Here in Florida and all across the country, many ultrarunners thumb their noses at the very thought of running a marathon, as if the 26.2-mile distance is somehow "beneath" them, now that they are "mighty" ultrarunners.  And the vitriol works the other way as well:  many who race marathons see ultras as a haven for those who simply cannot "cut it" and throw down a fast marathon time.

That debate -- as well as any debate regarding "distance superiority" -- is silly and a waste of time.  For you distance snobs, let's just agree that Usain Bolt and Joe Fejes (current top "6-day" runner in the world) are the two best runners in the world.  (Those "distance superiority" arguments, taken to their logical conclusions:  if you're in the "shorter is better" crowd, Bolt has to be your man; if the opposite, it's got to be Joe, right?)  

Personally, I just like being a "runner."  Specifically, I race more ultras and marathons than anything else. But running is running, and giving your best effort at any distance is really, really, really hard.  (For my money, I think racing a mile is just about the hardest and most painful thing you can do in the world of running...)

At any rate, for this article, I am assuming that most of you are ultrarunners who want to do as well as you can in your races.  If that is your goal, you should really consider racing a marathon (or two) as part of your build-up to your next ultra.  Here are 10 reasons why:

If you are planning a 50- or 100-mile race this spring, why not work in a good, hard 3-5 hour effort over 26.2 miles as one of your "hard" training runs?  If you can sustain a hard pace for 26 miles, my guess is that you will be better equipped to run 50 or 100 miles at 2-min/mile slower than your marathon pace, and do so better someone who just trains by doing all of his or her training runs at "ultra race pace" or slower.  For your ultra, you want your race pace to feel like you are walking (or at least putting forth minimal effort . . . if the first 25 miles don't feel super-easy you are going way too fast!)  What better way to ensure that goal is reached than to run races where you actually do run those first 25-26 miles at a much-faster pace? 

(Want to compete for the conch shell at the Keys?  Start running fast in training...)

Take the Keys 50 as an example.  One of my runners is making his ultra debut there this spring.  He's a 2:50 marathoner (about 6:30/mi).  The men's record for the race is 6:55, which is about 8:20/mile for the 50 miles.  Who would you place your money on to win this year's race?  A guy who does all of his training runs at 8-9 min/mile, or the guy that can run a marathon in 6:30/mile?  Assuming all other factors are relatively-equal (weekly mileage, experienced crews, solid race plan, etc), it really is not even a close call.  (And if you don't believe me, come to the Keys this May and find out...) :)

You do not have to be in contention to win the Keys 50 or 100 to really benefit from running a marathon or two before your big race.  Along the same lines as the last point, the more miles you can run (while training intelligently, of course) at faster than race pace during training, the more comfortable/sustainable that race pace will be during your ultra.

I know what some of you are thinking:  "Well, I'm running a 100-miler.  I just don't see how racing a marathon will help me; 100 miles is just too long of a distance for there to be any benefit to running a fast (for me) marathon."  

Well, Joe Fejes, who last year ran 580.3 miles in a nonstop 6-day race in Alaska (seriously, that's not a misprint), disagrees with you.  He firmly believes in the "train fast to run fast" philosophy . . . even for super-long races like a 6-day race, where he would never even approach his marathon pace.  

(If this guy believes in racing marathons, so should you...)

It's not just Joe:  all of the top super-long distance runners adhere to this philosophy.  Current World 24-hour champion Jon Olsen routinely races marathons leading up to his 24-hour races.  Current top-ranked 24-hour runner "American Harvey Lewis is a 2:46 marathoner.  Aly Venti, who last year ran the third-fastest 100-miler ever on American soil, is "sub-3" in the marathon.  They all recognize that a sustained hard effort for a few hours is excellent training for an ultra.  

Yes, I know:  your wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/f*ck buddy/whatever is "super supportive" of your ultra running, and he or she just loves spending the entire weekend sitting at an ultra in the middle of nowhere filling up your bottles, hearing you whine incessantly, and staying overnight getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, just to hear nonstop "Gassy Bambi" fart jokes (inside joke for anyone unfortunate enough to be at Ancient Oaks last month between the hours of 1-5 am) :)

(Note:  Bambi may or not "really" have a gas issue.  She may have just been sitting on a squeaky chair that sounded a lot like farts every time she moved.  The jury is still out on the issue...)

Despite your significant others' undying love and enthusiasm for ultras, I'll let you in on a little secret:  while they love and support you, it gets really fricking boring to sit an ultra for 20-30 hours.  Do them a favor every once in a while:  mix it up and just take up a few hours on a Sunday morning and run a marathon instead of an ultra every other weekend.   Marathons are far more "democratic" when it comes to deciding how the weekend hours are spent :)

("Ultras are boring.  Besides that, they're fascist.  Run some more marathons.  They're more democratic.")

(That's Keith Straw, who, yes, has run multiple Badwater 135s in a pink tutu...)

Marathons are fun.  Really.

I completely understand that what draws a lot of us to ultras is the feeling of exploring vast and epic lands, pushing our mental and physical boundaries, being alone in the woods for hours on end, and not having to constantly look down at our watches to make sure our pace hasn't slipped a few seconds.  

All that being said, if you want to improve your finishing time at an ultra (or make it more likely that you will finish), putting in a hard 3-5 hour training run for an ultra will only help your goal.  And it's more fun to run fast when you're surrounded by thousands of people cheering you on.  Last weekend, I was down at the Miami marathon with a bunch of Zwitty runners, and we all had a blast.  At the end of the day, we are all runners who share a passion for running (and especially for ultras).  What better place to spread the word about ultras than at a marathon?  

One of the first times I met Dean K. was at the start line of a marathon about 10 years ago.  He stood out from the crowd, and not just because he is Dean Karnazes.  It was about 50 degrees outside, but the dude looked like he had already completed an ultra . . . he was drenched in sweat.  So when I asked him what was up with that, I shouldn't have been surprised when he said he had just run over 80 miles to get to the start line (which, I've since learned, is one of his trademark gimmicks).  

Yes, working a marathon into a long training run (such as doing the Boston Marathon "double"), running a bunch of miles before a marathon, etc., is definitely a tad "gimmicky," but it's also a great way to get in a super-long training run and have people cheer for you for your last 26 miles!  

(Ridiculously-accomplished Florida ultrarunner Chris Roman at the finish line, er, "start line" of his 2010 Boston Marathon "double" . . . he ran from Boston to Hopkinton, and then back during the official race!)

(Comparing the size of the Miami Marathon finisher's medal to that of the Spartathlon.  Miami must be harder, right?)  

I'll end by highlighting an official race that is similar in nature to a marathon "double" (or, more accurately, "quadruple"):  the Donna 110 in Jacksonville.  

Run in conjunction with the 26.2 With Donna, the National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer, Donna 110 participants run 83.8 miles on Saturday morning, and then run the official marathon the next day to complete the 110 miles.  And at only $110, it is one of the best deals in ultrarunning.  (Actually, you can save a few dollars if you enter the discount code "5OFF110" when you register).

Seriously, this race is one of the best-kept secrets in Florida ultrarunning.  The "Saturday course" mirrors the first half of the actual marathon, and it is gorgeous.  You start in Ponte Vedra, run up PV Beach, catch the sunrise through Jax Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach, which is about the first 10-11 miles.  

After arriving at Atlantic Beach, you run a 7-mile loop for the majority of your 83.8 miles, before returning back to Ponte Vedra to get some sleep (hopefully!) and prepare for the marathon on Sunday.  The "loop" course is run on Ocean Avenue, as well as through the very nice, upscale, and quiet Oceanwalk community.  With perfect cool weather (last year it was 55-60 degrees for both days), a flat and fast course, and a phenomenal cause to which your registration fee goes to help, I consider the Donna 110 one of the top 2 or 3 ultras in the state.  Seriously.

(Still smiling at last year's Donna 110, at about Mile 10 of the marathon (so about Mile 94 of the Donna 110).  

The Donna folks didn't pay me anything to plug their race.  I just think it's a phenomenal race that combines the intimate, low-pressure, tight-knit feel of an ultra with the excitement of a marathon . . . all into a great race that people should really check out.  Also, my close family members have been particularly hard-hit by breast cancer over the years, so I have a very soft spot in my heart for races like this one.  

At any rate, for more info and to register for the Donna 110, click here.  

For this weekend, good luck to all the runners who will be at FUR "GodFURther" Eric Friedman's "Skydive Ultra" in Clewiston, billed as having the "fastest first mile" of any ultramarathon in the world :)  (You tend to go pretty fast when you are free-falling from a plane...)!  

I hope everyone is having a great week, and I'm looking forward to seeing you guys "out there" at all the various races this spring! 


www.zwittyultra.com

Here in the Florida marathon and ultrarunning world, we are now officially "in-season"; you can find an in-state marathon or ultra pretty much every weekend from now until Florida's "Super Bowl of ultrarunning" in May (the KEYS100).  

With all these races coming up, what better to write about than some of the "wise" (and never contradictory) things that people he said about running in general and ultrarunning in particular.   (Fair disclosure:  As the members of Team Zwitty know, I have been on a bit of a "quote kick" lately; we have a QOTD ("Quote of the Day") competition every day, with past quotes ranging from Bill Bowerman and Pre, all the way to Taylor Swift (obviously), and everything in-between).

Anyway, here we go:

"Train, don't strain." ―Arthur Lydiard


"Thrust against pain.  Pain is the purifier.  Walk toward suffering.  Love suffering.  Embrace it."  ―Percy Cerutty

No matter what your running goals are for 2015, how you plan to go about reaching those goals, or even your reasons for running in general, two things are certain:  (1)  you will find quotes in support of and directly opposite to your views on how best to reach your goals, and (2) you will find people who both support you and those who think you are crazy.  We all run for our own reasons/goals, so whatever they are, good luck in all of your endeavors for 2015!  There are tons of upcoming races here in Florida, and I hope to see as many of you as possible "out there" in the next few months.  

For this weekend, a special "good luck" to everyone running the Miami Marathon, including Team Zwitty runners Lauren Hadley, Jodi Weiss, Sandy McCallum, Bonnie Collins, Melanie Papatestes, Mike Holt, and Nick Garcia!  

www.zwittyultra.com