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Jan 2014
6:01pm, 20 Jan 2014
9,093 posts
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DerbyTup
The hardest for me are events like that Hardmoors 30. I'm much more used (and suited, I think) to hilly walk - run - walk type events and find mile after mile of very runnable ground hard work. Maybe some of that training I hear about would help? 
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Jan 2014
6:43pm, 20 Jan 2014
5,806 posts
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flip
I think it a good thing to remember every Ultra is different. I'm doing (with some luck ) three long hilly ones this year, all very tough , about the same distance but all very different. One i would call a fast hilly course ,where i think just marathon fit will do where i once did 26 from very little training and think i could do 24h (but bombed last year on 31 ), one that only 5 people have ever gone under 24h in its 7 years and sub 30 i would consider a brilliant time (and often top 10 ) , & the third is a twat (sub 24h would probably win it ) I'll just try and finish inside 40 hours.
When i started i used to have lots of ideas (gleamed form others ) on how to train but I've changed my mind. I now think you just need have some endurance in your legs -best got by long days in the hills & be as fit and VERY importantly as light as you can be.The rest i think is in the head.
I'm no longer sure of the worth of back to backs any more (although i still do them but usually if its two interesting races) & not sure if hill reps are of worth except as another means to fitness. I know its controversial and many may not agree , but i now think how you get to that FIT & LIGHT state hardly matters. Is a 80 mile bike ride worth less that a 20 mile run? Is a 10 miler worth more that 2 miles in the pool? I wonder. I know the pool hurts me more.
My only caveat to that is if your doing muddy hills then training on muddy hills when you can will help build resistance in your legs. Once a week would be good. Flat road miles are IMHO only half the worth of hill miles (unless your doing a relatively easy surface ultra ) and high mileage on roads while looking good on paper often leads to injury.
I know this isn't an orthodox view, just my own ideas and I'm happy for it to be pointed out that i'm not very good at this but then again don't do many easy options either. Now all i have to do is follow my own advice and all will be good this year.
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Jan 2014
6:46pm, 20 Jan 2014
5,807 posts
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flip
Derby, Hardmoors 30 was a tough twat this year. I've had easier 50 milers in the hills.
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Jan 2014
7:15pm, 20 Jan 2014
325 posts
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FenlandRunner
Makes a lot of sense to me, flip
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Jan 2014
7:56pm, 20 Jan 2014
3,708 posts
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Too Much Water
To follow what Flip said, If I was doing a lot of training in the hills there's one thing I'd do - not bother having a mileage target, having a time target.
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Jan 2014
9:38pm, 20 Jan 2014
21,672 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Interesting stuff flip. So my being a stone heavier than I was for last year's target mara ain't gonna help?! And my total mileage is less, even though I'm doing longer long runs and back to backs. But if my total mileage is less then I'm probably "less fit". So heavier and less fit... hmmm... perhaps not ideal! :-)G
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Jan 2014
10:02pm, 20 Jan 2014
First-time poster!!
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01
Hi,
I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to ask - hardly beginners, I know - but the regular 'Ultra-Marathons' thread doesn't seem to do any training, so ..
.. can anyone recommend a decent training program for L100 that's actually high mileage? There are so many 100 milers with a fair whack of ascent that I thought there'd be loads .. but no. Any ideas? I'm happy to wing it, but I'm also interested in any other ideas about the best training for it.
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Jan 2014
10:13pm, 20 Jan 2014
5,808 posts
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flip
In business there is a saying , turnover is vanity , profit is sanity. IMHO , mileage can be like that. your off road miles and your back to backs are harder so why would you expect them to equal a road mile? Would you prefer the fetch log to look better ? sanity or vanity? (to a certain extent ) , quality miles over quantity (to a point).
And yes i think the stone will have a big effect. (which is rich coming form em needing to lose 3 , i know)
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Jan 2014
10:21pm, 20 Jan 2014
5,809 posts
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flip
that was for HG btw .
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Jan 2014
1:19am, 21 Jan 2014
103 posts
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The Bogman
I agree flip.....I run because I enjoy it and the type of running I enjoy is long and in the hills. I hate running on roads so why bother doing that? I log most of my miles in the hills, carrying a pack. My pace is slow by road standards but I try to get in a minimum of 100ft ascent per mile. So a 5-6hr run can be 20-30 miles with (approx) 2000-4500ft ascent. I am more interested in time on feet + terrain/elevation gain than distance/speed.
Having said that, I am never going to be challenging at the front end of a race and my interest is really just to get out there and enjoy it. I have made an effort to log a few shorter runs at a relatively higher pace, but all on rolling trails.
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