1. Running Your First 50K Trail Race
August 25th
Andy Jones and Dave Corfman
Sponsor: The Running Spot

2. What Will We Be Covering Today?
Training – how does it need to be different from marathon training?
Eating and drinking on the run – essential in order to finish a 50K trail race
Equipment considerations – clothes, shoes, bottle carriers, drop bags
How not to get lost – a common problem for novices
Dealing with the hills – best strategies
Recovery – what should you do immediately after the race and in the weeks that follow

3. Training
We will assume that you have some experience in training for a marathon
Most important is to get in the miles, the same as a marathon
Good general rule is that your weekly mileage should be at least twice the race distance, in this case about miles per week should be the weekly average in the 12 weeks before the race
Less than this and you can count on a considerable amount of walking being required

4. Training
Supplement your marathon training with these types of workouts
Trail runs of 2-3 hours
Shorter harder trail runs minutes
Specific hill training

5. Longer Trail Runs If possible choose terrain similar to the race
2 -3 of these runs in your preparation period of 12 weeks
Instead of your road long runs, not in addition to these runs!
These are easy runs at least 1 minute per mile slower than your planned race pace
Very important to practice eating and drinking during these runs

6. Faster Trail Runs These runs should be 30-90 minutes
On terrain similar to the race if possible
At race pace
Start with 30 minutes and lengthen
Every two weeks during preparation period
Instead of a tempo run/speed workout
Get your legs used to moving at this pace on trails
Stick with water/electrolyte only during these runs

7. Specific Hill Workouts
These are shorter runs to help develop the ability to run up hills
Find a hill that takes 2-3 minutes to climb with a good effort
Work up to being able to run the hill 5-6 times with a long recovery of at least 3 minutes between
Include walking up the hill if necessary
Be careful running back down the hill, take it very easy
Do a long cooldown (2-3 miles) on trails afterwards

8. Eating and Drinking on the Run
You do not have enough stored energy to finish a 50K trail race without eating some food or drinking lots of energy drinks
It is important that you learn what food you can eat in your training
Use your long runs to experiment
Use a multi loop course with a drop location (or car) for your aid in your long runs
Always a good idea to carry water or energy drink with you
Find out what will be available at aid stations
Most race directors are OK with special requests

9. Eating and Drinking on the Run
What are good choices for food and drinks
Cookies (avoid chocolate if you are not sure)
Fruit (bananas are a good choice)
Coke (I find this good near the end of the run)
Peanut and jelly sandwiches
Candies (careful with chocolate)
Drink electrolyte/energy drinks rather than water
Dilute the energy drinks to half strength on hot days

10. Equipment Considerations
Good trail shoes are the most important piece of equipment
They should be comfortable, but not too heavy
Do at least 50 miles on them before your race
Good idea to have a backup pair of shoes at the race in case you blister or your feet get sore

11. Equipment Considerations
Decide how you are going to carry water/energy drinks
Fanny pack or in your hands
Easier to access in your hands, but takes more practice to get comfortable with this method
Socks should be synthetic and blister-proof (double layers)
What to include in a drop bag

12. How not to get lost… Many novice runners get lost in trail races
Even experience runners get lost
Usually getting lost is due to not paying attention to where you are going
In general you should see a course marker at least every 2-3 minutes on a trail at 8:00/pace
Best technique is to alternate looking up for course markers and down to check your footing
Change every few seconds
Check footing more when the trail is rough
Look for markers more if you have not seen one for a couple of minutes
Often corners are marked on the ground as well, but don’t count on these markings on a loop course as they can get worn off

13. How not to get lost…
Don’t compound your problems by continuing to run the wrong way
Cut your losses, if you have not seen a marker for 5 minutes of running then turn around and go back
Pay careful attention at intersections
Slow down if you are unsure
The correct route should be marked very soon after the intersection
If you don’t see a marker within a couple of minutes, turn around and go back to the intersection

14. How not to get lost…
On multi-loop course don’t get complacent and assume you know where you are going
In our race runners often get lost on the second or third loop after going the correct way on an earlier loop
This is usually because they were running with someone else on the earlier loop and let them do the navigating
Do your own navigation or at least pay attention to where you are going

15. How not to get lost… Study the route map and take it with you
Not a guarantee or staying on course, but can help if you do get lost

16. Dealing With Hills
Trail running involves running (or walking) up and down hills in almost every race
Only the most competitive runners run moderate to steep hills
When running up a hill be careful not to completely exhaust yourself to the point where you are reduced to a very slow walk
Stop running when you can switch to a fast walk
Once you recover (if you do..) then switch back to a slow run
Continue to alternate as long as possible
The more specific hill training you do the longer you should be able to run on any up hills

17. Dealing With Hills
On multi-loop courses time the uphills on the first loop to allow you to judge your effort on subsequent loops
Be careful not to run too fast on downhills
High risk of injury
Will also cause you to pound your legs, this will come back to haunt you later in the race
Chose a comfortable in-control pace on downhills

18. Recovery – Right After the Race
Get into warm clothes as soon as possible if it is a cool or cold day
Do some gentle walking right after you finish for 5-10 minutes
Drink fluids slowly until you have to pee
Eat if you can, choosing high energy foods that are easy on your stomach
Avoid hopping right in your car

19. Recovery – The Next Few Days
You probably will not be as sore as you are after a marathon
I find a few ibuprofen help me to recover
Reduce swelling and pain
Run very easily the next day for 1-2 miles
This helps to flush your muscles of lactic acid
Then take a couple of days off
This allows you to recover
No racing for the next two weeks

20. Starting Line
There you have it. You have all the tips you need to get to the starting line of your first 50k trail ultramarathon.
You will find the ultrarunning community very supportive and friendly. Races are also much smaller than marathons.
The rest of up to you. Train well, and come to the race with determination and rested legs. We, as race directors, will do everything we can to support you to the finish line.