EBR Friday Focus

by ENDURANCE BIKE AND RUN

"Practical insights for sustainable progress"

Hello ,,

When Progress Stalls Despite Consistency

Many people think ultra-distance events like London-Edinburgh-London are almost exclusively about fitness, but as Clare explains in her most recent blog article, fitness is just the entry fee. The real challenge is how well you continue to function when normality breaks down.

3 Insights About Mid-Season Fatigue

I.

People who succeed in ultra-events don't necessarily have the highest FTP, threshold pace or biggest training volume - they have the most robust systems and mental capacity for managing the inevitable challenges that arise. Planning for 'What Ifs', how to make your behaviours as automatic and effective as possible can pay more dividends that getting in an extra, perfect, training session.

II.

Nothing new on event day applies to everything - nutrition, gear, sleep strategies, even your decision-making frameworks. The middle of a 1,500km event is the worst time to discover your new saddle causes problems or that you can't actually sleep in control points. Practice your systems as much as your physical training.

III.

Even with the best plans and copious experience, the unexpected will happen - that's part of the fun, isn't it? What separates finishers from those who struggle is having frameworks for managing crisis moments. Steve Peters' AMP technique works brilliantly: Accept that things go wrong and it's normal to panic (allow yourself time to panic), then Move on, with a Plan.

2 Questions For You

I.

What specific systems do you have in place for decision-making under fatigue, and how have you actually tested them in realistic conditions?

II.

When part of your plan falls apart, or mental demons start to attack, what's your framework for maintaining psychological resilience and forward progress?

1 Real-World Example

Stephen, a veteran of multiple Paris-Brest-Paris and LEL events, demonstrates how systematic preparation pays dividends. Despite his experience, LEL 2022 threw him unexpected challenges: longer, more difficult course than anticipated, brutal road conditions, and extreme weather variations from 6°C fog to 34°C heat.

His systematic approach showed its value throughout: when he lost a bidon lid before Barnard Castle, he improvised with a muesli bar wrapper rather than panic. When checkpoint food was inadequate (just cereal with no milk), he methodically found alternatives rather than accepting poor nutrition. Most importantly, when facing psychological lows around the 700km mark, he had a framework: contact his support person Mel to "realign where I was at, the conditions I was seeing and where to from here."

Stephen's success wasn't about perfect conditions - it was about having robust systems that worked under pressure. His meticulous planning, ability to adapt solutions on the fly, and systematic approach to managing both physical and mental challenges exemplify how preparation beyond just fitness determines ultra-distance success.

Clare explores these ideas in depth in our blog: London Edinburgh London - How to Plan for Success

Ready to develop systematic approaches for your next ultra-distance challenge? Our coaching goes beyond training plans to help you build robust frameworks for managing the complex demands of ultra-events.

If you're an endurance cyclist or runner stalling through fatigue. We build training and recovery systems so you can race at full power – without burning out.

Just click this link or the button below to arrange a time to find out how we can help you.

Book a consultation to explore how we can help you develop sustainable training patterns that work for your life.

Keep moving forward,

John and Clare

The EBR Newsletter delivers evidence-based endurance insights every Friday. If you know someone who might benefit from our systematic approach to endurance challenges, please forward this email to anyone who might find it useful or interesting.