Emily Harrison Continues to Grow & Learn as an Elite Ultra Runner
Emily Harrison is hands down one of the best ultra runners in the world.
Emily Harrison Photo Credit: Kristin Wilson
From the time she started running in middle school, she’s always tended excel at the longer distances. As a professional, she continues to excel at the longer distances. Currently, she’s most comfortable in the 50 mile range, but who knows what the future holds in terms of running even longer distances.
During my chat with Emily we talked about her running career to date, continuing to learn about what it takes to run longer distances, the atmosphere surrounded an event like the Olympic Trials, and a whole lot more.
“Consistency, in my mind, is more important than being able to hit a training cycle hard and then being injured or burnt out.” ~Emily Harrison
Here are some of the highlights from my chat with Emily Harrison
- Running long has always been her strength
- Being in the mix for an Olympic spot in the marathon (2012) before trying an ultra
- Trying to figure out fueling strategies for longer distance races, especially after learning about some food sensitivities she has
- Running the Olympic Trials this year as a hybrid of a workout and a race
- Comparing and contrasting an elite road race to an elite trail race
- Race dynamics of running a looped course
- What separates the competitors at an elite level
- What training looks like at the elite level
- Consistency of training and training smart to avoid injury
- The importance of regular strength training, especially targeting the glutes and core
- The schedule for 2016, and her rule of thumb when it comes to planning her race schedule with a focus on recovery
Check out Emily’s website to see what she’s up to, and/or connect with her on Twitter and/or Instagram.
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I enjoyed listening to this chat. My take away: Consistency is more important than just about anything else when it come to running. I loved Emily’s quote about this, “Consistency, in my mind, is more important than being able to hit a training cycle hard and then being injured or burnt out.”
That definitely stood out to me as well. There were lots of great things she sprinkled in, like doing what works for her mileage wise even if other elites are doing more. And leaving more time for recovery after a race. It all ties in to being able to be more consistent in the end, which is definitely the goal!
Oh, and another thing that stood out to me from this chat is the importance of strength training. You have to strengthen those core muscles. She likes clams and those Bulgarian Squats (I think that is what she meant, anyway). I do both of those regularly.
Strength training is SO important! Easy to overlook, but you’ll pay for it if you do!
yes i agree with consistency is very important, and something i advocate for and do myself. her story is very similar to most elites joining our ultra community from the roads, and i wish her all the best.
It’s definitely all about the consistency. If you push too hard and get injured, you’re forced to start back from square one. Not exactly a good way to make progress in any endeavor…