This weekend, night training for me… 81km 5000D+ on a part of the GR10. I regularly do “real conditions” outings to get out of my “comfort zone” and my bed but also to be closer to the wilderness and touse the equipment and set up the “race management”.
The ground was particularly slippery, made difficult by the heavy rains of the last few hours. It allows me to work on my support and to increase my vigilance!
Some good slips and small scares but it’s the job that comes in! And what a joy to cross in the beam of my headlamp, deer, roe deer, wild boar, foxes … which, dazzled by the light of my STOOTS, remain stoic to watch me pass … MAGIC!!!
If you too are planning to participate in an ultra trail or even just a night trail as they exist everywhere, here are some tips to avoid being caught off guard on race day:
1) Train to run at night, if possible with different weather conditions: clear weather, dark night, rain, fog,
2) Don’t go on an adventure, prepare your itinerary, inform your relatives and especially recognize it during the day,
3) Be well equipped, reflective jacket especially if you have to cross vehicles, a survival blanket if you go for a long time, and of course a headlamp because running in the dark is not the easiest thing 😉
For my part, I chose the STOOTS headlamps! Ultra light, extremely efficient in lighting with 4 intensity settings. As if I was running in broad daylight! Yes yes yes !!!!!
And once on the slopes :
4) Don’t try to break everything, be reasonable, adapt your pace and your stride and especially concentrate on your support… At night, even more than during the day, vigilance is required, especially in the mountains, so we go quietly, we enjoy the moment.
5) The metabolism changes between day and night when the body is at rest. At night, hypoglycemia and fatigue can be more frequent… So test your diet to arrive at the top on race day… if you have to spend the night outside, it is better to avoid stomach problems. For my part, for the nutrition part, I used ATLET BIO NUTRITION bars and gels alternately every 45′, as well as the energy drink. A sip every 10′ or so.
The result: no stomach aches, no fatigue and continuous energy.
That’s already a lot of elements validated for the deadlines that await me between July and October during which I will spend some nights outside…
But in the meantime, I have other night outings to attend.
Would you like to go on a 3-hour night out with me one of these days? We need to be able to plan this
#trailwithbenat
