Sean Blanton of Run Bum Tours Discusses Training for Your First Ultra Marathon
Tags: Sean Blanton, Ultramarathon, Training, Running

Perhaps on the biggest feats of endurance in the sport of long distance racing are ultra marathon races. An ultra marathon, also known as an ultra distance or ultra running can be defined as any race longer than a traditional marathon distance of 26 miles. The most common ultra marathon distances are 31.01 miles, 62.14 miles, and 100 miles, however, there have been ultra marathons with distances that exceed even 100 miles. Sean Blanton, race director of Run Bum Tours, a Southeast U.S. ultra marathon race hosting company and life long endurance athlete, has met a wide variety of athletes during his many years of Ulta marathon racing. At any Run Bum Tour race you can find people from all over the world, of all genders, ages, and skill levels participating in the race for the love of the sport. With or without previous racing experience, Sean Blanton encourages those who wish to participate in a ultra marathon to believe in themselves, and begin training for their first race. Today, Sean Blanton of Run Bum Tours will share how to train for an Ultra Marathon in a safe, responsible manner.

It is essential to give yourself the proper amount of time before a race to train and gradually increase your training distances. Depending on experience level and current fitness, it is best that racers begin training 4–6 months before a race to allow enough time to properly train. If, for example, a racer is training for a 50 mile ultra marathon scheduled for August, the racer should be able to run the length of the race during two consecutive days in June.

When training for an ultra marathon, it is important to remember that safety, finishing, and having fun are more important than time. Amateur racers should try not to focus on finish time. If a racer pushes themselves too hard during training while trying to achieve a time goal, they may injure themselves and not be able to participate in the race. For this reason, if a racer feels they need to take a rest day, they are encouraged to give their body a rest. Rest days greatly help to reduce the likelihood of a runner’s knee and other training injuries. When creating a training schedule racers should incorporate back-to-back runs two days a week, two “easy” run days, and leave at least 2 rest days open.

Many new racers find it helpful to train with a racing partner to help them stay on track and accountable. This fellow racer can either be another newbie or an experienced ultra marathon runner, but should have a similar running pace. If possible, racers should train on terrain similar to the terrain the race will be on. This is especially true regarding ultra marathon trail training For example, if the race will primarily include dry, hilly terrain, it is best to not train on pavement. Try to plan accordingly and discuss with your partner a realistic and attainable training schedule.

Sean Blanton stresses that training for an ultra marathon will be a challenge both physically and mentally. Many people, often newcomers, will begin the ultramarathon training process with the same mindset as training for a classic marathon. This can often backfire on racers who may believe the training process to be too difficult. It is essential that racers view an ultra marathon as an extreme physical challenge that will require the utmost resolve and mental endurance.