The Ultramarathon Training Secret
My favorite distances to run are longer than the marathon. Training for 50k’s (31 miles) and above is what gets me out the door every day. I was aiming for my first 100-mile race leading into 2020.
In marathon training, one weekend day is reserved for a long run. The length of the run increases throughout training, starting at maybe 10 miles and progressing to 20. The increase in distances happens gradually, and you might repeat the same distance a few times throughout your training plan. There isn’t a need to push past the 20-mile mark, because in theory, your training overall should prep you for that distance. When your legs are rested from tapering and you hear the crowd cheering you on, you’ll be able to tack on those last six miles.
People often confuse marathon training with ultramarathon training. They think I must be running an 80 mile long run in preparation for 100 miles. Or that to run a 50k, I need to be clocking regular marathon-distanced weekend runs.
That’s not how it works. I guess you could say in ultramarathon training, we use a little hack. It’s called double long runs.
What does this mean? Well, if you’ve trained for a long-distance race, you know how tired your legs are after a long run. Often times a rest day is scheduled following the big weekend day. In ultra training, you push through…
