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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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Below are some selected ultramarathon training plans for [[A brief guide to ultramarathon distances| 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. It's important to realize that there is little known about training for ultras, and while the books have the most detail, there's still a paucity of experience that backs them up. For those wanting a high level summary, here's my recommendations:
* Read both "Relentless Forward Progress" and the "Field Guide to Ultrarunning" as these books have good information and reading both gives you some balance.
* Consider Wolfgang's "Ultra Marathon Training", but only in addition to the two books mentioned above. "Training for Ultra Running" is also worth a read to get some insight into how the elites train, race, and cope with problems.
* Read the Umstead 100 guide; it's free, it's short, and it has some outstanding advice for any ultra.
* Consider the Runner's World 50 mile plan, but think of the other online plans as input to creating your own plan rather than as a complete plan.
* Read my advice around [[Ultrarunning]].
* Consider reading books on marathon training. While the advice does not directly translate, it can provide insight into general training principles. Some of the training plans might be adaptable for shorter ultras. See [[A Comparison of Marathon Training Plans]] for details.
{{:Ultramarathon Training Plans-table}}
* '''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.
* 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: both" />
=Training for Ultra Running=
[[File:TrainingForUltraRunning.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The cover of [http://www.amazon.com/Training-Ultra-Running-Andy-Milroy/dp/1780913249 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 chapter on 100K training would have benefit for those looking at the 50 mile distance as well. It gives a sense of how some elites structure their training, including speedwork and some hints on tapering.
* Personally I found the chapter on 24 hour races fascinating, as I've seen so little written on the topic. The chapter covers not only some example training routines, but also the run/walk strategy they used. The recommendation to break the race into three 8 hour sections, with walk breaks starting from the beginning matches what has worked well for me.
* Throughout the book, you get a sense of the trials and tribulations that every runner faces, and how the elites deal with them. It's comforting to me to know that I'm not alone in these types of issues. For me, the analysis of the 24 hour world record holder Yiannis Kouros was worth the purchase of the book on its own.
* 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"/>.)
=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.
