Training Plan Question

The trails definitely take less of a toll on your body though you will be much slower.

I have a 50K plan but I don't remember where it came from. It's an 18 week plan with really longs on Saturday followed by 10 miles on Sunday. I'll attach it here for you to look at.



Edited by SCamp07 2010-03-08 8:18 AM




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50KTraining.xls (35KB - 60 downloads)

Here's the link to build your training schedule based on the date and distance of your event.

It's pretty slick...and you can download the excell spreadsheet.

http://www.scrunners.org/ultrasch.php

I've seen several 50 KM plans on the internet, but basically they are just slightly modified marathon plans.  Make your long runs a bit longer---that's all.  Some of that mileage increase can be walking, especially on steeper hills.  I think marathoners would be wise to add walking to the end of their long runs anyway.  More time on your feet, but you are using different muscles and have less impact shock. 

Most beginning marathon plans top out at a single 20 miler for a beginner, or several 20 milers topping out at 22-23 miles for advanced marathoners.  Any longer is thought to add little benefit, but a great deal of injury risk.  But Jeff Galloway has even abysmally slow marathoner's doing up to a 26-28 mile "run" and faster runners up to 30 miles (overdistance training).  However, he has them doing a tremendous amount of walking within the "runs", and for the beginners, the rest of the week is really light training.  Essentially, he's having them train more like a long ultra runner.

You don't have to do back to back long runs (i.e. do a bonk run after your long run).  You aren't training for 100 miles, just 50KM.  In fact, you reduce your chance of injury if you don't run back to back long runs, or a semilong run after your long day.  Sore muscles are more prone to injury.  Get the long run in, then take the next day off.

When I've trained for road marathons, I've tried to do most of my mileage off pavement, even if it's on the dirt besides a road or bikepath.  A lot of runners are afraid that they won't be prepared for the pavement on race day.  I think my feet may hurt a little earlier (near 20 miles) and a little worse in the actual marathon, but that's far better than beating myself all through training.  Better to suffer for 6 miles than hundreds. 
 
Try to do a tempo, or long interval workout each week to maintain your speed (your marathon plan of choice will prescribe that anyway).  Also, put some pickups in your runs.  You don't want to slow down too much.

It's not just softer surfaces that make trail running easier (baked clay and rock aren't that soft), but the fact that every foot strike is different.  Hit something in the same way repetitively for thousands of times and it breaks.  Even if it's really hilly, I find 20 trail miles much easier than 20 flat road miles.

You really need to get Pete Pfitzinger's book "Advanced Marathoning" or check out his columns at runningtimes.com.  He has a chapter on running repeat marathons in a limited period of time.  Running (to finish.  relaxed, without a time goal) twice in a month isn't such a big deal, but racing twice in a month is really risky.  More or less, he'd advise you to decide which of your runs is most important (hopefully, it would be the 2nd (Detroit marathon)).  If you are looking for a BQ at Detroit, the 50 Km will hopefully be a supersized training run~~your aim is to finish.  If you race the 50KM hard, you risk your Detroit time.  With 4 weeks in between, your recovery would merge with your Detroit taper.  Your emphasis would be on recovery above all else, so you don't come down with an injury or illness before Detroit. 

Here are twp URL's for 50KM programs that use a "bonk" run the day after a long run.  I wouldn't use them, but would instead  modify a marathon plan (Pfitzingers, Higdons, Furman Institutes) by increasing the length of the long run:

http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50k.htm

http://www.desertskyadventures.com/resources/plans/50k.html

Thanks for all the replies. I am still getting my plan in check and am just running to build up mileage right now. I figure my plan will start in May to be 18-20 weeks out from the 50k. I am training with a friend that is doing the 50 miler the same day so he is trying to convince me to do that with him. I keep resisting the temptation.

jgrindle

Old age has probably made me cynical, but I wonder if your friend has your well being in mind.  You've yet to run your first marathon, or 50KM, and he wants you to run a 50 miler? 

Keep resisting! 

He may be trying to pull off the perfect crime, by convincing you to kill yourself.  Has he been ogling your woman lately?  Do you think he could have taken out a life insurance policy on you?  Or is he just dumb?

He is just playing He has never done that distance himself and is accually thinking he might drop down to the 50k with me. We are always trying to push each other to make ourselves better and to have fun. I am not going to do 50 miles and he knows that.

I do appreciate your concern and I think the insurance is already taken out for the 50k anyways