Happy New Year!!! It’s that time again! You’ve probably spent the last week of 2021 window shopping on Ultrasignup trying to fill your 2022 with your bucket list races. Right? With the amount of races popping up all over it can be easy to want to fill up your calendar to avoid the dreaded FOMO that plagues most runners. But before you hit “checkout” on your Ultrasignup cart, I have some tips for a more strategic approach to reach your race goals in 2022.
What are your goals?
Are you looking to PR your next ultra or finish your first?
Let’s start with the distance of your goal race. According to UESCA Ultrarunning, assuming that having optimal race day performance is your goal, below are the recommended ranges as to how many races an ultrarunner can do per year. This can vary depending on the runner’s experience.
- 100 Mile: 1-2 times per 12 months
- 100K and 50 mile: 2-3 times per 12 months
- 50K: 3-4 times per 12 months
So ask yourself if you truly have time to dedicate to training for your goal distance? Is it realistic for your level of fitness, experience, and timeframe?
Do my goal races require any prerequisites?
Is my goal race a lottery event or does it require qualifier races? If so, what events will I use to fill those prerequisites? Some races require you to run other races before registering. So check out your goal event’s website for race rules before planning your 2022 race calendar!
Many runners believe that they need to complete shorter distances before running longer ones and that is far from the truth. You don’t need to complete a 50 miler before running a 100k. Is it good to have that experience? Yes, but it’s not a general rule and countless runners have disproved this. Just remember to give yourself adequate time to train properly for your distance.
Set your expectations.
Make sure you have the endurance base to accommodate your goals in the timeframe you have set for yourself. Remember the goal is to arrive at the start line injury free. Umkay? Rushing your mileage build up is a recipe for disaster. Want to run a 50 miler in two months but you’ve never run farther than 10 miles, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your goal.
Last but not least, make sure your race goals have meaning and are important to you. If you do it just cause Suzy Q did the race last year and you want to beat her Strava time, it might not be what gets you up to run day after day. Then again, it just might…
Now that you have your A race, think about B & C races
Depending on the time that you have to train for your A race(s), you may be able to add B (race prep event) & C (training event) races in leading up to your event that can serve as prep races or tune-up races. In general these are usually shorter distances than your A race and should correlate to where you’re at in your training for your A race.
No matter how many races you choose to add to your calendar, make sure you are able to handle the physical and mental stress of training for an ultra.
Finalize your calendar!
You did it! You’ve got your A, B, & C races all selected. Your B & C races line up according to where you will be at in your training. Just remember, the number of races that you choose to sign up for and how many you can optimally prepare for is individually based on YOUR experience, fitness, and mentality as a runner. While some runners can sustain running 100 milers ever month, for some it may be the fast track to injury and burnout.
Still unsure about what you have planned for 2022? Let me know! I’d love to take a look at what you want to accomplish and help you align your training to your goals!
