Hi All,
I just started running properly 3 months ago and completed my first race, a 10km, in Phuket last week. Now I'm getting all excited (especially after reading Dean Karnazes' book: "Ultra-marathon Man") and want to run the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset 100km run next year (July 2008).
Is this a realistic target or am I getting ahead of myself? Anyone who has suggestions on training and a schedule for when I do my first marathon, and any other advice would be appreciated.
0 ·
Comments
The very best of luck to you.
Then consider the prospect of more than doubling that distance.. 62 miles, sh*t!! Maybe someone who's done ultras will be able to give you some specific training advice.
I've seen so many people take up running, get carried away with too many miles and then they have quit with injuries.
Theres no rush for that race is there ? It will be there in 2009 ?
A 10k is nothing compared to 100km. Even nothing compared to a mere marathon of 42km.
yes, why not
if you are botherd about time, then wait till you have more experience
bloody nutters
(if you have got the time) Its easier to train to run further than it is to run faster.
But if you want to do it for a time and dont want to walk any of it then the odds are very heavily stacked against you. You are likely to pick up to many injuries upping your training mileage in that short a period.
why not work towards a marathon first then try and improve your marathon time then shift to ultras.
to put in perspective for a decent 100k time you are probably gonna need to hit 80mpw with your short mid week speed runs being 10k.
the flip side of that is alot of the toughness associated with ultras is a myth, like any distance the hard thing is doing them as fast as your potential allows and all that means is soaking up lots of your time training.
"Nutter"
thank you.that is all.
I have run a couple of marathons before (last was London 2005, 4:30), but haven't done a lot since then. At the moment I'm at about 5K level, but am currently trying to plan my training to get ready for the Jurassic Coast Challenge (end of March 2008), which is 75 miles over 3 days (1 marathon per day, effectively). Are there training plans for such races, over several days?
My theory is if I can get back to Marathon fitness by the end of the year (does anyone know any good marathons in December?), then build on that through Winter/Spring, then I should be ok.
Not worried about time, though less than 6 hours per leg would give sufficient rest-time.
Luton marathon is at the beginning of december
Quite a mixed bag of responses there guys - thanks. I'm going to see how I get on; at the moment I'm worried about a twinge in my knee so I don't want to push it.
It may be that you try longer distances and don't like them as much as say a 10K.
There's no way of knowing how things will pan out.
I'm agreeing with Jason by the way! I started the year running a couple of ultras (both pbs) and now I'm training for 5ks.
Have you considered what the weather conditions will be at that time of year. Could you cope with that
I started running and tried to do a marathon as my first race, I was reasonable fit already and progressed fast but my legs didn't i.e i got lots of overuse injuries.
I have heard it takes a good 2 yrs to build ligament/tendon strength and I suspect from my experiences there is truth to this in that i get far less injuries now 5 yrs in.
I have now done 2 ultras in the last 10 months, the last less than 2 months after a marathon and have managed to stay injury free by doing less,i.e i run 2-3 times a week and don't often go over 30 miles a week often less, i did 3 25 mile plus very slow runs in training for my first ultra and only one the marathon for my second ultra. oh and most is off road.
What i have got good at is knowing what pace I can keep going for the distance and getting my nutrition right, plus it helps to be stubborn and turning 40 with a midlife crisis driven need to prove something to yourself. having mental strategies for keeping going when it gets tough is key.
I don't think your plan is that wise but if you don't mind risking injury and not finishing you may gain in the sense of having taken on and completed a massive challenge. (it's quite a piratey thing to do, see the tri forum if you haven't heard of this or the article about Ironman Austria
good luck let us know how you do
Roger
Six years down the road I can handle 80 mile weeks and am able to run a marathon fairly easily unless I really racing it.
As Roger says above experience teaches you nutrition, pacing and gives you the knowledge of how to get through the rough patches.
So whilst I would guess that you could do a 100K in 12 months time especially if your prepared to complete rather than compete it might be wiser to wait another year.
Whatever you decide Good Luck
Well best of luck
Nutter!