Adventure School: How to run an ultra marathon in 12 weeks
What defines trail running is the non-paved surface that you run over. Terrain can vary widely and may include grass, mud, rock, gravel, rock, scree, snow, water crossings, uneven surface with tree roots, dried river beds, stairs and more stairs (particularly if you’re doing the Six Foot and the TNF100).
Terrain can vary widely within and between regions across Australia and can also change dramatically from summer to winter. For instance much of the trail running on the east coast of Australia is on fire trails in state and national parks, although numerous single-track trails also exist, many of which are interspersed with fire roads.
Trails can be any length or distance, but an ultra is defined as anything that exceeds the length of a marathon (42km). Trail running races are cropping up everywhere and the sport is exploding in popularity in Australia and around the world.
For some reason, people seem to view trail running as more extreme than road running. While there are more technical elements involved (such as dealing with slippery tree roots or uneven surfaces), trail running is actually a lower impact pursuit than running on sealed surfaces, and it is far more interesting. Ask yourself, which would you prefer, running along a twisting track through trees, sharing the trail with native animals and the sounds of the forest, or dodging broken glass and dog crap as you shuffle alongside a busy road with traffic noise filling your ears and exhaust fumes painting your nostrils black?
Many urban areas around Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane boast trail systems that delight and satisfy trail runners of all levels.
So, how can you go from jogging around your local park to taking on an ultra trail run? Staring your first 42+ km trail run full in the face can be very intimidating, but by following the program below, a person with average fitness can genuinely get themselves in sufficient condition to complete an ultra run within three months.
The following schedule should serve as a sample for building a foundation from which a beginner trail runner might train to complete an ultra trail race. If you’re a more experienced runner or can maintain a faster pace, then adjust by making the runs longer and/or faster. (This program presumes the runner has a reasonably good base level of fitness.)
• Run for 20–30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Saturday or Sunday, run for 30–40mins. Rest on Tuesday, Thursday and either Saturday or Sunday.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run for 30–40 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run 40–55 minutes. Rest on Tuesday, Thursday and either Saturday or Sunday.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run 35–45 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for 55–60 minutes. Take Tuesday, Thursday and one weekend day as rest days, or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 20 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run for 40–45 minutess. Saturday or Sunday, run for 60–70 minutess. Take Tuesday, Thursday and one weekend day as rest days, or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 20 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run for 50–60 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for 70–80 minutes (extend for maximum of 15 minutes if you’re feeling good). Take Tuesday, Thursday and one weekend day as rest days, or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 20 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run for 60–65 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for 80–90 minutes (extend for maximum of 15 minutes if you’re feeling good). Take Tuesday, Thursday and one weekend day as rest days, or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 20 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday run for 70 minutes. Tuesday, light easy running for 30 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for 90–100minutes (extend for a maximum of 15 minutes if you’re feeling good). Take Thursday and one weekend day as a rest day or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 30 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday run for 70–75 minutes. Tuesday, light easy running for 40 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for 100–110 minutes (extend for max of 15 minutes if you’re feeling good). Take Thursday and one weekend day as a rest day or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 30 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run 80–85 minutes. Tuesday, light easy running for 45 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for two hours (extend for max of 10–20 minutes if you’re feeling good). Take Thursday and one weekend day as a rest day or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 30 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run 1.5 hours. Tuesday, light easy running for 50 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for 2.5 hours (extend for max of 30 minutes if you’re feeling good). Take Thursday and one weekend day as a rest day or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 30 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday, run 100-110 minutes. Tuesday, light easy running for 50 minutes. Saturday or Sunday, run for 2.5 to 3 hours (extend for max of 30 minutes if you’re feeling good). Take Thursday and one weekend day as a rest day or do some active recovery/cross training (not exceeding 30 or so minutes) if you’re feeling good.
• Monday, Wednesday, run for 30 minutes. Thursday or Friday run for 20 minutes lightly. Saturday or Sunday, race day…
Ultimately you will need to work up to around your total distance (or at least half the distance if you’re training for a race longer than 80km). To get to this point you may want to set aside one day every two weeks for longer runs, depending on your goal fitness background and experience.
