How to Run Long - Ultra Endurance Running Fitness

Do you want to be able to run for longer? Perhaps you are preparing for an ultra event, or you just want to spend more time on the trails without feeling trashed.

So how do you run long? Here are few things that can help you build your long run and enable you to go for longer and longer adventures without breaking.

Build slowly

No one can just wake up and magically be able to run 30 miles (50km) with no problems. Fitness for such a long run is built slowly over time so:

Start from where you are

Where you are is the longest run you have done in your recent past (in the last 6 to 12 weeks). If you have done some endurance running in the past this will help, but it doesn't mean you are carrying the fitness you had when you were 25 now that you are 55.

Know where you want to be

Having a clear idea of how far you want to be able to run is key to achieving your goal. So identify the event and/or distance/route you want to be able to do and think about:

• How long it is (in miles/km)
• How technical it is
• How much climb it has

Identify steps to your goal 

Natural steps can correlate well with traditional race lengths of 5km(3.1 miles) , 10km (6.2 miles), 21km (13miles), 42km (26 miles) and above, but you can use other stepping stones if you prefer. This is a good way to break down the challenge which can seem overwhelming.

I often like to build to a base of around 12-15 miles (20-25km) so you can do this most weeks without needing too much recovery; this can equate to 3 to 4.5 hours if you prefer to measure workouts in time like I do.

For each step develop a plan

If you have a plan for each step this shouldn't seem too daunting and will help keep you to task. This can include process goals like running 3 times per week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, as well as outcome goals (run 6 miles (10km) in 12 weeks time).

Entering events that equate to your key goals can help with motivation and keeping you to task and add a fun, social and/or competitive element.

Get Some Help

There is a wealth of information out there about how to train and it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming.

Getting some help from a knowledgeable and trusted source can help. This could be a coach at your local running club, a running friend or a professional coach whom you pay for help specific to you.

Many people find our EBR clubs helpful for both training and community support.

Stick to zone your 2

When focussing on upping the distance it's best to stick to an easy pace which correlates to zone 2 according to the table below:

There are various tests you can do to identify your zones, but often the simplest solution for endurance running is to run what is often called a 'chatty pace,' that is a pace where you can run along and chat at the same time no problem.

At the start of your long run this will feel really easy, but as you start pushing out the length it will still get harder to keep going.

Many athletes I work with (and myself) like to mix in a bit of walking with running over longer distances; it can give you a break from the monotony of running and is a good way to stay in zone on harder climbs once you get fit enough to tackle them.

Be Specific

If you want to run for 50 miles over tricky mountainous terrain then you going to need some practice on tricky mountainous terrain. The more specific you can be to your event the better prepared you will be. So if you can practise on the route you are going to be doing your event on that is ideal.

If for some reason you can't practise on your route then trying to imitate it in your training runs will help. This might mean:

• Doing some shorter climbs but with similar technical demands (e.g. I used to run up and down Ingleborough and Skiddaw for European Mountain races).
• Doing some exercises which imitate the demands of your course (e.g. running up stairs imitates uphill mountain running; squats and leg presses build up the strength needed for long climbs).
• Doing some terrain specific running less frequently (e.g. if you can get to practise on your route once or twice, that's better than not all; if you can find time to go somewhere similar once every 1 to 2 months that will help prepare you in blocks). 

Vary the length

Just because you are planning a long event doesn't mean that you have to go ultra long every week. For some people it's just not possible with life and work commitments. Once you get above 15 miles (25km) the recovery needed can make going longer counter-productive every weekend in any case. So aiming to do some 'big blocks' where you push the distance whilst on other weeks you stick to a more base routine can work well. 

One big block very 6 to 8 weeks often works well as it gives you time to recover and do some training before your next big block. You can treat these blocks as little 'practice' events where you test out equipment, eating and drinking.

Eat and Hydrate

For long events you will need to put fuel and liquid in. Your body can only store enough glycogen for about 90 minutes of running so anything longer than this will require fuel.

I usually recommend trying to eat 200-300 calories per hour, some of which can come from your drink if you wish. You will need to stay hydrated in order to be able to continue eating and to continue running. Hydration needs vary from person to person and are dependent on the climate and altitude. For more details you can read my article on how much to drink during an ultra marathon.

You may find that eating and drinking as you run is tricky and you need to 'train your gut' to take on food and water. Practising with different foods and drinks to see what works for you can help. You can check out the EAT protocol in our article, which is just as applicable to runners as cyclists.

Eating a generally well-balanced diet before will help you prepare for your training and events recover better; we are now also seeing how much better athletes who eat well during long runs recover afterwards.

Recover

Getting fitter is all about creating cycles of stimulus and recovery; so as well as focussing on building up your endurance you need to focus on recovering.

Make sure you plan recovery days within each training week and recovery weeks within each block of training so you stay fresh and allow your body to adapt.

Speed Work

Doing some speed work if you can tolerate it will help you make some fitness gains that will complement your endurance by increasing the key fitness markers: 

Aerobic Threshold

This is the threshold between zones 2 and 3 in the table above. In ramp tests this can be seen as a point where the blood lactate concentration changes and you see a change in the steepness of the curve when readings up to and beyond this point are taken; it can also be seen in respiration and heart rate. It's a subtle threshold, but you will notice it when you start to find you need to breath a bit harder and conversation is no longer easy whilst running.

A good workout at this intensity for mountainous ultra events is to do a long climb at around your aerobic threshold to extend your uphill endurance.

Anaerobic Threshold

This is the threshold between zones 3 and 4 and is a less subtle change. Again on a ramp test it can be seen in blood lactate readings as a clear increase in lactate concentration and the curve on the graph steepens again, similarly in breath rate and heart rate. From this point on whilst you can probably continue at this pace for some time (up to around 50 minutes) conversation is not possible, you can only say a few words before you need to get your breath. It's often described as 'around 10km pace' but this is based on the assumption that you will be running 10km in 40 to 45 minutes.

A good workout at this intensity is 4 repetitions of 6 minutes at around your anaerobic threshold. You can work on increasing the length of the efforts (time in zone) week on week by adding 30s to a minute to each repetition.

VO2Max

This is the maximum amount of oxygen you can consume during intense physical exercise; it's not really related to pace (you can achieve VO2max by doing an all out 5 minute effort and by doing reps of 30s off 15 to 30s recoveries). Many training computers will estimate your VO2Max based on various parameters and it is a clear fitness marker which can be trained.

A good workout to target this area is 5 repetitions of 3 minutes with a full recovery (2-3 minutes between each repetition). Usually if you do the efforts as hard (and as equal) as you can this works fine, but you could choose to aim for your maximum 5 minute power/pace. Your heart rate may not have time to respond in order for you to meaningfully use this metric for this workout.

The image below is an example of a graph showing blood lactate and related heart rate taken from Training to enhance the physiological determinants of long-distance running performance: Can valid recommendations be given to runners and coaches based on current scientific knowledge? by Adrian Midgely, Lars McNaughton and Andrew M Jones (Sports Med, 2007 (10) pp 857-880).

None of the above markers work in isolation, so even though your event might only require you to run slowly relative to your anaerobic threshold, training in other zones will 'pull up' the lower zones. The added advantage is that you don't have to do very much work above your aerobic threshold to make good fitness gains. So if you wanted to add one or two faster paced workouts into your training this could help your fitness.

Speed work does carry more injury risk however, so should be done cautiously. For runners starting out I usually recommend that we focus solely on getting the distance at an easy pace and once we know we can do that we can then work on things which might make you faster.

Have fun

Perhaps the most important and most frequently forgotten aspect of training long is having fun. You will be doing  your event for a long time and it requires hours and hours of training in your precious free time, so it's really important that you have fun. 

Whilst we accept that not all runs are equal and some are definitely harder than others doing things to make them fun so that you enjoy the journey will keep you motivated and make the long runs seemingly easier. 

Running itself may be enough for you if you love it, but if you love the results more than the process, or you can get bogged down in difficult moments here are some good tricks to keep things fun and interesting:

Make it Social

Long runs are a great opportunity to be social (it's not called chatty pace for nothing!). So if you can find a group of like-minded people to go and enjoy your run with this can help. Group running can get a bit competitive so if it's a bit harder than planned be sure to take some extra rest if you need to.

Have an Adventure

Going somewhere nice and a bit different from the midweek grind, especially if it's green open spaces is a good way to spice up the longer runs and promote a positive mood. An adventure also means that you are not rushing to finish, but enjoying the process, you can stop, take pictures and enjoy the view.

High Quality Snacks

Given you will have to eat anyway on your long run, making the food you eat delicious will not only motivate you to eat it but also keep you happy. Trying different foods that you like is also a key part of finding what works and doesn't work for you whilst you are running.

We like to use NeverSecond Products as we find them easy to eat, carry and tasty. They deliver to Europe and the US and with this special discount code EBR15 you can get 15% off at never.2.com.