52km Ultra in 2 weeks am i nuts?
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xcmum
Posts: 136
I've just found out an event i wanted to do next year is sadly having it's last one in 2 weeks time. I really liked the sound of this one because it's close to home and i've heard good things about it.
However the longest i've run for is 2 hours when i did Half Marathon training on the flat. Am i crazy to even think about doing this race? My other half thinks i couldn't do it. Doesn't it just make you wanna do things more when people doubt your abilities?
Anyway the profile is kinda scary once it gets to the 40km mark - http://bedrockevents.co.nz/events/elevation-profile/
Fastest male last year was 4:50 and female 5:50.. There is also a 10 hour cut off time. I'm not looking to beat any land speed records here just wanting to finish (Alive-ish)
What was your first ultra and how much training did you have? Did you run a Marathon before it?
My first ever race was the Half Marathon..Since then i've done a few duathlons and shorter distances.. I don't know why i didn't pick a 5k or 10k race for my first ever one.
However the longest i've run for is 2 hours when i did Half Marathon training on the flat. Am i crazy to even think about doing this race? My other half thinks i couldn't do it. Doesn't it just make you wanna do things more when people doubt your abilities?
Anyway the profile is kinda scary once it gets to the 40km mark - http://bedrockevents.co.nz/events/elevation-profile/
Fastest male last year was 4:50 and female 5:50.. There is also a 10 hour cut off time. I'm not looking to beat any land speed records here just wanting to finish (Alive-ish)
What was your first ultra and how much training did you have? Did you run a Marathon before it?
My first ever race was the Half Marathon..Since then i've done a few duathlons and shorter distances.. I don't know why i didn't pick a 5k or 10k race for my first ever one.
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Replies
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If your longest run so far has been 2 hours, running an ultra will be very difficult given your timeline.
I personally don't think its worth the risk of injury. If you move forward anyway, be prepared to walk for large portions of it. 52k is much longer than a half marathon!
I am nervous about my first 50k this Spring. I completed my first marathon in the fall and have maintained relatively high monthly mileage ever since.
I looked at the elevation chart. It looks like a very difficult course!0 -
The difference between two hours and ten is a huge mental leap. I was about to say that the elevation profile doesn't look too bad- then I realized it was in meters, not feet!
You WILL walk, you will be in pain, but if you have the right mental attitude, you can make it. Start by walking all of the up hills (even in the beginning when you feel fresh.) I will add more to this later...but the toughest part for you will be mental. It won't be hard in the way a marathon is hard- there will be less pounding since you won't be running the whole time- but there will be lots of power hiking. I think this is better from an injury standpoint, but it is a totally different animal. You really have no time to train, so you just have to decide to do it and keep up a good attitude. I did my first 50 miler 10 weeks after my first marathon and went from road to trail...it was very tough (plus, the weather was 90+ degrees and humid!) and took me three times as long as my road marathon. It was very difficult but very rewarding. When you do this, you have to remain positive. Don't complain about anything, and stay away from people who are complaining. When you get to that big hill at 40k you will be tempted to commiserate with the people around you. Don't. Realize that it's a 600m climb, and that you will be thrilled to conquer the hill once you reach the top. Then it will just be a short 10k to the finish. Good luck! 0 -
Two weeks is too soon. I completely understand wanting to prove to your other half that you can do it. And you can. But wouldn't it be so much better if you were prepared? I would personally wait for another ultra. It is sad that you're gonna miss out on this one, but surely there's others you could properly train for. Good luck whatever you decide!0
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If its any consolation... I did a 50k trail race with just two days notice last year... my longest race before that was a road race being a half marathon. It was also my first trail run too... However, my running base was at least 70 miles a week.0
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The difference between two hours and ten is a huge mental leap. I was about to say that the elevation profile doesn't look too bad- then I realized it was in meters, not feet! You WILL walk, you will be in pain, but if you have the right mental attitude, you can make it. Start by walking all of the up hills (even in the beginning when you feel fresh.) I will add more to this later...but the toughest part for you will be mental. It won't be hard in the way a marathon is hard- there will be less pounding since you won't be running the whole time- but there will be lots of power hiking. I think this is better from an injury standpoint, but it is a totally different animal. You really have no time to train, so you just have to decide to do it and keep up a good attitude. I did my first 50 miler 10 weeks after my first marathon and went from road to trail...it was very tough (plus, the weather was 90+ degrees and humid!) and took me three times as long as my road marathon. It was very difficult but very rewarding. When you do this, you have to remain positive. Don't complain about anything, and stay away from people who are complaining. When you get to that big hill at 40k you will be tempted to commiserate with the people around you. Don't. Realize that it's a 600m climb, and that you will be thrilled to conquer the hill once you reach the top. Then it will just be a short 10k to the finish. Good luck!
I also agree with this... I'm mentally fit... all the way through the run (I walked very little) was me thinking "I can do this since I've lasted through 7 hour black belt grading with people kicking me around at all angles... at least I'm not being kicked here..." lol.. I wasin pain after too... oh man my body was thrubbing.0 -
I didn't train enough for my first ultra. I had a base of around 30 miles per week and peaked at just over 50 a few weeks out. I had 7 long runs over 3 hours, 3 of which were over 5 hours, but they were almost 50% of my weekly mileage. Basically, I was just training to finish, and that's what I did.
If you run a lot regularly, and have for some time, and are very tough mentally, you may be able to finish this event, but it will be very painful.
I recently read the book Relentless Forward Progress to think about training for a 54-miler this December. The author talks about something he calls "fear of missing out," which leads us to do things we aren't ready for. It's making me think about postponing my next ultra for another year and really take the time to build my base up gradually.
It would really suck to miss out on a race you'd been wanting to do, but there are a lot of great ultras and they seem to be getting more popular, so there will always be another race to do.0 -
This is a little misleading, sure your longest "race" was a half marathon but you also did a 30 mile fun run for your birthday.If its any consolation... I did a 50k trail race with just two days notice last year... my longest race before that was a road race being a half marathon. It was also my first trail run too... However, my running base was at least 70 miles a week.0 -
Oh yeah David... I forgot about that... lol...0
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You should go and volunteer at an aid station!
Maybe you can run this, but it's really going to suck. Volunteering would probably be a total blast.0 -
To answer your question in the most simplest terms ... yes.0
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Nuts? Yes.
But it can be done. I just wouldn't recommend it.
A few of the ladies that have responded on this thread have rocked their first trail 50k's - but I also know what their training history and running background was like.
I did my first trail 50k last year and it humbled me big time. I didn't run on trails enough, so it really wasn't "just 5 miles more" than a marathon. (I've done numerous marathons before). I did a marathon beforehand, ran my usual mileage, and ran on trails that were no where near as difficult as the terrain of my trail race. It took me damn near 10 hours to finish it! Thankfully there was also a 100k going on so there was no cutoff time.
Your race course looks quite tough. Just expect to be doing a lot of hiking!
Good luck!0 -
You should go and volunteer at an aid station!
Maybe you can run this, but it's really going to suck. Volunteering would probably be a total blast.
I like this idea!0 -
Oh - I'm back with a bit more to say.
xcmum, have you heard of rhabdomyolysis? You might want to google that, but you're at risk for that if you do a very hilly ultra undertrained. It's a pretty serious kidney condition, and could kill you or lay you up in the hospital for a week or so. It's not as rare as one would hope. And you'd be pretty much the "textbook example" of someone that gets rhabdo at an ultra. I'd feel irresponsible not mentioning that.
I DO think you'd probably be able to finish - friends of mine have finished 50ks on half-marathon training. But all of them swore never again that undertrained because it was baaaaaaaaaaaad.0 -
My $.02: bad idea. Get trained up properly and do it next year.0
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Thank you for all your responses. Much appreciated. I had not considered volunteering but that sounds like a good option!
Rethinking it all thanks to all of you guys i have decided i will pick another (I'm sure new ones will come up as it gets more popular here).
I would have never run a Half Marathon without training for it so i should train for an Ultra.
I hope i can post on here in the near future and say that i've signed up and training for one 0 -
Oh - I'm back with a bit more to say.
xcmum, have you heard of rhabdomyolysis? You might want to google that, but you're at risk for that if you do a very hilly ultra undertrained. It's a pretty serious kidney condition, and could kill you or lay you up in the hospital for a week or so. It's not as rare as one would hope. And you'd be pretty much the "textbook example" of someone that gets rhabdo at an ultra. I'd feel irresponsible not mentioning that.
I DO think you'd probably be able to finish - friends of mine have finished 50ks on half-marathon training. But all of them swore never again that undertrained because it was baaaaaaaaaaaad.
I don't think that rhabdo would be a big deal on a 31mi run, but you never know. As far as ultras go, I tend to be an optimist, and I also like to do things that scare me. So I totally get the OP.
Reading on, I'm almost sorry you decided against it- I was kinda curious to see how it went- but volunteering is awesome. For this year, I have not only planned my race schedule, but my volunteering schedule (3 ultras.) The aid station captain, as well as many of the volunteers, will be great sources of information. Best of luck and keep us posted!0
