50k Training Plan

Good Thursday morning! I hope everyone is having a great week. In the last article I mentioned that I signed up for a 5ok. How am I going to approach training for such an event? Well, I'm going to take an honest measure of where my fitness is at this moment and work up from there. My plan right now is to run/power hike the race. The time limit for the race is 10 hours, which is just over a 19 minute per mile pace if I went non-stop. Obviously, I want to leave myself some wiggle room. I think I will start with a goal of finishing in 8 hours, which is almost a 16 minute per mile pace. I will keep track of my progress as I train and make adjustments to that as race day approaches. Right now I am averaging about 20 miles per week between running, walking, and hiking. My week usually consists of 4 runs and 1 bike session on the trainer. One of those runs is usually a long trail run/hike. Walking falls in on days off from running and most evenings. I strength train 2-3 times per week in addition to running. I will gradually increase my running volume week to week, and plan on working up to a volume of 40 miles per week or more. I will sprinkle a few 5ks and shorter trail races into the training as well. This will help break up the monotony of training and keep things fun. It will also allow me some chances to measure my performance. I have never done an ultra, but I have completed a road marathon, trail half-marathon, some 10+ milers, and a couple of triathlons. I have learned through training for these races, especially the marathon that it really comes down to the mental game. Yes, you have to train and prepare yourself physically, but the real test is the mental component. Have a great weekend!