DAMIAN HALL'S MENTAL TIPS FOR ULTRAMARATHONS

INOV8 ambassador, GB ultramarathon runner and UK Athletics Coach Damian Hall has completed 50+ ultra-distance races and challenges. Here he shares his mental tips and tricks…

Ultra-running isn’t so much about the size of your muscles (which is a good job, because I haven’t really got any). But rather, the size of your mental strength. I’ve been running ultramarathons since 2012, including the 268-mile Spine Race (x3), 105-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (x4), Tor des Geants, several 100s, Britain’s three classic 24-hour fell-running rounds (Bob Graham, Ramsay Round & Paddy Buckley (sometimes solo in winter and at record-breaking pace), plus eight records/Fastest Known Times.

It was nine years and 49 races till my first DNF, at UTMB in 2021 and I’ve had two more since, including the Barkley Marathons. At Tennessee’s deliberately confusing outdoor library, I simply couldn’t find a book and ran out of time. I wanted to go on. At the 2022 Spine Race I was winning by four hours but had a sharp pain in my groin and another 24hrs to go. Again, I definitely wanted to go on. At UTMB however, I was surprised by how strongly I simply did not want to continue. Ultimately I was badly under-fuelled on a course I was too familiar with.

Though I was proud of my record, I never believed in the “Die before DNF” mentality. I’ve seen people stubbornly complete ultras with physical issues that subsequently plagued them for years. There’s no shame in a DNF. Just make sure it’s for a reason you will be happy with. This stuff is really tough. And sometimes it won’t work out. Often a ‘failure’ is part of a longer-term success. My 2022 Spine DNF certainly fuelled my win at the 2023 race.

It may seem counterintuitive, but do the stuff that excites and scares you. Entering races to collect points or qualify for other events or because a friend is doing it, can be a tricky one because you may not be invested enough in that event and may not care enough when the chips are down. I’ve often heard people reason they DNFed because “I didn’t care that much about the race.” So do the races you care about. The ones that scare you. If you’re invested in them, both emotionally and in your training, you’re more likely to finish them.

Ultra-running could be at least 50 percent mental, yet how much deliberate mental training do we do? The good news is, a lot of our training doubles as mental training: intervals, hill reps, long hurty runs, bonks, those 5am alarms, extra press-ups and so on. So test yourself sometimes to remind yourself you’re mentally tough. Because you are.

Better still, when you experience any anxiety about a race or challenge, write it down. Then write down what you’ll do to prevent it and what you’ll do to respond to it if it does happen. This is a proven sports psychology strategy. As is visualisation. Spend time daydreaming about the run, both positive and negative aspects.

Also, on race day I want to feel as relaxed and happy as possible. This might mean resolving work or relationship issues beforehand, but also blocking off time for myself to watch a film or read a book. You don’t want to be on the start line mentally tired or stressed about something, as studies show we’re more likely to quit. That long dark night will probably unpick it.

Your goals are a huge factor in how well you will perceive you are doing – and therefore how well you will do (although it’s almost always relative). It’s good to be ambitious. But aspirations can easily backfire if they’re too set in stone. I always go into a race with A (ambitious), B (realistic) and C (get it done) goals.

It’s not always easy to do, but being able to adapt your goals during a race is a key ultra-running skill. In truth, most people don’t remember exactly how well you did. I was being publicly credited with a top-10 at UTMB before I’d managed it. UK Athletics preaches ‘process not outcome:’ concentrate on the present moment, enjoying it and doing that well, and that is likely to lead to your most deserved outcome – rather than obsessing over a placing or time goal and not enjoying how to get there. You enjoy running long distances, right? Concentrate on that. Do that well, and good things will happen.

Okay, it is life-coach psychobabble, but there’s something in it. Why are you doing this race? What do you hope to get out of it? Us parents have an unfair advantage here. I find thinking of my kids during a race hugely motivating. Running has many obvious metaphors for life that I want to illustrate. If I can involve my concerns for our climate and ecological emergency, that motivates me a bunch too. Raising money for charity, as Nicky Spinks and Ranulph Fiennes always do, is another very strong why. Also, think of people who would love to be running but can’t. Or perhaps loved ones who are struggling or no longer with us. Run it for them. Has anyone ever suggested you’re not capable of doing something? Run it for them too.

Even if training has been full of Strava Crowns, ultramarathons are hard, and you should go into a race being mentally prepared to suffer, for things not to go smoothly. Remember, you signed up for it, you paid money for it and you bragged about it on Insta. You want people to think you’re tough. So be tough. I read too many King Arthur and Robin Hood stories when I was young, which means I have a pathetically simple desire to be some kind of hero. Ultra-running is my chance to play at being that hero (although real heroes tend to wear things like NHS uniforms rather than graphene-infused daps). Running long distances can do strange things to your mind and I sometimes fall into a fantasy world. But it helps get me through.

Your brain takes 20% of your calories. If you’re under-fuelled, you’re under-thinking and under-motivated. Low mood = eat food. That’s critical.

When things start to go wrong – you’ve picked the wrong shoes, you went off course for a bit, they haven’t got lemon drizzle-flavoured flapjacks at the check points – instead of obsessing over that, think of all the things that are going well. The weather’s perfect, the scenery’s skill, you’re pacing it like the fastest tortoise, you’ve taken some great selfies. Four out of five things are going so well. That’s a good ratio. Besides, not everything will go as planned. That’s just ultra-running. The best ultra-runners are problem solvers, they’re adaptable.

Want to quit, huh? So how are you going to explain it on Insta? I always announce the race I’m about to do on social media. It’s less about a humble brag (honest) and more about making myself accountable. If I DNF, how will I justify it publicly? It needs to be a good reason that I’ll be happy with for years to come. Start to compose that DNF tweet. Does it stack up? Right. Crack on then.

We can get so caught up in a race, how difficult it feels and how badly we’re doing against our painstakingly crafted spreadsheet that it can get a bit much. Remember to be kind to yourself sometimes. Give yourself a break. You’re a good person. You’re doing just fine.

It’s become a cliche, but the classic approach to getting through an ultramarathon is to break it up into bite-sized chunks, checkpoint to checkpoint, even a mile at a time. That approach definitely works. Try to stay in the moment. And remember, it never always gets worse.

Smile at other runners, thank the volunteers, high-five the children. The simple smile and feeling gratitude are both proven performance enhancers. It’s meant to be fun after all. Well, mostly.