Day in the Life of an Amateur Ultra Runner
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 лип 2023
- A look into my life as a runner, training and preparing for ultramarathons. Having recently run my first 100 mile ultramarathon, the South Downs Way 100, I am starting to build up my training again. In this running vlog, I discuss my training, my diet and my races planned for the next year.
- Спорт
I love just watching what ppl do daily with their training and eating. i'm in the US, and I also love seeing the scenery as you are running. I'm training for a 10 k in a nature preserve in the Mississippi River bluffs at the end of Oct. I'm not a great runner, so it's a real challenge, and your videos are inspiring.
Really nice feedback, thanks! Good luck with your 10k! I hope it goes well!
Appreciate just the honest, simple look in on your daily life, feel like most of us live a similar kind of undramatic balance of work, running and rest, and love it! Also, glad to watch a running UA-camr who doesn't blow your ears off with house music in the first 10 seconds of a video, so thanks for that!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Totally know what you mean with the music, although I've definitely been guilty of poor music choices! You find out pretty quickly in the comments if the music was a poor choice 😅
😂😂 Sorry, had to comment. I know so many ultra runners, myself included, who live insane lives. Several have 4-5 kids, a main job, and a part time job. I have a farm and a part time job, along with a host of medical issues I have to train around. Ultra runners in general seem to be unique characters with very unique lives. Maybe your experience is different though?
Hi James! Your video popped up in my feed. I started watching and thought "I love the chill vibe of this video! It's weirdly familiar, yet it's the first time I've seen his videos". Then you mentioned Dan Whitehead and it clicked! :) Dan is talented at turning any "normal boring day" into a cinematic masterpiece. And yeah, I did enjoy this one. Now excuse me as I go binge some of your other videos. Cheers! Adrian
Thank you for sharing your daily life with us! Not a runner at all, but an inspired by your dedication. Wished I lived near the beautiful trails like you!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hey James, just want to say I love the videos, been binge watching them over the week since I'm fascinated with training and ultra prep. The style of your videos are very refreshing and needed, there's nothing you are trying to make for drama purposes, it's simply you being genuine about how you live your life and that's what makes it so special on this platform. All the best in copenhagen!
Thanks Sean! That really means a lot. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! I just got back from holiday and what a lovely message to return to!
Great stuff James. Love the content, it’s very inspiring to me. Keep up the vlogs and the grind.
Thanks Jack! Really nice of you to say!
Love this! The video quality of your channel just gets better and better. Really love this style of video
Thanks Harry! Really appreciate that.
Great video, James. I also live in Winchester so love seeing it in your vlogs. See you on the trails!
Thanks John! Very cool. Say hi if you see me out running!
Great video! Watching someone with such a consistent routine is almost meditative for me! Trying to cram in ultra training around a business, a part time job, and a million other responsibilities, while also dealing with a broken circadian rhythm, is a never ending juggle. I put in a couple miles on the treadmill at midnight last night, along with a quick strength session! 😂 Looking forward to checking out your other videos!
Wow! Seriously impressive getting in training around a busy life! The thought of doing a strength session and a treadmill run at midnight 😅 Hope the training is going well though!
I love seeing what runners eat and how they train on a normal day, it makes it more relatable. And we are very lucky to live in Winchester surrounded by such stunning countryside. I’ll be off for my long run round Farley Mount tomorrow - nothing better than seeing where all the random paths take me!
Glad you found it interesting Debbie! I definitely want to explore the Farley Mount area some more! Only recently realised how lovely the woodland trails are up there.
Dan's channel is incredible. His videography on life and running is the best i have seen and it really shows his skill with a camera even in the tough times. His vlogs going back over the years are still a class apart. If you like Dan's channel, Luke Barrett is another one that has a similar approach (also an aussie) with well captured and edited vlogs on a trail runners life that have a creative style that is unique to him and he is well worth checking out.
Totally agree! I regularly re-watch his older films. I hadn't seen Luke's channel before but it looks great. I'll have a good watch of him videos. Thanks for the recommendation!
Saw your name on Reddit from someone who watches your videos and recommended them - I can see why - love the way you make running a part of your lifestyle!
Thanks! Glad you like the videos. Very cool that someone shared the channel on Reddit!
James, as mostly happens I fell upon your “How I train for ultra marathons”, video and have watched a couple more since. Your presentation is great, totally natural. As homonym says it is great not to have any thrills or spills, just a calm presenter, tranquil pictures and yes even a candle - great touch. Being local to me made it more pertinent somehow. I have started training again after achilles tendonitis which struck the week before the Butser Challenge. I would like to run a trail marathon and then on to ultras. Daily and race nutrition is something I know I will need to improve on, so I will take onboard your advice. I will also check out Dan Whitehead. Good luck with your goals. Thank you.
Thanks Bryan! I hope your recovery goes well and you're back to running soon! I hope you enjoy Dan's videos as much as I do!
Great videos! Love the videography / editing :)
Thanks! Really appreciate the kind feedback!
Nice video 👍 It's always interesting to get a peak into the everyday life of vloggers like yourself, as in the end you're following the person behind the camera as much as whatever topic the channel is officially about! If you end up going to Copenhagen you shouldn't miss taking a rental bike to the area called "reffen", such a cool place to enjoy some street food and drinks at! Fun to see you considering racing in Sweden too. I'm hoping to do "idre fjällmarathon" next year with a friend. Northern Sweden is really beautiful!
Thanks Kristoffer! I'll definitely check out reffen when I'm there! With Cecilia being from Sweden, it makes it much easier to pop over to Scandinavia for races and it's definitely a country I want to see more of! Idre Fjällmarathon looks amazing! Let me know how you get on!
Ultra running + Brandon Sanderson, well that's on an entirely different level of EPIC! Thanks for sharing! 🙏
Thanks! Slowly working through the Wheel of Time books now. Can't go wrong with a good fantasy book!
Great video James, awesome you choose Copenhagen Marathon great event, and also like your movie posters, running and movies
Thanks Michael! Yeah looking forward to Copenhagen! We picked up the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood poster when we were over in LA so it's a good memory poster. Into The Wild is my all time favourite movie - I love it.
Glimpse of Wykeham Arms has brought back some nice memories - stayed there for my first ultra RTTK back in 2019
Great pub! I would have loved to run RTTK before they switched the route! Would have been amazing to finish by the Cathedral! Very jealous!
Hey James, you've inspired me to start running further - did my first 25k ever today and it was tough. But working up to marathon distance then maybe ultras! Keep up the good work
Amazing! Congrats on the 25k! After 25k, you will want to focus on steadily building up the distance, slowing down the pace slightly and getting calories in (gels etc.) and you'll be ready for a marathon in no time!
@jamesday1 Thanks James - I think slowing down is key, I tend to drop into a 'natural' pace that is too fast and I start gassing at 15k onwards. Will work on slowing down 🙂 Congrats on your 100 miler btw, unbelievable effort 👌
Ace vid as always James. Counting down to my first 50k race and always helpful to see what other guys are doing throughout their normal day. Keep up the great work.
Man!! You’ve got an appetite!
Thanks! Good luck with your first 50k! I'm sure you'll love it! Yeah, I've never stuggled with eating 😅
Nice insight.
Having done UltraVasan I can recommend it, well organised, fairly interesting trail course, net downhill, a lot of runners, and a ton of history behind it.
Also done Kullamannan 50k and 100km and I'll attempt the 100 miles this November. Also recommended! More than happy to provide more details.
Thanks Philip! Good luck with Kullamannan 100m! How did you find the course with the 100km? It seems like the lack of elevation might be a bit misleading!
@@jamesday1 they've changed direction of the races this year, and on top of that the 100km misses out most of the fun/technical vert on Kulleberg. It is very runnable, with probably a marathon on gravel/tarmac, with the trail sections at the start and end. With 16 hours of darkness and possible sea winds and rain then the elements can make up a lot of difficulty it lacks in vert.
Nice vid James - insightful and gives some good ideas. Out of interest which nutritionist do you use? My diet is a major issue for me at the moment 😂 cheers mate
Thanks Mike! I've always struggled to find good advice on where to get running coaches and nutritionists but recently my company started offering the service as part of it's health insurance, so I actually get the sessions through work! Probably doesn't help much but I'm definitely seeing the benefits if you're considering it.
Nice video 🙂👍. Thoroughly enjoyed it
Thanks very much!
I caught the running bug in a half marathon. Now i want to lose 18 kgs and do a 50k 5 months from now. Nagging stiff knee that i hope clears up as i get lighter...
At any rate, your story has become important to me as a model of what is possible. And I'm sure you're saving me from making all sorts of mistakes.
By the way... i am 48 years old. I ran a very very hilly 20 mile trail race 12 years ago which was great fun. Have since then only been dabbling. Then a few weeks ago i caught The Ultra Bug. Now my tentative long term plan is: 5 months from now do a 50k (having lost 18kg), a year from then do a 50 miler, and in the next year a 100 miler. 8:55 8:55
Amazing! good luck with your journey! I'm sure you'll love it!
Good stuff, James. I work in IT as well, as a QA Lead. It pays some of the bills lol. I've asked my wife to buy me the first book in the Mistborn series for Christmas. I should have finished all the Robin Hobb books I'm reading by then. I've also started eating a lot better recently, and scrambled eggs on toast is my go-to after a morning run.
Interesting! It definitely feels like a good time to be in IT from a job security perspective! Mistborn and Stormlight series are great. I read all of the Robin Hobb books about 10 years ago whilst at uni. Loved them.
WHAT????? Up out of bed and no water, no coffee before heading out???? 😲 Omg how is that possible??? Yes so true when you cut the bread you can get a lot more real food in... me I love to just chuck vegetables into the oven, my favourite is to first toss them in olive oil, herbs de Provence, 5 pepper mix and Himalayan pink salt for the electrolytes. I admit I get a LOT of "reading" done while running, and I regularly spend hours on public transport too so I'm addicted to audiobooks!!
Haha It's definitely better to fuel pre-run but for the sake of time, I often go out fasted. It is amazing how much more quantity you can get by switching the food you eat! I've never really got into audiobooks but I love podcasts and kindle books.
@@jamesday1 Maybe I've already mentioned it James, but do you know physiotherapist Brodie Sharpe's Run Smarter podcast?? My absolute favourite!! Me, I highly value science over "opinion", and that is the basis of both his podcast and excellent book, so he's particularly devoted to busting common running myths!! AND of course he has some awesome episodes on diet and nutrition too, if that particularly interests you!! I actually studied nutrition and dietics at university, and even I learned quite a lot from those episodes!!
I'm doing the 50k Kullamannen in November! Super curious to see how it goes 🙂. Thanks for the video, it's a lot more relatable than a lot of other content out there! cheers!
Thanks Simon! Good luck with the 50k!
Really enjoyed this, James - Thanks. You mentioned you're working with a nutritionist: have they provided you with just general tips, or with specific eating plans over several weeks?
Thanks! So I'm doing a 30 minute appointment every month and I can use that 30 minute session for anything I want. Typically I use it to ask advice and talking about goals, impovements etc. and then afterwards the nutritionist provides documents like recipies, meal plans and other useful things. I think it's very personalised based on where you are and where you want to get to. For me, it's about making small tweaks each month to try and shift my body composition for performance.
Nice one James ,interesting to see what you are eating give us some more detail on the recipes .
Thanks! Will plan a more detailed video on my diet!
Just like you, I'm also very happy that Dan has been uploading new content lately! I stumbled across your channel recently and I've enjoyed watching your videos as well. I had a question about your nutrition, I don't think you covered this in any of your videos yet: besides from trying to maintain a healthy diet, do you take any supplements to make sure you're body is not suffering any deficiencies?
Dan’s videos are amazing. It’s the channel I always find myself returning to.
With my nutrition, I don’t take any supplements normally. I try and get everything straight from fresh food. In the past I’ve used protein shakes when my diet was lacking in protein. I have sometimes had vitamin deficiencies from training and not having the best diet. I try to get blood tests once a year to check I’m not lacking anything. If I am low on vitamins, I’ll typically take a standard multi-vitamin for a month or two and improve my diet to fix it long term. I try and avoid having supplements as part of my long term diet though.
Had the pleasure of meeting Dan in Moody's coffee in Chamonix. Lovely guy and his film making is awesome 👌
That is pretty epic Jason. Very jealous of that! And in Moody’s of all places 👍
Hope to see you in Kullamannen, an epic race with this year two laps around Kullaberg 😊
Great vids btw, inspiration for my second attempt at Kullamannen 100miles this year
Thanks Patrik! Good luck with Kullamannen! How did you find it last time?
@@jamesday1 DNF at mile 70. Learnt alot since then, mostly how to pace myself from the beginning and that you should not DNF at a aidstation :)
Did you have a pacing strategy at you last 100 mile race or you went just by feel?
love that idea: "Road to Nowhere"!
Thanks Merrideth! I've got some videos planned around my current training block! It's been quite nice just training without any goal races!
What a beautiful place to live, even better place to run. Brandon Sanderson is the man also. Loooooong books but awesome
Totally agree Pete. Winchester is great for running. Been loving how long the books are. Currently on holiday and going through them pretty quickly!
Oh man! Just searched for a dya in the life to get som inspiration for my first Ultra marathon, actually going to be Ultravasan 92k. Longest I've run before this is Göteborgsvarvet Marathon. Hope to see you there 😁💯
Amazing! Looks like the perfect race for a first ultra. Really looking forward to it!
Since you ask for a response to the video, I leave you this comment:
That kind of "normal boring day" for an ultrarunner is very special for people who don't exercise: you leave your house, you run down the street and within minutes you BANG a beautiful trail. In addition, adding about 100 of those boring days makes one improve as an athlete, and great results appear.
If you ask me I would say without a doubt that I LOVE those boring days
Good luck in the adventures that are to come.
Thanks Tomas! Really nice of you to say. Really surprised by the lovely feedback on this one.
Kullamannen is a beast! a proper challenge indeed!!
Definitely! A bit of a scary challenge but looking forward to it!
I've started all off road first run 5.5 miles 515ft elevation, next run 10 mile 914 elevation , hill sesh last Sunday 5.35 miles 2000 ft elevation feeling good
Nice! Keep up the good work!
Hey James! Great video. Out of curiosity what camera and lens do you use for your interior shots?
Thanks Jasper! I have a Canon Eos R and when shooting indoors I tend to go with my widest lens which is the canon rf 16m 2.8. Then do a bit of Color grading to make it pop a little bit.
Nice, im doin the kullamannen 50 this year, been injured since may so it'll be interesting. 😅
Good luck with the 50! Hopefully you're recovering and getting back to training soon!
Hey James. Greetings from Germany. I really enjoy your videos, especially because I will do my first 50K in 2.5 weeks. Really looking forward to this and your videos help a lot for the preparation. Can you write me down the other UA-camr you mentioned? I didn´t get the name, maybe because of my poor English ;) Thanks a lot and I hope to see more videos from you. You are doing a great job!
Thanks Florian! Good luck with your first 50k! I hope it goes great! His name is Dan Whitehead. Really great vlogs which are running related. He doesn't post as much lately but a similar channel is Luke Barrett - definitely worth checking them both out!
Nice video.
Ever thought about doing St James way from Winchester to Reading then train back? No event, just do a run? You could even break it in two runs by splitting at Basingstoke.
Thanks! I'd not heard of St James Way before. Looks like it might 70/80k so definitely possible to do in one day! Really interesting. Might have a look at doing it. Would be a great long run adventure!
I found it while plotting a run one day. I'm going to attempt it in 3, Reading-Basingstoke, Basingstoke-Winchester, Winchester-Southampton. Though to be fair the best stretch looks to be Reading-Winchester.
Would love to see a video on the food side of things
Great idea! Will have a think about how to best approach it!
Which Sanderson book are you reading? I enjoy fantasy and is my go to genre to take me away from work and running (although I’m injured currently). Really enjoyed the video 👍
I binged the Stormlight Archive and just started re-reading the Mistborn books which I first read at Uni over 10 years ago. I re-discovered fantasy after finishing my masters degree. 2 years of reading literature seriously put me off reading non-fiction and I've not looked back! Hope you recover from the injury soon!
I like a bit of Brandon Sanderson - but I'm all over the audiobook versions. Very often listen to them on long slow runs.
Great Idea. I've never really listened to books whilst running. Been working my way through a lot of podcasts recently though!
Can’t beat the neck oil glass too!
Agreed! Such a great beer!
How many calories/day?
I'm creeping up to similar running goals and food is always my downfall. Love the content!
Thanks Kevin! When I'm in high-volume training, I typically aim for around 3000 calories per day. My issue tends to be eating too many calories rather than not enough!
nice vid, thanks. interesting to see how much you're eating! who is the nutritionist you're with?
Thanks Jim! I get my nutritionist through work. It's something they set up through the health insurance so we get a free 30 minute consultation once a month.
Great video lad!
You have the Fenix 7x right?
May i ask what size wrist you have? Im supper woried the big boy is too big for my wrist haha
Cheers from a South African fan
Whom have been comsuming your content!
Thanks Pieter! Yeah, it's the Fenix 7X. My wrists are pretty small, roughly 15cm / 6inches so it is a big watch for me. The watch case is 55mm and my wrists have a 55m diameter across so the case is as wide as my wrist. I do find it comfortable and don’t notice the weight. The larger battery makes the size worth while for me. Hope that helps!
One option is to find a shop to test it or to order from a shop with a decent returns policy.
@@jamesday1 thanks dude
The watch looks good on your wrist i must say!
Im actually looking at the Fenix 7 Pro normal size - looks like a sick watch
You mentioned Dan Whitehead - i loved his content man (and still do) and I do believe you are moving in that direction - that would be amazing - i miss his running videos
Cheers lad
Looking forward to what is up next!
I definitely aspire to produce videos like Dan but definitely some work to do to get my films to that level! If you like Dan's videos, worth checking out Luke Barrett. I've been loving his content recently and he just smashed it at UTMB. Looking forward to seeing his race videos.
I was having far too much toast for breakfast so just trying to eat a bit less bread
Scrambled egg on toast has been a staple for me
😂
😂 to be fair, I've gone from like 8 slices of bread a day to 2 slides. But yeah 😅
Nice video
Thanks!
Hey man, get a bigger knife to cut/chop vegetables! :)
Haha yeah maybe a good idea!