u/Fibiz

I’ve been running for just under two years. So far, I’ve run around 5,500 km and accumulated about 200,000 m of elevation gain. During the periods when I’m not racing (around six months of the year), I’ve added one strength session at home using dumbbells and resistance bands, mainly to improve my overall strength slightly and prevent injuries. So far, this has worked very well, as I’ve never had an injury.

After my last race in September, I’d like to start going to the gym twice a week for a couple of months and try to improve my strength and durability.

I only run ultras, ranging from 50 km to 120 km. Does it make sense to include two gym sessions per week focused exclusively on lower-body strength and core as part of my training program? Or would it be better to continue with the exercises I’ve been doing at home, since they seem to be working well?

The exercises I usually did at home were glute bridges, Bulgarian split squats, lunges, step-ups,planks, and crab walks and rdl

In three weeks I'll be running a 90 km race with 6000m of elev.gain that starts at 10 p.m. It will be my first overnight race.

To avoid being unprepared, this weekend I'll be doing my final long run on the race course, and I've decided to do it at night.

Do you change your nutrition strategy during the night, or do you stick to the same plan?

When are the best times to take caffeine?

Is it realistic to complete a race of around 16 hours using only gels?

So far, my longest race has been 10 hours, and I was able to consume 70 g of carbohydrates per hour without any issues. Do you have any advice or anything you'd recommend I experiment with during this weekend's long run?

Thanks!

In three weeks I'll be running a 90 km race with 6000m of elev.gain that starts at 10 p.m. It will be my first overnight race.

To avoid being unprepared, this weekend I'll be doing my final long run on the race course, and I've decided to do it at night.

Do you change your nutrition strategy during the night, or do you stick to the same plan?

When are the best times to take caffeine?

Is it realistic to complete a race of around 16 hours using only gels?

So far, my longest race has been 10 hours, and I was able to consume 70 g of carbohydrates per hour without any issues. Do you have any advice or anything you'd recommend I experiment with during this weekend's long run?

Thanks!

How much can you realistically improve in one year of running? How many hours per week do you train, including running, strength training, and possibly cross-training?

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Tell me about the progress you've made over the course of a year. It can be anything—for example, your easy runs went from 5:30 min/km to 5:00 min/km, you improved your race times, or you're now able to run at the same pace as a year ago but with a heart rate that's 10 bpm lower.

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I'm curious to understand how much progress amateur runners can achieve in a year of training.

I've been running for about two years. I train a lot and follow a structured plan, but it feels like I'm not making any progress.

Exactly one year ago, I decided to start working with a coach. I've always completed the races I set as goals without any major issues, consistently finishing in the top 10–20% of the standings, but I still feel like I'm never really improving.

I train 6 days a week, sometimes even 7. I also do cross-training when I feel I need active recovery (usually cycling), and I regularly do strength training. During peak weeks, I can train for more than 10 hours.

This year alone, I've already run 1,700 km with 50,000 meters of positive elevation gain.

I sleep 7–8 hours every night and try to eat well consistently.

What am I doing wrong? I feel like I'm never really fatigued between runs and that I always recover well.

My pace on flat easy runs has improved only very slightly over these two years. I feel like I could go out right now and run a 100 km race without too many problems, but it seems like I'm not seeing any real progress.

In July I’ll be doing a 90 km race with 6000 m of elevation gain. The race starts at 10 PM, which is normally the time I go to bed since I usually wake up at 5:30 AM.

I’m not worried about either the distance or the elevation, because I feel like I could go out right now and run 100 km or more without too many problems.

Unfortunately, even on weekends when I don’t have to set an alarm, I can’t sleep in late or fall asleep in the afternoon.

What would you recommend doing in the days leading up to the race, and especially on race day itself?

It’s the first race I’ve ever done with a nighttime start do you have any advice?

Hi, I have a 2023 Scott Addict RC 10 road bike that I bought used. The bike fitter recommended getting an 80mm stem and slightly moving the saddle back, or alternatively, getting a 90mm stem and leaving the saddle as it is.

I tried checking on the Syncros website, but the 80mm size isn’t available.

Do you know of any stems from other brands that would be compatible?

I’m looking for a shoe to use for my long runs. I live in the Alps, so there are very steep climbs and very technical descents.

I’ve been running all winter with the Tomir 2 on easier terrain, but I’ve noticed that on technical terrain—especially downhill—they feel quite unstable.

I’ve already tried the Kjerag, but they’re a bit too narrow for the shape of my foot.

I race in the Norda 001, but given the price, I don’t want to use them for training.