Thames Trot 50 Training

Was going to do a long run today but drove back to London from Manchester last night, got to bed at 2.30 and got up at 6.45 to go sort out my parkrun, so I scratched that idea! Hopefully will manage to roll out of bed tomorrow morning and go on my club run, then extend it to reach 20+ miles, and I'll see if I can fit a 10-miler into Monday lunchtime, if I start work early. Managed 5+, 12, 5+, 4+ during the week.

I've entered!  EEEK!

Did Amsterdam a month or so ago and have Manchester at the end of Apirl so figured it would be a good way to get an endurance base and raise some money for charity (Parkinsons Trust).

Any advice on ultra training much appreciated - my plan is to get back into marathon training with lots of long slow runs.....

Hi Karla, (FYI, last year I did London Ultra 50K mid-February, then M'cr marathon). Basically ultra training is like marathon training but with less speedwork and more long runs.

I suggest you go and look at http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50m.asp  - we've got 11 weeks to go; with your recent marathon training and race you should be able to jump into this schedule okay. There are others - one on RW USA website for example. Following a schedule exactly isn't necessary of course, but they do give a useful indication of the training volume needed. Also if you think you only need a two-week rather than three-week taper then you've got an extra week for building.

In summary, you want to fit in some back-to-back long runs (I did 26.5 today and intend to make time for 10 miles tomorrow), but have an easier week every 3-4 weeks (you know what your body can cope with in terms of training volume) for extra recovery. Also a mid-week semi-long run is useful, with a couple of shorter/recovery runs.

For those of you hoping to recce the route -  the Goring to Whitchurch stretch of the TP was diverted this weekend plus we had to divert our route between Sonning Lock and Shiplake as the path was also flooded.

What we managed to run of the TP was rather sodden - at the mo I would most definately recommend trail shoes rather than road ones.

Hi all,

I will be doing this one to.

Liz - thanks for the info. I had planned a run between Reading and Henley(and back) this week but  have had to put it off until next week anyway - hopefully it will be drier next week!

I've just ordered myself some Inov8 mudclaw 300s, just in case things don't start to dry up soon.

I can't even begin training for another 2 weeks at the earliest, as I was hit by a car a couple of weeks ago - throwing me right over the roof and writing off my poor mountain bike. Not sure it's long enough to train for a 50, but I working on the theory that the worse it is the better training it is for the SDW100.

I hope everyone else's training is going more smoothly.

Liz EE: thanks for the info.

Tiago: sympathies, and I hope you're feeling better soon.

I -was- fine, but my left inner ankle bone just started hurting today (a bit during the run, but rather more several hours later) and is puffy, so that nixes my idea of a three-hour run tomorrow (I only did 14 miles today rather than my planned 26+ because I was feeling really tired, and I have a few days vacation so I -had- intended to enjoy a nice long run).

Time to RICE and hope it's not heading for a stress fracture.

Thanks, Debs, recover well and good luck.

Evening all,

TF - sorry to here that, heal strong...

Debra - sounds like rest is the way ahead, give it a couple of days? Good luck...

"official training" - sorry was meaning the RW 50 miler plan this one: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/ultimate-ultramarathon-training-plan?page=single

The problem with doing a training plan is, IMHO, you inevitably end up falling short then thinking you're in trouble. I'm doing the best I can given work/home/kids/weather. Delighted to have bagged three 50-mile weeks out of the last four, but its still way less than the RW says I should be doing. Managed a 4hr 15 min, 24-26 miler at the weekend, mostly running - and felt better the next day than I ever have doing that distance, so glass full, not empty this week.

Plan this week is 3 x 2 hour runs, and 1 x 3 hour run, all at stupid o'clock in the morning, with the last 3 runs consecutive. 5am tomorrow won't feel great after a work dinner tonight, I suspect I'll be ordering pasta!

NiceIronDad. Thanks. Yes, I'm resting and hoping it will feel much better in a few days. I think I was so tired yesterday that my running form was really bad which will have put extra stresses on everything. *sigh*.

Good luck with your training schedule. It's worth looking at more than one plan, so you can see it's not cut in stone and don't get too bogged down in "must do X" - e.g. the schedule at http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50m.asp is somewhat different from the RW.com schedule, if I recall correctly.

I've lost my mojo. I came down with flu last week which put paid to any training for a few days. Not a problem. But now I'm better I just can't get motivated to go out early in the cold and dark. Hopefully things will improve at the weekend and over the Christmas holiday or else 50 miles is going to be impossible.

Chin up Lemony, I'm sure you'll get it back soon, it takes a while to get over these things. There always seems to be someone coughing at work at the moment. I went away to meet my family for a pre-xmas dinner at the weekend, and half of them were at it too. I feel like it's only a matter of time for me!

lemony dont worry!! i havnt really run since druids 4 weeks ago as ive had umpteen things on my plate-so you are not alone!!

Hey Loulabell, same here, not really run since Druids, couple of parkruns and a 10k and that't it. For some reason having serious motivation issues, I've been busy at work - but that was never an excuse before. Got a Marathon coming up in a few weeks time, so hoping that will kick-start me. 

laura,i dont have the option of running before work, and often i dont have the option of running after , weekends are hit and miss too. it has to be squashed in around everything else .  

hi stefkirl! i have a mara in 2 weeks also so i guess we had better motivate each other-think i may get a chance this weekend to run as my daughter is at a sleepover

Progress with my ankle! No longer worrying about potential stress fracture; think it's posterior tibial tendon/muscle related. Managed a 30-mins run yesterday (uncomfortable for the last 5 mins or so), then got my husband to massage it before going to Pilates in the evening, and it's feeling a lot better. Hope to try 40 mins with the club this evening, and if that's okay, maybe a longer run at the weekend.

Probably won't have done me any harm to rest for a week or so, for the first time in 18 months...

What mara are you doing in a fortnight then LLB?