Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning: Training for an Ultramarathon, from 50K to 100 Miles and Beyond

Even with many miles and races behind me, running an ultra still thrills me. Although I’ve completed my share, at every start line I am ever in awe of the task at hand, with a deep reverence and respect for the miles. The feeling usually hits me hard a little past the halfway point of a race. You are so exposed at that point, physically and mentall

The ultra is not just a marathon plus mileage. It is so much more than that.

you are entirely by yourself, for miles and hours at a time.

Ultrarunning’s allure is its grassroots feel, and along with that comes taking the time to slow down and appreciate that distinctive vibe.

Just as the ultra for which you are training will have its many ups and downs, places where you make quick progress and sections of relentless slogging, so too will your ultra training. Keeping it all in perspective, knowing that it is all just one step toward a much larger goal, will help you to get through the rough patches. Remember why you are

Weather can be a major hindrance, although I am a firm believer that if it makes us confront our discomforts, then it is probably good training.

My best advice is to take setbacks in stride. Much as you won’t find yourself dropping out of a 100-miler because of a lone variable, your fitness is not at risk because of a little bad luck. Keep it all in perspective.

You will need to adapt your schedule to accommodate a slight taper going in and recovery coming out of these races.

Although the training plans do not specifically schedule preparatory training races, I urge you to factor these in.

The key is to do a sustainable effort for 90 seconds followed by a 2- to 3-minute cooldown, and to repeat this 10 times.