Training for Your First 50 Mile Ultramarathon

Have you ever thought about taking that next step up from the marathon or 50K? The 50-mile distance can seem a little daunting, but with some solid strategy and a little bit of time to prepare, it need not be. Training for your first 50 miler isn’t much different than training for the marathon.

Getting Going

If you’re just getting back to running from a break, give yourself 4-6 months to allow enough time to build up volume for your event. I personally like to throw in a few shorter events as carrots to keep me training. A local half marathon or marathon strategically placed can be just the ticket to get you out the door. Another thing to consider is expectations. When running a marathon, time expectations and goals are a great motivator. However, for your first 50 miler, your goal should be simply to get ‘er done. Yep, just finish. A 50-mile trail race will have you on your feet more in one day than you typically run in a whole week. So, be conservative and realistic. When deciding which race to do as your first, pick a trail race that boasts moderate elevation gain. It is probably not the best idea to pick an extremely hard mountain 50 for your first one.

More Time on Your Feet

When making the jump from the marathon to 50 miles, training volume is the first thing to consider. According to accomplished ultrarunner Ian Sharman, an online coach and founder of Sharman Ultra Endurance Coaching, “The mileage needed for training for a 50 miler isn’t necessarily more than for a marathon, but it’s harder to get away with minimal mileage (under 30-40 miles/week). The biggest change is incorporating more long runs and frequently running these on terrain that mimics the target race.”

Since you’ll likely be on your feet more than twice as long as a marathon, you’ll need to up your weekly running volume a little. For example, if your weekly mileage for the marathon hovered around 30-40 miles per week, you should be fine to complete your first 50 by getting your weekly volume up to 50-60 miles per week. I hovered in the 40-50 miles per week range for my running volume while running 50K, 50 miles and 100 milers for years before my body adapted to handle bigger running mileage. I simply added in some extra volume on my mountain bike. Cycling can be a great cross-training tool for ultramarathons, especially if you don’t have years of marathon training under your belt.

Specific Training

Road marathons are typically on very consistent, similar terrain. In contrast,  50-mile trail events can vary widely in the flora and fauna they take a runner through, as well as the running surface. According to Coach Sharman, “Unlike road marathons, 50-mile trail races vary a huge amount so all training needs to be tailored to the terrain, weather and specifics of the ultra. A mountainous, snowy 50 miler requires very different training to a sandy, desert race but even two seemingly similar 50 milers are unlikely to require exactly the same approach, so course knowledge and research about the race are extremely valuable.” So, do some research and plan accordingly. If it’s going to be a rolling singletrack course, make sure you spend some time on that terrain each week on your training runs. If it’s going to be mountainous, run hills. You want to give your running muscle groups a stimulus that will mimic what you’ll face on race day.

The Cornerstone of the Week

Your long run is the most important piece of your weekly training. This is the run that should mimic race terrain and conditions if at all possible. It’s my favorite workout of the week — the staple of my training regimen. I look forward to going somewhere challenging and wild, and exploring. This is the day my adventuring spirit comes out and makes it easy to get out the door. Have fun on this day.

You’ll want to increase your weekly long run just like a marathon training schedule. The only difference is that you’ll want to be out longer on this day. On race day you could be out for seven to 15 hours, depending on your running background. Progressively build your weekly long run no more than 10-15%. This will keep you from overdoing it, and allow for incremental stress increase and adaptation following each week’s long run. Plan on building your long run to peak in the 28-30 mile range 3 weeks out from your event.

Other things to take into account are nutrition and hiking. Practice power hiking during your long runs, especially on the climbing sections of your long run route. Also practice eating and hydrating during your long run.

What to Eat and Drink

Everyone is different in terms of what works for them nutritionally during an endurance event. Use your long runs to experiment with what you’ll consume during your 50 miler. Think about an hourly regimen of hydration and caloric intake. I personally go on 300-400 calories per hour in the form of solid food and gels. I use aid stations for my solid food — approximately 100 calories per hour — in the form of either bananas, orange wedges, or potatoes. Then, I use gels in between each aid station, consuming 200-300 calories from gels each hour. This works for me, but it took me years of tinkering to dial it in. A few good online searches will reveal a variety of different ideas on endurance nutrition. Be creative and have fun.

Crunched for Time

If you’re like me, sometimes fatherhood, business and life get in the way of training properly. On the weeks you’re crunched for time, get out for a short, fast, hilly workout instead of skipping it altogether. Hilly speed work has been shown to boost your fitness more than other types of speed work. According to The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers at South Dakota State University studied 32 fit runners by having them train in three separate groups for six weeks: Group 1 maintained their current training regimen, Group 2 added two weekly treadmill intervals sessions set to 1 percent incline, Group 3 added two weekly treadmill interval sessions set to 10 percent incline. Researchers found the steeper grade treadmill group significantly improved their run-to-fatigue in an all-out endurance test. So, if you have a busy week, go find a hill, run up it hard a few times, and go about your busy day.

If you’re thinking of making the jump from the marathon to 50 miles, go for it. All you need is a little more volume and a little practice, and you’ll soon be crossing the finish line of your first 50-mile trail race with a dirty, dusty smile on your face.