Jake Catterall gaat 8 augustus zijn ongelofelijke VONDEL200 run door Nederland lopen. Wij waren er begin juni al bij tijdens zijn trainingsrun in het Vondelpark van 100km maar de 200km is toch wel next level. Nu is hij 1300 trainings kilometers verder, 8 kilo lichter en helemaal ready voor de monsterlijke 200km. Wij stellen hem een aantal vragen over het mentale aspect van de run, de schoenkeuze en zijn voeding. (Het interview is in het Engels)

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It’s mental.

During the 100k run we chatted about the mental aspect of running long distances. You told us that visualization is a big part. Could you tell more about that and what you did different?

Doing anything for the first time is scary! Even more so when you up the odds on what you're doing for the first time, the pressure is really on & you can easily slip into thoughts of self doubt and irrational spirals of negativity. Visualization for me, acts as a tool to live the moment before it’s happened, to place yourself on the race startline or in the hardest sections of a run in an attempt to live that moment and gain confidence before it’s happened. In previous IRONMAN training, I went as far as listening to a swimming soundtrack with my goggles on in my bedroom to get over being scared of the 1600 person mass start in NZ, Taupo. it really helped.  

Which part of the route will be mentally the toughest?

When the flood of self doubt comes, which it will (It always does). The hardest part will be protecting my positive mindset throughout the run. See it like a castle under attack, as long as the castle walls are strong, you will survive. 

What did you learn during the 100k in Vondelpark that you will definitely do different?

People helped. ALOT. This time though I will try to employ more of my tactics i've learnt over time to keep my own head balanced and focused. True strength comes from within and from yourself and is helped along by others. That must be clear 

jake 4

Shoe game

We have seen you with different HOKA ONE ONE shoes in the preparation towards the 200K. Which shoe did you use for the mileage you put in? 

HOKA shoes are great. Really. I used a mixture of the Elevon 2 and Rincon as my distance shoes. As they were most comfortable on long slow runs. The Carbon X is my speed or race shoe.

Talking about milage, how much km did you put in per week and how are they spread out in shoes.

For the 100km I was on 80km per week for around 5 months. Mixed speed and distance. Now it’s moved up to 120km per week. Elevon 2 being the favorite slow-distance 30km+ (5ish/km) shoe. Carbon X being best fast--short 10km- (3:20/km)

Are you changing up your shoe game for the 200k and why?

I used the Elevon 2 to run 100km. Not one mark or bruise was left on my feet. Amazing. I was shocked. But as its designed for better comfort, it has slightly more material/weight. You wouldn’t feel that weight on a ‘normal run’, but I did after 9hrs of running 100km. So I’ll use the Carbon X as my 200km racing shoe.

 

Nutrition

Every long distance runner knows how important proper nutrition is. What is your strategy for the 200k run?

Stick to a powder based nutrition that mixes to water. My sweat rate is high, along with the amount of salt in my sweat. So we will take a measured amount of nutrition and water every 40mins.

What are the learnings from the 100k?

Not enough water! I was dehydrated after the 100k. It didn’t affect my run, but it did affect my recovery. I want to have a great run and a great recovery this time. The key is water. STAY HYDRATED!!!!  

If you have to give advice to people who want to take up long distance running what would the advise be on nutrition?

First explore what sits well in your stomach, it might not taste great, but if you find a fuel that stays well in your stomach, you’ve found the right nutrition. Make sure it’s portable and find a way to be able to bring it with you on runs. Take it before you think you need it. A great quote from my cycling experience was, “If you’re hungry, it’s probably too late.”.