To do or not to do?

Have done alot of reading in recent months and find myself drawn to training for my first ultra.

However I only have two previous marathons under my belt and a handful of half marathons, then 10k's etc...... all this may laughable to some but I have an iron will and the ultra desire will not go away.

I have a charity place for VLM 2013 but the thought doesnt excite me nor does the fund raising chore of £2,500 basic!!.

I have jumped on here in the hope that I will get some sound,helpful advice from some genuine people who can point on the right road.

No, I havent got bags of experience but I got guts and determination so thats a start and I am used to time on my feet .....but I know this is a whole new ball game!!!.

Friends and family are all advising me against it and would prefer a nice day out in london!! and dont think its possible.

Bit confused right now and would appreciate some sound advice.

Thank you for reading 

Clare

wehats your weekly mileage like and how much spare time do you have......how speedy are you.......

do you like mountains or flat.........there are canal ultras and mountain ultras.........

i would start by slowly building up your long run and then the next day start building up a recovery run..........so that they both get longer....

some events like the LDWA are very cheap and friendly and are designed for walkers and so if you are a slow runner you are not worried about missing cutoffs........

Generally there is no precursor that says you have to have done 'such and such' amount of marathons before you try and ultra, although some will have specific requirements, because of the terrain that they encompass. There are a fair amount of 'shorter' ultras that are a good starting point or step-up from ultra ... 50kms and 30+ milers and as Seren mentioned above, you can't go far wrong with a LDWA event.

Marathons can be fun too though - you just have to find what suits your style!  London is the be-all and end-all for many but there are many many others out there without the price-tag or the crowds, trail, mountain, road.

I ran a 50K before I ran my first marathon. It had the great advantage that it gave me mental permission to stop worrying about speed and just concentrate on building up mileage. Then I went into my marathon training with my legs used to running long (and knowing I could run the distance) so working on speeding up wasn't a problem.

50K is a relatively easy option and there are a number to choose from. I did the London Ultra, mainly because it was easy for me to train on the route.

50 miles is more of a challenge... In between there are e.g. 33 mile, 35 mile and 40 mile events.

There are training schedules available online for 50K and for 50M, which you may find useful to get you started and at least give you an indication of the amount of training you need to do.

If you're not enthused about London & raising £2,500, then don't do it go ultra instead!

Clare, the itch isnt going to go away. I ran a 52k only after 2 marathons I think like you  I had to see what it was like and loved it. It is a different mindset but the training isnt that different in truth. I agree with whats been said, think about what you like best, roads, trails, is time more important than finishing?, there are loads to choose from that would suit whatever preference you have, go for it and good luck!

clare..can i redirect you to the 'wannbe ' thread?? some helpful advice there from some lovely people

Hey thank you...to all of you for replying and I will jump onto the wannabe thread and have a nose.

how did you find the step up john?.....and where do you go from here?

i dont think you will find any similarities between running an ultra and VLM

Clare: I'm running about 50 miles a week at the moment (will be more closer to my next ultra, but I'm training for a trail marathon at present), plus one one-hour Pilates session, plus about 15 minutes of Pilates every morning as part of my waking-up routine. So I'm running perhaps eight hours a week and spending a further three on Pilates. But the morning Pilates fits into my wake-up routine anyway, and the rest is probably less than most people spend watching TV each week! It's just about priorities.

I -am- running VLM next year, because I got a GFA place and I want to do it once. But my "A" race for 2013 is Lakeland 50.

You can train for and run London as part of your trainiing for an ultra, or as already suggested, give the place to someone else to raise the £2,500, but still fundraise for the same charity for running an ultra - but without the fund-raising target pressure.

2 1/2 grand!   And I bet people still get on waiting lists.

Yes thats sound advice debra thank you, I need to rearrange my routine and priorties I think.

Definately have my sights set on an ultra for 2013 that much I do know.

You will love the atmosphere of VLM, you will always remember it, same with an ultra I suspect.

Good luck with your training

i think the queues, crowds ,travel logistics ,cost would be a total nightmare not to mention the infuriating shuffling towards and over the start line for over 1 mile!!....if thats 'atmosphere' it can stay there as far as im concerned. ultras are a totally different buzz