Ultramarathon Training and Diet

[Croppers]

Does anyone have any tips/advice on training for a 24 marathon row (individual) and also anything on diet during such a row?

[Nosmo]

I would check out the bicycle forums and ask there. There are a lot of people who do really long rides and races of 24 hours or even significantly longer. You will find many more people experienced with long endurance races.

I've done one 240 mile ride (15 hours) and many 140 mile rides. These are much shorter then 24 hours, so I don't really know about 24 hours. However, for what it is worth...

You need to eat early and eat often. At some point you are likely to lose your appetite, and will need to force yourself to eat. You must do this. Most likely you will want some solid food rather then liquids or just energy bars. Some protein and fat most likely will be a big help. Find out what your stomach can tolerate. Most likely you will be able to handle more food then normally because you will be going much slower. Start out really slowly. When practicing, row really slowly, (something like marathon pace + 10 or 15 seconds and experiment with how often and how much you can eat. Try eating a little every 15 minutes and see how much you can put in your body before it starts to bother you. You want eat a bit less then that.

[philrow]

Croppers,

http://www.fletchersportscience.co.uk/s ... 1d3f53835c

While I haven't read the entire thing, it discusses physical and mental preparation, diet, recovery, and generally everything one needs to know about rowing marathons. I don't know if there is much mention of 24-hour marathons, but perhaps the information could be useful. I'm thinking one of these years of doing a marathon, maybe even a 24-hour marathon... just like I'm thinking of rowing a 6:20 2k and a 16:50 5k.

Good luck!
Phil

[Croppers]

Thanks guys - useful advice and links!

Croppers

[Nosmo]

I read the entire Eddie Fletcher marathon program that philrow linked.

It is really worth reading. Lots of good stuff especially the mental part. Be aware that nutritionally a marathon is completely different from a 24 hour row so the advice there is not directly applicable. Personally I can't imagine counting calories and calculating how much is burned on a daily basis.

The program makes much more sense to me then the one in the training manual on the UK web site. The one on the UK web site seems based on a running training program Since running is so abusive the millage must be limited. However for rowing one can do much longer workouts. Even so I found it interesting that Eddie Flechters program limited the workouts to 90 minutes. Not what I would recommend but it seemed to work for those who tried it.
If one was going to do a 100 mile bike race for example, one usually would have many rides of at least 80 miles in training, and many people would have many of over 100.

[tich]

HI EVERYONE IM NEW TO THE FORUM PAUL M OCT 07 ROWED A MARATHON IN 3/ 11 53 / AGE 54 LWT WOULD REALLY BE INTERESTED IN IDEAS AND WAYS TO TRAIN FOR THE 100.000 METERS BUT HOW DO YOU DO THIS AND RECOVER AS WELL AS I GUESS IT IS ABOUT 60 PLUS MILES ANY HELP WELCOME////

[2whlrcr]

I'm a little late posting, but I'll throw in my .2 worth.

I did a 325 miles bicycle ride once in 17:15 hours. The training regimen consisted of lots of 4-6 hours rides with one eight hour ride. During this training it's important to experiment with foods that digest easily and don't upset your stomach.

This was pre energy bar days and I think Gatoraide was available, but probably not the same formulation as today. We ate primarily fruits and I liked PB & J sandwiches. We munched frequently, but in small quantiies. Hydration consisted of water and a diluted soda mixture.

Another thing we did was carbo deplete and load. Approximately one week before the event, we carbo depleted for three days. Eat anything you want, as long as it didn't contain carbos (this is very tough and restrictive), then three to four days before the ride, we started packing it on.

Overall our I think our training plan was very effective. It was supervised by sports physiologists and dieticians. Our goal was less than 24 hours and we smashed that by riding the distance in 17:15. This record still stands today, 25 years later, primarily because no one else is stupid enough to try it.

[johnlvs2run]

I carbo load 24/7 and never deplete.

My longest row was 110 km in 8 hours and 48 minutes, plus I took a 30' break every hour in between.

During my marathons I usually eat fig bars or dates and drink water.

I'd recommend eating something every 15 minutes at least.

When you're not rowing, then lay down on the floor on your back. If you can sleep a few minutes, that helps.

For a 24 hour row, change your togs every couple of hours.