You Just Have To Be Ready

You don't have to be crazy to run an ultra marathon. You just have to be ready. By Doug Rennie

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."

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