🦾YOUR BODY IS NOT A RUNNING MACHINE. IT'S A SYSTEM THAT NEEDS SERVICE.🏃‍♂️

Jakub Gdula once visited me on the Black Hat Ultra podcast and we created one of the most substantively valuable episodes of BHU.

Kuba compares a runner's body to a car. If you don't check it and replace parts, you won't get very far. Feet are like wheels. Supplemental training is your mechanic.

Sounds trivial? Maybe. But most mountain runners ignore everything beyond the kilometers. And then they're surprised when their knee gives out at kilometer 40.

📍WARM-UP IS NOT OPTIONAL

Gdula makes it clear: a warm-up before training is always necessary. Summer, winter, light warm-ups, or intervals. No exceptions.

I know what you're thinking. "It's obvious." And when was the last time you actually did a full warm-up before your morning run?

📍STRENGTH IS NOT A 30-REP CIRCUITS

Here's the problem with most ultra runners: they confuse strength training with endurance training.

Building strength requires low reps (3 to 6) at high resistance. And very long rest periods between sets, as long as 3 minutes.

For a runner accustomed to constant exertion, it's a shock. "What's it like to sit and wait?" But that's exactly how you build strength that protects your joints on descents and ascents.

📍LETTING GO IS ALSO TRAINING

Gdula talks about "readiness"—readiness for training. You can measure it with technology (jump height, barbell speed) or simply look in the mirror and honestly assess how you look and feel.

Sometimes it's better to skip a workout than to force it and then exclude yourself for a week. A single day of rest is more effective than heroically trying to stick to your plan.

📍MOTOR TRAINING IS AN ADDITION

For a runner, the priority is the running plan. Supplemental training shouldn't be so strenuous that it prevents the main workout the next day.

This means: if you are unable to run after strength training, something is wrong with your plan.

📍THE GOLDEN GRAIL DOES NOT EXIST

There's no one-size-fits-all exercise routine. You need to identify your weak points. Lack of hip mobility? Weak glutes? Stiff ankles?

Work on what you're struggling with. Don't endlessly repeat what you're already good at. Every once in a while, go to a specialist for a "checkup" so someone outside the box can see what you're missing.

📍INSTABILITY MAKES SENSE

For mountain runners, training on unstable surfaces (bosu, cushions) makes sense. You react to chaos and unevenness on the course. Your body must be able to stabilize itself in unpredictable conditions.

This isn't a gym circus. This is preparation for what awaits you on the 70th kilometer in the mountains.

📍EYES - THE MUSCLE YOU FORGOT ABOUT

One of Gdula's most underrated theses is the training of the visual system.

Eyes have muscles. These muscles get tired. When your heart rate is high, your control over what you see decreases dramatically.

That's why you start to "slug" on descents. Not because your legs can't keep up. It's because your eyes can't keep up with scanning the terrain.

The solution? Peripheral vision training. You train your eyes to scan the ground 50 meters in front of you instead of looking down at your feet. The result: faster, safer descents without constantly looking down.

A simple exercise: follow a moving ball with your eyes. Or focus on an object in the distance while dribbling the ball at your feet. Visual chaos = eye exercise.

📍SUMMARY

A runner's body isn't a mileage-logging machine. It's a system that requires maintenance, diagnostics, and work on weak links.

The goal isn't the result here and now. The goal is to run for life.

Watch the entire podcast: Black Hat Ultra #97 Kuba Gdula

prepared by: Kamil Dąbkowski | Moje Ultra

How about you? When was the last time you had a "checkup"?