Hello good people ,

I have a quick question am currently in marathon shape 1 week out from my first plus will be my longest ever run.

Is June 2025 to soon for a 75 mile race ? This is a road run no trails or insane climbing.

Where I live there is about 3-4 ultras per year but this 75 mile run finishes in my home town which means alot of my family could be there to see me etc

If I don’t do this I will have to wait til 2026 which isn’t the end of the world but 2025 will only be the 2nd year it’s done and there’s no guarantee that they will continue this in 2026.

Is 14 months enough time to get myself ready for this would appreciate all honest feedback positive or negative thanks

Recently started eating all these dum dum lolly pops left over from halloween during my runs. Not kidding, stuffed 50 of em in my vest and told my wife to bring me the rest at mile 50 for the Canyons 100 miler tomorrow. My daughter challenged me to eat 100, one for each mile. Challenge excepted!

They really are good, anyone else eat these things on runs?

Greetings everybody, my left leg has been in pain these days. Pain ,as in, the shin area and a bit in femoral head. I have been running everyday through the pain hoping it would go soon but it's still the same. Please suggest me some recovery workouts that I can do or maybe some exercises that I can add to my routine before the run. I need to fix this soon as my first marathon is coming up. Also, note: I only run 5-6kms these days so I don't think distance might be the cause.

What is a side yard ultra? I just read this term in Ultrarunning Magazine but they didn't describe it. I understand what a Backyard Ultra is, and assume it is similar. When I Google for "side yard ultra" all I get is results from the Backyard. Thanks!

Didn’t want to post this but looking for feedback. Ran my first 100k.

Started off strong, too strong. Excitement got the best of me and before I knew it, I realized I had barely drank and ate anything first couple hours, then suddenly it hit me hard. Got super lightheaded and dizzy a few times causing me to stop and get ahold of myself several times. I couldn’t swallow gels and wafels , chewed and gagged, spit food out.

At the next aid stations took too long to recuperate but felt okay. Really wanted to quit. Good second wind around mile 40 to the following aid station. Pushed hard, hitting some 9/10min paces which seemed impossible couple hours before.

Got to the aid station with a few mins to spare. The volunteers were amazing and so helpful. And pretty much became my crew there. Filling my flasks giving me food and being so supportive. Can’t thank them enough.

After that aid station, it began to get dark. Terrain more technical and rocky so wasn’t moving fast and rolling my ankle often. Realized I wasn’t going to make it and sad walked all the way back.

My body strong for the most part- maybe need a little more weight training I think- but the dizziness just took a while to recover from in the moment.

I was completely bummed out for days after. Also felt like a brain fog too. Only recently getting my mind clear.

Anyone had anything similar? Success stories bouncing back from DNFs? I know the legend Courtney DNFd her first 100miler, so I have hope for myself.

Trying to plan nutrition better now on my long runs, but with non traditional running food. Gels and strooowafels I think my appetite is done with after that..

I’ve felt very prepared during all of my training but now that it is upon me I feel like I’m missing things in my packing, prep, etc.

Question to the community: what are your “shoot, I wish I remembered to bring that!” or “next time I’m definitely doing X or y” things that have helped you out when getting into ultras.

Thanks so much for any responses!

Only hitting 60km a week with about 2500m elevation. For anyone else running UTS50, yes I’m aware I went the wrong way.

So I am looking at signing up for a 50k the first week of June, it’s fairly flat and mostly paved. I have run a half marathon, never a full. I average 38-43 miles per week. Should I do this ? Thoughts ?

I’m contemplating a 24-hour race next winter/spring where I’d potentially be trying to run 130+ miles. If the timing and weather looked similar, would you opt for a race on a standard track (quarter-mile loops, obviously completely flat) or a longer 2.3 mile loop with about 80 feet ascend/descend per loop on gravel/asphalt? It seems like the track would be faster but maybe tougher mentally? Any experience or thoughts appreciated!

I’ve just completed a pretty smooth 14 weeks of training for a 50 miler, including a 50k. No injuries really.

One week into my taper and suddenly running for 10 seconds will result in sharp stabbing in the centre of my stomach forcing me to stop.

Even walking with a HR of 70bpm results in a stitch like pain just below my diaphragm that increases as I increase the pace.

Pretty worried I’m out of the 50 miler now.

Anyone ever experienced anything like that?

Hey recommendations on a what i believe is a calf strain. Have been putting in a lot of miles recently. Did a trail 50k a little over a week ago. Was out on a run yesterday and felt a sharp pain in my calf. Walked the rest of the way home. I've been icing it and elevating it and got a compression sleeve. It doesn't kill but I can definitely feel it. Anything else I should be doing? How long should I take off of running?

So I’ve been consistently upping my training weekly (less than 10%) and I’m at a consistent 40k + and steadily increasing. I’m just slow. I want to do an ultra marathon (50k) and I’m seeing a cutoff time that I might not be able to achieve with my average pace. I was wondering if there’s any ultras out there that are for the more slower people? I’ve attached a recent trail run for comparison.

Any tips on repairing these holes? Ideally parts from Amazon UK (if parts needed) cos I’ve got a race soon haha

I was at a trade show last week and busted out my nice shoes that I hadn't worn in a few years. "Nice" ended up being nice and stiff and my left heel is shredded after a few days on the show floor.

I have a 50M in mid-May and should be peaking about now. To minimize damage, I found some trampoline park socks from kid's b-day parties and did an easy workout on the treadmill. Then I did a 10k and yesterday 7.5 miles (Righteous Gemstones for entertainment). I'll hit my target of 50 miles this week, but 30 of those will likely be barefoot on the treadmill. Given the mess I made of my heel, I probably have another week of going easy on it.

So far, I haven't really noticed any major difference other than a tighter stride (Escalante Racers are my usual treadmill shoes, which are pretty minimal). I'm surprised how easy the transition was.

I know there are programs that encourage occasional barefoot running, but those are usually just strides on grass. I'm curious to know if anyone else has had to go barefoot for high-volume workouts. What should I watch out for, injury-wise? Are barefoot sessions something worth sticking with in the long run? Any other thoughts or tips?

ETA: (copying some more context from a response)

I’ve been zero drop for road/trail for years (that’s the one thing that I know could cause issues - transitioning to zero took a while) and used to hike in minimal flip flops (Locals, best approach shoes ever!) in my dumber younger days, so that aspect isn’t new. I’m also keeping barefoot to the treadmill, so road hazards and uneven terrain aren’t issues.

So, I’m not coming at this with zero prep. I’m more surprised that there haven’t been any issues so far and want to know what specific things to watch out for.

TL;DR:
I just finished my first ultra, a 56km road race with 730m of elevation, which has always been a bucket list item.
it went surprisingly well and I completed it in 5:52 which was a bronze medal and my secret goal!

The Training:
I knew that the last 4 weeks would be during the fast so started training for it in November, taking 2 week break end of year for holiday (managed to squeeze in a few short runs) and used races to get the mileage.

I qualified for the ultra in October with my marathon time of 4:21. I was aiming for 4:10 but ITB and a groin pain slowed me down at the end.
End of Jan was a 30km with 400m elevation, which I started way to fast and then halfway decided to give up the pretense and raced it resulting in a PB (for 30k, HM and 10 mile).
The next race, flat point-to-point marathon I paced a friend doing his first so I held back and this race was nice and easy. I could of done a sub4, but finishing the same time as my first (4:50) but feeling SO much better - recovery was quick and easy.
The last race I did was a crew TT which is 5.8km with 168m elevation, its a very tough route but this was my 4th attempt and PB'd (also in 1/2 mile, mile and 1km).
The next 4 weeks was a month of fasting which meant running 8 to 14km thrice a week, after a very light meal.

The Race:
The race itself went very well, the weather was cool which meant i could go abit faster and ended up doing a 4:15 marathon. The first tough climb was when the sun came out and also where the wind was a factor. after that was a steep downhill then the climb that usually makes or breaks you.
I teamed up with a guy doing his 15th and he helped me run/walk to the top. I had a 10 minute buffer going into the last 10km's. My planning had only gone up to that point. the last 10km was my home stretch and the only part of the race that I had actually run multiple times. but my legs were nearly finished!
My cardio is tops and now again lack of strength training was holding me back.
the 6hr bus caught up to me with 6km to go and then with the final stretch mostly downhill I overtook the bus and gunned it - which ended up being 6:30 min/km and most of the runners flying past me ;(
turns out the 6hr bus was banking time and coasting the final 5km and I finished at 5:51:33!

The Recovery:
My club provided me with a burger and milkshake - first time I at immediately after a race.
shoulders were sore, quads were sore, left middle toe and right big toe felt sore from the constant impact.
The next day was the half and needed to support my wife and 2 friends that supported me race day.
The first hill I ran with a friend as she was attempting sub2. as I stepped back onto the pavement I slipped under a loose stone, knocked my right big toe and tumbled scrapes on both my elbows and right knee! but bounced up to hold my sign for the other friend and my wife.
then got a coffee and headed to the bottom of the biggest climb.
I ran my wife to the top (realising i rolled my ankle in the fall) and then walked back to the car with my sign getting smiles and dagger stares :)

a week and a half later the scrapes have scabbed over and my big toenail is blue.
last night was the challenge again and I ended up completing the TT in 28:22
I still need a bit more rest cos after each hard event my recovery is taking longer than usual.

I dont plan to do many road ultras in the near future but will definitely be working towards my first trail ultra and more of it.
if my wifes bff does convince her to do the same race in 2 years I will join them and make sure they complete it in under 7 hours.

The Sign:
since I was planning on pacing them on the hills for the Half, I made a sign that said:
"it's just a hill... get over it!"

Wanted to come here for a sanity check. I’ve never ran a marathon but at the beginning of the year i decided i wanted to do my first ultra this year (50 miler). Ultra isn’t until Dec 14th, well I just got accepted for the NYC marathon Nov 3. Am i crazy to run both? I’m thinking the marathon can be a good training run, but also worried I’ll try to push it too hard at nyc. I do run a 1:20 half so worried i’ll push it for my first marathon (sub 3 for BQ). Any thoughts?

I signed up for a 50k and have been sticking to the plan. Until the last few weeks between traveling out of the country, home life, and my masters degree projects, training has been less of a priority than previously. I’ve been hitting about 1/2 of the weekly mileage. A “test” marathon was prescribed over the weekend and things went as expected up until my “half way/refuel station” at mile 15. I achieved a 9:30 to 10min/mile pace which is very normal for me. I changed socks, applied aquaphor to my feet, refilled my water and was out. Around mile 20, my legs were heavy and joints were feeling it. I was in the hurt locker. I did a fast walk/light jog getting about a 13min mile from mile 20-22. At mile 22, I started walking. The walking continued until 26.2 which was home for me.

I feel pretty defeated and upset with myself during this. I feel my nutrition was decent? Water in one flask, Gu Roctane in the other, Gu gels every 45min to hour. Maybe some real food would have been better? I just felt not in shape at all for this attempt. My 50k is in 6 weeks and I’m wondering how do I shift from focus training to prevent a DNF.

Looking for a lightweight, white, 50 UPF t-shirt for a summer 100k.

Any recommendations?? Thank you!

Let’s say you’re halfway done with a hundred and your feet are starting to get roughed up. Assuming you have the supplies, what is your go-to foot care practice to keep your feet strong? Obviously sock change, but foot powder? Anti-chafe? Tape blister guards? Just looking for different knowledge

Hi!

My current volume is 30-35k, ~1000m per week. This is my first year dedicated to trail/mountain running, but I've generally been athletic.

My body is a bit tired right now with two months at this volume (plus work, etc). I'm running a trail HM on June 1st, which is my first training priority. However, UTMB/Dacia/Hoka are organizing a race where I live. It is the first week of November.

So...based on my current volume, what changes would I need to make to adequately prepare for 42k, 2600m+, and to complete it within 10 hours?

Any shared experience is appreciated!

Just booked my first ultra (100K) on 29th June. It’s a pretty flat course (around 500 m elevation). Cutoff at 13 hours. I have absolutely no idea on what a good pace would be. I run on the road regularly and just finished my third marathon a week ago with 3:43. Weekly 50-70 K with the long run between 20-32 K depending on the day/pace. Would really appreciate some advice on

• What should be my target pace range?
• How should I alter my training in the 2 months I have left to prepare?

Don’t have much in the way of trails where I am so most of my training is going to be on the road.

So my first 100 miler is in October and I have been using some older Leki aluminum adjustable poles on some of my long trail runs and love using the poles for climbing/descending. I want to get a foldable pole to be able to pack them during flatter sections. I think I want to go with the Black Diamond Distance poles, but I’m on the fence about carbon or aluminum. I’m a college student so I’m on a budget preferably, but willing to spend the money for any help I can get to finish the race if the weight savings are worth it. Also, on the fence about going with a Leki pole for the trail shark system. What poles do you use? What are your experiences with carbon/aluminum durability/weight? Leki vs BD? Thanks for the help!

To recce or not?

I’m doing the maverick north downs 50k in the UK on May 18. It will be my third 50k race.

It’s a 90’ drive to the start.

I was contemplating driving down and running around 35km of the course as a recce tomorrow, but now not sure if I can be a*sed with 3 hours of driving ... I could just do a big training run instead!

Do you guys tend to bother with recce runs?

Hello!

For some time now, I've really enjoyed reading on the sub even though I rarely comment. I am a 26 year old woman who really enjoys doing sports, particularly running. For the past 4 years, I have participated in one or two ultramarathons every year. For example, last year I completed my first 105km with 4200 meters of elevation gain. In short, I don't consider myself a beginner runner... BUT

Since February, I have now been training based on my heart rate. I have a Fenix 6S Pro and a belt from HR. I did the Garmin lactate threshold test to determine what my zones were etc. If at first I felt like I was wasting my time with this type of training, I now find that it brings me results during my fundamental endurance races (zone 2). I would say my average pace per kilometer is now 15-20 seconds faster than at the beginning of February. If the trend continues in one or two months, I will return to the speed at which I was running before, but which at this moment was too fast.

I started to re-introduce intervals or trail/gravel sessions to improve other aspects of my running. I stay close as possible to the idea of 80% of the time in zone 2 and the rest at higher intensity. Although I have an easier time with the climbs, I can't seem to run my intervals any faster. This is particularly the reason why I am making this long publication. What is going on? Is it in my head, since I'm more of an endurance runner than a speed runner? Is this a plateau, even if I see other progressions?

In short, I am very open to reading you! I put the photos of the race predictor. It's very subtle, but the times decrease (e.g. 4:27/km -> 4:21/km for the 5km or 5:30/km -> 5:26/km for the marathon). On the other hand, I am in no way capable of running at 5km speed for more than 1-2 minutes... and the marathon speed probably 10-12 kilometers currently.

Many thanks for your time!

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Hey everyone - basically I am training for a 100km (my first of this distance) in about 4 weeks. Unfortunately the past week I have been unwell and so done zero running. I have been for long walks to keep time on my feet but is there anything I should be aware of when going for my first 10k back, today?

Physically I have felt fine for a couple of days but gave my body a couple of extra days to recover as I was pretty wiped out. (I have no lingering symptoms now and feel strong)

Apologies if this is an obvious question but it’s my first time having this sort of thing during a training block.

Edit: just fixed some poor spelling

I have a 50k in 8 weeks (first one) and have had a cough for the last 2 weeks. I’ve cut my mileage down and subbed some hikes for long runs to try and let my cough heal but the cough persists. I’m on week 3 of the cough and it doesn’t seem to be getting better. Should I go cold turkey on running until it’s better? Any advice?

Background on me (32F) in case you’re at all curious or feel free to skip ahead, I didn’t really discover running until about 5 years ago, but have been consistently running 30ish miles a week for the past couple years. My first real race wasn’t until last fall, a half marathon (1:52 time). This sparked an interest in racing in me. I’ve always been more of a fan of endurance – when my new running best friend mentioned her bucket list item of running a 50 miler, and I was the first person who didn’t respond that she was crazy, and actually said I just might be in! Safe to say, shortly after we signed up and I was mocking up a training plan for the next 5 months.

Training plan: I didn’t really follow a set plan… I looked at many and just went with what worked with my week and seemed like a decent combination of all of them. I started in November around 40 miles per week, worked up by January to 50+ miles a week, and I had 7 weeks over 60 miles by the end. I ran 6 days a week, often breaking it up before and after work (I have an 8-5 desk job) so it didn’t cut in too much to my life, with semi long runs on Friday (I work from home that day and could fit it in without being up toooo early), and my longest run of the week on Saturday, rest on Sunday. I did Orange Theory 2-3 times a week after work where I could get in 3 miles on the tread (which I counted as my ‘speed work’) and then 25ish minutes of strength with free weights. All the rest of my running I did very easy, 6mph fastest, plenty was more like 5.5mph at most – and a lot of it was on the dreaded treadmill due to cold winters and it being dark outside pretty much all of the time I was running, minus Saturdays. Granted I got in way too many reality shows so no complaints..! My longest run was 34 miles total (2.5 warm up, .5 cool down, 31 miles at a consistent 10:30 pace).

Previous times: As a part of my training and getting down my ‘race morning strategy’ I did a half marathon 6 weeks out (1:45 time), and a marathon two weeks out (4:03 – but did go easy with it being so close to the race, definitely didn’t push myself).

Race day! I suppose it’s fitting my first ultra, was actually at a race in its first year too! It was a really neat idea, it was on the thumb coast of MI racing from the East side to the west coast attempting to ‘beat the sun’ – spoiler alert, we did! The race organizers did an amazing job, I can’t imagine all ultras are this well organized, lots of communication before hand including many pre-race meetings. The temperature was fine, low 40’s pretty much the whole day, but the kicker was very strong winds. Race started and I was feeling great the first 25 miles, keeping an even pace right about 10:15 minute miles including quick stops for food and water (from my amazing family that had my bottles ready to go for quick swaps in my vest!). Then came the really tough spot… a roughly 10 mile stretch (may have been less… but went on forever it seemed!), we were on a flat road running directly into the winds that were 10-15 mph – it was killer. It seemed like we were giving it our all to move at a 12 minute pace. This is when we started walking for a minute or two a mile as that didn’t seem to be much slower and the break was really needed. I don’t think we ever quite got our pace back, even when we turned around mile 34 and thankfully never faced the strong winds again. At that point I think we were pretty fatigued, I also hadn’t done a great job of eating. My fingers were pretty frozen from the wind and cold (had gloves on but still) which made eating harder, and while thankfully my stomach wasn’t too bad (no real issues on either end thank goodness) but just general uneasiness. I added up 1500-2000 calories I took in during the race, and I think I took in a bit more in training. I did get a pep in my step back the final 10 miles and overall felt pretty good by then! Biggest complaints were slight pain in my hips (I’m tall and flexible, I’ve been working with a PT to strengthen my hips but knew that was a weak point), and my feet just really hurt towards the end, aching on the bottoms whenever we were running.

Final results: I really wanted to beat 9 hours and 30 minutes because from my training and other long runs I was pretty confident I could… but I think the wind just made that maybe a bit unfeasible for me. It’s funny, I was so competitive going into it, thinking I’m going to throw my 9:30 goal out of the water! Well then exhaustion and reality set in and in the second half… I couldn’t have cared less who passed me, I just wanted to finish and take a hot shower and lay down in bed with my husband! I missed my goal by 8 minutes, but got to run the WHOLE thing (hence the “we’s” above!) with my close friend who was recovering from an injury and didn’t think there was any way she’d be able to run the full race. Well she is amazing and somehow did, and crossing the finish line together after motivating each other the last 9.5 hours was way better than any other goal I had set! So still a major win in my books. Also two days out – not really sore anymore which I’m happy about, pain on the outside bottom of my left foot which is new, but hoping fairly temporary..!

What’s up next? Maybe nothing, maybe a 100 miler! Only time will tell! Well cheers to you for making it all the way through a very long post..!