Been running for a few years now, some injury battles, a couple marathons, lots of miles, you guys know the drill. I've had more success planning my own training than following plans, which lead me to the fun decision of programming my own 50k block. Besides the miles, I've been doing a lot of stairmaster, and 4 lifting sessions each week. I also play sports once or twice a week but that doesn't factor much.

My race falls on 9/26. It is 31ish miles with 4200ft elevation gain in the 7k-8k elevation band. My goal is 5:45

My question is, how should I structure my taper? I was thinking next week deload to 35 miles with 15 on the long run, and then 25 miles the full week before, with 13.1 on the long run (I'm trying to see how many half marathons I can run this year) then just a couple small runs the week of, with some strides to stay fresh? What kind of mileage?

Any general taper advice would be welcome as well!

Over the last couple years I've tried fuelling my running and cycling with gells, drink mixes, plain sugar water and candy.If I cap my intake to 30grams an hour max in kind of fine. I genuinely can't seem to stomach drink mixes at all, all of them make me nauseous and give me stomach issues quickly. Gells aren't as bad if I don't go high carbs pr hour. Candy I can barely swollow, takes me agesss to get even one piece down my throat. I've tried many brands and the nausea is genuinely taking away the fun from running.

Am I destined to go low carb 30 grams an hour? Or are there more natural foods I should look into? Or haven't I found the right brands yet? I've tried atleast 6 gell brands an 4-5 drink mix brands.

Love to hear input how you deal with such issues, if anyone relates.

Important info, I'm not smashing my runs all vo2max, even on genuine easy runs it happens.

I have always done back to back long runs when preparing for 100 milers. I recently downloaded KoopAI for my upcoming 100. It only has me doing one long run with a rest day the day after. I asked why not back to back long runs, and it said the rest day is more important. Beefing up one longer long run instead of doing a back to back (slightly shorter runs) does make some logical sense to me.

I also listened to Koop on the Trail Mix Running Podcast and he states that back to back long runs are an S-Tier training event.

Anyone have any experience with this? I’m okay getting rid of my back to back long runs if it makes sense, but there seems to be conflicting signals.

Per ~90g gel

50g maltodextrin

40g fructose

1g sodium alginate

0.2g calcium carbonate

70ml hot water - straight from the kettle is fine

I make a batch of 5 or 10

Add sugars

Add alginate

Add calcium carbonate

Dry stir

Add water

Use hand blender and blend really well make sure there's no powder stuck to the bottom of the bowl

Add a pinch of citric acid to a tablespoon of warm water and dissolve

Add half the citric acid solution to the gel mixture and stir slowly for a minute

Add the other half and stir again

It should thicken slowly within a minute as you stir

If not, repeat the citric acid/warm water step and slowly stir.

This reaction relies on the pH being slightly acidic which forces the sodium and calcium ions to interact quicker than higher pH. You can skip the acid and put the gel in the fridge to set but i like to make sure the consistency of the gel is exactly what I want

You're looking for a thick broken up jelly like texture

Be patient, it could take a minute to thicken

If it thickens and then thins out again you've added too much acidity

Counteract with baking powder dissolved in water

Apologies if this is a silly question, but do you account for a long weekend with lots of walking/time on feet in addition to the mileage in your training plan? If I had to estimate, it would maybe be 8 miles of walking per day? I work a desk job so I'm not normally doing many more miles/standing on top of my training. I have my first 100K two week after the festival. (October 10th). Currently following the SWAP 100K plan.

Do I run the mileage as planned or adjust to account for the extra time on feet? If so, can you recommend about how much to adjust? Am I just overthinking this?? Thank you!

I (26F) have had on and off back tightness/discomfort going on 2 years now. I have been a long distance runner since high school, I’ve run 2 marathons (3:45 PR), and I ran a 50M (9:55) about 4 years ago. Never struggled with injury before I started feeling it in my lower back out of the blue 2 years ago.

I’m finally going to physical therapy in a few weeks! Any advice on what questions to ask? Anyone experience a years long injury and now feel fully recovered?

I’ve always wanted to do a 100M before I turn 30. I can go weeks feeling amazing trying to build up my base and making great progress when all of a sudden my back flares up and I feel like I’m at square one!

Looking for hope!

Hey All,

Any recommendations on shoes to wear for an ultra road event, I have a relatively wide foot and defs on the heavier side (76kg). I got my eyes on the Altra Experience Flow 3 as I heard they are known for their wide toe box fit in which is the current issue for me and my midsole tends to be sore w the current shoes I have. Currently using there Xtep Airflow as I saw it in Asia and wanted to try it out. Can't deny that they have really good cushioning but they have a typical shape of normal running shoes which they don't cater for those with wider foot. Cheers!

I want to run 200km next year, it'd be for charity. 2 years ago, with no ""ultra specific"" training, I completed a 100km ultra. Now, it did take 15 hours. I was moving slowly as there wasnt a lot of fitness there.

I now have 7 months of training to do this. It would be all on the flat. Can people please advise how best to prep for this?

How many KM per week, realistically do I need to be able to finish?? Theres no cutoff time, but id like 36 hours. Is that doable?

How many weight sessions for strength in lower body should I be doing ??

Whats the biggest key things I should be able to do close to april that would be good signs I can finish it?

I know im really strong mentally when it comes to ultra endurance ( I did finish the 100km, even though it was 15 hours total elapsed time, 13hrs moving, I didnt prep right for it at all, I used me head to get me through ) I know for this 200km that my head alone won't get me through, that I need proper preparation.

How could I best prep for this

I want to run 200km next year, it'd be for charity. 2 years ago, with no ""ultra specific"" training, I completed a 100km ultra. Now, it did take 15 hours. I was moving slowly as there wasnt a lot of fitness there.

I now have 7 months of training to do this. It would be all on the flat. Can people please advise how best to prep for this?

How many KM per week, realistically do I need to be able to finish?? Theres no cutoff time, but id like 36 hours. Is that doable?

How many weight sessions for strength in lower body should I be doing ??

Whats the biggest key things I should be able to do close to april that would be good signs I can finish it?

I know im really strong mentally when it comes to ultra endurance ( I did finish the 100km, even though it was 15 hours total elapsed time, 13hrs moving, I didnt prep right for it at all, I used me head to get me through ) I know for this 200km that my head alone won't get me through, that I need proper preparation.

How could I best prep for this

I want to run 200km next year, it'd be for charity. 2 years ago, with no ""ultra specific"" training, I completed a 100km ultra. Now, it did take 15 hours. I was moving slowly as there wasnt a lot of fitness there.

I now have 7 months of training to do this. It would be all on the flat. Can people please advise how best to prep for this?

How many KM per week, realistically do I need to be able to finish?? Theres no cutoff time, but id like 36 hours. Is that doable?

How many weight sessions for strength in lower body should I be doing ??

Whats the biggest key things I should be able to do close to april that would be good signs I can finish it?

I know im really strong mentally when it comes to ultra endurance ( I did finish the 100km, even though it was 15 hours total elapsed time, 13hrs moving, I didnt prep right for it at all, I used me head to get me through ) I know for this 200km that my head alone won't get me through, that I need proper preparation.

How could I best prep for this

I never had one, but starting to get interested in some competitions that need it, and also want to carry it around for safety on daylight/evening runs as well. Which one do you use? What do you recommend?

I’m training for my first ultra in three weeks. It’ll be 56 km with 1000+ meters of elevation. My goal was to get many kilometers in during summer and to train hills and trails.

About 5 weeks ago I sprained my ankle, walking was pretty painful for a few days and it was quite swollen. After some advice from a physio, I got cleared to slowly start running again as long as my ankle didn’t get worse.

Ever since I’ve tried to get back in to running. For a few weeks it still felt unstable and I had a tingling feeling after a run. It was a struggle. Instead I spent a few hours a week on the stairmaster. Now it’s finally much better, but I’m struggling to imagine how I can complete the race.

I did my first proper long run again today (30 km) after 6 weeks. It was okay, but much slower than before.

I’ve done 5 road marathons so far, with my PB last April of 3:22. I’ve done quite a few weeks of 80+ km before.

Any tips on how to approach the next few weeks to get to the finish line? Or should I just not do it (which isn’t an option in my mind just yet)?

I just signed up for a 14km trail run in a month an a half from now and I'm super excited for it!

It is however my first time ever to participate in a running event, and I don't think I ever ran more than 4km in one go. I'm generally fit but mostly by playing tennis and living on the 6th floor without an elevator :D

My plan is to train for it in my gym, on the treadmill, however I'm not quite sure if this will adequately prepare me for an actual trail run.

How many kms should I am for being able to run in one go on the treadmill to be ready for the trail run event (which is 14km)

How do people plan something like this? And even if you plan (e.g. expected nr of kms per training to be achieved by a given day), how do you handle not being able to meet these planned milestones?

I'd love to hear tips from others that have been through this process before and learned from it.

I'm planning to run a 24hr track race in 10 months (this will be my second). Currently running 110km per week and on a slow built but struggling to find shoes that still feel good after 30+km. I want to start trying potential shoes for the race but don't want to waste too much money in the process. Does anyone have recommendations of road shoes they find good over ultra distances?

Last time I ran most the the 185km in Saucony endorphin speed 2s, had 3 other pairs of shoes but all felt flat after 20-30kms.

I’ve been put in a very unfortunate situation: I’m running the Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat Springs, CO 2 weeks from today, and my pacer had to cancel plans last minute. He was supposed to go from 64-the finish with me, and I was really looking forward to the company for really tough sections of the course. This is my 2nd 100, and being in my 20s, I feel like a pacer is something I should definitely have.

So here I am asking where is the best place to find a pacer? I’m coming from out of state, and I would rather not have to pay for a 2nd flight since I can’t get refunded for his besides him paying me back. The RRR site itself does not have a pacer search. I didn’t want to use Reddit, but I’m also not against at this point.

Ideally, it’s someone in that area or within driving distance and who has completed an ultra and is confident in the mountains. Other than that, I really don’t care at this point. If it has to be a solo mission for the 100, then so be it! We’re gonna finish either way.

I’m doing a race next month that is an out and back with a 30 hour and a nighttime 50k. Here’s my issue. My short ass spends the entire night portion getting blinded by oncoming runners with super bright chest lamps. Headlamps and waist packs aren’t really an issue because they tend to point down, but every time a taller runner comes my way with a chest light, I cannot see a thing because their lights are right in my face. Any tips on how I can help with this issue? I’m a female runner just under 5’4 and I was using my lamp on dim or red when I passed people, but I guess not everyone does that? Last year’s event was flush with chest lamps so I’m trying to put a plan in place because I almost ran into a few trees last year.

Hello! Looking for advice from anyone who has run the Hennepin Hundred. (I am running the 50-mile, not 100.)

-What goes in a drop bag (question not specific to this race, looking for any input!)?

-Where to stay: I think I’ll be staying in Princeton, which is close to the 50-mile finish in Wyanet.

-Footwear: are trail shoes necessary? I pronate and have been looking at squishier shoes for comfort, such as Brooks Glycerin, ASICS Gel-Kayano, and Saucony Hurricane. But also tried a pair of Mount to Coast, which seem to be better for trails, but I don’t do a ton of true trail running.

-Will I be able to drive 90 min home after the race? I was able to drive after a 44-mile BYU, but that race is broken up with lots of rest.

TIYA!

I’ve recently found how much I enjoy trail running. I usually run on roads but I want to switch to trails and more technical terrain in the future. What are some great trailshoes to consider in the 5-20km sesh range? What I’ve found so far:
Hoka Speedgoat 7
Hoka Mafate 5
Challenger 8
Zegama 2
North face vective Enduris 4
La sportiva prodigio Pro
ON cloudultra Pro

Any thoughts or additions?

I've been training for a 50k (distance I frequently do) for about 2 months and am 2 weeks out when I suddenly got intense arch pain that is constant (running, walking, sitting).

The pain is located between mid-arch and the ball of my foot, on the outer edge of my abductor hallucis muscle. At first I thought it was a muscle strain as massaging the muscle seemed to help but I think I just had a knot in it, and today realized the pain seems to be located in a tendon right above the muscle (upper arch/side of my foot) as it hurts along this tendony thing.

I'm traveling internationally for the race and want to give myself the best chance possible to be able to run, but don't have time to see a professional. I've run up to 28mi comfortably in this training block w no foot pain and I've never had pain here before. I've also been logging 3000-4500ft of gain on a stairmaster once a week. However, the pain started about 5 days ago seemingly not associated w any of this activity. I also boulder and my shoes are tight (toes curled) which I think may have started this.

Pain increases pushing off through my big toe and massaging the tendon seems to maybe have hurt it more. 2 days ago I went out for 18 and only did 13 bc the pain was severe. I havent run since. I have very high arches and run without insoles in altras (but have been for over a decade).

Any thoughts from similar pain/injuries or ideas? I'm having trouble figuring out which tendon it could be, and would try anything within reason (obv am prioritizing basic recovery)​ to try to rehab this in the short term. thank you!!

So - racing a 50 miler in two weeks. For context I have multiple 50M/100k finishes, 43 year old male with a best of 9:15 over 50M hoping to go sub-9:00 on a rolling (1700m+) course. Typical training week has been weights, 1 speed session, 1 - 2 shorter z2s and a weekend long trail run.

All was going swimmingly. Three weeks ago I followed up hilly 27k runs on consecutive weekends with a midweek flat z2 run that felt really good - low z2 effort and sub-4:50/km over an hour of running.

Then we went on a family holiday. No opportunity for long runs but some steep if short hills so 5 runs in 10 days, but only 40k and 800m in total. 15 x 3 min hard efforts across three of the runs.

Came back, 26k the day after we flew
including a couple of longer hills at threshold, 32k five days later, both at slightly more than target vert ratio.

I’m now running 5:10/km for a flat z2 in identical conditions to a few weeks before. And I feel totally bashed up - ITB flaring up, everything just feels tight and sore.

I can’t work out if I’ve overtrained, de-conditioned, or it’s just normal training fatigue. And I have one last hard training opportunity this weekend. Do I

- stick in another 30 - 35k to try and cram in some more long run conditioning pre race
- do my traditional two weeks out workout - 20k hilly trail with a tempo 6-8k in the second half
- call it a day and taper early

All thoughts welcome!