Just here for the food
I'm curious as to how more experienced runners structure their training plans with regard to base, strength, speed, etc. I'm copying this post from the low hr forum in hopes of getting some input from you ultra vets.
I'm starting my 3rd month of MAF training after taking a month off in Oct-Nov. I'll do my first MAF test sometime this week, and continue for at least another month before getting into some hill/ strength work for a bit.
For other ultra runners out there: I'm looking at North Fork and Leadville as my target races for the year. With that said, my plan is roughly:
Now- Feb MAF
Feb- Hills/ Strength
March- MAF with a bit of speed work (very short, less than 10% of weekly mileage, up to 75 mpw)
April- Taper, Indiana Trail100 @ MAF ish pace (in a perfect world)
May- Recover, MAF and Hills
June- Hills and Taper, North Fork 50
July- August- MAF and taper
August- Leadville 100
Sept- Dec- Sit on the couch and drink beer
What adjustments should I consider? I would appreciate any feedback, positive or otherwise ;-).
Do you have an aversion to making your log public? It is hard to give advice without knowing where you are at in terms of MPW, pace, and prior ultra experience.
Lovin the Hills is a difficult 50K+. Consider that the winning time is around 8:15/mile pace by guys that are in 2:30-2:45 marathon shape. You should be doing a hard hilly trail workout weekly. Does MAF training allow for this?
Indiana Trail 100 is still 100 miles. If it is your first 100, then it needs to be the focus of your life. It is not that I don't think you are ready, I just encourage you not to underestimate the distance. I am not familiar with the course, but supposing that it is flat and fast, then MAF training should be good prep.
Do you have an aversion to making your log public? It is hard to give advice without knowing where you are at in terms of MPW, pace, and prior ultra experience. Lovin the Hills is a difficult 50K+. Consider that the winning time is around 8:15/mile pace by guys that are in 2:30-2:45 marathon shape. You should be doing a hard hilly trail workout weekly. Does MAF training allow for this? Indiana Trail 100 is still 100 miles. If it is your first 100, then it needs to be the focus of your life. It is not that I don't think you are ready, I just encourage you not to underestimate the distance. I am not familiar with the course, but supposing that it is flat and fast, then MAF training should be good prep.
I guess that info would be helpful . I've previously done two 50 milers, North Fork in Colorado, and Run Woodstock in Michigan. Right now I'm running 50-60 mpw, all or most MAF, with at least one day on the trails or a nearby hill. My long run is back up to 25 miles, followed by 12-15 the next day. My MAF pace for those is between 10:30 for flatter courses- 11:30 when running a hillier (road) course.
I'm familiar with the Lovin' the Hills course, and get to the Siltstone Trail every month or two for a run. I'm not really planning to "race" the course so much as use it as another long hill training day. Other trail runs are on the Knobstone in Southern Indiana.
Thanks a bunch for your reply.
Okay, so you have some good experience and a solid endurance base. I would say that the time to switch to a different phase of training is now. Try to do two long+hard trail runs before tapering for LLTH. By hard I mean tough, rather than fast. That might be over the next 3 weekends, long+hard, back2back, long+hard. After a couple easy recovery weeks following LLTH, try to get in two trips to the Indiana 100 course. Have one trip be about 5 weeks out, and do two laps (33.3 miles); have the other be 3 weeks out and do 1 lap as a full-blown dress rehearsal, right down to socks and underwear.
I strongly recommend adding a weekly up-tempo workout, i.e. 30-40 minutes at lactate threshold, soon after LLTH if not right away.
After the Indiana 100, it would probably be good to go back to a couple months of low HR training again before ramping up for the Colorado runs.
forgive my ignorance, but when you refer to MAF are you speaking of the Maffetone Method, or your mosey along forever pace?
Trail and Ultra Running User Group
Hopefully both
For these purposes, Maximum Aerobic Function (Maffetone).