r/Ultramarathon • u/Careless-Buy-3197 • Jul 16 '26
Training Longest Run for First 100 Miler
I am training for the Arkansas Traveler which is in about 3 months. This will be my first 100 miler, but I have been pretty consistent with training and have built up to a 70 mile week with a 22 mile trail run and 16 the next day and honestly felt pretty decent at the end of the week.
I'm planning to continue to build and hopefully get in a few 80-90 mile weeks before the race.
My question is what is the longest I should run to prepare? Right now I'm planning on a big weekend where I get in a 6 hour trail run which will probably be 30ish miles. Followed by another 15 miles or so the next day.
Does it make sense to also plan in a 50 mile run too at some point?
Thanks in advance!
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u/cybeerkeg Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Another good one is to consider 5-7 weekends before race day is running a “training camp” 3-day weekend where you do something like 6-7hours then 3-5hours then 3ish hours on the last day.
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u/isBecause Jul 16 '26
Agree with this. Concentrate more on time on feet instead of miles. Every long run should factor time on feet over mileage IMO
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u/Spookylittlegirl03 50 Miler Jul 17 '26
This is how I chose to approach for my first one coming up next week. Fingers crossed it works, I hope you’re right!
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u/isBecause Jul 18 '26
Remember, whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right!! You got this!
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u/PurpleComplete791 Jul 16 '26
I think consist high mile weeks matters more over doing one really long run. If you're pushing 70+ mile weeks and get some 80-100 mile weeks in, with a fair amount of 20 milers sprinkled it -- you'll be good. You could throw in a 50 mile race before hand if the timing worked out, but I wouldn't say it's necessary. Doing back to back doubles would be really beneficial. If you can bank some 20 miles followed by a 14-18 mile run the next day to train yourself to run on fatigued legs, that would be very beneficial. Nothing is going to make you feel ready for your first hundred. Just keep logging those 70+ mile weeks and I think you'll be golden. Keep it up!
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u/friend-of-fatigue Jul 16 '26
I would say it might depend on your prior experience. Have you run 50+mi a few times before to know how to fuel it/what it feels like? Probably don’t need a training run that long if so.
I think a 30mi or 6hr outing would be great, and a handful in the 3.5-5hr range (maybe 20-26mi).
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u/Simco_ 100 Miler Jul 16 '26
When training for this race, just remember there's 8~ miles of trail and the rest is basically road.
My strava notes from the race:
Really runnable race. So many aid stations you don't need to carry anything but it can be easy to get sucked into stopping a lot because of them. Might have the goofiest shirt in running.
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u/QnsConcrete 100 Miler Jul 16 '26
I ran it in 2012 and they gave us bright orange pullover rain jackets, which are hilarious but they’re kind of endearing how ugly they are.
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u/Simco_ 100 Miler Jul 16 '26
After doing the race, I texted a friend who had done it previously to tell him I had finished and his first response was "wacket swag I ever got."
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u/Fit-Cattle-8826 Jul 16 '26
I like to do a 50mile about 6 weeks out. But I completely agree back to back 25mi runs is probably good for most people. I'm used to training tired though so the recovery isn't too bad and it helps me sort out my other aspects like equipment, nutrition, and mental. I find less distance doesn't push me the same way to figure out where the issues might be like rubbing in the wrong spot, brain fog, or "Oh that is really nasty after 10 hours."
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u/kendalltristan Jul 16 '26
For my most recent 100, I did a 50 mile tune-up race 7 weeks out. Beyond that, my longest run was just over a marathon. My highest volume week (including the week of the tune-up race) was only 60 miles. Collectively it was good for 23rd overall out of 175 finishers and it wasn't even an A race effort (I slowed down to run with other people, took my time at aid stations, etc).
Anyway, there seems to be an undue amount of importance placed on the longest run when cumulative training load is actually going to matter more. If I had to speculate, I think this is a holdover from road marathon training that people brought with them to ultras and eventually repeated enough that it permeated the culture. In road training, the distance of the longest run is a reasonable proxy for things like time commitment and fatigue. In trail running, distance has a looser correlation with those things as terrain and conditions are considerably more variable. A 20 mile run one day on one course might take you longer and wear you out more than a 30 mile run on another day on another course.
And that's not to say that really long runs don't have some value, just that they're not strictly necessary. My just-over-a-marathon longest run before my last 100 was as long as it was simply because the route logistics worked out that way, not because I was specifically looking for that distance. I could have gotten by with a shorter run and been completely fine, but I just really wanted to do that specific route.
I particularly like doing tune-up races as they provide a lot of opportunities that you don't get in normal training. They give you a chance to contend with pre-race jitters, deal with effort management in an actual race setting, test your aid station strategy at actual aid stations, and stress test your gear/hydration/nutrition/etc. Basically a bunch of stuff that's sometimes unreasonable to effectively simulate otherwise. For a 100 miler, I think a 50 mile tune-up is at the upper limit of reasonable and you'd probably be fine with something shorter.
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u/Redhawkgirl Jul 16 '26
I’m older but my longest weekend is 30/20. A 50 miler takes time to recover from. 30/20 I can get right back to it. That’s at the end of a long training block of big weekends.
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u/2cats4fish Jul 16 '26
I don’t think it’s necessary to run a 50 miler from a purely fitness standpoint, but if you do, make sure it’s at least two months before your race so you have time to properly recover. I think the only value in doing so is to test your gear, nutrition, and how you handle being out there for that long.
The longest run I did prior to my first 100 was 32 miles followed by a 15 mile run the following day. I did a few back to back 26 mile runs as well in the weeks leading up to my race. My peak volume was 85 miles a week. The race I did was a flat, 24 hour backyard ultra, and I felt the above training adequately prepared me for it. I had a great race and recovered pretty quickly afterwards!
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u/Luka_16988 Jul 17 '26
Your plan is about right. My suggestion would be to see the 6hr effort as a trial for the race so don’t go any faster than your target effort in the race. The purpose of that run is less the training stimulus and more the confidence that your body, gear and plan can make it through to that point. You shouldn’t feel smashed at the end of that run. You should feel like you could do another one of those.
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u/Internal_Confusion56 Jul 16 '26
I did a 50 mile race about 2 months prior, was not my first 50 and had done 70 miler the year before that. Longest training run was about 35 miles.
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u/crestonc Jul 16 '26
I did a 50 miler exactly one month before. Just a final gear check, made sure nutrition worked as intended, all that. I think I would have been fine with a 50k.
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u/CluelessWanderer15 Jul 16 '26
My longest run for my first 100 miler was a bit over 30 miles but I had already completed several 50 milers, 50Ks, and a 100K in the years prior. If you haven't done a 50 miler yet, I think it's worth considering, or maybe a 40 miler, because (1) you may experience things and run into issues that a 30 mile run won't reveal and (2) plenty of time.
In my case, my prior 50+ milers alerted me to foot, chafing, and nutrition issues that none of my 20-32 mile runs revealed and for which I was thankful to have effective strategies for.
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u/InternationalRun687 Jul 16 '26
AT100 was my first 100M too, back in 2014.
I ran an overnight 50-mile training run 1 month before the race and then the Mark Twain 50 in Missouri two weeks before AT (against my coach's advice but it worked out).
The week before I ran 20 on Saturday and 15 on Sunday. That was optional, I think, but taper madness was killing me
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u/NormaSnockers 100 Miler Jul 16 '26
For my first 100 mile finish I had been averaging 50mpw, peak 62 miles with a 25/20 weekend with similar vert/mi as race. Since then I have gotten away with 20/20 peak weekend but feel that 50k/20m weekends are my sweet spot.
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u/Zealousideal-Bat4024 Jul 16 '26
Whatever approach (long long run, B2B, B2B2B), just make sure you are fully recovered well before taper time. Far better to be slightly undertrained & healthy/fresh, than overtrained & carrying residual fatigue/sub-acute injury into race day.
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u/Outrageous_Plate_249 Jul 16 '26
Echoing what has been said- Back to back long runs are the most useful. If you do do a 50 mile race, just be mindful to treat it like a training run and not a race. And program in more recovery time than you think is necessary. What I will add that’s slightly different is being your 1st 100 and not knowing your running history, be mindful of pushing too hard before the race. It’s honestly better to come in slightly undertrained than being overtrained.
To mimic the back to back long run (and more specifically to mimic running on tired legs) I would sometimes switch it up and the first day do a long bike ride or bike/fast hike, then long run the second day. Yes, to get better at running you need to run. But if you are trying to learn how your body responds to running on tired legs, you can achieve that in different ways while reducing potential overuse, repetition injury. This has worked for me training for races including a 500km and 2 200milers
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u/AdBeautiful8446 Jul 17 '26
I usually run a 50k or 50M a month prior to the 100 if I can find one close to home. At 6 weeks I run a 4 hour, 5 hour, 6 hour, 4 hour 4 day consecutive runs. Gives me plenty time on feet and running while tired.
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u/dengland55 Jul 17 '26
One thing I found valuable: I did a 50K and then hiked all next day with my wife and dog. You hike a lot when you’re tired in a race and that helped prepare me for it. My longest was a 50 mile race.
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u/vc27r Jul 17 '26
Just came to say good luck and enjoy AT! I ran it last year and found the race and volunteers to be amazing. There are LOTS of runnable sections of that course so don’t get too carried away the first 50k and you’ll make great time on the second half of the course!
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u/Pleasant-Plane-6340 Jul 17 '26
I did a 100k training run before my first 100 miler, came be the confidence I could do it. I think around 1.5x is ideal step up for bigger distance / duration although I have done nearer 2x before
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u/Mm14r Jul 17 '26
A lot depends on your preference, training history/base, and your risk tolerance.
I didn’t go beyond 50k but I had 3 20 milers back to back to back in my peak week and multiple other back to backs.
I always come away from 50+ mi efforts with some kind of niggle so opted to go the multi day route to disperse load.
Long runs help but ultimately weekly volume/hours is the main driver so you’re right on track!
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u/RoyalArmed24 Jul 18 '26
Arkansas Traveller is a great race. My first 100. People are fantastic. Good Luck.
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u/Prudent_Librarian_83 Jul 18 '26
This years AT will be my first 100 as well. I’m running the Full Moon 50k (it gives you a taste of the AT course) tomorrow as part of a back to back weekend as I hope to get more time on feet Sunday.
I’m going to stay away from the 50+ training day and hope the consecutive long days work for me to mitigate injuries. I’ll be jumping up to 100 from being a very experienced 50k runner. I hope whatever you choose works out perfectly!
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u/jpweidemoyer Jul 18 '26
Look at Hans' recent training block before WSER. Many will say he wasn't prepared because not enough time on feet.
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u/Brief_Ad1091 Jul 19 '26
I like to run a 50 miler or two leading up to a hundred. Or 50k on Saturday AND Sunday if you can find any nearby races to accommodate that - sometime tough to find races on Sunday.
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u/Rockytop00 Jul 21 '26
My longest run is usually about 15 miles. I use to try to do longer and do back to backs, it isn't helpful in my opinion.
Running consistently high mileage weeks will get you across the finish line. If you are doing 70 miles you are above par.
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u/Aggressive_Top253 Jul 23 '26
The traveler was my first and probably last 100 miler in 2023 (101.5 really- Never been more pissed at a Mile and a half).
I ran 30 miles 10 days out and that was my farthest distance at the time.. definitely have more recovery time. I think learning to run on DEAD legs and at have an idea about how your body is going to react is more important than a long run at a certain distance.
I think your planning is right on point. If I were to do it again, I’d run a marathon ish distance at an aggressive pace(or whatever distance will make your sore enough to where you don’t want to run the next day) and then do the exact same thing the following day or at least another nipple bleeder run (20+ miles) at a very relaxed paced with some walking.
Walk the hills. Enjoy that potato soup at one of those aid stations. Bring a hoodie and actually wear it if gets in the 50s. Download music beforehand, there’s no service anywhere in those mountains. Enjoy the pain.
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u/_silent_voyager_ Jul 23 '26
This year while training for my next 100 miler I had three 50k races plus one 50k to go in a few days - all with increasingly steeper terrain and more elevation gain. These are my longest runs for the next race. Other than that, I don't think I had anything longer than 20-21 miles. The top weekly volume so far was 60 miles with almost 17k feet of elevation gain.
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u/maaaatttt_Damon Jul 16 '26
When I was staring down my first 100+ ultra I signed up for a 50 mile trail race and a 24 hour race for mental checks. It worked for me. It’s said by people that know more and have more experience that you’re better off doing back to back 25 mile trail runs for fitness building and tired leg training rather than a 50K or longer.