Run-Down Forums

[training2run]

You can train your body for 10Ks. You can train your body for marthons, 50Ks, and perhaps, even for 50 milers. But...

There's no way you can train *your body* for 75 or a hundred miles of mountain trails: there isn't sufficient rubber on the soles of your shoes or hours in the day for that kind of *physical* training.

To prepare for Ultra-distance trail running you must train your mind/imagination. By forty or fifty miles, physical reserves are pretty much gone - from then on you run on dreams. Gad-zooks, I love it ! Mad Dog Mike www.training2run.com

[Micah Ward]

What are you training for? Do you have a 100 planned?

I've never actually trained for such an endeavor but what I have read and heard indicates that the main aspect of that training is just putting in time on your feet and getting used to mentally dealing with a feeling of constant fatigue in the latter parts of the race. But since you did Laurel Highlands then you already know that.

How do you incorporate the walking breaks into your training?

Micah -- Ultra wannabe

[training2run]

Dear Micah: You are pretty much correct. In training for the very long ultras, you want to get used to extremely long continuous activity. Pain, however, is not a factor - all your thoughts MUST be positive!!!

In training for the various attacks of Laurel Highlands, I stuck to normal marathon training, but instead of a long run of three hours, I was out there trucking for five hours.

If, for some reason, I felt a need to walk during the 5 hour training stint, I held any such individual break to one minute or less, and did *not* count it as part of the total. Don't be afraid to walk, just keep it short.

Surprisingly, the difficulty with running five hours, isn't physical, it's logistic: how the heck do you find a five hour trail or road, without having to do multiple repeats.

In addition to the above, I trained with weight machines: did a lot of hill (parking garage) training: stopped driving my vw van, and used a bike; when walking (not running) I wore ankle weights, and a weighted backpack.

What am I training for now?: Leon, Mexico Marathon, Sept. 22nd; San Antonio, Texas Marathon, Nov. 10th; Houston, Texas Marathon late Jan.

There's a slight chance I'll run a 10K for training, in Houston, in October, but that's iffy.

When you're ready to begin training for an ultra (50K, 50 mile, trail, whatever), contact me through the website, and we'll get together on it. Mad Dog Mike www.training2run.com

[Dan]

Some ultra runners I knew would prepare for 50 and 100 mile races by loading up their backpacks and going camping/running in the mountains for a few days...

Dan

[training2run]

Dan: Sounds like a great way to spend a few days, even it you weren't training for a race.

To tell the truth, my favorite activities (eating is a given) are: walking, hiking backpacking and camping out! Mad Dog Mike www.training2run.com