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by Sarah Brown
Training to go beyond 26 miles really isn’t that different to marathon training. Mileage will remain roughly the same, altho it may be ‘structured’ differently. What will change is your mental approach, both to training and to racing. Time goals will recede, replaced by the desire to finish [for your first ultra anyway]. Pace will become easier, walking will be encouraged, eating and drinking will be regular and copious and you will discover the fun and joy of sharing trails, racing with rather than against friends and not feeling ‘beaten over’ at the end.
These guidelines have been written with the assumption that you run a few miles already! Your base will vary from 20 miles per week to 50+mpw. Your goals should reflect this.
Structuring Training
I am a strong believer in the hard/medium/easy weeks as a way of structuring your training. It allows you to push the envelope a little, build your mileage, strengthen your base and then kick back a little, recover and refresh [ok and catch up on honey do’s!] How hard to push and how much to back off will be a personal thing. If you train on average for 10 hours a week [50 + miles] this would count well as a medium week, with 12+ hours for a hard week and under 8 hours for an easy week.
That doesn’t mean this is the way to train for ultras, it is just the way that works for me. For an example of this sort of schedule see “Sample schedules for a 50k trail” below.
Training volume, or how much and often you run/cross train, is usually measured by time or miles. Lengthening one or two runs, adding another run or increasing intensity can be used to build on training volume. Any increases should be gradual.
Consideration should also be given to the conditions of your goal race[s] if possible; type of trail, elevation changes, surface, level of support, expected weather, even time of day. These can all help you on race day, both physically and mentally.
Back-to-Back Long Runs
Within this ‘principle’ is another foundation, the back-to-back long runs. By doing a long run and then another medium to long run the very next day you are building strength and toughness, both physical and mental. Your body is learning to keep going even when it is tired and depleted. You are able to experiment with food/fuel and gear to see what helps/works for you as you are tired. I also feel it builds confidence. Knowing I had comfortably covered over 40 miles in 2 days really helped my confidence going into my first 50m. On the 10 hour training base line this would involve long runs of 4 and 2 hours on a medium week, 5 and 3 on a hard week and 3-4 maybe with out a second day on an easy week.
See the Joe Prusatis training plan for a further example of how this would work. http://www.hillcountrytrailrunners.com/docs/100MileTrainer.html
This principle is sort of two steps forward and one step back. It allows for the gradual increasing of your long run mileage and also overall mileage [or hours].
Runs of 3-5 hours allow you time to practice eating and drinking the different foods you are carrying, as well as to experiment with ways of carrying them; hand held water bottles, waist packs that hold one or two bottles and a few snacks, camelbacks, waist packs that just hold snacks and essentials, the options are never ending. Trials of packs etc will help you discover what chafes, what drives you nuts, what makes your back ache, what causes stomach cramps. Runs of this length will ensure you have depleted your existing glycogen levels, so you have to learn to walk more and refuel effectively. They also allow your endocrine system to be ‘trained’ to deal with the demands and stresses put upon it as it learns which glands to activate and which chemicals are needed in the body in order to run for 3+ hours.
Other components of your weekly running may include – hills, speed, strength work, rest days and maybe some cross training. Some of the need for these types of workout will be determined by the goal race you are training for. For instance there is limited benefit in doing all your training on a converted railroad bed if you are planning to race in Colorado!
For further information look at A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning edited by Don Allison and SERIOUS Training for Endurance Athletes by Sleamaker and Browning
Things To Learn While Training
Whilst you are out on these long and back to back runs you will have plenty of time to trial gear, food, hydration systems, electrolytes, etc. There are so many different options and combinations that you can use and everyone you ask will have a different recommendation. The only way to see what is best for you is to trial the options. And even then, what works on one day might not work 3 weeks later!
You need to try different foods, eating from early in the run, even going for a run/walk right after a meal. You may well find your stomach copes best if you graze, taking occasional nibbles and sips. A useful experiment is to weigh yourself before and right after a long run to see if you are drinking enough. Any loss in weight means you should be drinking a lot more.
Run-walk strategy something to consider and practice, especially on longer training runs, is your run/walk strategy. Remember walking in an ultra is GOOD, even smart. One key benefit is fat burning. By slowing the pace you trigger increased fat burning thereby saving carbohydrate stores. Walking will make you feel like your legs have more ‘life’ but there is no major drop in pace. Coping with heat, ingesting and digesting food and drink is easier and more effective while walking. Different muscles are employed, giving others a ‘rest’. Joints and tendons are also affected differently when walking. This doesn’t mean a leisurely ‘stroll around the mall’ pace. A good purposeful walk can often be faster than a tired ‘run’, especially up hills. You must learn to be disciplined to walk early in the race. Use the clock to manage your strategy. These things should all be practiced in training. Remember all forward motion is good.
Planning and Recording Training
Training logs can be spiral bound, purpose made and purchased, simple purchased journals, on-line thru a running website such as www.coolrunning.com or www.running-log.com, or a spreadsheet designed for use on your pc. You can write pages or just a few brief notes. Things that can be recorded in a log can include; activity, location, type of trail, duration/length, weather, how you felt, company, intensity of the run/work out, foods/fluids used, gear trialed and results/changes needed, aches and pains, mileage on shoes, electrolyte regime, animals seen/heard [and how scary!], and personal/domestic stuff that may impact your performance.
You may wish to make goals for yourself for each week/month, such as “x weights sessions”; “x long runs over xx miles/hours”; “buy and try out new waist pack”; “try eating ____ on long runs”. This is an ideal place to record and follow up such goals.
On a monthly basis review training and progress towards goals. When planning for future races you could use logs to review what you did leading to success at same/similar races in the past.
Flexibility in plans helps maintain motivation and allows for real life changes. The key workout is the long run, followed by the medium run midweek and higher intensity runs such as hills or speed work. Shorter easy runs and cross training are ‘least important’ to the big picture. You need to prioritize accordingly if you are short on free time or be flexible, such as getting up at dark o’clock to start your long runs. Don’t be a slave to mileage.
We all need to remember that missing one or even several runs, or cutting one short, wont matter too much on race day if the rest of the training foundation has already been put in place.
Sample Schedules for a 50k Trail Race
Hard/Medium/Easy Schedule
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Weeks 1 and 2 - Medium |
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Monday |
rest/cross train |
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Tuesday |
5m/1hr |
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Wednesday |
10m/2hr with hills |
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Thursday |
5m/1hr |
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Friday |
rest/cross train |
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Saturday |
long run 20-25 miles/4-5 hours |
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Sunday |
2nd long run 10-15m/2-3hr |
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Week 3 - Hard |
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Monday |
rest/cross train |
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Tuesday |
6-7m/1-½ hrs |
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Wednesday |
12m/2 ½hrs with hills |
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Thursday |
6-7m/1-½ hrs |
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Friday |
5m/1hr easy or cross train |
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Saturday |
long run 25+m/5+hrs |
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Sunday |
2nd long run |
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Week 4 - Easy |
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Monday |
rest |
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Tuesday |
5m/1hr easy or cross train |
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Wednesday |
1 ½ hr with hills |
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Thursday |
5m/1hr |
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Friday |
rest/cross train |
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Saturday |
long run 15-20m/3-4hrs |
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Sunday |
2 hrs easy run or cross training |
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Repeat for a couple of months. As races start to appear in your calendar, some rearranging may be necessary. Contact me if you want any suggestions.
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10 Hour Schedule |
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Monday |
stair climber warm up, 15+mins. Weights, upper, core and lower body 30-45 mins |
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Tuesday |
medium distance on [hilly] trails 90 mins |
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easy run 45 mins |
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Wednesday |
easy run 45 mins |
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Thursday |
medium run with hill repeats. 90 mins, 30 hard |
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Friday |
rest |
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Saturday |
long run on trails, walk hills run down and flat |
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Sunday |
shorter easy run or cross train |
Easier Schedule
An easier option would involve only one medium/intensity run on Wednesday, resting Monday and Friday and shorter easier runs or cross training on Tuesday and Thursday and the weekend long run.
Bare minimum schedule
A minimum plan could comprise of Tuesday speed/hill session, Thursday medium, 2+ hour run and long run at the weekend. This should allow you to make it to 50k, although the more training you do the better you will race and recover