Ask TS: First 50k

Madeline Harms: All of this really depends on your personal circumstances and where you are starting from. For someone who just started running, I recommend a few months of base building, getting up to 20-25 miles a week before starting your 50k training plan. At that point, there are many free online training plans you can follow (I like this one), or if feasible with your budget you can work with a coach who will create a personalized plan that’s unique to your needs. In general, you should build up gradually, avoiding big jumps in mileage or intensity, eat well, and be sure to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep most nights so you can recover from your training. You got this!

Sophie Speidel: I ran my first 50K three months after running a marathon, and using marathon training to build up for this race worked well. If you have run a half marathon or marathon distance before, you might add to your training some specifics to the race itself — will it have rocky, technical trail or smooth flowy singletrack? Lots of vert or lots of flat running? No need to pile on the miles, just add a bit more time on your feet on your long runs and be sure to follow up every hard day (a long run or speed workout) with a day off or active recovery — cross-training or easy running. Have fun during the process, listen to your body, and approach the race as an adventure and a reward for doing something new and hard!

Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras: Thankfully, training for your first 50K doesn’t need to be much more time consuming than training for a marathon. Ideally, your longest run will be between 20-24 miles, and you’ll complete that 2-3 weeks before race day, after which you’ll begin to taper. Until then, you’ll gradually increase the distance of your long runs each week by roughly 10-15% and build the rest of your weekly training runs around those. If you are training for a 50K trail race, be sure to spend at least once a week training on trails, so that you will feel comfortable on the terrain on race day. But, if possible, spend as many days as you can on terrain similar to what you will encounter on race day. If there are a lot of hills in your 50K, over the last couple of months before the race, consider scheduling one hilly run each week (rolling is fine, need not be super steep) and hill repeats. These will help build your engine, so you have more strength and power in your legs on race day. As for recovery, you’ll need to consider what the rest of your life and schedule look like. Our bodies can’t discern training stress from life stress, so on days when your schedule ends up really full and you’re exhausted, consider swapping a longer workout (if it falls on that day) to an easier one you may have scheduled later in the week. Or complete the scheduled workout if you feel up to it but lessen the intensity by easing off the pace. Ideally, we’re all getting 8 hours of sleep each night, but aim to get at least 7 hours whenever you can. If you are short on sleep one night and can nap the next day, then go for it. Even just 30-60 minutes can leave you feeling refreshed. Do try your best to get a full night, however, after your weekly long run, especially during the latter weeks when the long runs become even longer. Your body will appreciate the quality of recovery it gains from a full night of sleep.

Katie Webb: Training for your first 50K is an exciting time!  There are a few things I would consider based on my experience training for my first 50K and then experience gained from running several ultras since.  First, your body is going to be going through a big adjustment adapting to training for a longer distance for the first time so give yourself some grace as it adapts.  If you have a coach, they will be a great resource as you go on this journey.  If you don’t have a coach (many of us who run ultras do not and have success!) then a good place to start is by looking up a 50K training plan online to use as a guide.  I have used plans from Ultrarunning Magazine and UltraLadies in the past. Once you have a plan picked out, remember that it is just a guide and use it as such. Listen to your body as you go through your training.  Jump on any little signs of possible injury early.  Feel free to adapt the plan to suit your needs and your schedule.  I promise it will be okay if you skip some runs or run fewer miles because either your schedule won’t allow it or you feel like you need more rest!  I really believe you’re better showing up to your race a little undertrained instead of slightly injured or extra fatigued because you treated the training plan like it was the law and followed it like your life depended on it.  To give yourself the best chance of handing your training load, be sure to fuel well both during and outside of your runs.  In-run fueling jump starts post-run recovery, so make sure to fuel well on the run (also great practice for race day!).  Then prioritize sleep.  This may mean you temporarily dial back on activities that limit your ability to get enough high-quality sleep. So, listen to your body, eat a lot, and prioritize good sleep.  And then enjoy the ride!  You only get to train for your first ultra once, so this is an exciting time!

Krissy Moehl: The answer for anyone jumping up in distance requires a few questions to better understand your background, what is life like for you now and what other stressors will impact this training.  As a general rule, I believe it’s best to make incremental increases in training week over week and to schedule in weekly recovery day(s). In addition to those, I encourage you to take intentional recover blocks to allow your mind and body to rest, reset, adapt to be ready to build again. Another way to look at it is, these intentional recovery blocks let you dictate when you take time off, rather than have an injury or illness decide for you. One last general rule- fuel your running and life. The simple lesson I learned early in my career was “the more you eat the more you can run.” I love miles and I have ensured my longevity with the motto towards fueling – quantity over quality and quality over convenience. To say always eat something, ideally you prepare foods that best suit you. But if left at a trailhead after a three-hour run, unprepared with nothing but Halloween candy in the glove box – eat the Halloween candy and then get to the grocery store!

Kristi Confortin: When you are training for a 50k it is always good to have a positive mindset and a can-do attitude. My favorite advice to share if you are running your first 50k is to find your mantra ahead of the race. Write your mantra on a sticky note and hang it on your mirror. Every time you brush your teeth, read your mantra. When you are 20+ miles into the 50k remember your mantra and say it out loud to yourself. Remember your mental attitude is just as important the physical training!

While increasing your mileage for training its always important to listen to our bodies. Since I started running longer distances, I’ve become very intone with my body and when it needs to rest. Rest can look and feel quite different depending on the week. Sometimes rest looks like soaking in a hot Epsom salt bath, adding more hours of sleep each night, taking an additional day off, cross training or even hanging with your friends/family. Rest should be celebrated just as much as your long runs because it will give you the energy needed for the next big run. Training, relaxation and nutrition are the keys needed to be constantly increasing your mileage!

Katie Grossman: Honestly, looking up one of the numerous free training plans online is a great place to start. Review a few and see which best align with how you’re used to/like to train and for which the beginning weeks aren’t a HUGE step up from where you’re currently at. These are a great way to see how to structure your various runs and workouts, where to put rest days, and how to progress. Beyond that, one thing I cannot recommend enough (and that I wish my younger self would have prioritized more) is at least 2x/week of strength work. I think as runners we tend to be so focused on mileage totals, but consistent strength work will keep you healthy and feeling stronger/enjoying your runs so much more.

Junko Kazukawa: Make sure you have enough time frame to train for the race.  Build up mileage each week gradually, and plan to have a recovery week after 2-3 weeks of hard training weeks. Weekly, You can plan to do a variety of running such as hills, tempo, intervals, long slow runs, and 1 or 2 days of recovery from running. You can do cross training on recovery days if you wish.  (swimming, yoga, strength etc..)