100 mile Ultramarathon Training

[thinhorn_AK]

I used to build up to where I could do back to back 20 milers usually Saturday and again Sunday. That was the recipe back ~ 15 years ago. There might be a more scientific approach these days but that always worked well for me.

 

[timekiller13]

Best of luck on your journey.

I said I would do one marathon and then never again.

Now I’m training for my 4th marathon. I also said I would never run an ultra but I’m eyeballing a 100k next March. My plan is marathon in October, 50k in December and then the 100k March ‘26.

I’ve tweaked my training and finally feel pretty dialed in with a run plan that also includes good cross-training/strength training. I swim 2 days a week and do bodyweight strength training 4-5x week. Push-ups, pull ups, dips, squats. 1000-1500 reps total spaced out during the day. Love body weight workouts, no gym needed. Can be in my office and just knock out a some reps every hour.

 

[Eagle]

Good info. I've done five 50k's now, but it's been a few years. The big unknown is how my body will respond to the longer distances.

I'm around a 30 mile/week base right now. Looking to ramp that up. I have a 24 mile trail run I'm signed up for in September, then a 50k in April, a 100k in June, and the 100 miler next August. The 50k, 100k, and 100 miler are considered the triple crown of PA trail running.

I live in Northcentral PA where all these races take place, so I can run those trails on weekends within reason. My daily training is right from my driveway down the road and up onto state gamelands. I can get an out and back of 5 miles with 1,000' of gain. I just repeat sections or the whole thing for more mileage or elevation as needed.

I read the book Training for the Uphill Athlete the other month. Been really focused on building the engine with zone 1/zone 2 training.

Sounds like you've got a great plan and access to the types of trails you need to be ready. Good luck and train smart!

 

[mtnwrunner]

Keep on doing long runs on your weekends and rest is part of training. Get enough of both.


Good luck.

Randy

 

[JStadler]

Good luck on the journey


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AOberti]

I've done a 100 miler, a 108k and numerous 50 milers, along with 8 of the Exo Mountain Death Hikes. I would hire a coach from Uphill Athlete if you are serious about this. I would also buy a heart rate monitor and do a blood lactate test to really dial in your HR Zones. I'm not saying this is mandatory, but if you are going to spend the time, do it properly and don't spin your wheels.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

I used to build up to where I could do back to back 20 milers usually Saturday and again Sunday. That was the recipe back ~ 15 years ago. There might be a more scientific approach these days but that always worked well for me.

Did you run longer ultras? Or was that training for hunting? How many total miles per week would you do?

I'm up to mid 30 mile weeks now. A little sore, but feeling good overall.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

I've done a 100 miler, a 108k and numerous 50 milers, along with 8 of the Exo Mountain Death Hikes. I would hire a coach from Uphill Athlete if you are serious about this. I would also buy a heart rate monitor and do a blood lactate test to really dial in your HR Zones. I'm not saying this is mandatory, but if you are going to spend the time, do it properly and don't spin your wheels.

I've thought about hiring a coach, especially one from uphill athlete. Do you have any experience with one?

As far as the heart rate monitor and blood lactate test, I have a Garmin Enduro 2 watch. It seems like it does a pretty good job at heart rate from the wrist. Is a chest monitor going to be much more accurate? Garmin also somehow extrapolates your Running Lactate Threshold. Any idea if that is accurate?

How does your training change from running an ultra to doing a death hike?

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

I've thought about hiring a coach, especially one from uphill athlete. Do you have any experience with one?

As far as the heart rate monitor and blood lactate test, I have a Garmin Enduro 2 watch. It seems like it does a pretty good job at heart rate from the wrist. Is a chest monitor going to be much more accurate? Garmin also somehow extrapolates your Running Lactate Threshold. Any idea if that is accurate?

How does your training change from running an ultra to doing a death hike?

The chest monitors get a much more accurate reading than wrist hr monitors. I use a Garmin Instinct and the HRM pro chest strap. In order to determine your LTHR zones with Garmin you’ll need a chest strap

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Did you run longer ultras? Or was that training for hunting? How many total miles per week would you do?

I'm up to mid 30 mile weeks now. A little sore, but feeling good overall.

That was for 50 to 100k ultras. I’d usually run around 70mpw.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

The chest monitors get a much more accurate reading than wrist hr monitors. I use a Garmin Instinct and the HRM pro chest strap. In order to determine your LTHR zones with Garmin you’ll need a chest strap

Any particular chest strap you recommend?

I'm assuming a blood lactate test is going to be more accurate than the LTHR that Garmin comes up with. I know it's monitoring my heart rate 24/7, but I have been wondering how accurate the HR zones are that it assigns me.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

That was for 50 to 100k ultras. I’d usually run around 70mpw.

That's pretty good. Back to back 20 mile runs on the weekend definitely help with that number.

How much elevation gain would you have per week?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

That's pretty good. Back to back 20 mile runs on the weekend definitely help with that number.

How much elevation gain would you have per week?

I never really had a good way to track that but I had a variety of trails and hills I’d work on. One was a 10 mile trail up to the top of a mountain. None of that running was “flat”.

 

[PSDBowhunter]

I never really had a good way to track that but I had a variety of trails and hills I’d work on. One was a 10 mile trail up to the top of a mountain. None of that running was “flat”.

Gotcha. Either way, 70 mpw is a commitment. I ask because I was down at my in laws over July 4th. It is pancake flat down in South Jersey compared to North Central PA. It was nice to get some more miles in though.

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

Any particular chest strap you recommend?

I'm assuming a blood lactate test is going to be more accurate than the LTHR that Garmin comes up with. I know it's monitoring my heart rate 24/7, but I have been wondering how accurate the HR zones are that it assigns me.

I have the Garmin hrm pro but that’s ask I’ve every used. Either of the Garmin models or the cheaper polar brand ones will work fine

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Gotcha. Either way, 70 mpw is a commitment. I ask because I was down at my in laws over July 4th. It is pancake flat down in South Jersey compared to North Central PA. It was nice to get some more miles in though.

That was when I was just running and lifting. When I was doing triathlons I’d run closer to 35-40mpw. I knew guys who could do 100+ mile weeks but that just wasn’t for me.

 

[AOberti]

I've thought about hiring a coach, especially one from uphill athlete. Do you have any experience with one?

As far as the heart rate monitor and blood lactate test, I have a Garmin Enduro 2 watch. It seems like it does a pretty good job at heart rate from the wrist. Is a chest monitor going to be much more accurate? Garmin also somehow extrapolates your Running Lactate Threshold. Any idea if that is accurate?

How does your training change from running an ultra to doing a death hike?

The chest monitor is much more accurate and there is NO WAY to extrapolate your lactate levels from anything other than a blood test; garmin can not do that and no way its remotely accurate.

My coach the last 3 years from Uphill Athlete has been Ben Morley, he's awesome.

The only thing that changes for Death Hike training is using a weighted pack more rather than a running vest and doing more off trail(but every Death Hike is different so depends on the year). But thats how I transition into hunting season as well.

 

[mtbraun]

I've thought about hiring a coach, especially one from uphill athlete. Do you have any experience with one?

As far as the heart rate monitor and blood lactate test, I have a Garmin Enduro 2 watch. It seems like it does a pretty good job at heart rate from the wrist. Is a chest monitor going to be much more accurate? Garmin also somehow extrapolates your Running Lactate Threshold. Any idea if that is accurate?

How does your training change from running an ultra to doing a death hike?

The more HR data your watch accumulates the more accurate it will be. I've compared my predicted Garmin VO2 max with a lab test and it is within 1 ml/kg/min. But then again, I've logged data for 6 years. I also triangulate this data with perceived exertion. All are very close to my lab measured lactate threshold. The watch based HR can be a bit finicky at times, so placement is key. All that said, if you're starting out with no data and want to quickly establish the correct baseline, a chest strap is probably the best option.