50K Ultra Prep: 1 Month Recap

Welcome to part 1 of my 50K ultra-prep log. I’ve decided to document this journey on a month to month basis in article format for those interested in some of the finer details on my training, nutrition and recovery approach for my upcoming 50K trail race in April. Each month, I’ll include a recap of the last month, as well as insights on anything I’ve found particularly noteworthy.

To set the scene for those unfamiliar, I’m currently preparing for a 50K trail ultramarathon taking place in Southern Pines, NC (~20 minutes from my residence) on the 19th of April. Although I've done one ruck longer than this distance—a 40 miler at the culmination of Delta Force Selection in 2018—this will be my longest ever run buy about 11 miles, and only my 2nd time competing in a running race as an adult (I ran a ½ marathon in Romania in 2017, for which I didn't specifically train—not recommended). I don’t yet have a goal finishing time, but sometime in the next 6 weeks I plan on running half of it on the exact race route, and will use these metrics as well as my February 20-mile race results to calculate a realistic pace prediction.

The Goals

Seems simple enough, right? Well, as someone who enjoys a bit of extra complexity, I’ve added a few other goals that’ll make prep a little less straightforward. Including:

• -Run a sub-33:00 5 mile time trial (road) at the end of January
• -Run a 20 mile tune-up trail race at the end of February (Lake Jordan, NC)
• -Maintain a bodyweight of 190+ lbs (I began at 197.3, and have remained about the same weight with small fluctuations thus far).
• -Deadlift 500+ lbs 72 hours before the race

As such, my current training involves more road speed work than it otherwise would, and will remain that way until I knock out the 5 mile TT later this month. My nutrition and strength work also must remain dialed in as my body has a natural tendency to get skinny when I ramp up running volume. But I have plans of attack for all of it, and will discuss the details along the way. For more details about my initial plan, you can check out this video. 

Let’s hop into the recap: I’ll begin with my running programming, followed by lifting, and finish with brief overviews on fueling and nutrition, recovery, shoes, and general observations.

The Training (Running)

I’ve set up my training an asynchronous 9 day split, and as I write this I’m ½ way through microcycle #4. In English, this means that instead of a more typical 7-day weekly training split, I’ll rotate through 9-day splits, aka microcycles (micros). I plan ahead just 2 micros at a time, which means I sit down towards the end of every 18 days and make a plan for the 18 days ahead. 

Highlights from Microcycle 1 (day 1-9)

• 1x long run: 8 miles, zone 2 trail
• 3x moderate runs: 5mi, 2x10K (6.2 mi)
• 1x hill day (treadmill): 10x45 second repeats w/ 90 sec recovery
• 1x tempo day: 38:00 @ 6:54/mi
• 2x easy runs w/ strides: 5K (3.1mi) + 5 x 20 second hill strides,  2mi + 8x100yd flat strides

Total mileage (includes warmup/cooldowns/strides): 47

Highlights from Microcycle 2 (day 10-18)

• 1x long run: 10.5 miles, zone 2 trail
• 3x moderate runs: 6, 6.2, 7 mi
• 1x hill + race pace day (treadmill): 12x45 second repeats w/ 90 sec recovery + 5 min @ goal 5 mile pace
• 1x tempo day: 6x7:00 (2:00 jog recovery) at 6:54-6:55 pace
• 2x easy runs w/ strides: 5K + 5 x hill strides, 2 mi 8x strides

Total mileage (includes warmup/cooldowns/strides): 49

Highlights from Microcycle 3 (day 19-27)

• 1x long run: 12.25 miles, zone 2 trail
• 3x moderate runs: 6, 5 w/ tempo bouts on trail, 8 mi
• 1x fartlek (air runner): 25 cal hard, 10 easy, 20 cal hard, 10 easy, 15 cal hard, 10 easy, 10 cal hard, 10 easy repeated 3x
• 1x tempo/speed day: 15:00 @ 6:56, 3:00 recovery jog, 8x3:00 at 6:30-6:34/mi (1:30 walk/jog recovery)
• 2x easy runs w/ strides: 5K + 5 x hill strides, 4 mi 10x strides

Total mileage (includes warmup/cooldowns/strides): 52

I'm on day 5 of the 4th microcycle at the time of this writing, and will omit most of the details as most of the runs have been mundane and uneventful. But I will briefly touch on the speed day I did 2 days ago. This consisted of my first ever alternation run, which is essentially alternating between slightly slower and slightly faster than race pace (race pace at this juncture is my goal 5 mile road pace). This is not necessarily an ultra prep staple, but since I’m hitting a 5 TT mile in a few weeks, it’s applicable at this stage.

The run details:

1.5 mi warmup w/ strides

• Pt 1: 2 miles, alternating every .5 miles between a 6:25 (~10sec/mi faster than race pace) and 6:45 pace (~10 sec/mi slower than race pace)

—5:00 moderate jog recovery—

• Pt 2: 2x1 mile, alternating the same paces listed above but every .25 miles, with a 3:00 recovery jog between rounds.

—2:00 recovery jog—

• Pt 3: 4x:45 hill repeats (moderate hill, 4-6% incline) at ~6:30/mi pace (easy jog recovery)
• Pt 4: 2x:45 downhill repeats on slight decline (2-3%), reaching a 5:30 pace for the first time in awhile. 

1.5 mile cooldown (easy jog)

Although alternation runs are a less conventional technique and not necessary for everyone, this was a great session and highly engaging. Essentially what it’s training is your ability to recover at a faster pace (slightly slower than race pace) and it largely mimics the pace fluctuations you’ll experience during a race or a time trial (race pace is your average finishing pace—no one runs that exact pace from start to finish).

In any case, I’m really enjoying the running and looking forward to the road ahead. Let’s take a look at some lifting details!

The Training Contd. (Lifting)

I’ve been lifting 3 times every 9 day microcycle, focused on the deadlift. The volume (sets per week) is considerably lower than usual, as I intend to take a minimalist approach to lifting. I'm primarily using this approach as an experiment to see how little I can lift but still maintain muscle, and more importantly, strength. It'll also allow me to focus more on quality running and yield better overall recovery.

The Breakdown: Lifts occur every ~2-4 days and alternate between an A and B split. (Micro A = 9 days, Micro B = 9 days, then repeat.)

*Each lifting day includes hops and/or jumps, as well as calf & tibialis work. In micro 1, day b) includes core work, in micro 2, day a & c includes core work.

Micro A

Day 1a): DL 1 (day 1 of 9 day micro)

• Deadlift - heavy top set +/- 500 (thus far, top sets have been 495 & 500), 2 backoff sets low to mid 400s (2-3 reps)
• 1x single leg squat movement for 2-3 sets
• 2-3 sets of BW deficit pushups + chin ups w/ slow eccentric

Day 1b): Upper 1 (day 3-4 of micro)

• 2-3 sets of 6-10 Incline smith machine press (reverse band)
• 2-3 sets of 8-10 Upper back row (chest supported - machine or DB)
• 2-3 sets chest dips or machine dips
• 2 sets of cable Xtra ROM rows
• 2-3 accessories (lateral delts, bis & tris)
  

Day 1c): Lower 1 (day 5-6 of 9 day micro)

• Deadlift assistance (pause, RDL, or slow eccentric DL)
• 2-3 sets of Leg curls
• 2-3 sets of belt squats
• Leg extension

Micro B

Day 2a) Deadlift 2 

• Lots of hops & jumps (upper & lower)
• Deadlift - Heavy top set 500+ (520lbs and 535lbs thus far), 1-2 backoff sets 3-5 reps in low-mid 400s
• 2-3 sets of leg extensions
• 5-6 sets of arms & delts (isolation movements)

Day 2b)Full body (squat bias - day 4-5 of micro)

• 2-3 sets of Leg press or pendulum
• 2-3 sets of a horizontal press (deficit pushups or dips)
• 2-3 sets of a horizontal pull (bent over DB row or chest support DB row)
• 2-3 sets of leg curl or GHR
  

Day 2c) Upper (day 7-8 of micro)

• 2-3 sets of 6-10 of horizontal press (usually nautilus press)
• 2-3 sets of 6-10 of horizontal pull (usually chest support T-bar row)
• vertical press 2 sets of 6-8 (machine OHP or DB high incline)
• vertical pull 2 sets of 8-12
• 1 movement for 2 sets each of bis, tris, delts isolation

*Example of how I set up the days, using my current micro (B) 

• D 1: Deadlift 2 + assault runner speed work (e.g. 20x1:00 on, 1:00 off @ repeatable pace, or 4,3,2,1 fartlek) (5-6 mi)
• D 2: Moderate run w/ strides (70-80 min + 4-5 strides)
• D 3: Long run (13-14 mi)
• D 4: Upper 1, no run
• D 5: easy run + strides (5-6 mi w/ 8-10 strides, on hill)
• D 6: Lower 1 + easy run (3-4 mi)
• D 7: Moderate run (75-85 min or 9-10 mi)
• D 8: Speed Work 3x12:00 (2:00 jog recover) at or just slower than goal 5 mi pace (6:35-6:40) (overall ~ 10 mi w/ warmup, cooldown, recovery jog)
• D 9: Rest

Total mileage ~55.5

Note 1: I DO NOT concern myself with rigidly sticking to each and every one of my intended 18 day training blocks. Life circumstances can change, thus potentially affecting my recovery and preparedness to train. I’m flexible, and will move days around and/or add rest days if necessary. 

Note 2: Although I personally train using asynchronous splits, it’s certainly more complicated to set up, and often less practical for more conventional work schedules and lifestyle obligations. I don’t want to give off the idea that this is ‘better’ or ‘optimal’ for everyone. A 7 day split is totally fine to use, and if I run into continuation issues along the way, I’ll likely adjust to a more conventional split.

Highlight lift from month 1: A 535Lbs Conventional Deadlift

Nutrition & Fueling

My nutrition thus far has been purely intuitive, using the scale (bodyweight), mirror and my training performance to guide increases or decreases in calories and manipulations in macros. I naturally eat more on higher output days, especially longer run days, but am also conscious of it. This is relatively seamless for me because the longer runs reliably increase my appetite. 

Although I’m not currently tracking, I’m able to navigate it intuitively because I’ve spent multiple years of my life tracking macros, and am therefore able to make necessary adjustments based on the above variables. Additionally, I eat similar foods at similar times on most days, and all I do on higher days is simply increase carb servings and accrue some extra carbs from peri-workout fueling. However, I do plan on tracking if I notice:

1. Losses in performance
2. Trending weight loss 
3. Noticeable/trending strength loss

I’m able to ballpark my calories and macros by taking mental notes, and my rough estimates on intake are as follows:

Low day (lift only, easy run or rest days—3 days/microcycle): 

• Calories: 3700-3900 
• Protein: ~200-215G 
• Fat: ~100-110G 
• Carbs: ~475-525G 

Moderate day (single workout w/ moderate run or speed only—3-4 days/microcycle):

• Calories: 3900-4200
• Protein: 195-215G
• Fat: 100-120G
• Carb: 550-600G

High day (2x session or long run day—2-3 days/microcycle):

• Calories: 4800-5200 (see recent IG post for details)
• Protein: ~195-215G
• Fat: ~125-150G
• Carb: ~700-775G

Again, these numbers are ball-parky. If I feel I’m eating too little, I’ll bump the carbs. If I’m looking a little soft in the mirror, I’ll typically keep carbs steady and drop fat for a couple of days. I’d consider this an advanced nutrition monitoring approach and would not recommend it for most people, especially those with little to no tracking experience and even less so for those who don’t have consistent, go-to meals.

Peri-Run Fueling: For those unfamiliar, ultra running is a test of not only running ability, but also eating ability while running. As a larger runner, my theory is that the calorie/carb recommendations for typical ultra runners are too low, as it’s simply a higher energy cost for me to run than it would be for a typically ultra runner who may weigh 140-150 lbs.

But fueling requires practice; just as every other part/system of the body can adapt with repeated, incremental exposure to stimuli, so too can the GI system. I plan on writing a full article depicting the finer fueling details I’m experimenting with throughout this prep as well as reviewing gels, gummies and other supplements. Thus far, my runs haven’t been quite long enough for sufficient data collection. But as a general overview, here are some key details I’m aiming for:

• Immediately pre-run (5-10 min): 25-35G carbs, usually via a BPN go-gel or singer gel (go-gels are 5x better tasting but also more pricey), or a few Clif Bloks, or occasionally just a big handful of sour skittles.
• Intra run: sip on 16oz water/hour mixed w/ 2 scoops of tailwind (50G carbs). Additional 25-50G carbs/hr from gels or clif blok gummies. Total: 100G carbs (50 liquid, 50 solid), 16oz water, 620mg sodium. Thus far, I’ve had 1 run where I was able to get down 100G carbs in the last hour. Felt slightly nauseous for about 10 minutes but it wasn’t much of an issue. My goal is to get up to ~125G carbs/hr without any negative GI effects, which will come with time and practice.
• Post run (within 10-30 min): I’m rarely hungry immediately after long runs or higher intensity runs but still need to prioritize replenishment, as I don’t want to take any chances or let too much time pass between finishing the run and refueling. I’ve found that for me, a viable solution for this is to choose more palatable, easy digesting foods. Post run, I’ll typically consume 16-20 Oz of fairlife milk, 2 Uncrustables, and 1-2 rice krispy treats. These are easy to get down even if I’m not hungry, and although certainly not the perfect ‘health foods’, they get the job done, and I receive plenty of essential micronutrients from my other meals throughout the day. Ultra running is also not the world's healthiest endeavor, but that’s just a tradeoff I’ve come to terms with.

                     

Shoes

Everyone’s favorite topic! Shoes aren’t as critical as some people think they are, but I do find them more important to consider than I have in years past. I’m running A LOT, so why not put some attention to detail in the footwear I’ll be running in? I plan to do a full review on all of these shoes in the future, as I need a little more time with the two trail shoes to form a sufficient opinion on them.

Right now, I’m rotating between 5 pairs of shoes for running: 

• My 2 trail shoes are: Altra Lone Peak 7s and Kailas Fuga Du Trail

                     

• Easy road/all treadmill shoes: Hoka Mach 6s and Brooks Glycerin 21s

                     

• Road speed work: Nike Vapor Flys (first super-shoe, so far they’re amazing)

                     

Another detail I find relevant is that when not running, I wear almost exclusively Vivobarefoot minimalist shoes. I do every lift and every walk in these shoes, and although I don’t plan on running in them (other than the occasional handful of strides), I do think—and have experienced this personally—that wearing them can help maintain resilient and high-functioning feet. The role this plays may not be make or break, but I hypothesize it’ll make a non-trivial difference in performance and durability.

Other things I’ve noticed thus far: With the exception of one morning where I woke up with a little knee pain after a long run, my body has felt excellent. I attribute this to multiple factors:

1. Long Term Consistency: Since I began running in high school, I haven’t taken a prolonged period off from running (minus certain military schools like Ranger). Therefore, even with the increased mileage and intensity my body seems to have made adaptations over the years that have led not only to better aerobic development, but also enhanced durability.

2. Lifting Intensity: I’ve decreased my lifting volume and frequency, but have kept intensity high. Volume is typically more fatiguing than intensity (proximity to failure/RIR/RPE) in a lifting sense (often the opposite for running), so this has helped with fatigue mitigation and limited excess joint inflammation.

3. Nutrition and hydration: these simple—but not easy—factors are critical for recovery and performance. Although I’m not tracking, I’m certain I’m eating sufficiently and drinking plenty of water and electrolytes for the current situation.

4. Sleep: last but not least, my sleep has been a big focus over the past few years, but I’m even more dialed right now than I had been before signing up for the race. I’m even getting another 15-20 mins of sleep on average than I was before. The most relevant thing I do that results in great sleep is consistency. I go to bed between 7:45-8:00 and wake up between 4:00-4:15 just about every day (with one exception: NYE where I stayed up till 10PM). Sleep is and will continue to be critical, as not only will it help with ultra prep, but I also have to do my day job at a level I’m content with!

In Closing

I'll wrap it up here for now. But expect more updates across multiple platforms as the prep intensifies. Future articles, videos and posts include supplement and fueling breakdowns, discussions on recovery, treadmill content (once mine finally arrives), shoe reviews and discussions, and more. Let me know below if you have questions or requests for other types of content pertaining to ultra prep or hybrid training in general. Thanks for reading!