When done right, consistent training for 4-6 hours per week for 3+ months can lead to a successful first 50k, which is the distance Torrence suggests for a first ultra effort for those new to running. On the other hand, those new to running should be more cautious and conservative in their training. It explains that experienced marathoners may be able to include more training volume and back-to-back long runs, while respecting the necessary recovery learned in previous training. Ian Torrence’s article A Newbie’s Guide to Ultramarathons does a good job of looking at how initial forays into ultramarathon training and racing may differ for newer runners versus experienced marathoners. We’ll touch on many of these points in this article, but that initial article remains a good one-stop resource, especially if you have some running experience. It remains a concise overview of primary ultramarathon training topics, such as long runs, back-to-back long runs, training volume, specificity of training, speedwork, and non-running aspects of training. The current incarnation of iRunFar started more than a decade ago with the article How to Train for an Ultramarathon.

Ultramarathon Training: Overviews and Overarching Principles With thousands of articles on iRunFar and many dozens of those focused on various aspects of ultramarathon training, this article heavily relies on them as more in-depth resources and jumping-off points.Īdmittedly, this is a very long article, so you might want to jump ahead to various sections: What follows is a general outline of many aspects of training for an ultramarathon.

One of the many positive aspects of ultramarathon training is that there are many approaches to getting to the finish line and you get to find the one, or the multitude, that work for you. In my mind, that’s not only acceptable, but almost mandatory in discussing ultramarathon training. With that in mind, some of the approaches explored in this article will be inconsistent with, and possibly contradictory, to one another. On the other hand, there’s no single best way to train for an ultramarthon… and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is likely trying to sell you something. Training for an ultramarathon isn’t rocket science, but there’s plenty to learn to make the process easier and more rewarding. Training for an ultramarthon can be as challenging and as rewarding an experience as completing one.

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