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marathon in the past year or to have trained at 35 to 40 miles per week for at least four of the past six months. However, while this is a fine background for starting to train for a 50miler, it’s preferable to have a more substantial training history heading into 100-mile training. Ideally, you already consider yourself an ultramarathoner. I recommend having trained for and run ultramarathons for at least one six-month season before starting to train for 100-miler. Alternatively, a runner who on average runs a marathon more than once every other month could ramp up to the 100-mile distance, although he or she would face a steep learning curve.

While I’m reticent to discourage anyone from striving for their goals, I question the need to either run a 100-miler as your first ultra or to progress through the 50k, 50-mile, and on to the 100-mile during your first season as an ultrarunner. Enthusiasm is priceless. It is also remarkably abundant and self-reinforcing in the ultrarunning world. Why not channel that initial enthusiasm toward building a strong ultrarunning foundation and enjoying your newfound running range? When I jumped into ultrarunning, I followed my first 50k with a 71-mile race just five weeks later. Physically, I could have jumped up to the 100-mile distance in the months that followed, but I chose not to. I knew it would be a supremely rewarding adventure, which it eventually was, but I wanted to enjoy exploring the 50k and 50-mile distances first. More important, I wanted to leave a new challenge to strive for, to experience, and to savor. I ask you, why not let the mystery be? At least for a little while.

This chapter provides two 100-mile training plans, one each for the 50- and 70-mile-per-week runners. Unlike the training plans in the preceding chapter, the peak weekly training mileage in these plans slightly exceeds the labeled mileage amount. By its nature, training for a longer ultra is “lumpier” than 5k, 10k, marathons, and even shorter ultras. Longer long runs, B2Bs, and tune-up ultras on the weekends mean that you’ll overshoot the target mileage some weeks even if you hold your weekday runs to a minimum. The training plans compensate for these over-mileage weeks. As a reminder, refer back to the “Speed Work” and “Tailor Your Training Plans” sections in chapter 4 for general instructions on these specific plans.

The 100-mile training plans also work well for 24-hour and 135mile races. However, these races are often run on surfaces and terrain that differ significantly from most 100-mile races. As such, the type of specificity training required for 24-hour and 135-mile races is likely to be quite different. Take a look at chapter 3 for more information on specificity.

Training Plan for a 100-Mile Race on 50 Miles per Week

Shading indicates a recovery or taper week. Bold indicates a race.

* Active recovery is particularly important on this day!

Training Plan for a 100-Mile Race on 70 Miles per Week

Shading indicates a recovery or taper week. Bold indicates a race.

* Active recovery is particularly important on this day!

7

TRAIL RUNNING BASICS

This book is about ultramarathons, not trail running. However, a majority of ultras are run on trails these days. The following chapter highlights a few of the differences and challenges encountered while trail running. In particular, you’ll learn how the trails affect your speed and stride, why walking makes sense in trail running, what dangers you may face along the trail, what to do when nature calls, and, in a concluding essay, how to take care of the trails you run. For a full guide to trail running, I highly recommend Adam Chase and Nancy Hobbs’s Ultimate Guide to Trail Running, second edition.

Life’s Crooked Paths

I’ve been running trails as long as I’ve been running. Given the choice between running on a road or a trail, I’d choose the trail nearly every time. In part, that’s because trails often lead to adventure, to serenity, and to nature. However, in my mind, even the “trail” along the edge of a one-block