Ultra-Running: Diana Fitzpatrick

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Running: Diana Fitzpatrick Transcript
February 23, 2005

«Tim Bourquin»: “Welcome back to www.EnduranceRadio.com.  Thanks for joining us for another interview today.  This is Tim Bourquin.  We’re going to be speaking with Diana Fitzpatrick.  She’s an endurance runner, and we’re going to talk about her background getting into ultra-running and some of her experiences with some of the ultra-distance running and marathons and a little bit about how she trains and gets ready for these races.

A couple of things first; the Race of the Day today is the Headlands 50K.  It’s going to be August 27th, 2005 in Marin, and you can find out more about that race by clicking on the Race of the Day link right below the link to this audio interview.

So we’re going to be right back to speak with Diana Fitzpatrick in about 30 seconds.

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«Tim Bourquin»: “Diana thanks very much for talking with us today, I appreciate you taking the time.”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Well thanks for talking to me.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “You go into endurance running when?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “I started running the longer distance events a little over a year ago.  Prior to that I had been mostly a road racer and had done distances from the 5K to the marathon, although the longer distances had always been my favorite, and so I’d done that and liked the marathon the best.  My husband got into ultra running about three years ago and had been encouraging me to give it a try and I ran my first one in October, a year ago, and it was the De Cons 50K in the East Bay.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “So endurance running, training wise was that much different from training for a marathon, just more of it?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “It was very different.  The training that I used to do for marathons was more intense, two quality workouts on the week, long runs and more specific speed oriented workout.  The ultra-running was a very nice and natural transition for me at that point because I’d done the road racing for so long at that intensity of training, and the ultra –training tended to be longer and its also slower.  You’re out on trails, it’s more social, there’re long, long days outs at a slower distance.” 

«Tim Bourquin»: “Now a lot of people we’ve talked to who have started over into trail running after doing marathons almost find running on the street a little bit boring now that theres so much change of scenery when they’re doing the ultra-distance.  Do you find that to be true or not?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “I do actually.  I think it would be hard for me, at this point, to go back and train for a ten miler or half marathon or a marathon.  Part of the enjoyment of the trail running is getting out in the woods and it’s just a completely different experience than the road running.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Training wise, are you having an off-season right now, or are you getting ready for your upcoming races?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “I did Western States last year.  My year of ultra-running started with a 50 miler in the fall, and then I did two other 50 milers and a 100K, and then in June of that year I did Western States 100 miler, and then I took some time off after that and this fall I did the 50 miler that I’d started ultra running with again, the De Cons race.  I am in Western States again and will be doing that in June, so I’m just going to start training for that about now.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “What will your training regime include then, getting ready for that?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Part of getting ready for that is its nice to have a series of races leading to that, so I’m going to do Cool 50K in March, and then do the Miwok 100K in May and then Western States in June, and in between that I try to plan one long run a week, and every other week is a longer long run so it will be anything from six, seven, eight hour run every other week and then in between that I might do a four or five hour run the other week.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Now before we started recording you told me that you’re an attorney as well.  Its takes some serious planning to go out and have to run for eight hours straight I guess?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Yeah, well one thing is its nice to try to try to plan it so you can do it with other people because that’s a long day to go out by yourself, so I usually try to meet other people.  My husband is also an ultra-runner so if we can do it together we do, but we also have two kids so sometimes I try to work it so that one of us does it one day and one does the other.  I also work part time, and I have my Fridays free so I often try to get my long run in on Fridays so that I can then have my weekends more free.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Are you using a heart rate monitor or anything like to make sure you’re getting your goals met?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»:  “I don’t use a heart rate monitor.  I would say one of the big changes from the road racing to ultra-running for me was getting used to being out that long.  You really have to learn how to eat and be able to last for that long, and a big part of it is eating and drinking and nutrition, which isn’t really an issue when you’re doing marathon training because my longest runs would be three to four hours, and doing the six to eight hour distance really requires a different type of energy.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Are you having a support crew along on some of these races, or do you have to carry everything on your own?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “I used a lot of the races last year as training runs because they have aid stations and you really just have to carry water bottles, and they have the food.  It’s a good way to learn what works for you during for races, experiment with different types of food and drink.  When I do the long runs by myself then you do have to carry everything so you also learn what works in terms of camelbacks, fanny packs; everyone has their preferred ways of carrying food and what they bring with them.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “I want to ask you about what you personally get out of these ultra-distance running events, but we need to take a quick break.  We’re going to be right back to speak with ultra-runner Diana Fitzpatrick.”

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«Tim Bourquin»: “Diana, the popularity of ultra-distance running seems to have continued to increase over these past couple of years.  Talk about what you get out of this personally.”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “I think ultra-running is such a different experience from the road running.  Part of it is that you’re out in beautiful places.  Its almost a combination of an outdoor backpack trail experience and a run endurance event, and there is not quite the competitive edge to it that there is to serious road racing, so for me that was all a very nice change of pace, and you tend to do things in a group because these longer runs would be very hard to do by yourself, so theres also a nice social aspect to it.  Things always happen, either it’s the weather or you’re getting water and using iodine, and they tend to be adventures also.  Yesterday I was out on the trial and we saw a bobcat, so you’re out experiencing nature and life in a different way.  When you’re out on the roads it more you’re really focused on the running and the speed and really more on the run.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Talk about the popularity of the sport in general.  Have you seen it grow over the past few years?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Yeah, I have. Of course I’ve also become more connected to the community of ultra-runners.  I think it has grown and I think part of it is that you don’t have to be as competitive oriented, you can really do it just because you enjoy exercise and being out for long time and with other people.  I don’t think you need to be as speed oriented.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “It’s almost like these ultra-running races are races kind of against yourself rather than against other people, which other races tend to be I guess.”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Yeah, I think that’s true, and maybe at the very top level the more competitive element is still there.  For the vast majority of people, people often run together for the entire race which in a marathon you don’t really do; you’re out there, you do your own race.  Occasionally you’ll end up running with somebody just because you had happened to be paced together, but in ultra-runs I think there are often times when people go out and actually plan on doing the whole event together and do it together.”
 
«Tim Bourquin»: “Diana, do you like the stage races that happen over a three or four day period better, or do you pretty much go with just the races that you start and you run until you’re finished?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “I’ve never done a stage race.  I’ve only done the start to finish races and the longest one I’ve done is the Western States 100 miler, but that one you start and you run continuously, you stop at aid stations and maybe rest.  I think I stopped and rested twice, sat down twice, but you go continuously, and that one I did in 20 hours.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Staying awake for that entire time, is that an issue at all?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Believe it or not its not.  Sleep isn’t one of the issues, being very fatigued and tired at the end is, but actually sleep is not.  It’s quite an experience to run though, starting in the dark, through the day and then you end in the dark.  It is 20 hours and it’s a great experience.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Recovery wise, let’s finish up with that.  Running that kind of long distance, it makes it easier I would think, especially when you start to get tired at the end, to get injured.  What kind of things do you do to prevent that and then how do you help yourself recover after the race?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Well one interesting thing is that I think with ultra-running, in some ways I’ve found its actually easier on my body because all the training is on trails and the road and track is much more pounding and because of the speeds that I used to do I think it was actually more injurious.  The ultra-running, I find after the super long runs that what I need to do is just kind of take it easy for a couple of days and not try to get any really quality in, so it’s a little harder to work as much quality as I would do normally in road racing, but in terms of injury, because its all on trails and varied terrain, so I think you’re using different muscles, I’ve found that it is actually easier on my body.  But I’m very careful, I also monitor and if I feel something I’ll back off, maybe take a day or two off, and I do take it easy after the really long runs.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Now you want from marathons to the ultra-running.  Do you see yourself going even further than the Western States type of distances in the future?”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “I think for now I’ll stick with the Western States.  Partly the time commitment is so big because of the long runs that you have to do, so I’ve managed to work it right now, and my husband does them also so that helps because we can train together, or at least we’re both understanding and supportive of the amount of time that it does take, but I think for now the 100 milers will be my longest.”

«Tim Bourquin»: “Well we’re just about out of time here, but if you want to find out more about some of the races we’ve talked about you can click on the links right below the link to this audio interview. 

Diana, thanks very much for talking with us, I appreciate it.”

«Diana Fitzpatrick»: “Okay, thanks Tim.”

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Posted: February 24, 2005