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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.
=Relentless Forward Progress=
Bryon Powell's book "[http://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Forward-Progress-Running-Ultramarathons/dp/1891369903 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. I think that Byron's book is worth reading, even if you don't use one of his plans. (<jfs id="1891369903" n="" nonl="t"/>.)
* While many of the plans include speedwork, all that specified is the duration of speedwork for each week. Byron does describe various speedwork techniques and paces, but it's left up to the reader to work out what to do when.
* Byron talks about training for specific courses, something that's frequently overlooked by ultrarunners.
* The advice on [[Overtraining]] is rather weak and unscientific, but it's nice to see it mentioned.
=Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning=
* The depth of Hal's experience comes through in the book, but so does his lack of wider research.
* The advice to drink before you're thirsty and to drink beyond thirst is outdated and dangerous. While dehydration can slow you down, it really a serious problem, while over-hydration ([[Hyponatremia]]) can be fatal and has been for a number of runners. How does have a section on hyponatremia, but it's in a separate section of the book from hydration, and that the advice is unclear at best.
* The advice to force yourself to eat when you're not hungry is something I believe to be a cardinal mistake. I have found that eating what appeals is a far more successful, and if nothing appeals, forcing food down rarely has a happy ending. I believe that our subconscious and appetite has a far more sophisticated ability to determine what we need.
* Recommending that gels are always taken with water ignores [[The Science of Energy Gels]].
The book contains three training plans, for the 50K, 50 miles to 100K, and 100 miles. These plans feel a little like an afterthought, tucked in the back of the book almost like an appendix. The plans that do include fartlek, hill repeats, and tempo runs but the details seem lacking. Hal mentions that the tempo run should be at 10K pace, but does not indicate how much of the 6-20 mile tempo run should be at that 10K pace. The 50 K plan includes a 30 mile long run, which seems a little excessive, as does the 25+15 back to back long runs.<br style="clear[[File: both" Hal Koerners Field Guide to Ultrarunning.jpg|center|thumb|200px|The cover of[http://www.amazon.com/Koerners-Field-Guide-Ultrarunning-Ultramarathon/dp/> 1937715221 Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning].]]
=Running Your First Ultra=
=Wolfgang Olbrich's Ultra Marathon Training=
There are quite a few plans in 'Ultra Marathon Training', and these are the main reason for buying the book in my opinion. (<jfs id="1841263621" n="" nonl="t"/>.)
* There are plans for 50K and 100K which you'd expect, but it's unusual to see plans for timed events at 6, 12, & 24 hours, as well as multiday events.
* The chapter on [[Running and Lower GI Problems]] provides some insight into the problem, but has little advice on what to do.
* The only part of the book that seems a little long is the author's race reports that come at the end of the book.
* Sometimes the language seems slightly cumbersome. It's not what you'd typically see with a bad translation, but it does make the book harder to read, and occasionally I'd struggle to understand a critical sentence. <br style="clear[[File: both" WolfgangUltraMarathonTraining.jpg|center|thumb|200px|The cover of[http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Marathon-Training-Wolfgang-Olbrich/dp/> 1841263621 Ultra Marathon Training].]]
=Training for Ultra Running=
While this book is about training for ultras, there are not any plans per se included. Rather, this book is the aggregated experiences of a number of elite level athletes. I'm not sure how much of their experience can be directly applied to other runners, but I think the book gives some great insight into the sport and its preparation. If you were cynical, you could view this as a series of overly long race reports, but in many ways that's not a bad thing. Few elites produce race reports, and those that do rarely go into this level of detail. The results is a little disjointed and inconsistent, but that's probably no bad thing as simple advice is often flawed.
* The strategies section covers things from how particular athletes chose races, to the use of speedwork, and some examples of training routines.
* The coverage of multiday events is also unique as far as I'm aware. Even within the world of ultrarunning multiday events are pretty unusual, so if you're considering this type of even, I'd consider this section of the book as required reading. I can't decide if this chapter inspires me or fills me with fear (or both), but I feel richer for the vicarious experience.
In summary, I think this is well worth considering, but it's a supplement to other materials, not a book to use in isolation. (<jfs id="1780913249" n="" nonl="t"/>.)
[[File:TrainingForUltraRunning.jpg|center|thumb|200px|The cover of [http://www.amazon.com/Training-Ultra-Running-Andy-Milroy/dp/1780913249 Training]For Ultra Running.]]
=Umstead 100 Training Plan=
This plan is obviously focused on the Umstead 100 race, but is valuable for all ultrarunners. This is really a starting point for you to create your own plan, and it provides an outline of a typical week rather than a week by week guide. However, it provides rather more useful advice on things like the long run and night runs than I've seen in many other places. I would recommend anyone training for any ultramarathon that's longer than 50K read this guide. Blake's deep experience from not only running ultras but organizing the Umstead 100 shows in this guide. Blake knows what it takes to succeed, but more importantly he knows the reasons why people fail.
This plan is more detailed than most, giving training paces for each run and some general training advice. The plan is intended to take you from a marathon finish to a 50 miler in 16 weeks, which is quite reasonable. This is the best freely available plan I've come across and it's well worth considering.
=Ultraladies=
These plans are available online for a first race of marathon, 50K, 50 miles and 100 milesas[https://www.ultraladies.com/free-training-plans.html Ultra Ladies Training Plans]. The plans appear to have been developed by Nancy Shura-Dervin, a coach and ultramarathon runner. The plans include the distances for each week, and a few paragraphs of general information, but not much else. Each longer plan is intended to follow on from the shorter distance plan, so the 50 mile plan recommends you completed the 50K plan and race, followed by a 4-6 weeks of recovery. I would consider these plans as a starting point for developing your own training program rather than a complete solution. There is [http://www.scrunners.org/ultramarathon-training-schedule-generator.html an online generatorUltra Ladies Training Schedule Generator] that will output these plans for specific dates.
=eRunningGuide's 100 Mile Plan=
It's hard to know how much experience and credibility to give this 100 mile training plan. There are a few introductory notes, then the table of training runs, but no details of the author or their background. The plan consists of gradually increasing mileage, with two or three back-to-back long runs on alternating weeks (the peak week is 15/25/30 miles on consecutive days.) Consider this as input to creating your own training plan rather than a finished product.
This guide provides details on each workout and is intended to take you from a marathon to a 50K in 16 weeks. In addition to the plan itself, there is a bit of general advice, though I found it rather dubious at best. I think the hydration recommendations are downright dangerous, and I didn't like the nutrition advice of "You want to find out the maximum amount you can take in without getting sick." The plan is worth a cautious look.
=Comrade's Training=
The Comrades Marathon is an 89Km (56 mile) ultra in South Africa, and it's run in alternating directions each year. The [http://www.comrades.com/ Comrade's web site] has various training plans focused on the race, with different plans for different levels based on finishing goal. These plans start 11 months before the race, and include training for the marathon qualification needed for entry. It would be possible to reuse these plans for other 50 mile or 100K races.
=Other Ultrarunning Books=
There are a number of books that are worth considering, even though they don't contain training plans.
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|[[File:AStepBeyondCover.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning is a little old now as it was published in 2004, but it contains a wealth of useful information. The book is a collection of individual chapters, each written by a different author, so it can be a little disjointed. While I don't agree with all of the advice, it's a worthwhile investment.]]
|[[File:FixingYourFeetCover.jpg|none|thumb|x300px| If you've read my guide to [[Blister Prevention]] and [[Taping| Taping your feet to prevent or treat blisters]] and you still want to know more, then [http://www.amazon.com/Fixing-Your-Feet-Prevention-Treatments/dp/0899976387 Fixing Your Feet] is the definitive book on the topic. <jfs id="0899976387" n="" nonl="t"/>]]
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|[[File:TheOatmeal.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|This is a comic book on running by The Oatmeal, and it's a great read. Of course, humor is a personal thing, so check out [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running the online comic] to get a taste of the book. <jfs id="1449459951" n="" nonl="t"/>.]]
|[[File:RunningThroughTheWallCover.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|[http://www.amazon.com/Running-Through-Wall-Encounters-Ultramarathon/dp/1891369377 Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon] is just that; it's individual runners experiences with ultrarunning. Not a huge source of information, but an entertaining read in places. <jfs id="1891369377" n="" nonl="t"/>.]]
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|[[File:EatAndRunCover.jpg|none|thumb|x300px|[http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Run-Unlikely-Ultramarathon-Greatness/dp/0547569653 Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness] is part autobiography, part recipe book from the elite ultrarunner Scott Jurek. I found it fascinating to read about Scott's life, and [[Why Run Ultras| why he runs ultras]], and he does include several bits of ultrarunning advice. <jfs id="0547569653" n="" nonl="t"/>.]]
|[[File:UltramarathonManCover.jpg|none|thumb|x300px| Another autobiography from a top ultrarunner, [http://www.amazon.com/Ultramarathon-Man-Confessions-All-Night-Runner/dp/1585424803 Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner] is a fairly easy read, though I found it provided less insight than "eat and run". <jfs id="1585424803" n="" nonl="t"/>.]]
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|[[File:OldManAndTheSeaCover.jpg|none|thumb|x300px| This may seem like an old entry in the list of books ultrarunning, but I believe that [http://www.amazon.com/Old-Man-Sea-Ernest-Hemingway/dp/0684801221 The Old Man and The Sea] provides greater inspiration and insight into the ultrarunning psyche than most books dedicated to the topic. <jfs id="0684801221" n="" nonl="t"/>.]]
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=See Also=
