 24 Week Schedule |
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Ultramarathon Training Prelude:
You ran a fall marathon. For a month or two, you relaxed your training, cutting back on miles to allow minor injuries to heal. As the year comes to an end, it's time to start working on your New Year's resolution. You're going to run an ultramarathon. Most importantly, you're going to run the prestigious Comrades Marathon in South Africa on Wednesday, June 16. This allows you a little less than six months to get ready.
The 24-week ultramarathon training schedule follows. Here is what you need to know to follow this ultramarathon training program.
Mileage: The schedules include the number of miles to run each day. Unless otherwise noted, run these miles comfortably enough to insure you finish at approximately the same pace you started. The important thing is to cover the miles (particularly the weekend long miles), not run them fast.
Pace: Where the term "pace" is used, it refers to the pace you plan to runthe Comrades Marathon. Remember: since you will need to walk some of the race (specifically the hills), this refers to the actual pace while you are running, not the average pace for the full 54 miles.
Cross: This refers to cross-training: other aerobic activities such as biking, swimming and even walking. Do not make the mistake of training harder on these cross-training days than you would if you had run instead.
Step-Back: This is a pattern of training used in the Marathon Training Guide. It refers to the fact that every third week or so, you cut your weekly mileage and the mileage of your long runs to save strength for the next push upward.
Mile Repeats: If you choose to include this form of speedwork in your training, run these repeats between 10-K and marathon pace, jogging or walking 3-5 minutes between. If you do not do speedwork, run approximately the same mileage you do on your other mid-week runs.
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24 Week Schedule |
Copyright © 1998 by Hal Higdon.