I stared at the screen of my laptop, hesitating for a moment. I filled out the form, added my bank details, and confirmed that all the data was correct. All that was left was to click “register.” I smiled as I pressed down on the mouse and confirmed my registration. I would finally run an ultramarathon.
I had 8 months to prepare. And I was starting from (almost) 0.
While I hadn’t been entirely sedentary since I stopped running in 2013, I wasn’t an endurance athlete anymore. There were no long hikes, bike rides, or other endurance-type endeavors. However, I had been training with kettlebells almost daily since 2015 and thought it was a great foundation for ultramarathon training.
Eight months later, as the third female, I crossed the finish line of my first 61km trail race. In these eight months of preparation, I learned that ultrarunning success isn’t about doing everything perfectly—it’s about doing the right things consistently. It’s about staying injury-free, building mileage sustainably, and adding speed work cautiously.
And it’s about training with a purpose instead of mindlessly collecting as many miles as possible.
It’s about combining different types of runs, each serving a specific purpose in preparing you for race day. Understanding these building blocks – easy runs, long runs, and various forms of speed work – is crucial for your success as an ultrarunner.
Let’s begin with the type of run that will make up most of your training: the easy run.
Easy Runs: Building Your Ultra Engine
During my first few months of running, I didn’t focus on speed at all. Instead, I only focused on how far I ran and how much time I spent on my feet, gradually upping the volume. Walking was an integral part of that phase of my training because I knew I needed time on my feet to cover the distance of my first race.
While I was well aware of the dangers of going out too fast too soon, many runners, unfortunately, aren’t. Recreational runners, especially, run at the same narrow pace range, and too many runs feel comfortably hard.
Slowing down is an art that many haven’t mastered yet. But why is it essential to run at an “easy pace”? What does “easy” even mean, and how much “easy running” should you do?
The answer to the first question is relatively simple: easy running builds your aerobic capacity, which is the foundation for endurance sports. Without a big enough aerobic base, you won’t be able to cover the distance you want to cover – no matter how much speedwork you throw into the mix. Easy runs help you build volume with a relatively low risk of injury by building musculoskeletal resilience.
The answer to the second question, “What does easy even mean” is not so clear-cut. Different coaches prescribe “easy” based on various criteria, and science often lumps everything below the aerobic threshold into “easy.” Hence, anything from steady running to the 100-mile ultra shuffle can be considered “easy.”
Only one thing is certain: you can run your easy runs as slowly as you want, and if you’re unsure if you’re running easy enough, err on the side of slowing down.
Unless you run so slow that your form breaks down, you can’t run your easy runs too slowly.
However, that does not mean that all of your easy runs need to be at a super chill pace and that you will lose all of the wonderful aerobic adaptations if you sprinkle in some faster paces on days you feel good. And don’t be afraid to run a slightly quicker, easy run when you feel particularly strong and can recover well enough from them not to jeopardize your true speed workouts. But listen closely to your body and avoid turning every easy run into a moderately hard one.
If you train using the Rate of Perceived Exertion (which I recommend and explain more about in article II of this series), your easy runs should mostly be at an RPE between 3 and 4. On days you feel strong, you may go to RPE 5.
And if you’re like me and start to feel self-conscious because you think your easy runs are excruciatingly slow, just remember: your easy runs are not a proxy for your overall abilities as a runner or a predictive tool for how fast you will be on race day. So relax, occasionally leave your watch at home, and enjoy the art of moving as you sustainably build your aerobic base by collecting all those easy miles.
Long Runs - Your Race Day Dress Rehearsal
Maybe no other workout strikes as much excitement – and fear – into the hearts of ultrarunners as the long run. When I registered for my first ultra, I knew these runs would become my weekend companions. And while the prospect of running for hours on end was daunting, something about these extended adventures called to me.
My approach was simple but effective: I’d head out for a longer run every week. I didn’t increase the distance each week, but over the 8 months of building up to my first ultramarathon, I built up to a 50K one month out from the race. While many seasoned ultrarunners might question my decision to push my longest training run to 50K for a 61K race, that run gave me something invaluable: confidence.
And for a complete newcomer to the sport who hadn’t run in almost a decade, confidence was exactly what I needed.
On the other hand, the 61km run was also the longest I had ever run before completing 154km during my first 24-hour race just 8 months later (in April 2022). Many would argue this was too short of a long run and too far out from the race.
However, focusing only on how far or how long you run during your long run is misguided when training for an ultramarathon.
Why?
Because long runs are not only a tool for building endurance and improving fat oxidation. They’re your foremost opportunity to practice nutrition and test out gear and mental strategies.
Beyond building physical endurance, long runs serve three crucial purposes:
First, they’re your nutrition laboratory.
You need enough time on your feet to test what foods work for you, how often you need to eat, and how your stomach handles different fuel sources when you’re several hours into a run.
Most runners will start to experience stomach issues after several hours of running, so don’t assume you’ll be fine at mile 80 eating gel after gel just because this worked for you on your 10-mile runs.
And while I have yet to experience palate fatigue (a problem many ultrarunners have, where you get so tired of your race nutrition that you can’t bring yourself to eat anymore), I have found that I crave and need more fatty foods after several hours of running to keep me going strong.
Second, at least some long runs should serve as a dress rehearsal for the gear you’ll use on race day.
I often run a long run with a full pack of food and spare clothes, even though I won’t need it on the run. If you are running a trail race where you must carry essential gear and a certain amount of backup calories and fluids, you must ensure you get your body used to running with that extra weight.
Besides, some running packs feel very different when they are full compared to when they are empty. Ensure you know exactly how your pack of choice feels in different scenarios.
For example, I have a pack that is extremely bouncy when it is filled with only the bare minimum but stays snug on my back when I fill it with enough clothes, food, and other gear. Knowing this, I will never use this pack in a race where I want to pack as light as possible. But I use it on training runs to save the more expensive, better-fitting packs for race day.
Third, the long run can be a test ground for your mental strategies.
Running is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. And the longer the distance, the longer you need to be able to control your mind and prevent it from convincing you that it’s better to quit. Regularly running for many hours during training can help you learn how to manage your thoughts, work through low points, and build the mental resilience you’ll need on race day.
I have had many long runs in training where I wanted to quit before I had covered the planned distance. I also had long runs that felt tough from the very beginning and were an actual test of my willpower and resolve. During those runs, I learned not to believe every thought that popped into my head. I also learned to direct my thoughts and reframe my experiences on long days out.
Running without headphones, or other people for that matter, was excellent mental preparation for those long ultras where running with headphones is not allowed and helped me understand my mind on a deeper level. Running without distracting yourself with music or the chatter of companions teaches you to accept the pain you will inevitably experience when you put your body through the stress of constant motion over many hours.
But what works for me may not work for you. That’s why doing those long runs and testing different strategies that may help you push through the low points is essential.
Speed Work: Beyond the Ultra Shuffle
Many runners turn to ultrarunning to escape the pressure of pace targets and PR chasing. They’re tired of their GPS watches dictating their running and want to focus on distance rather than speed while enjoying a day out in nature.
And I get it – I’d rather run 100 miles through a beautiful mountain range than try to hit a specific half-marathon time goal any day. However, while ultrarunning doesn’t require you to be as fast as an elite marathoner, including some structured speed work can make you a more efficient, resilient runner.
Speed work in your ultramarathon training will improve how efficiently your body uses oxygen while running (also known as running economy), make your easy pace feel even easier, and give you a few extra gears you can use during a race.
But the secret to successful speed work in ultra training isn’t about trying to become a track star. It’s about strategically incorporating faster running to make you a more well-rounded, efficient runner.
As with everything in ultra training, consistency trumps intensity. Start with one type of speed work (I recommend fartleks for beginners) and gradually add more as your body adapts.
While I still love my long, slow runs through nature more than anything, incorporating these different types of speed work has not only made me a stronger runner but has also added an extra dimension of enjoyment to my training. After all, sometimes it’s fun to remind yourself that you can indeed run fast—even if you choose not to during your ultra.
Fartleks
Fartlek is Swedish and means “speed play”, and that’s exactly what these workouts are – playful bursts of faster running mixed into your regular runs. They’re my favorite type of speed work because they’re flexible and fun. They also help you develop different gears while staying in tune with your body’s natural rhythms.
Instead of strict intervals, you might sprint to the next tree, pick up the pace for a minute, or surge up a small hill. During my first 2 years of ultrarunning, I only ran fartleks as my speed workouts. I had a standard 5 km loop where I would pick specific landmarks as pointers for my faster intervals. On another standard route that includes small hills, I love to sprint uphill and recover on the flats and the downhill portions.
There are myriad ways how to design a fartlek run. And while they will help you become faster, I found the primary benefit for me was mental. It’s a lot of fun to run without paying attention to your watch, test your body repeatedly during a session, and prove to yourself that you still have one more fast section in you when your mind is already convinced you are done.
Strides
Strides are short bursts of faster running, usually lasting 20-30 seconds. I include them in most of my easy runs and often toward the end. They gently remind your legs that they can move faster than your ultra shuffle.
The key is to accelerate gradually, hold a controlled, faster pace (not an all-out sprint), and then gradually slow down. They’re an excellent way to improve your running form and keep those fast-twitch muscle fibers engaged without adding much stress to your training.
I prefer to do them uphill, but you can also do them on flats.
Hill Repeats
If you’re looking for speed work that’s effective and specific to ultra training, hill repeats are your answer. Every other week, I do 30/30 hill workouts – 30 seconds hard uphill, followed by 30 seconds of easy recovery. Hills naturally limit how fast you can go, reducing injury risk while building strength and power.
The workout builds mental toughness, teaching you to push through discomfort and maintain form when the terrain becomes challenging. As an added benefit, the controlled nature of hill workouts allows you to build intensity without the same high-impact stress associated with traditional speed work on flat surfaces.
When incorporating hill repeats into your training, choose a hill with a moderate grade – somewhere between 5-10% incline works well for most runners. Start with 4-6 repetitions and gradually increase to 8-10 as your fitness improves. Always warm up thoroughly and listen to your body, adjusting the intensity and volume to match your current training phase and recovery capacity.
Making It Work for You: Bringing It All Together
If you’re just starting out on your ultra journey, you might feel overwhelmed trying to figure out how these different types of runs fit together. But successful ultra training isn’t complicated – it’s about understanding and respecting the role of each type of run.
Easy runs give you the endurance foundation you need. Long runs prepare you physically and mentally for race day. And strategic speed work can make you a stronger, more efficient runner.
Your journey might look different from mine. You may not need to run only easy runs for months on end. You may not enjoy fartlek runs as much as I do. Finding what works for you while maintaining these fundamental training elements is key.
In the next article, we’ll explore different variations of these runs and how to combine them effectively in your weekly training.
Note: This is part III of the Ultrarunning for Beginners series. The previous articles in this series can be found here:
Part I: So You Want to Run an Ultra-a Guide to Getting Started
Part II: Building Your Ultra-Training Foundation: From Plan to Practice