Ultrarunning: Training for Ultras through Marathons

July 25, 2011

This article is part of Endurance Planet’s ultrarunning article series. If you have questions, comments or feedback about “Training for Ultras through Marathons”, please leave it below in the comments section…

There are those who would argue that training for ultras through marathons may offer little advantage since marathons are shorter and are usually run at a hard pace. But just because you’re going to run a significantly longer distance, that doesn’t mean you can’t work on your speed as well. Ultras such as 50 milers and 100k races can be run competitively and there are those who actually aim for a better personal record in such events.

There are many ways to build speed and work out a pacing plan for an ultra. Training through marathons is one of them. This can be a viable approach just as long as it is balanced with endurance building. That means marathons as a training tool are not a replacement for long runs. It is in fact recommended by most experienced ultrarunners that this approach be used only after an adequate mileage base has been achieved after months of personal distance training.

Pace work

In an ultra, the runner naturally has to learn how to take it slow initially. The point is to conserve strength and have enough reserves to cross the finish line. The slower pace is usually one of the aspects that beginners to ultra races find a little difficult to adapt to.

You can use marathons therefore as a way to set the proper pacing. It will be slower than your average marathon pace but it can still be fast enough to let you finish the ultra in good time. Of course how much adjustment you need to do depends on your physical condition, goals, and the distance of the ultra you’re gunning for. One suggestion is to find the mid-point between your marathon pace and the expected rate you need to maintain to accomplish the ultra within your time goal. Sometimes this may mean just shaving off around 30 to 40 seconds per mile from your marathon pace.

Other benefits

One of the key factors to finishing an ultra is having the right equipment and planning out the right food and fluids to take along. This factor increases in significance as the distance gets longer. In a 100-miler for example, having the right fuel system can sometimes spell out the crucial difference between success and DNF.

Needless to say if the targeted ultra is on a trail, then you should do some personal training on similar terrain. But you can still squeeze out some simulation benefits from the marathons you’re going to run prior to the ultra. You can use them as a platform to test your equipment, fuel system, and pre-race routine.

Proper spacing

Every marathon you’re going to join, even though you’re only using them as a training tool, is going to require a taper before the event and a recovery period after. Thus you need to properly schedule the marathons you’re going to run before the main ultra event.

Assuming you’re in good physical condition, spacing out these training marathons at three weeks apart would be sufficient. You can also leave a three-week allowance between the last one and the main ultra event. Ultrarunners who have regularly been using this training approach would usually reduce their mileage a week before and after the marathons by around half. They also typically schedule their last training long run two weeks before the marathons.

Summary

Do you have questions about training for ultras through marathons, or what you’ve read so far? Do you have any ultrarunning pointers of your own to add? Please leave your feedback, comments and questions below, and we promise we’ll respond.

Comments (3)

  • Flint says:

    Hey there,

    I just finished my first ultra. It was a trail event and I found it grueling, partly because I don't think I'd had adequate training. But that's beyond the point I finished it anyway and I'm extremely proud of it.

    The story's here : http://flintland.blogspot.com/2011/07/unreal-stor

    My question to you guys is as follows : what should I prioritize in my ultra training? Multiple runs in a single day or build longer and longer runs until they reach several hours?

    My next goal is a 50-mile point-to-point road event.

    Thanks in advance,

    Flint

  • Michael says:

    Last up year training for Leadville I was doing tri runs a day with a 10 miler in the morning and 5 miler in the afternoon 7 days a week. I was very well trained and had a ton of energy at the finished where I wanted to keep running. I never did any runs over 20 miles throughout my training plan, but did make sure to get as much mountain running in as I could to handle all the down hill pounding. This year I’ll be doing leadville followed by Wasatch, and keeping the same style of training. Finally, I also weight lift 6pm days a week, swim 3 days a week and bike to work everyday for cross training, I recommend atleast doing some type of resistance training atleast 3 days a week which should help expedite recovery and reduce lose of muscle… Hope this helps

  • dvd ripper says:

    Hi, just stumbled on your page from reddit. It’s not an article I would typically read, but I loved your perspective on it. Thanks for making a blog post worth reading!

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