Oh I plan on it, January will be my first trail half marathon up in Indy (the Winter Trail (Half) Marathon) and then I am going to run the Indian-Celina Challenge 13.1 distance in June. I have a 15k trail race 2 weeks from this Saturday, my area has a group that is slowly getting trail races going here. This past June I ran a 5 mile night race called Howl at the Moon, thought I knew the trails well enough but a group and I made a wrong assumption at a "fork", trails are really different at night. I do run these said trails now, before sun up and during daylight hours. 5ks and 10ks would be too easy for me now on trails, but they do have a 5k race at John James Audubon State park, a very hilly area that I have been fortunate enough to run on so it would actually be challenging due to the hills, not the distance. I would be running it this year, but it's this Saturday and I am already committed to running the Indy Monumental Half.

After this weekend's HM, I plan on putting the majority of my runs on trails to prepare myself, I pretty much want to run trail races now except for distances shorter than 10ks, because part of me does want to improve on my speed and pace so I will most likely keep running road races when they're 5ks and 10ks (and some 7ks)

 

 

A little unsolicited advice.  Learn to be a better runner at short distances and try your hand at some shorter trail runs (10-20-30K distance) before setting super lofty goals.  I liked my 50K and I plan on doing it again this coming spring.  But I don't think I could ever force myself above 50 miles (and I'm not so sure about the 50 mile thing either).  I just have no desire to get out there and be slogging for the 24-30 hours it would take to do a 100 miler.

Yeah, this past Sunday on the trails was my fastest 8 miler I think. Of course my trails are mainly flat and rooty, so I don't really have to slow down except at night. Once I start running at the hillier parks (Audubon and Hoosier National Forest near Bristow, IN), I will most likely be a bit slower than on the roads.

I think underlying this conversation is 2 separate points of view (both valid) as far as when you are "ready" for an ultra.  It all kind of comes back to are you running or are you racing.  With any race, there are people who are out there to be competetive and there are people who are out there for non-competetive reasons.

For me, I skipped the marathon distance before giving it a go at the 50k distance.  This made sense to me because if I were to do a road marathon, I would be racing (tracking pace/calculating finish time/trying to qualify for Boston/etc.), but I could go into the 50k without any of that pressure and just see if I could cover the distance.  Was I really ready to run a 50k? probably not by many peoples standards.  From what I have seen, the ultra community is much more accepting of this kind of approach to a race.  If I went over to the Begginers forum and showed them my running log and asked if I was ready for a marathon, I think most would try to talk me out of it and tell me to work on shorter distances.  If I came onto this forum and showed my log and asked if I could do a 100k, I think the response would be "give it a shot!".  That kind of attitude is necessary in the world of ultras or else nobody would ever attempt those kind of distances.

If you want to get into running ultras, I would recommend a monthly long run that you are not 100% sure you can complete.  Another piece of advice that has been good to me has been to measure long runs by "time on feet" as opposed to distance/pace etc.  Lastly, keep in mind that walking is part of ultra running for 95% of people and that is not a bad thing.  I have absolutely 0 ambition to complete a 50k without walking the hills, whereas in a marathon I would be disappointed in myself if I had to walk.

I got lost.

An almost always available option to turn a subultra into the "real" thing.  Driving home from the 49er Double Marathon, Kathy mentioned how beautiful the Muir Woods (really old, incredibly big redwoods) were.  I pointed out that the marathon did not go through the Muir Woods.  She said the three people she was running with were talking about them and when they got to a certain junction they offered a three mile add-on to the course so she could see their favorite trail.  A lack of dedication and discipline leaves options like that open.

I got lost.

Ha. Good one.

Reminds me my first "ultra" was technically a 28 mile training run the week before my first "real ultra" (the race kind with the bib and all of that). We were pretty stupid in those days. We thought running with one handheld and doing a 2 miles out and back off trail on a state road to a service station was a good enough fueling method for that sort of run.

I am competitive, and as I've improved dramatically on my speed this year I have gotten even more competitive so I will feel that even on the trail races (distances shorter than a half marathon). That will probably be something to work on if I do intend on moving forward and into ultras or longer distances, otherwise I would probably drive myself insane if I constantly watch my pace and time rather than just enjoy it and make sure I finish in one piece.

If you don't mind me asking, you seem to be putting a lot of emphasis on your competitiveness, which is awesome, but according to your signature line most of your races have been road races. Are you looking to get into road ultras or trail ultras?

I am competitive, and as I've improved dramatically on my speed this year I have gotten even more competitive so I will feel that even on the trail races (distances shorter than a half marathon). That will probably be something to work on if I do intend on moving forward and into ultras or longer distances, otherwise I would probably drive myself insane if I constantly watch my pace and time rather than just enjoy it and make sure I finish in one piece.