50M Training Plan – American River 50M 2015

Below is the blueprint of the training program I plan to follow to build up to my first 50 miler. It’s a hybrid from many available sources out there. Hal Koerner’s Field Guide to Ultrarunning, Bryon Powell’s Relentless Forward Motion, and online sources like www.trailrunevents.com, www.outsideonline.com, www.fellrnr.com, and others, all have had some influence on how I structured this training plan.

First and foremost, it is a flexible blueprint. Mondays and Tuesdays are interchangeable, there are road and trail specific training runs, weeks where I cycle down to recover, some back-to-back long runs (26+10, 28+10, etc.) and a staggered but relentless climb to a 50K a few weeks before the race. I plan to crosstrain (mainly bike) a bit as I wrestle with knee issues, do some full body circuit strength training on hard days with an emphasis on the weaker parts of my legs, and incorporate long hikes with a weighted vest to help train for that inevitable component of most ultras.

H=hard, E=easy, h=hills, s=speed, t=trail