Running Your First 50K Trail Race

August 25th

Andy Jones and Dave Corfman

Sponsor: The Running Spot

What Will We Be Covering Today?

• Training – how does it need to be different from marathon training?

• Eating and drinking on the run – essential in order to finish a 50K trail race

• Equipment considerations – clothes, shoes, bottle carriers, drop bags

• How not to get lost – a common problem for novices

• Dealing with the hills – best strategies• Recovery – what should you do immediately

after the race and in the weeks that follow

Training

• We will assume that you have some experience in training for a marathon

• Most important is to get in the miles, the same as a marathon– Good general rule is that your weekly mileage should

be at least twice the race distance, in this case about 60-65 miles per week should be the weekly average in the 12 weeks before the race

• Less than this and you can count on a considerable amount of walking being required

Training

• Supplement your marathon training with these types of workouts– Trail runs of 2-3 hours

– Shorter harder trail runs 30-90 minutes

– Specific hill training

Longer Trail Runs

• If possible choose terrain similar to the race– 2 -3 of these runs in your preparation period

of 12 weeks– Instead of your road long runs, not in addition

to these runs!– These are easy runs at least 1 minute per

mile slower than your planned race pace– Very important to practice eating and drinking

during these runs

Faster Trail Runs

• These runs should be 30-90 minutes– On terrain similar to the race if possible– At race pace– Start with 30 minutes and lengthen– Every two weeks during preparation period

• Instead of a tempo run/speed workout

– Get your legs used to moving at this pace on trails

– Stick with water/electrolyte only during these runs

Specific Hill Workouts

• These are shorter runs to help develop the ability to run up hills

• Find a hill that takes 2-3 minutes to climb with a good effort

• Work up to being able to run the hill 5-6 times with a long recovery of at least 3 minutes between– Include walking up the hill if necessary– Be careful running back down the hill, take it very easy

• Do a long cooldown (2-3 miles) on trails afterwards

Eating and Drinking on the Run

• You do not have enough stored energy to finish a 50K trail race without eating some food or drinking lots of energy drinks

• It is important that you learn what food you can eat in your training – Use your long runs to experiment– Use a multi loop course with a drop location (or car)

for your aid in your long runs• Always a good idea to carry water or energy

drink with you• Find out what will be available at aid stations

– Most race directors are OK with special requests

Eating and Drinking on the Run

• What are good choices for food and drinks– Cookies (avoid chocolate if you are not sure)– Fruit (bananas are a good choice)– Coke (I find this good near the end of the run)– Peanut and jelly sandwiches– Candies (careful with chocolate)

• Drink electrolyte/energy drinks rather than water– Dilute the energy drinks to half strength on hot days

Equipment Considerations

• Good trail shoes are the most important piece of equipment– They should be comfortable, but not too

heavy – Do at least 50 miles on them before your race– Good idea to have a backup pair of shoes at

the race in case you blister or your feet get sore

Equipment Considerations

• Decide how you are going to carry water/energy drinks– Fanny pack or in your hands– Easier to access in your hands, but takes

more practice to get comfortable with this method

• Socks should be synthetic and blister-proof (double layers)

• What to include in a drop bag

How not to get lost…

• Many novice runners get lost in trail races– Even experience runners get lost

• Usually getting lost is due to not paying attention to where you are going

• In general you should see a course marker at least every 2-3 minutes on a trail at 8:00/pace

• Best technique is to alternate looking up for course markers and down to check your footing– Change every few seconds– Check footing more when the trail is rough– Look for markers more if you have not seen one for a couple of

minutes– Often corners are marked on the ground as well, but don’t count

on these markings on a loop course as they can get worn off

How not to get lost…

• Don’t compound your problems by continuing to run the wrong way– Cut your losses, if you have not seen a marker for 5

minutes of running then turn around and go back

• Pay careful attention at intersections– Slow down if you are unsure– The correct route should be marked very soon after

the intersection– If you don’t see a marker within a couple of minutes,

turn around and go back to the intersection

How not to get lost…

• On multi-loop course don’t get complacent and assume you know where you are going– In our race runners often get lost on the second or

third loop after going the correct way on an earlier loop

– This is usually because they were running with someone else on the earlier loop and let them do the navigating

• Do your own navigation or at least pay attention to where you are going

How not to get lost…

• Study the route map and take it with you– Not a guarantee or staying on course, but can

help if you do get lost

Dealing With Hills

• Trail running involves running (or walking) up and down hills in almost every race– Only the most competitive runners run moderate to

steep hills– When running up a hill be careful not to completely

exhaust yourself to the point where you are reduced to a very slow walk

– Stop running when you can switch to a fast walk– Once you recover (if you do..) then switch back to a

slow run– Continue to alternate as long as possible– The more specific hill training you do the longer you

should be able to run on any up hills

Dealing With Hills

• On multi-loop courses time the uphills on the first loop to allow you to judge your effort on subsequent loops

• Be careful not to run too fast on downhills– High risk of injury– Will also cause you to pound your legs, this

will come back to haunt you later in the race

• Chose a comfortable in-control pace on downhills

Recovery – Right After the Race

• Get into warm clothes as soon as possible if it is a cool or cold day

• Do some gentle walking right after you finish for 5-10 minutes

• Drink fluids slowly until you have to pee

• Eat if you can, choosing high energy foods that are easy on your stomach

• Avoid hopping right in your car

Recovery – The Next Few Days

• You probably will not be as sore as you are after a marathon– I find a few ibuprofen help me to recover

• Reduce swelling and pain

• Run very easily the next day for 1-2 miles– This helps to flush your muscles of lactic acid

• Then take a couple of days off– This allows you to recover

• No racing for the next two weeks

Starting Line

There you have it. You have all the tips you need to get to the starting line of your first 50k trail ultramarathon.You will find the ultrarunning community very supportive and friendly. Races are also much smaller than marathons.The rest of up to you. Train well, and come to the race with determination and rested legs. We, as race directors, will do everything we can to support you to the finish line.