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COACH’S CORNER – SHARPENING UP YOUR TRAINING

Kate Dzienis • August 23, 2018

Coach’s Corner is our new feature for AURA members, where qualified trained professionals provide you with advice and tips on improving and enhancing your ultra running performance.

Contributed by Brendan Davies, UP Coaching Head Coach & Captain of Australian 100k World Team

UP Coaching specialises in coaching ultra runners across road and trail. Davies’ team of coaches include Australian ultra running representatives Kellie Emmerson, Kelly-ann Varey, Mick Keyte, David Kennedy, Jonathan Worswick and Jodie Oborne. UP Coaching has provided coaching to many prominent Australian ultra runners including Kellie Emmerson, Larissa Tichon, Lou Clifton, Robyn Bruins, Andrew Hough, Steph Auston, Tia Jones and Corrina Black.

Sharpening Up Your Training

With my own training for the 100km World Championships in Croatia now entering its final phases, it seems very apt for me to share with you my thoughts on this often misunderstood, but terribly important phase of a training cycle – the Sharpening Phase.

With just on six weeks to go before the World Championships, it marked the time for me to start transitioning out of the base building, high mileage phase of my training cycle and moving into the Sharpening Phase.

This is a crucial part in the macro cycles of a periodised approach to an ‘A’ race, and the phase where significant improvements in fitness and form can be gained. It’s important to note that the Sharpening Phase is not the same as Taper Phase; rather it is the 3 to 4 weeks lead in period to the 2 to 3 week taper (this would vary from athlete to athlete).

I should preface this by stating that not all athletes will incorporate this phase into their training. I personally take a very periodised training approach, so it works for me both physically and mentally as I approach a big race. However, there are many recreational ultra runners who prefer to keep a very similar training pattern all year round and when incorporating races often, the time to ‘sharpen’ can be both impractical or not relevant to the goals of the athlete.

Likewise, coaches may choose not to implement this phase into an athlete’s plan as it may not be in the best interests of the individual athlete. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to coaching, and coaches will rely on the ‘art’ of coaching as much as the ‘science’.

For example, I am personally coaching two other athletes on the Australian 100km team, but due to different circumstances, they will have different looking final phases. While one is undergoing a sharpening phase, the other is not – simply due to the fact there are gains to be had for both athletes with the different approaches. One is ‘readier’ to sharpen than the other, and it’s a phase you can only implement if the athlete is prepared.

Anyway, so back to me. Up until now my training has been exhausting! Lots of endurance building, aerobically challenging miles which peaked with weeks of 200km volumes. Big long runs, which peaked out at 70km mixed in with a stack of ‘easier’ running and mixed workouts. I was, as you would understand, feeling a little worn out! This is normal and this is what I was intending. You must build a large aerobic capacity and a strong, durable and conditioned body to be the best ultra runner you can be (and for me to compete on the World stage).

The good news is now I have begun to ease off the large weekly miles and begin to target specific workouts designed to achieve my goal at Worlds. During the Sharpening Phase, with decreased weekly mileage, I’m beginning to feel more.

You can see my Strava training log to get an idea of how this looks. Weekly mileage can be seen. Dark green are long runs and yellow are ‘workouts’, meaning session work such as track, fartlek, hills etc.

What does the Sharpening Phase look like?

It is a period when overall mileage is reduced, including the duration of the long runs. Some easier sessions are now being replaced with higher intensity sessions such as speed sessions, hill workouts and more ‘race pace’ aerobic runs. Rest days should also increase to give your body ample time to recover for and from the harder sessions (please note that easy runs for me replicate the same benefits as a total day or rest).

Why have a Sharpening Phase?

The benefits of the Sharpening Phase (and subsequent taper) are many. Probably the biggest however is that backing off the mileage and introducing more rest and anaerobic sessions will improve freshness (how ready to race you are becoming) and your running efficiency. When backing of the overall volume your legs will gain strength and the mechanics of your running form will improve with faster sessions. Your speed and leg turnover will increase; and this you can bet will always be something you will benefit from no matter the terrain; road or trail. The sharpening phase will also give your mind some rest as you ease back from the stressors of a heavy training load as you begin to focus on the race ahead.

Should you still be doing long runs?

Yes, absolutely. However, you may want to now start slowly decreasing the overall volume of some of the long run session and perhaps start introducing some consecutive day long runs and race pace efforts (although this is easily determined for a road run such as the 100k, it’s usually better to go by ‘race effort’ for a trail race). These type of sessions will simulate the fatigue that you will feel in the race. Another great long run session during this phase is the ‘race pace’ long run. Decrease the volume but increase the intensity to a pace that you feel is working you harder. These kind of runs will give you the opportunity to optimise lactate levels and gain a good understanding of your race pace and allow you to adapt this for race specific effort.

What type of sessions should you be introducing?

These are the ‘icing on the cake’ sessions and you must be cautious as adding speed and harder workouts can be a double-edged sword. It is vital that we sufficiently rest so as to avoid injuries by suddenly introducing faster efforts. Just as you build volume and duration through the base building stage, introduce these sessions gradually. Increase the frequency and the intensity up slowly – the last thing we need now is to jeopardise all our hard work by tearing a muscle! Do not ever begin a speed session if you don’t feel properly recovered from the previous runs you’ve done in the days leading into the speed session. Speed work can take a number of forms:

Fartlek –‘speed play’ runs with varying intensity from easy training pace to 5k or 10km race pace. Generally these are fairly unstructured and will be done on varied terrain. A typical fartlek example may be a 3km warm-up on trail followed by 5 x 3min surges run at 5k race pace. Between each surge the runner will jog along 2-3min. At the end of the surges the runner will cool down for another 3kms.

Tempo Runs –these are runs structured to hold a certain pace for a longer period of time or distance. A typical tempo run may be a 4km warm-up with the runner working right into a tempo of a 8km run at 16km at 10km race pace followed by 4km cool down. Tempo runs teach the runner to run at an ‘uncomfortably hard’ effort for an extended period of time and will increase your lactate threshold level

Intervals –most intervals are done on the track. Generally they are faster than either fartleks or tempos. Short, fast intervals will have a runner run at near their maximum anaerobic pace. A common short interval might be 8 x 400m run at 5km race pace with 1min jog between each. Other sessions which probably more relative to ultrarunning are Vo2 Max Sessions such as 6-8 x 1km intervals. A key component of intervals is incomplete rest. The runner should still be mildly fatigued when beginning the next interval. This will improve aerobic strength.

Hill Repeats –these are the most specific sessions for trail events and if you’re training for a trail event, you have all probably already done lots of these in your base building stage. If not, now is the time to start. A good hill session is 10 x 300m hard efforts uphill on a hill of around 8-9% gradient with a recovery walk down.

Throughout the Sharpening Phase you should try to complete at least one speed session per week. This could increase to multiple depending on your own preferences and reactions to the workouts. For example an older or novice runner may do less speed work where a more competitive or younger runner may do more. The ability for a runner to recover from speed work is also a critical factor. This is where your own judgment is vital and working together with a coach who can properly track your fatigue and predict what is best for you is always a much safer and smarter path to take.

Get in touch with Brendan Davies and his team at UP Coaching by clicking on the logo above, emailing him at brendan@upcoaching.com.au or visiting his socials

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AUTRA News Report 19-02-2025

By Kate Dzienis • February 19, 2025

The latest in race results, covering Cradle Mountain Run, City Run, Oscars 100 Hut 2 Hut and Yaberoo Trail Ultra.

Final 2024 Points Competition Results

By Alexis Oosterhoff • January 30, 2025

Results for the 2024 AUTRA Points Competition have been finalised, and are available on our Points Competition page. Full details of the top 10 (as shared on Facebook during January) are detailed below, and results for all participating AUTRA members can be found in the documents at the above link. It was a real battle throughout the year between our top two finishers, Phil Gore & Kevin "BK" Matthews, with both giving it their it their all at events, and through contributions to the community - volunteering at multiple events, and submitting articles to our monthly newsletter, Ultramag. They finished within 2km of total distance for the year (Phil on 1203.087km, and Kevin on 1205.510km), and it was only Phil's final volunteering effort on 6 Inch Trail Marathon in December that gave him the that very narrow victory. As you'd be aware from previous communications, this marks the end of the Points Competition. With trail running (of all distances) now incorporated into AU T RA's constitution, and after careful consideration of the costs of the competition payouts in it's current form, the committee felt it was time for it's retirement. This marks my seventh and final year of delivering the points competition to membership (2018-2024), after taking on the role from Cheryl Symons. It has brought me great joy in doing so, and I feel like I've had an opportunity to get to know so many of our members through seeing their race (and volunteering) performances over the years! I'm continuing in my role as the AUS/NZL statistician for DUV (from whom we shared the data for the points comp), and you can expect to continue to find your ultra-race result on their site. 1st Place - Phil Gore (WA) - 86 points Phil's achievements this year have included a massive 265.653km (and 2nd place) at the IAU 24h Asia & Oceania Championships, wins at the Red Dirt Backyard Ultra (33 laps), the Australian leg of Big Dog's Backyard World Team Championship (96 laps), and the Soochow/Taipei 24h Ultramarathon (270.826km). He also knocked out an easy (!) 72km at the Light Horse Ultra 24h in between supporting his amazing wife Gemma. Those two 24h wins netted Phil new Oceania 24h Open Male records, IAU Level 1 qualifiers, and pushed him to the top of Australia's 24h trophy board (with only the great Yiannis Kouros having run further). Phil topped-up his points by contributing one article to Ultramag, worked as an Event Director at Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, and volunteered at a further five events through the year. He finished on 86 points. 2nd Place - Kevin Matthews (WA) - 84 points Finishing in 2nd place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Kevin Matthews. He monstered his way through the year with finishes at Australia Day Ultra 100km, Delirious WEST 200mi, 24 laps at Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, 190km at Light Horse Ultra 24h, 23 laps at Birdy's Backyard Ultra, and also completed Feral Pig 100 miler, Sandman 50km and Six Inch 47km. And to top things off, he contributed five articles to Ultramag, and volunteered at five events. BK ran 1205km in Ultramarathon races this year, all of them AUTRA-listed, and surpassed 100 marathon finishes (including 51 Ultramarathons!) Kevin finished the year on 84 points, a massive 34 points ahead of our 3rd place finisher Sue Robertson. 3rd Place - Sue Robertson (WA) - 50 points Finishing in 3rd place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Sue Robertson. Sue completed the Ultra Series 100 miler trilogy of Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST, and rounded out her year with the Sandman 50km and Six Inch 47km races. She received 30 points from the racing at AUTRA-listed events, and was awarded a further 20 points by volunteering across eight events and contributing two articles to Ultramag, for a total of 50 points for the year. Thank you Sue! 4th Place - Margie Hadley (WA) - 47 points Finishing in 4th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Margie Hadley . She was the top-female finisher at both the No Time to Die Frontyard Ultra & Wild Dog Backyard Ultra, 2nd at Birdy's Backyard Ultra, ran 182km at the Australian 24h Track Invitational and placed 3rd at Coast to Kosci. Margie received 47 points in the competition 5th Place - Melissa Robertson (NSW) - 44 points Finishing in 5th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is NSW's Melissa Robertson. Melissa took out 1st place at Irrational SOUTH 200 miler, 2nd place at Lakes Trail Festival 100km, 1st place at Hume & Hovell 100 miler, 3rd place at Rumble in the Jungle and 6th place at Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 100 miler! She also volunteered at the GNW 50km event, receiving 44 points in the competition! 6th Place - Aaron Young (WA) - 42 points Finishing in 6th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Aaron Young . Aaron finished in 1st place at each of the Ultra Series "Triple Crown" of 200 milers (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), 55 laps at Big Dog's Backyard World Team Championship, and rounded his year out with Feral Pig 100 miler. Aaron receives 42 points, just nudging ahead of Maree Connor (who also finished on 42 points) on a count-back 7th Place - Maree Connor (NSW) - 42 points Finishing in 7th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is NSW's Maree Connor. Maree had an outstanding year, achieving 2nd place with 221km (and an IAU Level 1 qualifier) at the IAU 24th Asian and Oceania Championships, 1st place at the Lakes Trail Festival 100km, 1st place with 67km at the Southern Sydney 6h race, and 1st place with 116km at the Narrabeen Allnighter 12h. Maree also competed at Spartathlon race this year (for which she contributed an article to the September Ultramag on her experience), receiving 42 points in the competition. 8th Place - Darren Linney (SA) - 41 points Finishing in 8th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is SA's Darren Linney . Darren completed 34 laps at No Time to Die BYU, 199km at the Adelaide 24h race, and 814km at the Australian 6 Day race, for a total of 1241km raced and 41 points . 9th Place - Tristan Cameron (WA) - 40 points Finishing in 9th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Tristan Cameron. Tristan completed the Ultra Series Triple Crown of 200 mile races (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), along with Feral Pig 100 miler, for a total of 1154km raced and 40 points. 10th Place - Jen Millum (WA) - 39 points Finishing in 10th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Jen Millum . Jen finished 1st at all three of the Ultra Series Trilogy of 100 milers (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), and was 2nd female with 35 laps at the Wild Dog Backyard Ultra. With a volunteer stint at the Yaberoo Trail Ultra, Jen finished the year with 39 points in the competition. To view the complete list of members who secured points in 2024 click here and then follow through to Points Summary under the 2024 tab. All winners have already been contacted, with cash prizes distributed for 1st - 7th places, and AUTRA Store vouchers sent for 8th, 9th & 10th.