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Do I have to run all the way in my long runs? No. In fact, one problem that many first-time ultrarunners encounter is that they have difficulty with the amount of walking that must be done in their first ultra. They have trained to run but not walk. I suggest that you mix in some walking in your long training runs. Walk up some of the short steep hills or run a specific amount of time and then walk a specific amount of time. In my first several ultras, I ran 25 minutes and walked 5 minutes until I got tired; then I would change to 20 and 5, and later 15 and

5. If you’re training on trails or on hilly roads, just walk the uphills and run everything else.

The key principle for any runner is specificity. Your training should mimic as closely as possible the racing terrain and conditions. If you’re doing an ultra on trails, then your long run should be on trails. If you are racing at altitude or your race includes long climbs and descents, then you need to prepare for those variables, if possible. Do I have to run on trails every day if I’m going to race on trails? No. I usually do only my long run on trails. Occasionally, I will do two training runs on trails in one week. I also think that you should do one moderately long run per week, usually on the road at a good pace (as fast or faster than your normal daily pace). A relatively easy day should follow and precede this day as well.

Your goal in your first ultra should be to finish. Try not to think about any particular time or person you want to beat or keep up with. How long will it take you to finish 50 miles? When I first started running 50-milers, I was told to multiply my marathon time by two and add two hours. Thus a three-and-a-half-hour marathoner should be able to finish a 50-miler in nine hours. I think this is fairly accurate for road 50s but not trail 50s. A better gauge for trail 50s is to multiply your marathon time by three.

Dr. David Horton, a professor of exercise science at Liberty University, may have congratulated more runners upon finishing their first ultramarathon than anyone else during his many years as a race director. As an ultrarunner, Dr. Horton twice won the Hardrock 100 and has established fastest known times on the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Long Trails. He also finished third at the 1995 Trans-America race and is one of nine finishers of the notorious Barkley Marathons.

This essay is adapted from the article “The Ultimate Running Experience: Completing Your First Ultra-Marathon” on Dr. Horton’s website, www.extremeultrarunning.com.

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6

TRAINING FOR A 100-MILE RACE

If there’s a big step up from a marathon to a shorter ultramarathon, then there’s one giant leap up to a 100-miler. This leap is 10 percent physical and 90 percent mental. While you need to log the miles in training, it’s even more important that you develop the correct mental approaches to running for 20 hours or more. These critical approaches include fueling, hydrating, walking, and problem solving, which are laid out in full throughout this book.

In general, the training for a 100-miler looks much the same as it does for a 50-miler. There’s less speed work as well as more frequent and longer long runs than marathon training. There are, however, a few key differences in training for a 100-miler as opposed to a 50-miler. To start, training for a 100-miler requires lengthening a few of your longest long runs. This will include running both a 50k (week 14) and a 50-miler or 100k (week 19) as tune-up races in the months leading up to the 100-miler. The 100-mile training plans also place a bit more emphasis on back-to-backs (B2Bs), even if the shorter of the B2B runs is only moderately long. These changes mean a general shift in training mileage to the weekend.

All of this assumes you are ready to tackle the 100-mile distance. At a minimum, you should meet the presumed level of background spelled out in chapter 4. In brief, this presumed background calls for you to have run a