STEP 1 => Social Media
I absolutely hate it, personally, that is for sure. I don't even have any apps of that on my phone, no icons on my PC, I have zero notifications and I feel like, that it is very badly used. However, the word media is very much attached to marketing and self marketing is obligatory for an athlete. You must be known and be sellable for a brand. It is not enough to have the legs and a couple of course records anymore, you need to be marketable.
This means, that no matter where you are in your current performance range, you must start social media right now. It must also be qualitative. Posting an image on instagram, "Look where I went today, it was gorgeous" #alps #utmbprep , this sort of thing, is non sense and makes me want to vomit. Posting anything that declines your uniqueness is pushing you away from people, brands and destroying your image.
First, you want to find your subject that is important for you or the most important besides running, but attached to running. Of course, if you were an explorer or an Alpinist, you could do quotes from past and do a 3 phrase reflection on it. If you were a health geak or a physio you can go down on that line too. If you work in IT and computers and programming is your thing or architecture, well to draw it around running is extremely difficult, but you might be on the path of creating something absolutely unique.
Platforms are a choice. I find that Strava is not yet maximally exploited and there are possibilities beyond posting runs. You can go classique with facebook, youtube and instgram of course. That could always work. But a combination of Strava, own website, a blogging platform for runners, well chosen is maybe more unique.
Product reviews are a nono, because maybe you'll talk about a brand that shoes fell apart on the first run, you are angry and degrade it, but their new line of shoes 4 years later is the best in the market. If your bad review is still up on youtube with 150 thousand views, well, that is not going to help to get a sponsorship. Also if you start being overly positive about the growth of another brand and start using exclusively their products, like dressing up in Salomon, other brands won't like that. This also means, that use colorful clothing, but avoid giant logos and marketing for free.
If you went videos, like daily motion and youtube, use clothing that is made by you. It is cheap, talks and makes you unique. For 100€ you can get 10 different t-shirts with your own created logo and own images on them.
Anyway, find a unique subject that you can mix together with running. Do it on the platform of your choice. Do not abuse it, do not spend time on it, do not engage really, but give some feedback for comments time to time. Make around 2 posts a week. Maybe Tuesday and Saturday. This way, you might take 3 years to get to be paid as a runner, but this way you might have 300 posts already. Long format articles , you can work on them to make them quality and get out one or 2 a month.
STEP 2 => Choose your qualities
You must of course know what you want and focus on it. If you don't have track and field or marathon background, running road ultras might be a bad idea. The Comrades Female record is 5:44 for 87kilometers what is 3:57/km pace. Female !
If you think you can stroll slow but steady very long, maybe the new wave of 200 to 250 milers are for you. If you like giant over night doubles in big mountains, things like hard rock, Montagnehard, Trail des Ecrins or the Trail de 4 massifs would be your choice.
You got vertical speed, and strong tendons and joints ? Real medium distance sky running of 15 to 25km could be an option. You got more likely push off speed and downhill speed ? Golden trail style racing can be something to think about. Actually while it should not be a goal initially, as it could be disappointing, Golden Trail series are very very well thought out. I am not sure how the ranking system works in general, but if you were in Europe, travelling is quite accessible. So if you can rank in top 30, you got free entries. If you got ranked in top 20, you got travel and accommodation aid for some races. If you got top 10, well, no salary, but a lot of help and publicity ! This year, there are 10 races in Europe. Depending on where you live, you can target Austria, Poland and Slovakia, or Italy, France and Spain. Though the French race is a BS fitness test. No mountains, just fast running with quite lot of road. Not sure why they chose Eco Trail de Paris.
It is very important, that you target races in order to win and place well. So do not do road marathons finishing 50th or 100th, because your friends do it, if you want to be a trail pro.
Chose and chose well. Work on your forte and weaknesses too.
STEP 3 => Training
Endurance comes from life and constant training, nutrition and mental attitude. Not only from big outings. Train endurance, but never focus on it !
Everything is won by speed. Speed ! Speed ! Work and focus on speed. That leads to posology and quality of foot stride. Joint and tendon strenght. Breathing and posture.
You must train that speed all the time. Increase it and build upon it. You are obliged. You can train for an ultra where you walk 75% of the distance, well we talk about walking speed. You can work on your VK and longer vertical races. Your speed on steep terrain might be your goal. Vo2max and speed endurance. Either ways, speed is the component that make you win. It must be worked freckin every single day. Working towards it and working on it. Sometimes 2 hours of mobility, foam rolling and skipping roping, other times sprinting or 4 x 4s.
Learn about periodization. Learn about planning. Do not get carried away by non important stuff. You might enjoy rucking and bike packing. But don't forget your goal is 25km D+1500m of fast running !!! Make an off season of 2 to 3 months to build power, strength endurance with your heavy pack adventures, but when the pre build starts, put those down and limit their use. Specificity is your key.
Never skimp on nutrition hydration and sleep.
Do not make a 3 month plan, but a 5 year one. If at the end of your 5th year, you are still not pro, sponsored or get paid, it means that you did not listen. Cause if you had 600 quality posts on 3 different social media platforms, you win races and set course records, you are respected by the community, kind, smart and marketable, you can be bought and sponsored, paid and pushed.
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