Q&A with Damian Hall

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How do you go about searching for FKTs or records that suit you? Are FKTs a more focus for you or competing in races and if it is races, which races? 

The great thing about FKTs and record attempts is the total freedom you have of picking where, what style (supported, self supported, or unsupported), and I have done all three and there is pros and cons to all of that. For me, it’s about the training that I will enjoy, which is somewhere lumpy, and probably quite long (coz I am not really fast) and then you throw in the ‘time of the year’ factor. There are certain terrains that is not going to work very well at certain times of the year. I am fast approaching my 49th birthday but I am desperately clinging onto the idea that I can be competitive at the more prestigious races. I am never going come close to the current Bob Graham record. I do have a little winter plan. I do get excited about getting out in winter and I am not doing the Spine so I need something else. 

One of the great things about the lockdown years was creating your own route and your own FKTs of sorts. Think about the terrain you love and the most. Is there something at your doorstep that is exciting? Think about what sort of distance suits you? A 20 mile one or a long one? You get to pick.

Tips and advice on making ultra running part of their career, either as a coach or working at events.

It’s not easy and there are not many opportunities. Full time coaching and creating events or getting involved with races are a few. Influencer could be one too. With coaching, I was lucky. I was doing UTMB year on year and other people who wanted to do UTMB started approaching me. I wasn’t even thinking about coaching then. I went from there and then I did the UK athletics coaching and running fitness (4 days) quite a few years ago. It’s not that specific for ultra running. It’s a decent foundation. I have done a mountain leader award which again is not specific to ultra running training but it’s all about being out on the hills safely, and enjoying the outdoors. I am currently doing personal trainer qualification (level 2) and surprisingly a lot of knowledge and hours go into that. There’s a US based qualification that can be done online. It’s related to Jason Coop. There is no overarching body for coaching. There are some very good coaches that don’t have qualifications and vice versa. Event industry is another one. We may have reached a point of saturation with some races going out of business. Few running events make a lot of money. Most manage to cover costs and manage small salary. Most people do it as a passion and a hobby and rely on a pool of volunteers.. Flora Beverley is a successful influencer and might be a good one to explore.

How to tell when you are really tired and need a rest day or when you are tired all the time (coming from a single parent of young kids). 

An objective view is: using the data from your watch such as your resting heart rate and your HRV (some apps do work too) seem to be accurate which will give you a figure over time. It seems to predict when you might be getting unwell (pretty accurate with my athletes) or give you feedback after races. I always say that tech is a guide not a rule. Your watch says that but how do you feel? If you feel full of energy but your watch says you are not, I will probably say let’s try a run. If you are really motivated (not much would want to stop me from running, everyday I want to run), if I ever do feel I don’t really feel like running, then I do listen and don’t go for a run. It probably does mean something significant. Keep on top of fuelling throughout the day because that can affect hormones etc. Low mood, eat food

Heart Rate Variability (HRV): The good, the bad and the ugly

You advocate using public transport. What’s your advice for training and recceing of a trail race when you don’t have a car. Some of them are in remote areas. Impossible to get there without a car. Find it uncomfortable to ask for a lift. 

That’s really trickey. Public transport is so hit and miss. I have had some great journeys and some great ones. Getting back from Tor De Geants took me a lot longer than I thought (a day and half of sitting on trains) so kudos for wanting to do that. If you are planning a race, probably best to go on the Facebook group. You might start by asking if anyone else is planning a recce on your dates and then hopefully you can link up transport. 99% of runners are great people and offer lifts. It’s awkward to ask but I love giving favours and a lot of people would do that. (Basil) in Lake district and Norh Wales buses are not bad and hitchhiking in some remote areas could be an option. Lakeland trails do a quite a good effort. They form a separate group for lift sharing and promote them in emails. It was a very nice experience. Green runners are working on lift sharing ideas with race directors and we need races to understand that the largest footprint races have are from the spectators travelling there and some of them are concentrating on the wrong priority. We are at the education level with this one and hopefully we will have some progress in this area. The little thing we can all do is politely suggest it to the race directors in an email. Feedback matters. (Basil) Some races put a coach or a shuttle on from the train station to the start and the race starts later to accommodate that

A 100 mile race for a beginner. Any suggestion for a summer or autumn first?

(Basil) I think the main point is that not all 100 milers are created equal. If I take some of the 100 mile races I have done in the last few years, the quickest one which was on a track took me 18 hours (and I am not fast, I am a mid pack runner). Something like the South Downs Way might take me in 22/23 hours but then UTS100 or the Spine Challenger would take me over 40 hours and that’s because they are in challenging weather and terrain and it’s super hilly in the case of UTS. You have to pick one that suits your preference. Other factors to think about is navigation. Spine Challenger is 108 miles. It’s self navigated. Others are marked all the way. Have you got good navigation skills? Going back to lift sharing, racing local is great. Friends and family can come and cheer you and it doesn’t take a day to come back home. Is there lots of support on the route? Don’t choose a race that says they are great coz only 20% finish! If it’s your first 100, choose a race with a high finishing rate. Don’t choose Barkley Marathon as your first 100 miler 😊 Choose a race that has an ethos that you like . Choose a race that you can volunteer at. Volunteering gives you a chance to see what it’s like and get a free place sometimes. There are more than 50 100 mile races in the UK so lots to choose from. (Hannah) FKT website worth a visit to see if there is anything local in your area. (Damian) National trails are good. They are well established. My first 100 miler was the Cotswold Way Century which goes right through where I grew up and I went to school so it was meaningful. I could recce easily as it was local and it finishes in Bath where I live so it was the perfect first race. I haven’t done a Centurion race but I have heard lots of great things. Centurion are one of our partners. They are very well organised, well supported and well established. (Graham) Autumn 100 is a great one as you back to a base four times and it’s not so hilly. 

I see you are doing a study for ultra endurance nutrition. Do you have any advice on nutirtion advice for during the race. What’s the best way to sort out nutrition and kit when you don’t have a crew. 

I am part of a study by Paul Booth at Leeds University. He is looking at ultra running fuelling. I did 17 miles on a treadmill which I thought was a big day. Turns out I need to go back and do 6 hours on the treadmill. Apparently Emma Stuart racked up 49 miles on the treadmill! They are trying to feed us with 90 grams of carbs per hour in liquid form to see if it improves performance. The current thinking is to aim for 60/90 grams of carbs per hour. That depends on your size. The bigger you are , the more you should aim for. Some people go for over 100 grams and David Roche, my coach put his historical win at Leadville to his fuelling revolution that involved high carbs per hour. That’s a fast runnable race but I would still say you want to eat little and often. I set an alarm for every 30 mins and make sure I am nibbling at stuff. It gets harder and harder as you get palate fatigue and your mouth just doesn’t want anything in it. You might go off gels. So the trick is do your tummy training in your long runs close to the race. Force a bit more food in there in the last 3 long runs before your race. Try a variety as well as sometimes we go off things like sugary stuff and fancy salty stuff. If you are struggling with fuelling, think about liquid carbs. That could be coke, smoothies, or any powdered carbs. Practice with it. Keep it going in. and 20% if those calories goes to your brain so if you feel low, eat food. (Basil) as a mid-pack runner’s view, I probably get 30 grams per hour, particularly on the longer races, I go off gels after 10 hours. I am onto solid food. Less than 10% would be gels on 100 milers. On a multiday race it drops to 5%. Checkpoints have proper food on longer races. If you are not crewed, then drop bags and checkpoints is what you need to consider for getting what you need. They usually say what they provide and you can test them out on your training (crisps, peanuts, pizza etc) . Most 100 milers will allow at least one drop bag access (usually at 50 miles in). Always good to check race rules and what you can and can’t do or take.

Is it true you are not allowed to speak about Barkley?

It’s a huge grey area. There is at least 3 things I am not allowed to share. Route information, the date to apply and how to apply but there is a massive grey area in between those. So everyone is nervous about what they can share specially if you want to go again. There is a good reason for that. The secrecy can be gimmicky but the real fear is that the race might be taken away. The state park wasn’t all that supportive of the race. Laz is worried about too many people turning up as was the case a little this year with Jasmin Paris being there. We will see less social media as it goes on. It is really hard and it has a real special community around it. It is far friendlier than I thought. People are very helpful. Runners help each other a  lot. I feel incredibly lucky to have got the opportunity as so many people don’t get. Who knows! Hopefully I get another go.