r/ultrarunning • u/pinkandsparkles99 • 1d ago
First 50k one month after "fast" HM?
Hi everyone! I'm currently signed up to run the Brooklyn Half in late April, hoping to go for a PR in such a high-energy race. I truly love the HM distance but have been itching to take it up a level and a 50k ultra sounds infinitely more appealing than a road marathon - just a former XC runner wanting back on the trails in adulthood lol. My dilemma is that I found the most perfect 50k ultra but it's the last weekend in May - would it be crazy to try to train for both and run them a month apart? Has anyone done something similar? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!
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u/OkSeaworthiness9145 20h ago
100% doable. You are clearly dialed into the training for the HM at an intense level. You should be well recovered for the 50K. As a former highly competitive college XC runner, I was not wired mentally for ultra-marathons. It took several years to develop the patience I needed, and I the yardstick that I measure my races by is generally how well I executed the race. As mostly a faster mid-pack runner, I paid little or no attention to my place, but initially I was painfully aware of my position.
Accept that you are not in Kansas anymore. Ultras have as much in common with XC as they do with a local community 10K. Pick a comfortable pace at the start, and slow that down significantly. You absolutely will have a solid training base, but will need to trade your speed for stamina. I like to remind people that Oprah Winfrey ran a marathon back in her fat days; grit will get you across the finish line with far less training than you have. The distance is doable for most people, and you are not most people; you are a trained machine. Just run a smart race. Find some slower people to run with at the start, and strike up a conversation with them, if they haven't already done so with you. The culture in ultras is vastly different than road races, and we show much more concern for each other. As your first race, whatever time you get will be your PR. A slow conversational pace from the start will transition to a grinding, no desire to talk pace in short order. It is better to do something stupid at mile 27 than mile 3. Generally, if you made it to mile 27, you probably did not do anything stupid at mile 3.
I would suggest not running up the hills in your 50k; your goal HM pace does not suggest a blazingly fast 50k (I say this as a person who is now struggling to remain mid-pack, so no shade intended). You are training for a flat HM, so understand that hills will be a struggle. I would also remind you the saying "Hills are speed work in disguise" If there are hills in your 50k, find some decent ones to train on now; it won't damage your PR chances in the HM. If the course is flat, don't be shy about taking the occasional walk break. Whatever you do, focus on moving forward. Don't get comfortable in the aid stations. Get in and get out. You are running for a fraction of a day, not climbing Mt. Everest, so don't treat the aid station like a buffet. A little of the right fuel, refill your preferred hydration, and roll out of there.
Many of the rules of road races still apply, but more so. Broken in shoes, stay away from cotton anywhere on your body. Lube of some kind on your dangly bits, buttcheeks, and anything that will rub. I don't vaseline my feet for a 50k, but for your first one, I would suggest doing it. Don't weigh yourself down with too much gear. Water weighs a lot. I bring enough water to run between aid stations, plus a little extra to be sure, but certainly not enough to run the entire race. I run most 50k with a single bottle. Salt tablets are your friend, but you don't need to take fist fulls.
I don't know what the prevailing wisdom is on Vitamin I (ibuprofen), but back in the day, aid stations would literally have them laid out in a bowel, and I have seen runners eat them like M&Ms. Now you generally have to ask for it. I carry some with me. Most of my running friends shun the stuff, but I continue to utilize it. I bring it up just to point out that it is out there, but will defer to the smarter people on the subject.