The Ultimate Ultramarathon Training Plan

The Ultimate Ultramarathon Training Plan
You don't have to be crazy to run an ultramarathon. You just have to be ready.

By Doug Rennie
From the August 2004 issue of Runner's World

DO. NOT. BE. INTIMIDATED. If you have completed a marathon or two, you can--in 16 weeks--add an ultramarathon to your running resume. Really. "In South Africa, 14,000 runners each year enter the Comrades Marathon, 54 challenging miles of big rolling hills, and each year about 85 percent of them finish," says George Parrott, ultrarunning vet and director of training for the Buffalo Chips Running Club of Sacramento. "The moral here is that your expectations can get you to the finish line of an ultramarathon, and that this kind of distance is not unworldly." Okay, but first, what exactly is an ultramarathon? Anything beyond the classic 26.2-mile distance--races from increasingly popular 50-Ks to 100-milers to solo crossings of continents. For your first adventure on the far side of 26.2, we suggest that you look a bit beyond the 50-K--really just a stretched-out marathon--to 50 miles, the first true, bragging-rights ultra. So find yourself a friendly 50-miler, count back 16 weeks from race day, clip and post the following training plan--and get to it.

Training for 50: A few things you should know
You're not going to spend most of your waking hours running. That's because prepping for a 50-miler is much like marathon training, but with fewer and slower intervals, and somewhat longer (and slower) long runs spiced with walking breaks. Our plan offers enough miles in the proper dosages to prepare you for your first 50, while leaving you with enough time and energy to have, like, an actual life.

Ultra training is not about speed, or even distance, but rather time on your feet. Hence, the core element in getting you ready is the long run "sandwich": back-to-back long, slowish runs on successive days (likely Saturday and Sunday) bookended by two days of total rest.

When you start the 16-week schedule below, you must be at the point where you're running 15 to 18 miles for your weekly or every-other-week long run.

You'll be doing a bit of long, but not-so-fast interval work to boost muscle strength, stamina, and aerobic capacity. This will also keep you from settling into a semipermanent slow slog that makes a 12-minute pace feel like a 100-meter dash.

When it comes to running the long stuff, friends make for more fun. "Find training partners who have the same goal, so you can all encourage each other and learn from each other's experiences as your training progresses," says Luis Alvarez, who finished his first 50-miler last year to celebrate his 50th birthday. "And if you have someone who has experienced the distance and is willing to train with you, so much the better."

8 Rules of the road
1) Stay flat
Find as flat a 50 as you can, and as close to home as possible. Running this far for the first time is tough enough without the added stress of steep hills and travel.

2) Get familiar
Train on the terrain you're going to race on: trails, asphalt, or--as is common in many 50-mile events--a mix of the two.

3) Take breaks
"Stopping briefly for walk breaks in both training and racing is the key to being able to move forward at all times," says Buffalo Chips ultrarunner Becky Johnson, who finished her first 50-miler in 2003.

4) Pack a bag
Most 50-mile events will drop your race bag near the 35-mile point (some also will make a drop around 20 miles). Your drop bag(s) should include solid fuel (your favorite energy bars, candy bars, or gels), sunscreen, long-sleeve T-shirt and/or nylon windbreaker, clean socks and an alternate pair of shoes, and Vaseline or skin lube.

5) Start slowly, then back off
Because when it comes to 50-milers, pacing errors no longer penalize just your finishing time, but the possibility of finishing at all. "Start off a full 30 seconds-per-mile slower than your marathon pace," says Parrott.

6) Eat, drink, and (try to) be merry
During the race, eat whatever worked for you during your training runs: cookies, raisins, figs, crackers, pretzels, energy bars. Whatever. And drink continuously: eight ounces or so every 15 to 20 minutes, including electrolyte-loaded sports drinks. Consider high-caffeine drinks such as Mountain Dew over the last 15 miles.

7) Find a rhythm
One popular run/walk pattern is to run 20 minutes, walk five minutes. Do this from the outset, or after you've run the first 15 or 20 miles, or whatever pattern has worked best for you in your training. Some prefer a shorter mix of running five minutes, then walking one, believing that this is less stressful than the 20:5 pattern. Note: Walk all uphills, even the small ones, and even if it means short-circuiting a run segment.

8) Be prepared
Just how much time is this thing going to take you? To get a ballpark expectation, double your best marathon time and add two hours to get a realistic 50-mile time. So for example, a 3:30 marathoner could expect to run his or her first 50 in about nine hours.

Schedule
See below

Week M T W TH F S SU
1 Rest 6-10 miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 90-minute run 3-hour run (or about 18 miles)
2 Rest 6-10 Miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 90-minute run 3-hour run
3 Rest 6-10 miles, including 2x2 miles at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 7-9 miles, middle 3 at MP (5:00) Rest 2-hour run 3.5-hour run (or about 20 miles)
4 Rest 5-8 miles, including 3x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 6 miles, middle 2 at MP Rest 1.5-hour run 2-hour run
5 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 3.5- to 4-hour run (or about 20-24 miles) 3-hour run
6 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 3.5- to 4-hour run 3-hour run
7 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 3.5- to 4-hour run 3-hour run, last hour at MP
8 Rest 9 miles, including 3x2 miles at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 2-hour run 2.5-hour run
9 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 miles at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 3.5-hour run, last hour at MP
10 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 miles at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 3.5-hour run, last hour at MP
11 Rest 9 miles, including 3x2 miles at HMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 2.5-hour run 3-hour run
12 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 5-hour run (or about 27-29 miles)
13 Rest 9 miles, including 6x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 4-hour run 5-hour run
14 Rest 9 miles, including 4x1 mile at TMP Easy 5-mile jog 9 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 2-hour run 2-hour run
15 Rest 7 miles, including 3x1 mile at MP Easy 5-mile jog 7 miles, middle 3 at MP Rest 1.5-hour run Easy 1-hour jog
16 Rest 6 miles, middle 3 at HMP Easy 5-mile jog Easy 3-mile jog Rest: Stay off your feet 50-mile race Rest. (Duh.)

Key:(MP) Marathon Pace: the pace/effort you can hold in a marathon

(HMP) Half-Marathon Pace: the per-mile average of your best half-marathon

(TMP) 10-Mile Pace: the per-mile pace of your fastest 10-miler

Recovery for HMP/TMP: Jog slowly until you feel fresh enough to start the next repetition.

4 Fifties to Try
1. American River 50-Mile Endurance Run (April 2)
"More river, more bike trail, more scenery" makes this point-to-point 50-miler one of the West's most popular and beginner-friendly ultras. You start near the Cal State Sacramento University campus, follow the paved American River bike path for 24 miles, then switch to single-track horse trail for the final 26. Comes with aid stations aplenty and a generous 13-hour time limit. (run100s.com/AR50)

2. Mount Hood Pacific Crest Trail Ultramarathon (July 30)
Surrounded by the lush Mount Hood National Forest, you do your 50 miles out-and-back on the shady Pacific Crest Trail from Timothy Lake to historic Timberline Lodge--where part of the movie adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining was filmed. Good footing and gorgeous scenery balance out the "moderately difficult" 4,000 total feet of elevation gain. (pctultra.com)

3. Le Grizz Ultramarathon (October 8)
Courses just don't get more spectacular than this 50-mile point-to-point forest road loop around the Hungry Horse Reservoir in Spotted Bear, Montana. The (literal) highlight comes at mile 47 when you cross the reservoir's 564-foot-high spillway. It's the only 50 you'll run whose race packet includes "If You Encounter a Bear" instructions. (cheetahherders.com)

4. JFK 50 Mile (November 19)
Held in Hagerstown, Maryland, "America's Ultramarathon" is the nation's oldest and largest ultradistance event--and a scenic, point-to-pointer to boot with 13 miles on the legendary Appalachian Trail, and 26 on the historic B & O canal tow path with aid stations every four miles. (jfk50mile.org)

To find an ultra near you, see the coast-to-coast listings on www.ultrarunner.net or check out our Ultramarathon Event Calendar.