A is for Adventure - lots of training miles can mean exploring new trails in training and/or visiting new places for events. Remember this is trail running not road running so make sure you take some photos on your travels.
B is for Beer - from the Beer Ultra with Beer at CPs, through to Courtney Dauwalter famously drinking beer for recovery after (usually winning) races - could this be the future? Count me in if it is. (There is actually some science behind this too!)
C is for Chafing – this doesn't really need an explanation. Runderwear, Fresh Bollocks, Bodyglide or maybe just finding the right kit for you that doesn't mean the shower / bath is more painful than the event!
D is for Divorce - see ‘M’ for mileage and ‘E’ for events.
E is for Events - most commonly called races, but I rarely race against others so I like to think of them as events or personal challenges. Often expensive given their duration and logistical complexities for RD’s. Entry is a strangely addictive with regular accidental finger slippages.
F is for Feet - it sounds obvious but you have to look after them. Everyone does it differently so it's trial and error for us all. Try not to let them look like this at the end of your next event.
G is for Gas - I presume it's not just me but I always seem to fart my way around a long run. I don't know if it's the Tailwind that causes it, but there is enough wind power to generate a tailwind.
H is for Hallucinations - cheaper than the chemically induced sort, they just take a bit longer to materialise. 30hrs plus of running for me. Accepting they aren't real means they are actually quite funny as long as you don't fall into a canal or something! Bearable at the end of an event, but if it happens midway through, it's a sure fire sign you’re needing to take a quick power nap.
I is for Insane - what everyone at works calls you when they find out not only what you do for fun, but that you pay for the privilege.
J is for Jeffing - the Jeff Galloway method - Run Walk Run. It wasn’t developed for ultra-running but it's used in some way by nearly all none elite ultra-runners.
K is for Kit - running is a simple and cheap sport right? Just a pair of trainers? Wrong! Mandatory kit lists can be as long as your arm and in 99% of events rightly so given the length, duration, remoteness or conditions. Good kit can be really expensive but if you get your money's worth and enter lots of events (see ‘D’) it is definitely worth it.
L is for Lube - use it or see ‘C’.
M is for Mileage - an ultra-runners weekly blind spot. The more miles the better in training right? Strength and Conditioning work is just wasted miles. Also see ‘D’.
N is for Nutrition - essential to keep moving forward, but oh so easy to get wrong. Find out what works for you and stick to it. Some events entice you to stay in the checkpoints for so long with their buffet style approach to CP nutrition.
O is for Oikophobia - struggled with this one but it seems to work. Google it!
P is for Panic - also for 'pushing your boundaries' which makes you enter an extremely challenging event. Entry is ‘Step 1’ of my 'Strategic guide to entering your next race'. Panic is Step 2. Quickly followed by Step 3 - Train and Step 4 - Enjoy.
Q is for Queasy - you know you have to eat during an ultra but most of us will still feel queasy when starting to run again. See ‘S’.
R is for Recce's - training runs on the route of an upcoming event. They help you to remember the route or at least be familiar with it come the big day. Because I like 'A' so much I rarely get to recce my next event.
S is for Shit kit – See ‘Q’. Essentially just a small food bag with wet wipes/toilet paper and hand gel for when things get ‘too’ queasy.
T is for Toenails - most ultra-runners have lost many. It's always my big ones for some reason. Ultra-runners joke about keeping them as trophies but its all lies - these days it's much easier just to take a photo.
U is for Undulating - in other words hilly. Not mountains, most British based ultra-runners rarely see mountains, so most U.K. events are just undulating. Mind you 20,000ft over 100 miles is a lot of undulation.
V is for VO2 max - the measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilise during intense exercise. It can assist how you train effectively. I'm so intrigued I'm getting mine done.
W is for Walking - Also see ‘J’. Ultra-running’s best kept secret.
X is for eXtreme – OK - xylophone really wouldn't have worked. There are so many extreme variations of events these days; weather, elevation, technicality, distance, loops and then the Berkeley which puts it all together in one ridiculous 'adventure'.
Y is for Yesterday - the day that the event you’re currently running started.
Z is for Zombies - what an ultra-runner tends to move, look and smell like towards the end of an ultra-marathon.
Note: a few of the above were taken from Innov8's A-Z of ultra-running.
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