Am I ready for an Ultra Trail (Read 599 times)

I've started running at the end of September 2011 and have been slowly but steadily increasing my weekly distance. It is now around 45kms, with a long run of 20kms. I'm also a bike commuter 11kms each way and on Saturdays I go for longer bike rides, MTB or road. Once a week I go to the pool for half an hour.

This Ultra Trail is 50kms and relatively flat. It is generaly described as the easiest of the Ultra trails and will be held on 20th May. I love long distances at least when it comes to cycling.

Until the race week I can still increase my weekly run distance and the long run. I won't increase it a lot because the next two weekends I'll have to cycling events and I don't want to be very tired. A MTB 72kms race and a 300kms road brevet.

I don't want to be very fast but I want to finish it. If I take an easy pace is this doable? Am I aiming to high?

You can see some pictures https://picasaweb.google.com/109033680549082279205/IVUltraTrailGeiraRomana#

It is run on an ancient Roman road.

Thank you!

I know at least by me it can be impossible to find trail races that are not extremely long.  Are there any short trail races by you that you can try?

Now I think I've finally found out an advantage of living in a densely populated country...

We do have shorter trails here...

(I just took a look at the Belgian trail-running calendar, and only a minority of them are over 50K.  There are even runs of 15k and less...)

I've started running at the end of September 2011 and have been slowly but steadily increasing my weekly distance. It is now around 45kms, with a long run of 20kms. I'm also a bike commuter 11kms each way and on Saturdays I go for longer bike rides, MTB or road. Once a week I go to the pool for half an hour.

 

This Ultra Trail is 50kms and relatively flat. It is generaly described as the easiest of the Ultra trails and will be held on 20th May. I love long distances at least when it comes to cycling.

 

Until the race week I can still increase my weekly run distance and the long run. I won't increase it a lot because the next two weekends I'll have to cycling events and I don't want to be very tired. A MTB 72kms race and a 300kms road brevet.

 

I don't want to be very fast but I want to finish it. If I take an easy pace is this doable? Am I aiming to high?

 

You can see some pictures https://picasaweb.google.com/109033680549082279205/IVUltraTrailGeiraRomana#

It is run on an ancient Roman road.

 

Thank you!

As already mentioned, biking is not running. For a May 20 race that's overdistance for you, you (or at least *I*) should be near peak volume and long run distance by now. Right now, your long run is < HM, and you want to do something a bit longer than a marathon in 1 month. You've only been running about 6-7 months.

It looks like it could be a fun (as in party-like) event on old Roman road. Pics look like it's part road and maybe some trail, but hard to tell - definitely not what we usually consider a trail ultra around here.

I'm going to go with the flow in that you're likely undertrained for this right now - and have other higher priorities, like your biking - so likely aiming too high. What's the rush. Enjoy the journey for getting there.

That said, some folks take to endurance running like a fish to water, but many of them are coming from hiking and backpacking backgrounds (think: lots of time on feet, which you don't have) and have trained at both running and hiking and transitioning.

I run three times a week and one of them is on local trails, I always leave home running but I have done a 16km run on trails. I also go for walks with my wife for an hour two or three times a week but I don't register them here on RA.

 

This event has also a short distance 17km race on part of the same course.

 

This ultra is almost flat and I suppose most of its course is on wide gravel roads.

 

My question was because I love long distances, all day long events. I think I'll leave it for next year then and go for the short distance.

 

Or maybe I'll go crazy and risk it all, my biggest fear is getting injured.

 I think going for the short distance would be a SMART decision! Going crazy and getting injured is NOT very smart and given your training is more likely to happen.