How to Get Started in Ultrarunning¶
Pick a race first, then train for that race. That is the whole start.
Most first ultras are 50Ks on trail, and the gap from a marathon is about five miles: a marathon is 26.2 miles, a 50K is 31.07. The training is mostly slow time on your feet, walking the climbs, and learning to eat while you move.
If you do a long run on Saturdays and have never told anyone you want to try one, this is for you. It is also for the runner eyeing a first 50 miler, and the one coming back after a year off who wants a start line on the calendar again.
What should my first ultra be?¶
A 50K, in most cases. iRunFar's newbie guide says to "definitely stick to the 50-kilometer distance for your first dance," and to move to 50 miles after a few finishes at that distance.
Three things to look for in the race itself:
- A date at least twelve weeks out. That is enough to build a first 50K, and close enough that you will not talk yourself out of it.
- A cutoff you can live with. Every race publishes its own time limits. Read them before you register, and pick a race where the pace you walk and run on a normal long day fits inside them with room to spare.
- Somewhere you can get to. A local race means you can run the course before race day, and a friend can crew you without a flight.
A hundred miler can wait. Plenty of runners love the 50K and never leave it. Staying at the distance you love is a full career in this sport.
To find one, the race catalog filters by state, month and distance, so you can see which 50Ks sit near you and when.
Do you need to run a marathon before an ultra?¶
No. iRunFar's guide splits first-timers into two groups, new runners and marathoners, and gives both a way in. Marathon experience helps with pacing and fueling. It is not a gate.
What matters more is whether you are already running. For a runner with little history, iRunFar suggests an average of four to six hours of running a week for at least three months before building toward a 50K. If you already run on Saturdays, you may be closer than you think.
If you have a health condition, a past injury, or a question about whether your body is ready for this much volume, ask a doctor or a physical therapist first. That is their call, not a blog post's.
How do ultra runners train?¶
They build time on feet, not speed. A long run measured in hours teaches your legs, your stomach and your head how to keep going. Four things do most of the work.
One long run a week, slow. The pace is conversational, and you can stop to walk without a plan to make it up later. A three-hour day at an easy effort is a big day, even if the distance looks small.
Walking, on purpose. Almost everyone in an ultra walks the steep climbs. Walking a hill you could technically run is how you still have legs at hour six. Practice it on your long runs so it is already a habit when the race gets hard.
Eating while moving. Your stomach quits before your legs do, and it learns like any other muscle. Eat something small and often on your long runs, and find out which foods stay down. Practice on training days, never for the first time on race day.
Back-to-back days, once you are ready. Running a second day on tired legs is how you rehearse the late miles without running them all in one sitting. It comes after a base, not before. Ease into it.
On race day the same habits carry you. Walk the early climbs while your legs feel good. Eat on a schedule before you are hungry. Stop at the aid stations long enough to refill and go again. The hours are long, and a plan that is mostly patience suits them.
Cut the fancy stuff for now. Speed work and heart rate zones can wait. A first ultra is built from easy hours, a few weeks without a gap, and showing up.
There is an old rule of thumb that gives the whole thing a shape. It is credited to David Horton, a longtime ultra runner, and it goes like this: you should be able to run in a week what you will run on race day. Want to run a 50K? Run 50K in a week. Hold that for the twelve weeks leading up to the race, other than the taper.
It does not hold forever. For 100 milers and longer you need more than running, so treat it as a 50K and 50 mile rule. For a first 50K, it is a good yardstick.
For a full twelve-week structure, the first 50K training guide lays it out week by week.
How do I become an ultra runner if I am slow?¶
You already are one. The sport counts time on feet, and a long slow day is a big day. Dead last is still a finish.
Walk breaks and long aid station stops are normal out here. Slow is not something to fix before you sign up.
Two practical points:
- Know your cutoffs and your pace on a long day, not a fast one. Take the pace you hold on a three-hour Saturday, walking included, and compare it with the race's published time limits. Do that before you sign up, so mile 20 is not spent doing arithmetic.
- Pick the race that fits the runner you are now. A 50K with a generous time limit is a better first ultra than a famous one with a tight cutoff. You can run the famous one later.
If a slow day is what you have, a slow day is what you train.
Where I came from¶
Before I was an ultramarathoner I was a data analyst, and before that a software engineer. I started running ultras a few years ago and found the training tools were built for the masses, not for me. They were either too simple to be useful, or so complicated they needed their own training plan.
So I looked at my own Strava data, saw the patterns sitting in plain sight, and built the thing. That is how NavRun started. It looks at your recent running and hands you a plan that starts where you are. You do not need it to start. You need a race, an easy long run on Saturday, and some food in your pocket.
What to do this week¶
- Open the race catalog and find three 50Ks within a drive you can stand.
- Read each one's time limit. Cross off any that make you nervous.
- Pick one. Put the date on the calendar.
- Do your Saturday long run like you always do, and walk the first hill on purpose.
If trail is new to you, trail running for beginners covers the ground under your feet.
You have been reading about this for a while. Pick the race.