I met my friend, Whitney Hajek (now Richman), in 2007 when training for the Chicago Marathon with CARA. She was a strong marathoner and lots of fun to train with. She was a teacher and was planning her upcoming wedding. She was just like the rest of us gals and guys. Whitney ran a bunch of marathons and was injured on and off (as I was). We commiserated. Then one day someone convinced Whitney to try an ultramarathon and she went from a strong marathon runner to an ultra phenom! As I have watched her (sorry Whit) sometimes CRAZY posts on FB about back to back 20 or 30 milers or looping all you can run 8 hour races, I came up with a lot of questions for her! Luckily for me (and you!), Whitney agreed to answer my questions and provides a bunch of resources in case we ever want to give it a try!
EF: How did you decide to start doing ultras?
WR: I decided to do my first ultra marathon right after I ran the Boston Marathon in 2010. I had a decent race at Boston, but I felt like I wanted something that was more of a challenge. I was browsing the Runner’s World Ultra Running forum online when I read about the Ice Age 50k in Wisconsin, which was three weeks after Boston. The runners in the forum assured me that I could run a 50k on my marathon training, so I went for it. I loved the low key, non-competitive, friendly atmosphere and running in the woods was peaceful. I realized that I actually liked enduring the discomfort in the latter miles, and I found it empowering to go beyond my preconceived limits. I was hooked.
EF: What did your parents/sister/husband/friends/co-workers say? Did they try to dissuade you?
WR: At first, they all thought I was a bit crazy. I understand that, because at one point I thought running 50 miles was crazy, too. My husband is very supportive of my running because he experiences my training and racing firsthand, so he sees how much I love it. He does express concern about how much I run, especially when I have a difficult race or a nagging injury. He doesn’t try to stop me, though. He knows that I’m very stubborn, and if I get an idea in my head, then nothing he says will deter me.
My immediate family lives in Virginia and has always expressed concern about how much I run and the impact it has on my body. Before running ultras, I was averaging 4-5 marathons a year, which was a lot by most people’s standards. I was often injured, which any loved one would worry about. When I graduated to longer distances – 50 miles and up, I think they didn’t understand why I wanted to push myself so much. People are afraid of the unknown, and running 50 miles isn’t a common thing to do. As much as I enjoy it, I’m also putting myself through difficult situations and pain, which is something that no one wants to see their loved one go through. I understand their concerns, so I show them pictures, tell them the positives about my races, and explain what I do to prevent injuries so they will have a better understanding. I’ve come to accept that they may never “get it”, and that’s ok. I invited them to my next 50 mile race since it’s 3 hours from Richmond, and my mom is coming. Out of all my family members, I think she’s the most understanding of my ultra running because she has an adventurous personality. She loves challenges, which is probably where I get it from.
EF: How have your eating habits changed? Do you feel hungry all the time?
WR: My eating habits haven’t changed that much from marathon training, except that I probably eat more of the same foods. I try to follow an 80/20 eating plan, meaning that 80% of my food comes from fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, whole grains, low-fat dairy, etc. while 20% is not so healthy. I don’t count calories, but instead try to eat intuitively and follow my hunger cues. It works most of the time ☺. I do feel hungry often, and I eat often throughout the day. I’m a sucker for sweet stuff, specifically Edy’s light coffee ice cream, my special hot chocolate concoction, and basically anything with chocolate – I eat treats daily, but try to pick and choose. Oh, and I also love white wine, so I have a few glasses a week.
I think a common misconception among distance runners is that you can eat everything and anything you want to because you run a lot. I’ve seen many marathon and even ultra marathon runners gain weight or not perform as well as their potential because of their diet. The food-reward mentality is OK some times, but there needs to be a balance. I would not be capable of running as much or as well as I do if I was eating cheeseburgers, french fries, and milkshakes after every long run. [EF: I can vouch for this as one of the years I ran the most marathons, I gained 5 pounds and I did not lose it until I realized that I was taking in way more calories than I burned!]
EF: What do you eat during the ultras? What is the weirdest race food you have been presented with on a course?
WR: Aid stations at ultras are a different animal than at marathons – some of them are like buffets! They usually have cookies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salted potatoes, pretzels, peanut M&Ms, and soda, on top of the usual Gatorade and water. The volunteers are usually very helpful, and they will fill your handheld water bottle up for you while you sample the foods. The weirdest food I’ve seen at an aid station is green olives, which were quite popular probably because of the sodium content. I avoided those.
Running a 50k, you can basically use the same nutrition plan you use during a marathon. When you get into longer races, however, you need more real foods. There’s a saying in ultras, “Eat early and eat often.” This is something that I need to work on myself. Especially when it’s hot out, I have trouble eating real food because the consistency or texture makes me nauseous. You have to try out foods in training to see what works for you. Lately, I’ve been eating Cliff Mojo Bars (I put them in a zip-lock baggie and break them into pieces so it’s easier to access and eat), AccelGel, and 2nd Surge during my races alone with water and Gatorade. I know when I run 100 mile race I’ll need to eat real food, which I think will be my biggest obstacle in running that distance. Sometimes I’ll do a long run in a fasted state or with very minimal fuel so I can train my body to burn fat more efficiently. For example, I ran a 30 mile training run last week with only 1/3 of a Cliff Mojo bar around mile 12. I didn’t eat within 12 hours before the run (when I woke up), and I only drank water during the run. Fasted long run training seems to be working because I negative split the 30 miler by 5 minutes. This type of run gives me confidence that I can run hard towards the end of a 30-50 mile race.
Some runners can eat anything during ultras though. For example, in the middle of a 12 hour race when it was 90 degrees, my friends sent my husband to get them pizza. They devoured it mid-race and kept on running. I, on the other hand, couldn’t even look at it.
EF: What do you think about for SO long out there?
WR: Ha, everything and nothing. During training, I listen to a lot of running podcasts. Sometimes I like to run sans gadgets, especially on a wooded trail. Just being in nature and hearing my feet hit the ground provides a peaceful rhythm. It’s an escape from all the pressures and expectations of life. During races, I’m usually thinking about running each mile the best I possibly can and anticipating my needs. A few miles before an aid station or drop bag, I’ll mentally assess how my body is feeling and what I need. I go through a checklist: food, drink, salt tablets, Tylenol, Body Glide, etc. Then I repeat it over and over, sometimes out loud to myself, so I don’t forget anything. Sometimes I have to zone out and not think about things or choose one positive to focus on. For example, I started feeling blisters on my toes about 8 hours into a 12 hr. race. They were increasingly uncomfortable, but I told myself I must ignore the blisters and I’ll deal with them when I’m done. Thinking about the courses in aid station segments is a good mental tactic in ultras. If I think about the entire distance at once, I get overwhelmed and intimidated.
EF: How many hours do you spend a week training?
WR: Between running and core/strength work, I spend an average of 15 – 17 hours a week training. You don’t have to spend that much time training to run an ultra, though. Many people run a 50 miler on 50 miles per week in training. The long runs and time on your feet runs are the most important training runs for ultras. Personally, I’ve found that the more miles I run, my recovery time is quicker and my race times have dropped. Plus I love to run, so that helps.
EF: How do you avoid getting injured?
WR: This is probably the most popular question people ask me. When I was only running road marathons, I was often injured. Over the past 1 ½ years, I’ve made some changes, and I’ve been injury-free while consistently running my highest mileage ever (80-100+ mpw). I think this is due to four things:
1. One thing I learned from my previous injuries is that strong hips and core can prevent many running injuries. Twice a week I do a series I call “Hips of Death” and a plyometric/strength workout called “IronStrength” from Runner World online.
2. I got a running gait-analysis done, and found that I was wearing a shoe with too much stability and was possibly the culprit of some of my injuries. I transitioned to a variety of neutral shoes and concentrated more on a mid-foot strike.
3. I avoid running on sidewalks and asphalt as much as possible to reduce impact on my bones and joints. Since I live the city, I try and run on the grass next to the sidewalk, the crushed limestone next to the Chicago bike trail, or on the little bits of trail in the bird sanctuaries. Sometimes I drive to a local trail, like Palos Forest Preserve, Waterfall Glen, or the Des Plaines River Trail for a longer run.
4. Speed work/high intensity running is roughly 15% of my overall mileage. I’ve learned to embrace slower, easy paced runs. Depending upon the day, my mile pace varies from 7:30-10 min. per mile when I’m not doing a speed work out.
EF: What was your best ultra experience?
WR: My best ultra experience thus far is probably when I was 7 ½ hours into Howl at the Moon 8 hour race. I hit 50 miles in a new personal best time, and then my fastest miles of that race were miles 50 and 51. That last hour of the race was an indication that my training was paying off and I won the women’s race.
EF: What event would you do every year? What event would you never do again?
WR: Thus far, the event I’d do every year would be the Ice Age 50 mile. It’s held in early May in the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Wisconsin. The course is a bit technical, yet runnable and follows the Ice Age Trail. The scenery is beautiful there.
I haven’t run an event I’d never do again so far, but that just means I haven’t tried one hard enough yet. ☺ [EF: Maybe Badwater?? or Comrades? Although my Boston/Big Sur Challenge friends who did Comrades already signed up for next year. You can meet them at NYC!]
EF: What are you training for now and what is your goal?
WR: Currently, I’m training for the JFK 50 mile race in mid-November and my first 100 mile race, Long Haul 100, in mid-January. JFK 50 is the largest and oldest ultra marathon, and this year is the 50th Anniversary of the race. There will be many fantastic, pro ultra runners competing, which I’m really looking forward to seeing. I haven’t registered for the 100 miler yet because it’s small and won’t sell out so I have some time before I finically commit. I do a lot of races as training run when I can, so I’m running the Empire State Marathon on October 21, Lakefront 50k on October 27th, and NYC Marathon on November 4th.
EF: Why should I run an ultra?
WR: So many reasons! Here’s some:
> Challenge yourself and push beyond your limits
> Try something new
> Enjoy nature
> Have fun
> Be inspired
> Appreciate the present moments, good and bad
> Make new friends
> Have a new running experience
> See how tough you really are
> Experience a new community of runners
> Become more mentally tough
> Make mistakes and learn from them
> Improve your marathon times (I PR’ed 4 weeks after a 53 mile race mostly because of my increased endurance).
> Buy new clothes and gear ☺
> Makes marathons seem short!
My favorite saying regarding ultras is “If you never try, you’ll never know.”
Whitney recommends these websites if you want about ultra running/”chicks” in ultra running:
– Anything and everything you need to know to run an ultra @ ultrunr.com
– Awesome ultra runner chicks @ ultrachicksunite.com
– Online version of UltraRunning Magazine, some good past articles, and a searchable race calendar by state, distance, difficulty, etc.
– Training plans, info, and races calendars @ ultramarathonrunning.com
– Find races by distance and region, also look up race results by race or individual
I always said that I never needed to run more than 26.2… I guess I should never say never. Now I am saying maybe (maybe not never?) – how about you?