Old Man Ultramarathon Training! Week 3 Recap. Total Kilometres: 31.5. And a long Run win!

Training went well this past week. I hit all my runs and kept under a 5min/km pace. The goal, for the Ultramarathon, is obviously to complete it BUT I would really, really like to finish it around the 5-hour mark. That means I have to at least keep up an hour per 10km pace on relatively hilly terrain, possibly in the snow. I feel if I can, in training, keep my pace to under 5min/km’s, I can, in theory, meet that goal. In training my 10km runs would be under 50 mins which should give me a pretty solid time buffer. Anyway, all is going well so far, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

TRAINING PLAN

For those of you that know me, you’ll know I read quite a bit. And when I’m interested in something, I develop an obsession with it. I’ve read books on Ultramarathon training, watched YouTube videos, and followed the big races of the year. What I learned from all these sources, the one consistent point that is hammered on, is to get out there and put the time in. All training plans include long runs. All of them. And as you can guess, the long runs, by their very nature are the most time consuming. I’m like a lot of people out there. I have kids, a full-time job, and home commitments. I have to be very efficient with my time. A lot of training plans will have you running four to five times a week with strength training thrown in. I enjoy strength training so that’s not a problem. The problem is time. I structured my training with that in mind.

I run three times a week and strength train three times a week. Run one is for developing my VO2 max so I can run faster for longer. Run two is for developing form and control. Slow kilometres and fast kilometres mixed into one session. Run three is the long run, putting the time in, getting the body used to a grind. Each week builds upon the previous one. More kilometres each week, until the fourth week which is like a recovery week. Less kilometres, relaxed running. Then it starts up again, but with more kilometres than week three had.

For example, let’s say week one had me complete 20 kilometres total, week two with 24 kilometres and week three with 31.5 kilometres. Week four will have a total of 20 kilometres, taking it easy, but week five will start with 33 total kilometres and will build from there until a week before the race where the weekly total will be over 70 kilometres with the long run being a full marathon (42.2km). After that, you taper until race day. There are 16 weeks of training. I have not seen a plan in which you run the full distance of the race in training. Don’t know why really, but hey, I’m following the plan. This plan is not my own. It is a mishmash of plans I’ve seen in books and online and corrupted them to suit my needs. I feel it covers all the bases but I won’t really know until race day. Let me know what you think in the comments.

STRENGTH TRAINING

Day one, I run through the KNEESOVERTOESGUY exercises for healthy knees and joints in the legs. You should really check him out. What he’s doing is pretty remarkable and it works. Remember, I’m 48, and due to his training, the running form I practice and the shoes I wear, I haven’t had injuries in a long time. So, seriously, check him out. He’s all over the inter-webs.

Day two, I lift heavy things. I’d read from multiple sources that lifting heavy things signals your bones and joints to strengthen. It’s like your body is saying, okay, this idiot is doing something hard, let’s help him out, and starts strengthening your skeletal system. This is just good for you all-around. Weakening bones as we age is a real concern and the longer I can put it off the better.

Day three, I concentrate on my upper body. I schedule this workout before my long runs so I don’t ruin my legs before the grind.

If you want more details, specific exercises, sets, reps and all that, let me know in the comments.

Here are the resources I use. Check them out.

Resources on YouTube for health and fitness: Will Tennyson, Greg Doucette, Joni Shreve, More Plates More Dates, and Knees over toes guy.

Resources to check out on YouTube for running: Aravaipa Running, Confidence in Chaos, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella (for form), and Billy Yang for inspirational ultra videos.

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