I asked around in my trail running club which people had experience with ultras. (I am considering a new distance.) There were a fair number of people in the group who race at the 50 and 100 mile distances regularly.
One of the more technical runners in the group, who is quite competitive at ultra distances, said "I was watching you run and my advice for you off the bat is to cut the tangents."
"Right. Wait, what?"
He explained that I wander from side to side on the trail as I am picking my footing and looking for the flattest ground. He said that when you race, you have to be very purposeful about creating a short and straight path for efficiency. This is something that you have to practice when you are out on your regular trail runs so that it is second nature when you race.
"After all" he said, "if you are running 50 miles, that wandering can easily add an another 3 to your day. And the last thing you want is an extra 3."
True that. Good advice. Thanks Michael.
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