.2)

Total weight: 37.0

Wow, what a difference! 66.4 ounces dropped down to 37, which is almost two pounds lighter. The big factor here was straying out of my comfort zone and not running with water. The comfort zone is one of the biggest reasons people carry too much stuff, and challenging yourself to run with less and less will help you feel more at ease. Coming off summer training, I got used to running with water, so it felt a little weird going into race day without having instant access to hydration when I needed it. However, race day temperatures were between 40 and 63 degrees, so just a few sips from the water stops every two miles ended up being adequate. When you realize you can carry less and still have what you need, it can be a very freeing feeling, and it also feels awesome to be lugging around less dead weight.

Part two of this post has to do with more with ultra marathons and aid station management. Basically, ultrarunners can be notorious for taking way too much time at aid stations. The longer the event is, the more time people seem to spend at aid stations. I know quite a few runners that are faster than me, but because I take significantly less time at aid stations, I actually finish ahead of them.

- If you have a crew and/or drop bags, proper planning can get you what you need very quickly. Why spend 10 minutes aimlessly clamoring through stuff you did't need, when you could grab and go everything in under a minute? If you did this for a race with 15-20 aid stations, there's a good chance you could cut an hour off your time just by being better organized.

- Beware the chair. This is a regular saying at ultras and it's true. While most of us like to have a few minutes off our feet during a long race, it's much harder to get going once you have been sitting. An object in motion stays in motion. During a 100 miler, I could understand wanting to relax for 5-10 minutes, but even then you have to ask yourself what will keep your momentum going. Is a 20 minute break going to help you mentally and physically recharge, or will it cause you to shut down? Assuming you are feeling good, sometimes it's easier just to grab the essentials and keeping moving forward.

- You can also prep for an aid station before you reach an aid station. This is as simple as getting your bottle/pack ready to refill, or eating something just before you arrive so you can grab more food and go. You can also remove gear you know you will be leaving in a drop bag, so you aren't having to stop and change at the aid station. Also, if there's no need to stand around, it's just as easy to grab food and eat it while walking. Basically, if you can do something just as easily walking as you could standing still, then choose the walking option.

- For races 50 miles and under, stopping for a couple minutes is about the most you will ever need. Again, if you really only require 30-60 seconds to refill water and get food, but instead stop for several minutes, it could add a lot of unneeded time to your day.