50k Preparation…how do you know?

[JD Jones]

I’ve got it in my head that by 40, I will run a 100 mile mountain race. I’ve been running consistently for 2 years and just recently I’ve been running with more intentionality. Before I jump into a big mile race I’m going to have an inch-stone goal before 39 to do a 50k.

My question is: how do you know you’re ready? What’s a respectable pace to maintain and not get kicked off the course? Any New Mexico or Utah races to look at that won’t murder a 1st timer with elevation?

I’m older now and purposely carry a little more muscle mass than typical for runners (209 at 5’11”)so that’s also in the back of my mind as a possible factor that serves to slow but I want to do this and maintain overall strength along the way

 

[D S 319]

what would Goggins do?

Really no advice, But those muscles take a lot of oxygen, make sure your cardiovascular is tip top shape. Worst case if you have to walk a bit the main thing is finishing. You’re only racing against yourself!

 

[GotDraw?]

I spent 3yrs as a successful ultra-distance cyclist. I was legs, lungs and gristle during that time.

I have one observation for you. Running a 50mi or 100mi event and finishing successfully are extremely specific events and require a long-term training program targeted toward success.

Odds are very high that you will NOT get hurt during the event, you will fail and break down due to the repeated stress of training for over a year. Your extra body weight will kill you, period. If you want to be an ultra athlete, look at the bodies of those that are consistent, successful finishers and emulate them.

There's a reason you don't hear them saying they have a goal of squatting 400lbs for reps at their BMI and weight.

If you've got it in your head that you want to do a 50 and 100 mile event, then get it in your head to lose any ego you may have about carrying that much extra muscle/fat and create a body type that emulates successful finishers, a body type that will favor successful training and and successful finish for you. Give yourself the best odds of hitting your goals.

You can put body weight back on after you're done. Training for ultra distance is a great lesson in humility and reality.

JL

 

[Rich M]

I’ve got it in my head that by 40, I will run a 100 mile mountain race. I’ve been running consistently for 2 years and just recently I’ve been running with more intentionality. Before I jump into a big mile race I’m going to have an inch-stone goal before 39 to do a 50k.

My question is: how do you know you’re ready? What’s a respectable pace to maintain and not get kicked off the course? Any New Mexico or Utah races to look at that won’t murder a 1st timer with elevation?

I’m older now and purposely carry a little more muscle mass than typical for runners (209 at 5’11”)so that’s also in the back of my mind as a possible factor that serves to slow but I want to do this and maintain overall strength along the way

Not trying to dissuade you or anyone else.

I have a coworker who's life-long goal was the Boston Marathon. He ran 3 days a week, did some goofy tough man runs, triathlons, stuff like that. Anyway, he qualified for the Boston Marathon and started having discomfort in his hip.

He's currently recovering from having his hip replaced - no he didn't do the marathon, decided it wasn't worth the pain he'd have to endure to run it w bone on bone in one hip.

So, all I'm saying is get your joints checked and see if your body can handle running long distances. Some folks will say it is worth it to do what you want to do, even if you need a joint replacement at 50 yrs old.

 

[TxxAgg]

I turned 40 in 2022. I decided I wanted to do something unique so I signed up for a 50k. It was the Dallas Marathon with an additional out and back. I had never run more than 6 or 7 miles before.

Similar size to you at 6' 215#. This specific race was pretty flat as it was mostly through the city so that made things simpler.

The only advice I have is to not worry too much about pace and concentrate more on heart rate. The speed will pick up over time. Also, take care of your body. I've never had knee problems but my right knee is a little janky now.

It's a great feeling when you're done! I still like running and kept after it even after the race. The knee is holding me back, though.

 

[JD Jones]

Appreciate the advice above! I’ll add context in that I spent 9 years in the USMC and in that time have ran countless miles at a similar weight up to and including multiple half’s. I know it’s not 50 and I know I’m older but short of a 3-4 years where I was not running much, I do feel like I’ve laid a decent foundation and I’m not trying to cram For this.

The weight is my biggest mental hurdle/consideration and one I’m not sure I’m willing to cut down on. Some inspiration I’ve seen was Nick Bare. Regardless of what folks might think of him and how he got there, you can’t deny that what he’s done is very impressive. I don’t claim to be in the same league as him as far as fitness but frankly I love running and lifting and the big mile stuff is more can I do it and the journey to getting there to see

 

[TxxAgg]

Appreciate the advice above! I’ll add context in that I spent 9 years in the USMC and in that time have ran countless miles at a similar weight up to and including multiple half’s. I know it’s not 50 and I know I’m older but short of a 3-4 years where I was not running much, I do feel like I’ve laid a decent foundation and I’m not trying to cram For this.

The weight is my biggest mental hurdle/consideration and one I’m not sure I’m willing to cut down on. Some inspiration I’ve seen was Nick Bare. Regardless of what folks might think of him and how he got there, you can’t deny that what he’s done is very impressive. I don’t claim to be in the same league as him as far as fitness but frankly I love running and lifting and the big mile stuff is more can I do it and the journey to getting there to see

Plenty of muscular people run long distances. Check out Mark Lewis in youtube. You can keep your muscle and still run a long ways....just gona be slower than the 140# guys.

 

[JD Jones]

Plenty of muscular people run long distances. Check out Mark Lewis in youtube. You can keep your muscle and still run a long ways....just gona be slower than the 140# guys.

I’ll check him out. Thanks!

 

[kodyshriver]

Do it man! 50k really isn’t that far. Don’t worry about pace, don’t be afraid to walk, just one foot at a time. Do some 20ish mile trail runs a few weeks before the race, and you’ll have a solid idea about a sustainable pace. Biggest thing that trips people up is fueling and hydration—those longer training efforts are a good time to dial that in. Do your prehab to minimize any injury, and address any aches or pains during your training before they become an issue. You’ll see all sorts of body types on race day, so keep on lifting—mountain races are strength based events. The more you run, the more you’ll lean out/ become a more efficient runner. Finishing the 50ks and at least one 50m/100k will be great stepping stones towards your goal of that 100 miler. Check out Ultrasignup to filter through races that appeal to you. You got this!

 

[timekiller13]

A 50k at a decent pace is going to take you 5-6 hours.

Are you mentally prepared to run for that amount of time?

I’ve never run that far. I’ve only run marathon distance. The hardest part to overcome is the mental part. Your body can do a lot more than your brain is willing to let you believe it can do.

 

[TheHammer]

Specific dietary plans so you don’t blow your stomach apart. Reach out to guys in the ultra space. Cam just had Courtney on his podcast there is some good info in that one for you. Lastly, Out train your goals.

 

[Owens]

Awesome goal! Definitely go for it. Take your time building the mileage, but you don't "need" a ton of miles to run a 50k. You can get to that goal with a peak of 50 mile weeks during training. Consistency in training is key. There are quite few books and training plans out there to help get you started.

As far as race recommendations, look at Mad Moose Events. They have races in Moab and in Colorado. I just ran their Behind the Rocks 50k in Moab (second time there for me). They put on great events and have some fall races in Moab. Ultra Signup is a great source for finding races based on location and time of year. I'm happy to help out with more specific questions here or on PM. Good luck with the goals.

 

[JD Jones]

A 50k at a decent pace is going to take you 5-6 hours.

Are you mentally prepared to run for that amount of time?

The right now answer… no but I’m working towards it one day at a time

The hardest part to overcome is the mental part. Your body can do a lot more than your brain is willing to let you believe

This is true in many aspects of life and great to remember when things get hard! I’ve experienced first hand many times where my body said no and the brain wouldn’t allow quit. Part of what attracts me to this goal is exactly that reality that it’s very hard

 

[JD Jones]

Awesome goal! Definitely go for it. Take your time building the mileage, but you don't "need" a ton of miles to run a 50k. You can get to that goal with a peak of 50 mile weeks during training. Consistency in training is key. There are quite few books and training plans out there to help get you started.

As far as race recommendations, look at Mad Moose Events. They have races in Moab and in Colorado. I just ran their Behind the Rocks 50k in Moab (second time there for me). They put on great events and have some fall races in Moab. Ultra Signup is a great source for finding races based on location and time of year. I'm happy to help out with more specific questions here or on PM. Good luck with the goals.

Thank you so much. I’ll keep you posted shortly…I have a couple questions that I’m trying to think through how to ask them and talking to someone who has done it would be awesome!

 

[TxxAgg]

Also....don't get too attached to your toenails

 

[P Carter]

Hey there,

I have a similar goal of 100 miles the year I turn 40…which is next year.

I’ve run several 50ks and 60ks, and trail marathons. Jemez Mountain 50k in los alamos would be a good one for you in New Mexico. But it’s May 20, which is pretty soon. I did the Jemez 15 miler and valles caldera marathon, which would be a good training run for you. Not sure if they’re still doing that…some lady got crunched by a bear the year or two after I did it.

Edit: a good training run would be the four pass loop on Colorado. That is a really fun day. Highly recommend an “adventure run” like this, it’s super fun. Trans Zion, rim to rim to rim, four pass loop, something like that.

Here’s some training advice. Happy to go by pms or email as well. It’s worth what you paid for it, your mileage may vary.

-Miles: you can do the 50k so long as you get your long runs in. And by that I mean 4-5, 20+ mile runs. For my events in August, I’d start the 20+ runs in June, doing one every week or every two weeks. I’d work backwards from there, ie, need to be to 18 miles by June 1, so long runs in the teens in May, 10ish in April. I think I peaked at 60 miles a week for my best races. I recall my peak, peak week which was 60 miles, 6,000 elevation gain and another 23 miles biking on top of that. So not super high mileage.

-Workouts: getting the miles will do you good, but getting some workouts really helped me. I’d recommend going in 8-week blocks where you do one workout a week. First block: 1-mile repeats or other “fast” workout (400s maybe) (1-mile fast…a bit more than comfortably fast, recover jog 4 minutes, 1-mile again…i got miles down to 5:48 for 4 repeats.) Second block: tempo run, start at 20 minutes comfortably fast in the middle of a run, get up to 40 minutes if you can. I did these on hills and ran by heart rate…I think I did 5 miles tempo in the middle of a 10 mile run in Tuesdays. Third block: end your long runs at increasing tempo, known as progression runs. I think I did the progression starting at mile 10 of the long runs. I don’t think the workouts are completely essential, but they really helped me out. If you feel overtrained or injured, back off on these first.

-Weight training: I’d recommend keeping up on strength training perhaps 2x per week. (My runs were mountain runs, the 60ks took 9+ hours because they had 10,000 plus or elevation gain.) Something streamlined but that hits the main muscle groups, don’t forget upper body. I did squat, single leg deadlift, reverse lunge, push-up, pull-ups.

-Mobility: Don’t overlook. Come up with a 5-minute routine you do at least three days a week.

-Physical therapist: if you get a pain, take 2 days off, and if it doesn’t go away talk to a PT.

Might look into the big vertical training plan by uphill athlete. I have their books, which are great. I’d recommend Training for the uphill athlete, it’s a really good discussion that will give good context to evaluate training plans and strategies.

Have fun! It’s a long journey, simple but not easy.

Last edit: I had a fair bit more to say about this than I thought! I neglected to answer your actual questions. For pace, the race will have a cutoff, so check that. But we have a guy up here in Boise that speed walks ultras and makes it no problem. Now, he’s a dang fast walker, and he’s always right at the cutoff.0But if you get 4-5 20+ milers in, do your long runs such that you are walking uphills and running flats/downhills the entire run, you’ll be fine.

 

[MT-Native]

I ran trails for years before jumping into my first 50k. It was my first of any kind of running/trail race I ever did, was in my early 30’s. Then went on in subsequent years to collect 4 buckles and still plan on grabbing more Lord willing, including Western States 100. Building up to 50 miler, then 100k, then 100 miles. Keeping fitness and training year round basically. It’s a significant time commitment but it’s hard to put the experiences and mental toughness you build into words.

Anyway, I signed up for my first 50k because I was already running that distance on my long runs and thought it would be cool to have aid stations every 5-7 miles and not have to lug all my fuel. I picked a 50k close to home that I could pre-run and train the course. I ran it 3 times before the race. By then I knew where I would have high and low spots on the course and what’s ahead so I could plan what’s in the fuel tank. That worked very well for me. However, I have known folks who were at 20 mile max long runs and do fine, just some new kind of suffering toward the end and usually some walking where one wants to run but can’t. They also walk funny funny after the race. I would seriously advise having a fuel plan, for me it’s 90-150 Calories every 45 minutes and a drink of water (electrolytes if hot) every 15. And stick to your plan, don’t skip when your feeling good. A 15 minute timer on your watch is a great reminder. Also, Salt caps are key to success if really hot and you’re pushing it.

on your longer term goal, a training partner is very helpful on your journey. Finding someone with similar goals to train with and do build up runs/races makes a huge difference. Someone a little faster will make you faster. Talk to the guys that finish around you, the ultra community is very tight and unknown sub culture to most, people truly encourage and help one another.

Lastly, the race is the easy part it’s all the training to get there that is hard. Every race you will learn more and more about yourself and your capabilities.

A mentor of mine once told me “you are always better than you think you are”

 

[WI in the west]

I was kind of in your shoes until this past saturday. Never ran a 50k until then. For me what has worked is finding a running plan online and stick to it. I am following a 50 mile plan and am first suppose to do a 50k in june but i modified my long run miles slightly so that i hit 27 miles last week. Thats not ideal maybe for the 50k but i have to say i felt pretty strong the whole run. I hit like a 4 mile low spot mentally more so then finished the last 6 miles right after that at my best pace.
I seen it mentioned before but heart rate is king not the time pace. Most 50k’s leave tons of time to finish.
Another thing ive learned is do your longer runs on trails it seems to beat your joints up less then pavement.
Its really not that bad if you make a plan and gove yourself the time to build the foundation for longer miles. You can certainly grind out one under trained but itll be a lot more rough and less enjoyable in my opinion, and there probably not much longevity in it that route. Good luck you will do fine!

 

[DWinVA]

Slow and steady wins the preparation. Build a solid base slowly so everything (joints, ligaments, muscles, heart, etc.) are ready for whatever you try. Just know that anything above 1/2 marathon takes a lot of dedicated training time. Can you commit to 2-5 hour training runs once you build up to that point? After multiple marathons and one serious trail 50K (took a while to get over it) hit it me that I might be doing more long-term harm than good to my body. Now I run 3-4 times a week and usually peak at 50 mins max at the end of the summer. No more races....I just want to be functionally fit for hunting and life as I age (54 this year). Also be prepared to buy a lot of running shoes. Heavy miles really wears them out, don't skimp and try to make do...that is very hard on your feet and body.

Another thing I've learned in my years of running is not every body can handle it. I feel very Blessed that my body has taken it and can take it………so far. I know many runners whos body has given up on them. They appeared to be doing the correct things but it didn't matter. Some people are just more prone to inflammation, injury, etc.

God Bless.

 

[9.1]

I like to use the free version of the Run With Hal app for my training plans. It builds-in information on how you should be feeling/doing after certain training runs to help you know how if your on track and give you confidence you can finish a long race. I'd imagine most training plans would.