CurraNZ athlete Billy Dixon shares his approach to racing smarter over ultra distances. Drawing on the mindset used by top ultramarathon runners, Billy breaks down three simple but powerful tools that can help athletes prepare for race day with more confidence: planning, visualisation and adaptation. From pacing and heat preparation to handling low moments when things go wrong, his advice is practical, honest and built around one core idea — plan your race, then race your plan.
'What is one thing that the best ultramarathon runners in the world all have in common? And no, I’m not talking about good genetics and high Vo2 maxes. One thing they all do well is plan and execute their race with precision. So, let’s go over the top 3 tools that you can add to your arsenal, so you finish feeling as strong as Ruth Croft or Jim Walmsley on race day.
The three areas to focus on are:
1. Â Â Plan
2. Â Â Visualise
3. Â Â Adapt
Number one: Plan
“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
'This section is broken in two parts, beyond your control planning and in your control planning.
Beyond your control:
Anything can happen in an ultramarathon, and a lot of it is beyond control, for example, we can’t control the weather, but we can control how our body reacts to it. If you know that a race is going to be hot, but you live somewhere cold, you can start preparing for hot conditions by incorporating sauna usage (see note 1) to begin to acclimate. Another example is redundancy, if you NEED something for a race, then you need to have at least two of them, let’s say you’re running a mountainous 100 miler, and you need your poles, but oh no, you snapped one! If you have a backup pair with your crew, this will save you the mental and physically setback of being without poles.
'In your control:
Etch this phrase into your brain “plan your race and race your plan”. When planning for a race, set yourself realistic targets. The pros know the paces they want to run at, especially over a long race, and it’s important to have a pace strategy for at least the first half/two thirds of the race. Plan to run at least 15 seconds per km slower than your easy pace for the first third and stick to the plan! This will mean that you are free to run for feel in the back end of the race and finish running strong. Don’t go out hot and burn out only to death march the back end (trust me, it isn’t fun).
Number two: Visualise
'Make this a part of your daily routine, and the beauty of it is, it can be done anywhere! whether you’re sitting in traffic, the sauna or taking the dog for a walk, visualise every aspect of the race. Don’t just visualise the highs, visualise the lows as well as science has shown that people who focus on multi-sensory visualisation are prepared for every eventuality. For this to work, you need to focus on what you see, hear, feel, smell etc. in the moment (see note 2). For example, at the start line, you hear the generator powering the lights, the small of the grass, the sound of people talking, and the feeling of excitement. If you vividly visualise, you live it in your mind, so when it happens on race day, you’ve already lived it before.
Number Three: AdaptÂ
'So you’ve done your planning, you’ve done your visualisation and now you’re on course and things have gone awry, how do you adapt and overcome this hurdle and keep moving forward? When you aren’t feeling your best, slow down, don’t try and run through the pain (unless you’re in the back section, in which case, don’t listen to the pain), sometimes all you need to do is slow down for 10-15 mins, maybe spend 5 mins extra at the next aid station. A little refresh here can save your race. But you need to have a strategy in place for what you’re going to do when the going gets tough.
These are just three of the many strategies that the pros and top amateurs use when planning and executing their races. Try for yourself and see the improvements, and remember, if ultramarathons were easy, what would be the point?'
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1.   https://trainright.com/ultrarunners-heat-acclimation-cheat-sheet/
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