Ultramarathon training plans for 100 miles, 100 Km, 50 miles and 50Km

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Below are some selected ultramarathon training plans for various ultramarathon distances. I have not used any of these plans, but I have selected them on the basis of having a reasonable level of detail and some credibility.

Plan Distance Max Long Run Back To Back Peak Weekly Length (weeks) Days/Week Speedwork Time/Distance Level Of Detail Notes
Relentless Forward Progress 100 miles on 50 MPW 100 Miles 50 miles 24+14 miles 58 miles 24 5 Yes Distance Complete book See Below
Relentless Forward Progress 100 miles on 70 MPW 100 Miles 50 miles 24+20 miles 70 miles 24 5 Yes Distance Complete book See Below
Ultraladies 100 Mile Plan 100 Miles 30 miles 30+20 miles 75 miles 26 5 No Distance Detailed plan giving daily runs No details on paces for training runs, just distance
Umstead 100 Mile Plan (Word Document) 100 Miles 35-40 miles No 60-70 miles 5 + 1 day speed walking Suggested N/A Rough guide to each day of the week, but no weekly or daily details Written for the Umstead 100, but some useful advice for other races.
eRunningGuide.com 100 Mile Plan 100 Mile 30 miles 25 + 30 miles 73 miles 24 3-4 No Distance Detailed plan giving daily runs. No details on paces for training runs, just distance
Relentless Forward Progress 40 miles to 100K on 50 MPW 40 miles to 100K 31 miles 18 + 10 miles 51 miles 24 5 Yes Distance Complete book See Below
Relentless Forward Progress 40 miles to 100K on 70 MPW 40 miles to 100K 31 miles 25 + 12 miles 69 miles 24 5 Yes Distance Complete book See Below
Ultrarunning New Zealand 100Km Plan 100 Km 5 hours (45 Km/28 miles) 4 hours+5 hours 16 5 Intervals + MP Mixed Detailed plan giving daily runs. Specifies each run, with some indication pace, but no other advice.
Ultraladies 50 Mile Plan 50 Mile 28 miles 28 + 12 miles 62 miles 20 5 No Distance Detailed plan giving daily runs. No details on paces for training runs, just distance
Runner's World 50 Mile Plan 50 Mile 5 hours (27-29 miles) 4 hours + 5 hours 16 5 Intervals + MP Mixed Detailed plan giving daily runs. Some indication paces
Relentless Forward Progress 50K on 50 MPW 50K 26 miles 20 + 14 miles 50 miles 24 5 Yes Distance Complete book See Below
Relentless Forward Progress 50K on 70 MPW 50K 26 miles 24 + 16 miles 69 miles 24 5 Yes Distance Complete book See Below
Competitor Magazines First 50K Plan (pdf) 50 Km 26 miles 26 miles + 1 Hour 16 5-6 No Mixed Detailed plan giving daily runs. Specifies each run, with some indication pace, but no other advice.
Ultraladies 50K Plan 50 Km 26 miles 26 + 10 miles 56 miles 20 5 No Distance Detailed plan giving daily runs. No details on paces for training runs, just distance

1 Notes

  • Back to back. Many ultramarathon training schedules use two long runs on consecutive days, and this is the longest of those back to back pairs.
  • Peek Weekly. This is the longest week, if specified.
  • Day/week. How many days does the plan intend you to run.
  • MPW. The number of Miles Per Week.
  • Speedwork. What, if any, faster running is included in the plan. MP = marathon paced runs.
  • Time/Distance. Does the plan specify the length of the run in terms of time or distance.
  • Level Of Detail. Some plans will give each days run, specifying distance and pace, where others may only give a broad outline.

2 Ultramarathon and marathon plans compared

Marathon training plans have been around far longer than ultramarathon plans and are far better established. There are many books published on marathon training, with different approaches. By comparison, ultramarathon training plans are new and don't have the history. Therefore, don't expect that same quality of training plans for ultras that you might be used to from marathon training.

3 Relentless Forward Progress

The cover of Relentless Forward Progress.

Bryon Powell's book "Relentless Forward Progress", subtitled "a guide to running ultramarathons" is one of the first books that focuses on providing systematic advice on ultramarathon running. The book includes a number of training plans that are mentioned above, but also includes a lot of breadth and depth. While I may not agree with all of the advice, it's a well written book that is well worth reading interested in running ultramarathons. I particularly like the way that Bryon has asked many authors to write up sections of the book to give their perspective. I'm especially impressed the way Bryon gave two different authors the chance to put forward their opposing views on the role of speedwork in ultramarathon running.

4 See Also

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