Some mornings, even a gentle jog can involve Herculean effort. But it's all in the mind, according to Karl Meltzer, a world-class endurance runner who ran 3,300 kilometres from California to Missouri in just 40 days. "My body was so accustomed to it, I could have gone all the way to New York," he says. Here's how you can keep on running.
1. Train your brain "You just have to overcome the pain," Meltzer says. "The best way is [to move from] aid station to aid station – split it up into sections. You always recover, but you have to want it."
2. Don't stop "At the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, you see massage tables at kilometre 70," Meltzer says. "But the frontrunners don't take breaks." A speed of just 5kph is sufficient for an ultramarathon.
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3. Eat. Then eat some more Meltzer takes 340mg of sodium hourly during an ultramarathon, and, during a multi-day race, works his way through thousands of calories. "It could even be KFC – you get so hungry you crave fat."
4. Tend your wounds "After a day's running, I'll always ice my shins," says Meltzer. "Inflammation in the shins is pretty common." When not running, he wears soft shoes to reduce the strain on his joints.
5. Relax and enjoy it "I run 160 kilometres through the San Juan mountains, fully supported – how cool is that?" says Meltzer. "You get guys worrying about a turn, where to go. I just follow the damn markers and run."
This article was originally published in the October 2011 issue of WIRED magazine.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
