James Hudson prepares for Lakeland 100
100 miles through the Lake District fells. Two nights, no waymarking, a 6pm Friday start. Ahead of the Lakeland 100, performance nutrition coach and P1 athlete James Hudson on preparation, solitude, and why ultras aren't really races.
You spend your professional life coaching athletes through the science of fuelling performance. When you’re building towards your own race - 100 miles through the Lake District - does that knowledge make the preparation easier, or does it just mean you understand exactly how hard it’s going to be?
"There is a mindset within ultra running that we have to “endure”. Obviously there is a fair amount of that as it is an “endurance” sport, but having the knowledge that my nutrition will support the demands of training and racing means it doesn’t have to be harder than it should be."
The Lakeland 100 starts at 6pm on a Friday evening. By midnight you’re deep in the fells with two full nights ahead of you. What draws you to a race that asks for that kind of commitment - and what does the version of yourself at mile 70 look like compared to the one who started?
"It’s weird, because you don’t really think about it as a race. Unless you are right at the front of an ultra, nobody is really “racing”. Instead it feels like an adventure - where everyone has the same goal - to make some memories. Watching those sunrises from the top of a mountain, while learning where your personal limit is, draws me to these races.
The version of me at mile 70 has the same mindset, “just keep making progress”, but the legs are… more than slightly sore."
You document your training publicly - YouTube, Instagram, the full build-up in real time. There’s a vulnerability in that. Does sharing the process change how you experience it, or does it sharpen the accountability?
"There is that element of accountability, which helps me get up and out for sessions when I would rather stay in bed, but I have committed to sharing the whole journey. Not just the Instagram highlight reel, and there is something really freeing about that. If it’s going well, I’ll say and share the strategies; if it’s not, I’ll say that too, but use it as an opportunity to learn."
As someone who understands what the body needs to sustain an effort like this, talk about what you’ve been training in. What do you notice about your kit when you’ve been in it for hours and the only thing that matters is whether it’s working?
"Testing kit is just so essential. I’ve swapped from my marathon vest to a Perspect T, as the slightest rub on a 1/2 marathon training run from the pack on your exposed shoulders gets amplified 10x on a 100 miler.
I’ve been testing both zero drop and max cushioning trainers to give my feet a different stimulus on similar training runs, and they have been good so far. But from experience, you just can’t predict what problems may come. Shoes or a pack that worked forever may surprise you with a new “hot spot”. So, my plan is to have the equipment in my pack so I can fix it while I am out there, and remember to act early so that little rub doesn’t progress into a DNF."
The Lakeland fells don’t cooperate. Rain, wind, poor visibility, no waymarking between checkpoints. How do you prepare for conditions you can’t predict - and is there a point in your training where you stop preparing and start trusting?
"I think you prepare as best as your time and budget allow, then ultimately you do just have to trust it’s enough. For me, I am just praying I don’t have a watch issue, as that GPX file is the only thing keeping me from running completely off route. Currently my back-up plan for this is… if my watch dies, then I’ll just have to find another runner and somehow keep up. (I didn’t say it was a good plan!)"
A moment from your training recently - not a session, not a number - that reminded you why you signed up for this.
"On a night run recently I had a flashback to a forgotten memory. Suddenly I was back in Sherwood Forest in the pitch black at 3am during the Robin Hood 100, and my phone rang. It was Verity (my wife), letting me know the money raised for Alzheimer’s Research (for what was my first proper ultra) had just broken £2k. I had completely forgotten this moment - the emotion and the solitude - but remembering it while out on a training run reminded me where I started and why."
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Quickfire Questions
Favourite Perspect product?
"Black T-shirt"
Running with music - yes or no?
"Yes when pushing for PBs (chase and status), no when not"
Pre-run meal or post-run meal?
"Pre-run = White rice, tin of tuna, sweet chilli sauce. Post-run = Margarita with a salted rim"
Worst running habit you'll never fix?
"Wanting to run as fast as possible on every downhill"
If you weren't running the ultra, where would you be on April 10th?
"Probably back at home, struggling with the balance between running, work and family life as always"