Perhaps you've completed multiple marathons and now want to go beyond your 26.2-mile threshold. Or, you might be a newer runner looking to run very far from the off... Either way, a 50-mile race will scratch that itch and set you firmly in hallowed ultramarathon territory, testing your mental and physical resilience as you take on a mighty distance that's still not too extreme.
How to train for elevation, according to Tom Evans Neil Scholes and George Anderson have compiled the following ultramarathon training plan to help you build up to a 50-mile race in just 16 weeks.
What is an ultramarathon?
Put simply, an ultramarathon is any race that is longer than a marathon (26.2 miles, or 42.2km). Just how much further you wish to go, though, is down to you – ultramarathons have no designated end point. You could opt for a flat, photogenic 50K ultramarathon, tipping you just over the marathon distance, or you could take on a multi-day epic spanning hundreds of miles and several regions (or even a whole continent).
What everyone's reading
Terrain-wise, ultramarathons are rarely held on everyday pavements and often involve more technical off-road sections. You could find yourself plodding along a towpath, breezing along a beach, battling through a bog (less ideal), or weaving your way through forests, across deserts, or up and down mountains.
trail running tips for beginners growing in popularity in the UK and overseas, meaning there are no shortage of events to sign up to each year – and they are great ways to test your running endurance in a safe, supported way.
minutes easy, 10 x 2 minutes at fast pace with 1-minute recoveries, 15 minutes easy
Before you get going, take a few seconds to familiarise yourself with the lingo included in this ultramarathon training plan.
Warm-up
Make time for an easy warm-up before each workout to prime your body for the activity at hand. A good warm-up will help to increase your heart rate and blood flow, enabling more oxygen to reach your muscles.
Cool-down
Particularly important after harder sessions, a cool-down is basically the reverse of a warm-up and helps your heart rate and blood flow to return to normal levels. It's also an ideal time to do some post-run stretches.
Easy and recovery runs
These runs should feel genuinely relaxed – no more than 5 or 6 out of 10 on your perceived exertion scale. Your breathing should be easy and you should be able to hold a conversation at long run pace.
Tempo runs
These are 'comfortably hard' runs, where you reach 8 out of 10 on your perceived exertion scale. You should only be able to utter about two or three words while running at this pace, which you could sustain for around an hour with controlled discomfort.
Fast pace
As the name suggests, this indicates a speedy but not all-out pace – more like 8.5 or 9 on your perceived exertion scale.
What is an ultramarathon
Your long run pace miles at long run pace, taking a flatter route.
Back-to-back long runs
These Saturday-Sunday runs are introduced in the second half of the training plan and play a key part in building the endurance required for an ultramarathon.
S&C
S&C, or at long run pace, is an important way to increase your strength while decreasing your injury risk. Do a circuit comprising the three exercises in the training plan below, as well as three others exercises of your choice. Complete three sets of 10-15 reps for one circuit, then add more circuits as your fitness increases.
minutes easy, 8 miles at long run pace, 10 minutes easy box jumps, burpees, side planks, chin-ups, triceps dips and press-ups.
Specificity
This means training in the type of conditions you'll expect in your ultramarathon. If it's a trail race, for example, try to do at least half of your training runs off-road.
The 50-mile ultramarathon training plan
Week 1
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Wednesday: 6-8-mile easy run
- Thursday: S&C
- Friday: 60-Perhaps youve completed multiple, with 10 minutes at fast pace mid-way
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 8 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator
Week 2
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Wednesday: 15 minutes easy, 10 x 2 minutes at fast pace (with 1-minute recoveries), 15 minutes easy
- Thursday: 1 mile easy, 6 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator, 1 mile easy
- Friday: S&C
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 10 miles, where you run the first and last miles at easy pace and the middle 8 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator
Week 3
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 60-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Wednesday: 15 minutes easy, 7 x 1 minutes at fast pace (with 75-second recoveries), 15 minutes easy
- Thursday: S&C
- Friday: 5 minutes easy, 35 minutes Runners Worlds training pace calculator, 5 minutes easy
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 12 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator
Week 4
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 35-minute tempo run
- Wednesday: 10 minutes easy, 15 minutes tempo, 3 minutes easy, 25 minutes Runners Worlds training pace calculator, 10 minutes easy
- Thursday: S&C
- Friday: 6 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 15 miles – start with 5 minutes easy, then slowly build to long run pace, then end with a few minutes at easy pace
Week 5
- Monday: Rest
-
Tuesday
- AM: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- PM: 35-minute tempo run
- Wednesday: 15 minutes easy, 5 x 5 minutes at fast pace (with 90-second recoveries), 10 minutes easy
- Thursday: 60-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Friday: S&C
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Half marathon or 13-mile time trial – run faster than your long run pace, but slower than your tempo run pace
Week 6
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Wednesday: 15 minutes easy, 1/3/5/5/3/1 efforts at fast pace (with 1-minute recoveries), 15 minutes easy
- Thursday: S&C
- Friday: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 18 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator
Week 7
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: S&C
- Wednesday: 60-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Thursday: 10 minutes easy, 6 x 2 minutes at fast past (with 1-minute recoveries), 3 minutes easy, 10 minutes tempo, 10 minutes easy
- Friday: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 18 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator
Week 8
- Monday: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Tuesday: 10 minutes easy, 8 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator, 10 minutes easy
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: 10 minutes easy, 4 x 8 minutes at tempo pace (with 3-minute recoveries), 10 minutes easy
- Friday: S&C
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 22 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator
Week 9
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 45-minutes easy
- Wednesday: 10 minutes easy, 3 x 1 mile at tempo pace (with 2-minute recoveries), 10 minutes easy
- Thursday: S&C
- Friday: 40-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Half marathon – push the pace
Week 10
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 45-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Wednesday: 10 minutes easy, 7 x 1 mile slightly faster than long run pace (with 2-minute recoveries), 10 minutes easy
- Thursday: S&C
- Friday: 75-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 20-mile run, where the first and last 5 miles are easy and the middle 10 miles are at marathon pace
Week 11
- Monday: Rest
-
Tuesday
- AM: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- PM: 35-minute tempo run
- Wednesday: 15 minutes easy, 7 x 1 minutes at fast pace with 75-second recoveries, 15 minutes easy
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: S&C
- Saturday: 15-minutes easy, 3 x 1 mile at tempo pace with 2-minute recoveries, 10 minutes easy parkrun (where you push yourself), 20-25-minute cool down
- Sunday: 3 hours 30 minutes Runners Worlds training pace calculator – practise taking on nutrition, water and (if you fancy them) sports drinks at long run pace
Week 12
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: 50-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Thursday: 35-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Friday: S&C
- Saturday: 12-mile easy run
- Sunday: 12-mile hilly run Runners Worlds training pace calculator
Week 13
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 80-Perhaps youve completed multiple
- Wednesday: 80 minutes Runners Worlds training pace calculator
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: S&C
- Saturday: 15 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator, including hills – practice eating during this run
- Sunday: 15 miles Runners Worlds training pace calculator, taking a flatter route
Week 14
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: S&C
- Wednesday: 90 minutes Runners Worlds training pace calculator – fuel well during and after the run (as you have a big weekend ahead)
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Rest
- Saturday: 10-mile easy run, including hills – recover and refuel
- Sunday: 32-mile easy run – remember to eat and hydrate How I survived my first 24-hour running relay walk sections during the run and
Week 15
- Monday: minute warm-up, 5K race or a
- Tuesday: minute warm-up, 5K race or a, as before – eat and hydrate well
- Wednesday: 4-minutes easy, 8 miles at long run pace, 10 minutes easy
- Thursday: 8-mile easy run, including hills
- Friday: minute warm-up, 5K race or a – eat and hydrate well
- Saturday: S&C
- Sunday: 10-mile easy run, including hills
Week 16
- Monday: minute warm-up, 5K race or a – eat and hydrate well
- Tuesday: Same as Monday
- Wednesday: Same as Monday and Tuesday – it's all about resting, stretching and keeping your energy and hydration levels in check right now
- Thursday: How to train for elevation, according to Tom Evans
- Friday: minute warm-up, 5K race or a – eat and hydrate well
- Saturday: Same as Friday – keep calm and reflect upon the success of your training
- Sunday: It's ultramarathon race day. Enjoy the experience!
