[theboss]

Thanks for asking! I had this same question. I’m aiming to BQ in 2024, and to do that, based upon my current Zones, I’d have to sustain a fast Zone X for nearly 4 hours. While this is a pace I’ve held before (a marathon 3 years ago), I’m still nervous to think that’s even possible since now that I’m older it’s the elusive BQ time.

That link Charles shared really put me at ease.

[theboss]

Personally, I find Pace is my ideal metric for workouts. I generally use pace for foundation runs. However, if it’s a Foundation or Long Run that’s going to be on a hilly route, a trail run, or a very hot day, I’ll use HR or RPE, most often HR. That helps to ensure I’m not going too fast. Sometimes, if I’m doing a Foundation run on one of those routes and it’s with other people, I’ll turn off the HR alarm and just run for fun/feel.

Either way, the key with Foundation runs is to ensure you’re not going out too hard and showing up fatigued for your 20% workouts.

[theboss]

Based on what I’ve seen David post on Instagram, going slower by RPE and ending up with a Zone 1 day when you’re scheduled for Zone 2 is just fine.

[theboss]

Things to keep in mind:

* With a typical trail race, people hike the uphills. When you’re on a flat course, you don’t have uphill hike breaks. I know a lot of people who succeed at a flat 100 mile by intentionally implementing a run/walk ratio.

* Even a flat trail race still has rocks and roots. Once you hit nightfall, the terrain and general fatigue will likely cause you to slow down. I know some people who run all night. I know some who powerhike all night. If you don’t do a run/walk (like mentioned above), simply walking more at night will slow down your average.

* Don’t forget that 100 mile aid stations will include real food (that is hard to eat while running, so you’ll need to walk) and the opportunity to sit down and relax for a few minutes.

[theboss]

Thanks for sharing! There’s a 50 miler/100k exactly 12 weeks out from my 100 miler. My plan only calls for a 3 hour run that day, so I was debating about signing up for the 25k option. Now I’m torn. All three races will have significant night time running, so either way, that’s a huge training plus for a 100.

[theboss]

This was my fall. August and the first part of September were going great. I was on track to PR my October marathon (A race) or December marathon (B race).
Late September – broke a toe (while on a run), had to take a week off and then take it easy the next week.
October – marathon is cancelled due to security threats (MCM in DC); still did a 6 hour race locally, but it didn’t go great, so I took a week off afterwards for recovery
November – COVID Booster hits me HARD and I’m off for most of a week (plus two trips this month took a dent in planned training)
December – dog bite on my calf (while on a run), marathon is cancelled due to tornadoes (Rocket City in Huntsville).

Thankfully, it all started to fall back into place and I’m been lucky to have been consistently training since just before Christmas. Even with an ankle sprain in January, I was still able to keep training and did my first 50 miler this past weekend and it went great.

[theboss]

I know I’ve had phases of my life where I find enjoyment in the ability to dig deep and pull out an amazing PR while grinding through a race. I’ve also had phases where I do more volunteering at races or running races that are purely for fun and the post-race party. If you’re finding enjoyment, then I’m a huge proponent of drastically changing things up, even if that means taking a few weeks or months off and doing a completely new activity. I spent most of 2019 playing around with rock climbing and it was great. When I returned to trail running in 2020, I had a different appreciation for trails and outdoor spaces because of being part of a different community that used them. Maybe that change will help.

[theboss]

Personally, as long as I stay Z2 or below, I just keep the watch running. Most often, it’s just 10 minutes or less due to misjudging a turn-around. Those are negligible in my opinion. Sometimes I might intentionally go way over (20-40 minutes), but that’s because I know I’ll have to cut a Foundation run short later in the week, so I’m taking on the extra time to this run. In those instances, as long as my total run time is 80/20 by the end of the week, I consider it a success.

But for 5 to 10 minutes? That’s just an extra cool down. Or some easy bonus miles to help pad your volume for later training sessions. Unless it’s a taper period, it shouldn’t be a big issue.

[theboss]

Every once in awhile my watch will show something way off. Like it’ll read Z1 as I’m huffing and puffing up a hill or it’ll show Z4 while I’m just bebopping along a flat road easily breathing through my nose. For those instances, I go by RPE or glance at my pace and see how that pace aligns with my zones. Sure, my TP and my Strava data will be off for this session, but I’m willing to risk that in order to have a productive session.

On the other hand, if my HR is reading higher than normal and I feel crappy or sluggish, then it might actually be an accurate reading and I’ll dial back the pace/effort to stay in zone.

[theboss]

Great news! I’m currently going through 50 Mile Level 1, and I have a feeling that I’ll be ready for Level 2 for my next go-around. (With a dash of Run Faster thrown in between the two!)

[theboss]

Thanks, David!

I’m going through the 50 miler plan right now (my first 50 miler, and my first 80/20 plan). Once that race is over, I’ll order a custom plan and hopefully be able to talk about what went right with the plan and what parts I want to keep.

[theboss]

Digging up this old post from 2020 with a Custom Plan question.

I’m looking at a 6 hour race this fall. I’ve run it twice. One time I got about 60k, the next year I got just over a 50k (interestingly enough, I cut back on my easy workouts that season and amped up my threshold runs…). Ideally, I’ll get a 60K again this year. I’m considering the custom plan option. If I go that route, does it become a Lifelong Plan in my Training Peaks account that I could use over and over?

[theboss]

My running coach teaches Pose method and is very big on aiming for a 180-185 bpm run. Before working with her, I’d run a 185 on an easy run and push 200 in a race. She educated me that elite marathoners rarely break 185, but they’re running way faster than me. So I started playing around with my cadence and pose a bit. I was able to do an interval workout where I was running mile repeats in Zone 4 and recovery in Z1 or Z2 while listening to a playlist with a heavy 180 bpm. I managed to stay on the beat the entire time with my cadence but yet still managed to get into my target HR, with my interval pace averaging about 2 min/mile faster than my recovery pace all by changing my fall angle.

I totally didn’t believe her that I could raise my HR without raising my cadence, but that trial run proved it to me.

[theboss]

Thanks for asking! I had the same question. When I was working from home, I could easily run 6 days a week. But once I had to start commuting again, that dropped down to 4x a week, maybe 5x on a good week. Yet, still able to handle 40+mpw.

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