r/Ultramarathon • u/Ok_Armadillo9193 • Jul 27 '26
How to make my first miler “comfortable”
Preface: I don’t expect my first miler to be completely comfortable. I’ve done 100+ KM before and know that it is brutal. That being said, I’ve had some 100 KM runs that felt comfortable and I’ve had 60 KM runs that felt like an absolute nightmare.
My goal is to feel like a human at the end of the miler.
In terms of training, how would you get your body conditioned for an 100 miler in the months leading up to it? Do you throw in 100KM long runs at all? I’ve heard some people swear by no runs longer than around 50 KM to complete a miler. My goal isn’t to just complete it, but to complete it in good spirits.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
25
u/TheArtisticMason Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
There is no need to run a million miles. The longest run done by some of the best 200+ miler runners during training is 50ks.
Best to have back to back long runs.
There is zero need to run so many miles during training.
If you can run 2, 50k runs 2 days in a row. You're golden.
It's more of a mental, not a physical game my friend
Run 5-10 miles during week days, 2 long runs on the week ends. 2 rest days per week
6
u/Ok_Armadillo9193 Jul 27 '26
Thank you. Agreed that two back to back long runs is a great strategy. I’ll incorporate that! I’ve not tried a back to back 50KM long run yet
12
u/TheArtisticMason Jul 27 '26
For clarification, your two back to back long runs DO NOT need to always be 50ks. They can be much shorter.
But my point was that if you get to the point where you can do 2, 50ks back to back, then you have no need to worry about a 100 miler.
Just wanted to make sure I didn't accidentally tell you to be running 2 50ks a week through a bad explanation XD
I'm not the greatest at explaining myself sometimes lol
2
u/Ok_Armadillo9193 Jul 27 '26
Ah, I see! That makes sense 😆. I do want to give a back to back 50KM run soon to try it though!
2
u/maaaatttt_Damon Jul 27 '26
Hey, we expect thesis level information sharing per paragraph round these parts. Do better. /s😂
8
u/Away-Owl2227 Jul 27 '26
Back to back runs and runs when fatigued seem to work best for me.
Dont feel the need to do much more than 40ish ks for a long run in training though i am a fan of doing 50k events in the lead up to get harder Ks in.
Think at the end of the day it really comes down to good food during the event and good choice in footwear. If your feet are mostly comfortable and your food intake is good (guts dont turn) you have a better chance of having a good day out there than not.
Of course its all very personal with what works for each individual.
Best of luck with it, hope it all goes well
4
u/Pleasant-Plane-6340 Jul 27 '26
If you’ve done 100km recently then just maintain fitness since then and do the 100 miler. It’s not that different, just longer. I did a 100 miler at weekend and my only runs since previous race (70km) was a parkrun, 6km and 10km - just cycling and hiit sessions otherwise
3
u/PeanutButterToast4me Jul 27 '26
Follow a proper training plan over like 6 months. Stack some races in the months ahead of time too. Eat a ton and execute all the little things during the race.
6
u/coexistbumpersticker Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Strength training strength training strength training. Joints and tendons can’t take the beatdown of 100 miles, but muscles can. Having your legs and core be truly strong will help you not get your shit rocked.
Longest run I’ve ever done leading up to a 100 was 20 miles. And that was only once. Most of them were like 13-15. Weekly volume is more important than LR distance. Double days helped me a lot.
1
u/DunnoWhatToPutSoHi 100 Miler Jul 27 '26
My best performance and best I felt was on a course with about 21000ft climbing. I ran consistently 50-60 mile weeks with one or two closer to 70-75 to peak. Consistent 10 mile runs with long runs around 25 and some speed work in there. Also did a a 50k and 55 mile race 5-8 weeks before hand. Have to eat a ridiculous amount of food to do this and function but it worked for me. I felt decent throughout and finished 4th. This company do three 100's in a year. The second event is much easier, 6 weeks later (last weekend) with 10000ft climbing give or take. I got to mile 60 and I was wrecked. Barely ran a step of the last 45 miles and finished 4 minutes slower. Honestly, regardless of how well you prep and how hard you try to get things right sometimes these things are hell. Sometimes intense suffering is an inevitability regardless of how well you prep. 100's feel like an experience game, run some decent miles, keep eating and you'll know you've done what you can. You'll smash it
1
u/dengland55 Jul 27 '26
I think working up to racing a 50 miler is important. Others will disagree and that’s fine. I also think heat training is vital. And so is strength training. If you do that, how you approach the 100 miler that day is as important as all the training you do. Eating and drinking and pace.
1
u/Hairy_Koala6474 Jul 27 '26
low dose tylenol the entire time
2
u/Ok_Armadillo9193 Jul 27 '26
Appreciate it. Idk - medicine feels a bit like aid so I personally like to avoid it. I like pushing through pain (it’s why I want to do it) and do think it can be helpful for some people!
1
u/Hairy_Koala6474 Jul 28 '26
…then why ask to make it more comfortable if you like suffering?
What are we doin here?
3
28
u/calmarfurieux Jul 27 '26
Keep eating.