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What it’s REALLY Like to Train for an Ultra Marathon.

November 17, 2015 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP 18 Comments

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Last Updated on April 19, 2018 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP

Recently while perusing the internet (most likely while I should have been writing), I saw a comment from someone that said they’d love to find a blog that truly detailed what it’s like to train for an ultra marathon.  My first thought was “come on, it’s the internet, there’s got to be tons of those types of blogs out there!”.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the detailed accounts of things like standard marathon training, “Whole 30” diet attempts, and Ragnar Relay recaps compared to detailed ultra training posts, truly are somewhere in the range of one thousand to one.

Don’t quote me on those statistics, because I just made them up.

But you get the idea, ultra training blog posts aren’t common in the run-blog world.   Probably because ultra running isn’t as common as marathon running…though it seems to be trending that way.

(And of course, I’ve unabashedly become one of those lemmings. )

Last night, while running through the woods in the dark for the billionth time, covering whatever number mile we are at for this month (I’ve stopped counting) I realized that the reason not very many people post about ultra training is because a) they don’t have the time, b) they are too tired, and c) it’s pretty boring.

What it's really like to train for an ultra marathon

But, because blogging is what I do, here is my version of what it has really been like to train for my first ultra (because I didn’t actually train for that last one), as we are now 18 days away from our first real 24 hour race attempt.  No emotion, all fact, from a totally inexperienced, rookie ultra runner:

1) You run.  A lot.

2) You eat.  Often.

pizza and beer

Pizza and beer. (Not necessarily recommended) staples to my ultra diet.

 

3) You smell.   Pretty much everything you own smells like a musty high school locker room, because you run A LOT.  Your car. Your hydration bladder. Your shoes.   Your work back pack because you are constantly changing in and out of sweaty clothes (it probably doesn’t help if you work in a gym, and squeeze in cross training whenever possible.) Against all of our inner-Vermont-hippy practices, you buy some Tide Plus Febreze Sport* laundry detergent, which certainly helps the smelly cause.  So does the glittery pink Bath and Body works spray and lotion that you got for Christmas, and thankfully held on to for a particularly smelly portion of your life, just like this one.  Regardless of all proactive anti smell hygienic attempts,  you feel like you should just wear a sign that says “excuse the smell, I’m training for an ultra.”

puddle

You smell exceptionally gross when you chose to cool off in rain water in the middle of a city.

4) You shower frequently. Between laundry, showering, and constantly washing and filling your hydration packs & water bottles, your water utility bill is going to sky rocket.

Oh, and your shower sometimes starts to look like this:

My shower

The inside of my shower, thanks to BigCatBox.

 

5) Did I mention you run a lot? So much so that there really isn’t anything to write about.  The life changing and cathartic moments worth blogging  about are old news when you are spending 12 hours or more a week running.   The beginning of your training plan feels so exciting and amazing. You cannot believe you are actually going to attempt to do the seemingly impossible!  You post pictures from every workout. You record your miles and share them on social media.

As the mileage increases, the running becomes more of a chore.

And as it increases even more, it becomes something you have to do, like breathing, eating, and sleeping.  You stop questioning it, you stop sharing it,  you just run.  A lot.

6) Something always hurts.  Yeah, yeah, I’m a fitness professional, I KNOW that with proper training, in theory, you can and should run injury free.  It is entirely possible.  But with this volume running and cross training, something is always sore.  Not injured, just sore.  It just is.   And I’m sure there are plenty of experienced ultra runners out there who will refute this.  But they are probably genetically part mountain goat, so I don’t really trust them.

fall

…things hurt worse when you fall a lot.

 

7) You are always hungry. ( See #2. )  The healthy mindset of “food is fuel” both disappears and becomes a painful reality, as your body screams for nourishment, and your mind doesn’t even skip a beat when the first thing you reach for is a birthday cake that was on the “day old & 75% off” shelf at the grocery store, something you would typically never consider purchasing.  The desire to eat is hardly ever emotional, and instead is incredibly instinctive and primal…even if it’s not the best decision. “Rungry” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Finishers pizza

Look! More pizza…and more beer!

 

8) You run so much you stop talking about it all of the time.  How many times can you write about it before your family and friends slowly start ignoring you? It’s like posting about every time you open the refrigerator.  We get it, you eat everyday.  Shocker.  You start to bore yourself with all of the running talk because you run out of things to say.  “Guess what guys? I ran today. And you’ll never guess what I’m going to do tomorrow! Run!”

trail inknburn

Nothing to see here, just more running…

9) You feel equal parts badass and insane.   People tell you that you are crazy, and you don’t argue with their logic, because you’ve come to the point where any run under 10 miles feels pretty pointless (even though you know that’s not true).  People ask you why on earth you would want to do such a crazy thing like attempt to run 100 miles at once, and you don’t have an answer as to why…but more importantly, you don’t have an answer as to why you SHOULDN’T.  You wonder what you’d do with all of that free time you’d have if you weren’t training, and strangely (and sadistically) the first thing that comes to mind is “I’d probably go for a run.”  Eventually, you don’t really contemplate any of these questions, because running is just what you do.

10)  You’ll learn to find balance in your life.

Just kidding, you’ll actually just spend all of your free time running.

Skora Tempo Trail

Nothing to see here folks, just some more running.

 

Now, all of that said, I somehow kind of actually enjoy this chaos…even though my life has pretty much become a monotonous cycle of run, eat, shower, sleep, repeat. But I’ll be sure to let you know how I really feel on December 7th, after the race is over and I’ve had time to process what the hell I just did to my body.   In the meantime, over the next three weeks I’ll share posts on the last minute planning, packing, nutrition, and probably a “can I actually do this?” freak out post or two.  Hopefully that will give those who are curious a little more insight into this ridiculous process.

Thanks for tagging along for the ride run.

 

*denotes Amazon affiliate link

 

Filed Under: Ultramarathon Training

About Heather Hart, ACSM EP

Heather Hart is an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, UESCA certified Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA certified Running Coach, co-founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and creator of this site, Relentless Forward Commotion.   She is a mom of two teen boys, and has been running and racing distances of 5K to 100+ miles for over a decade.  Heather has been writing and encouraging others to find a love for fitness and movement since 2009.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. darkskyrunner

    November 17, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    this is all totally true – I especially like #9 and ‘you don’t have an answer to why you SHOULDN’T’

    Reply
  2. wendyistakingthelongwayhome

    November 17, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    This is so funny and true, and I have to ask why? I love pushing myself to a marathon…but to go further? Why?

    Reply
    • Heather

      November 18, 2015 at 5:47 am

      haha, great question! As I said in the post, I can’t really answer why. But I also can’t answer why NOT. My body is capable of doing it, so it feels like something I should do. I feel compelled to try it, and I don’t have any exact reasons why. Maybe I’ll figure it out around hour 22 or 23, lol

      Reply
  3. Amanda

    November 17, 2015 at 10:35 pm

    I’m starting to train for a 50k next Spring and I am totally mindblown about how people train for distances like 100 miles. That much be so. much. running. 50k seems near impossible to train for! Ha! I’m hoping that the fact it’ll be at the Grand Canyon will give me a push to keep going. Thanks for the insight. Definitely excited to eat!

    Reply
  4. CARLA

    November 18, 2015 at 5:50 am

    Im soooo a woman who lives vicariously through you….and I adored this.
    I may never do it, yet Im so curious (still) if I could.

    Reply
  5. Jenn - a traveling Wife

    November 18, 2015 at 6:35 am

    This is hilarious. And you are right, I hardly see any details about ultra running/training. Congrats on your hard work and dedication!!

    Reply
  6. dahlia

    November 18, 2015 at 11:52 am

    I would never ask why, I understand 😉 I want to do an Ironman one day, far from possible at the moment, but a girl can dream.
    On another note, the part where you are still running a lot is much easier to handle than tapering down before the event, it always drives me insane… I am looking forward to your posts, hope it all goes well.

    Reply
  7. John Flynn

    November 18, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    yea that’s about it! Tons of running and even more eating. love it. Try training for a 100 , it’s just more of the same.

    Reply
    • Heather

      November 18, 2015 at 6:13 pm

      Our goal is 100 miles…lofty goal but I’m hopeful!

      Reply
  8. Sam Pauling

    November 18, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    You are wrong about everything. Why you have to share your experience with us, I will never know.

    Reply
    • Heather

      November 18, 2015 at 6:10 pm

      You’re right, I made it all up. I’ve never actually run a day in my life, you caught me. Thank you , random internet person.

      Reply
  9. kristenk

    November 19, 2015 at 12:56 am

    Haha I love this! I’ve always wondered how much an ultra runner needs to run during training, and now I’ve got a good idea of the answer 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing what it’s really like. Good luck on your big race!

    Reply
  10. Lauren

    November 20, 2015 at 10:12 am

    This is hilarious-especially because I want to run my first 50K in the spring. Running and eating all the time sounds about right!

    Reply
  11. Kim

    January 12, 2016 at 4:09 pm

    I think you hit the nail on the head. We just go..run. In crappy weather, happy weather, day after day. We’re always hungry. Something always hurts. We’re hungry. I constantly look at my work schedule, the weather app and think about how this *affects* my training schedule. Then I go run. And eat. Did I mention eating?

    Reply
  12. adamhaesler

    January 14, 2016 at 9:31 pm

    Hey great post. Just one point I would add, is being capable, and wanting, to go to bed really early every night.

    Reply
  13. Mike

    January 18, 2016 at 11:27 am

    I’m just training for a 50 miler but this was one of the best reads I have ever found as well as hilarious. Keep them coming!! I’m honestly more excited about doing it now.

    Reply
  14. Laurie Cornog

    July 30, 2016 at 8:30 am

    I have been reading your blog posts and I enjoy them. Refreshing to read blogs from someone who enjoys running. I picked up some good tips too. Thank you! From a 47 mom of 3 average runner.

    Reply
  15. Erin

    May 30, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    I’m tapering before the Shadow of the Giants 50k (in 9 days) and I’m entertaining myself with pages of google searches. Because I’m not running. I laughed out loud at the “anything below 10 miles feels pointless” because that is SO TRUE.

    It’s comforting to hear that other people deal with “rungry”, too. Good god I thought I was going nuts.

    That and you forgot one: LAUNDRY FOR DAYS. Laundry never stops. The washer or dryer is always running, the hamper is always full, there is always technical gear hanging up and drying around the bathroom. It never ends.

    Reply

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My name is Heather Hart, I am a mom. I am an athlete. I am a writer. I am an adventurer with a wandering spirit and wandering feet.

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