If you have been running for a while it’s not a problem to add an ultramarathon to two marathons you have already accomplished. In South Africa alone, there are 14,000 runners who join the Comrades Marathon every year running through the rugged hills. About 85 percent of them finish the race.
For those who like to run the ultramarathon starting from the 50k run should know that training for it is much like that of a marathon. However it is done with slower and fewer intervals in between. You can do longer runs with walking breaks in between. You training plan should give you enough dosages for you to be able to run the first step to ultramarathon: the 50K run. The training plan should also be able to give you enough time and energy to live a life outside training. What is considered as the core element of the ultramarathon training plan is the “sandwich” or that back to back long slow runs that are ended with two rest days.
When you are going to run long distances, friends can make it more fun. It’s better for you to find training partners that have the same goals as you. This will make it easy to support each other and to learn from each other’s experiences while you continue to train. If you know of a person who has experienced finishing the distance you covered and willing to train you, that is even better.
It is also important for you to consider that before you get into ultramarathon training, you should have at least three years of running experience which should be consistent. It is also important for you to have at least finished three marathons. It’s not important what your marathon times are. The next step is to go and find a specific race for you to join. With this, you need to come up with a personal goal. This goal could be finishing the distance, finishing it at a particular time, or finishing it as one of the top ten finishers.
You should allot one year for you to prepare for the ultramarathon race. If you have been regularly participating in marathons, you can prepare for the ultramarathon in just 6 months. But it’s always good to allow for more time to practice. There can be a number of distractions such as a sprained ankle or a call from work which can take you away from your training.
It is said that there are five physiological phases in training for an ultramarathon. These are the following: base building, strength building, speed building, taper, race, and also recovery. Starting from your race date, you will be able to work backwards which can allow 2 to 3 weeks for you to taper before the race takes place. Speed building can take 6 to 8 weeks. You can get rid of this phase when you are a first timer in an ultramarathon race or you are simply aiming to finish on time. You can add half time to the base building phase and another half to the strength building phase. The latter can take 8 weeks to complete. Make sure that you can prolong as much as you can the base building phase.
The goals for the base building phase of the ultramarathon training are the following: increasing one’s aerobic fitness, weekly mileage, distance of the long run, to build cardiovascular and muscular endurance. You can develop your cardiovascular and pulmonary functions during this phase of the training. This phase is about improving your body’s capacity to be able to transport oxygen. This phase should be the longest in your entire ultramarathon training. It should last for 12 to 16 weeks at the most. Stick to your weekly mileage for two weeks at least before you increase it. Only the advanced runners must be able to do a long run every week. All other types of runners should do one long run every two or three weeks.
It’s not recommended to race during the base building phase. If inevitable, you should make sure that it won’t exceed 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. You should avoid taking some time off too before and after a race during the base building phase. You may need to work in cycles too. The first week is the base week. The second week requires you to increase the mileage by 10 percent. In week 3 you can increase the long run distance but keep the total mileage same as that of the second week. The fourth week is considered the recovery week. You have to return to your base week mileage.
With the strength building phase, you will be forming muscles. This phase is aimed at increasing the muscle fibers found in your leg muscles same as the mitochondria and enzymes that are required for breaking down lactates during the exercise sessions. Training during this phase entails the use of hills such as hill running and hill drills. At this point, your goal is to become stronger. This phase lasts for eight weeks. During the strength building phase you should retain your weekly mileage. It is also important to retain the length of the long run during the phase of the training. Instead you need to increase your hill workout and the number of hill repeats for every session. It is okay to race during the strength building phase. When you choose to race, you have to reduce the amount of hill workouts you do to just one every week. There should be no time off both before and after a race dine during the strength building phase.
Hill training is considered as the best lactate threshold training for ultramarathon. This training is designed to develop more capillaries, build muscles, and to improve energy production in your muscles. This is meant to increase your heart rate by 95 percent or two minutes at one time. You need not worry about increasing your speed when you’re in this particular type of training.