Training for 100 miler

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iusedtoclimb 23 Mar 2017
I like asking questions that there are no real specific answers for so here goes
In 2015 and 2016 I trained for 100 miler in 2015 and 70 miler in 2016. I have decided that 2017 I should rest a bit and wind things back – family/work/health etc.
However I aim to do a big mountainous 100 miler in July 2018.

At the moment I am doing next to no running and definitely nothing structured and quite enjoying it. So when do would people think training should commence?
Moley 23 Mar 2017
In reply to iusedtoclimb:

I think you should really want to do the event and if you want to do it you will want to train for it. A natural consequence of entering and enjoying the journey to the start line.
There is nothing wrong with taking a break, but at some point you should think "I really fancy going for some runs and training", that's the time to start.
But don't leave it too late!
Removed User 23 Mar 2017
In reply to iusedtoclimb:

If you can run 20 miles at the pace you'd like to run 100 miles at today and you can increase that distance by 7% a week then it would take about 24 weeks of increases.

If you make every third week a pull back week when you make no increase then the time to 100 miles is 36 weeks.

Add in a holiday or two, the odd injury, a dose of the cold and a year sounds like a safe time.
Ferret 24 Mar 2017
In reply to iusedtoclimb:

I'm no great expert - I'm a relatively recent distance runner and if anything I'm no doubt guilty of running too much and being terrified of loosing what fitness I have...

I'd suggest however that so long as you have a reasonable fitness and running base, for me, a 100 miler plan would be about 5 to 6 months of ramping up.... So I'd do whatever I fancy from here until late summer this year - mountaineering, cycling, whatever running takes your fancy... just normal active life. Later months of this year I'd just be doing a bit of running so that I can be certain that I'm OK with 2 to 4 runs per week and can do 2 or 3 hour runs if I fancy it in nice countryside/hills.

Then you kick into January and start 'proper' trading, but starting from a decent base - I think the bit of running late this year is necessary so that you don't start from too low a base and risk injury in the early phases of your proper training. ..... Feb to June you build it up as it suits you (loads of plans available online) then late June and July you ease off into the event.
iusedtoclimb 31 Mar 2017
In reply to Removed User:

Are you meaning long run per week or total miles per week? Not sure if I follow you
 thommi 31 Mar 2017
In reply to iusedtoclimb:

Pretty sure he'll mean total milage per week. Just increasing your long run by 7% a week doesn't sound like the best idea to me, but i may be misinterpreting what he meant.
Ferret 31 Mar 2017
In reply to thommi:

You are probably right but in general the plan should be along lines of
1. Properly long run, ran slow and gentle...
2. A second run, back to back with the long run, either day before or day after... peoples pref vary on this and some people don't do it at all
3. 2 to 4 short runs through week - these should be short and fast and add something different to the training mix. Therefore, weekly mileage should mostly increase by doing more in runs 1 and 2 and midweeks don't necessarily need to increase much if at all.

As I understand it - the long run should be at ultra pace and should not be wiping you out - you should be able to run again the next day or day after at worst. The short runs are for speed and cardio. Most people (me included) fall into the habit of merely piling on the miles any old way and its better to do slow slow and fast fast rather than doing a mushy grey are where your long run is too fast and tires you out or damages things and leaves you in the state where your short runs are not run fast enough.
 yorkshireman 31 Mar 2017
In reply to iusedtoclimb:

You said you trained for a 100 miler and 70 miler but did you finish them, and in what state? The thing you will hear from all coaches is that training is an n of 1 - basically what works for you is likely to be very different in many subtle ways to what works for others. Going on your past experience is a good way to decide how to adapt your training.

However i find that not dropping out of the game helps - so how much is your 'next to no running'? Keeping a consistent base would be really beneficial so try not to let your number of runs drop too much even if the volume and intensity die off. CV fitness is relatively easy to get back but the muscle memory and bio-mechanical adaptations that take place over years of consistent training are much harder.

One change i've made to training this year is basing it on effort rather than distance as especially on the trails distance and pace are not comparable run to run. I've been using Training Peaks to schedule training based on training load/stress so we will see if it works (I've got the 80km du Mont Blanc in June, and the CCC in September). Strava does something similar (though without the planning) with their fitness and freshness feature.

Another change is working at hard intensity early in the training phase. Since reading 'Training Essentials for Ultra Running' by Jason Koop which I found pretty useful, the idea is that by working hard on intervals and other high intensity sessions early in the year, rather than building a slow aerobic base early, helps raise your training threshold so that you have a higher ceiling to work within (so the higher your threshold limit, the less relative effort you're putting in to a given speed/effort). I still do long runs, but the emphasis is less on grinding out mile after mile after mile at easy pace and more at improving overall fitness.

Bear in mind I'm not a coach and I'm not you so this could all be b*llocks and feel free to disregard.

What's your goal race in 2018?

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