New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today.
If you’re feeling ultra-curious, you’re in luck: Longtime coach and author David Roche put together this easy-to-follow beginner 50K training plan to help you get there safely and successfully.
50K Training Plan Overview
Starting with 20 miles per week, you’ll put in a lot of time focusing on easy runs—the bread and butter of any good plan— while peppering in some longer runs on weekends and some strides and intervals during the week as well.
Running strides—short bursts of power that last around 30 seconds—are one of Roche’s top tools for success, since they help build speed without straining your body too much. Since trail runs are a lot different than road marathons, Roche also believes in spending at least one or two runs per week on the trails.
Workouts should be done on the road or on a flat rail trail, but trying to find trails similar to what you’ll see on race day for those long weekend runs will help you head to the start line feeling totally prepared.
And the last major component of his plan is hill work—that’s right, both uphill and downhill. Trail 50Ks are much different than the same distance on-road, and it’s extremely rare to find a flat one. Show up prepared by making sure you’re following Roche’s prescriptions for hill workouts and incorporating some hillier trails for those long runs. Your quads will thank you when you’re hitting the first climb of the race course.
Make sure you’re fueling your efforts the same way you plan to fuel during your race: most ultrarunners will run wearing a hydration pack or vest, or at the very least, will be carrying a 20-ounce water bottle and some gels. Training your gut is just as important as training your legs! But at the end of the day, Roche’s only real requirement is simple: That you love what you’re doing, and have fun doing it! As The Happy Runner, you don’t need to grin every second of every run, or high five everyone you see, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to crack a smile or offer a fist-bump to a passing jogger.
RELATED: Why Runners Should Treat Winter as a Training Tool
16-Week 50K Ultra Training Plan
| Week | Mon | Tues | Weds | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | Miles |
| 1 | Rest | 3 mi easy | 4 mi easy | 3 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 6 mi easy on trails | 4 mi easy on trails | 20 |
| 2 | Rest | 4 mi easy | 4 mi easy | 4 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 8 mi easy on trails | 4 mi easy on trails | 24 |
| 3 | Rest | 4 mi easy | 2 mi easy, 4 x 30 sec hills hard with 90 sec easy recovery, 2 mi easy | 4 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 10 mi easy on trails | 4 mi easy plus 4 x 30 sec hills | 28 |
| 4 | Rest | 3 mi easy | 2 mi easy, 4 x 30 sec hills hard with 90 sec easy recovery, 2 mi easy | 3 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 6 mi easy on trails | 4 mi easy plus 4 x 30 sec hills | 22 |
| 5 | Rest | 4 mi easy | 2 mi easy, 8 x 30 sec hills hard with 90 sec easy recovery, 2 mi easy | 4 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 10 mi easy on trails | 6 mi easy on trails with 4 x 30 sec fast/2 min easy | 30 |
| 6 | Rest | 4 mi easy | 2 mi easy, 10 x 30 sec fast (think mile effort), 1 min easy. 2 mi easy | 4 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 10 mi easy on trails (on easy runs, you can push if you feel good) | 6 mi easy on trails plus 4 x 20 sec hills | 33 |
| 7 | Rest | 5 mi easy with 4 x 20 sec fast/2 min easy | 2 mi easy, 10 x 1 min fast/1 min easy. 2 mi easy (think 5K to start, more effort to finish) | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 12 mi easy on trails (30 min hard effort in middle around 1-hour effort) | 6 mi easy on trails plus 6 x 20 sec hills | 35 |
| 8 | Rest | 5 mi easy with 4 x 20 sec fast/1 min easy | 2 mi easy, 8 x 2 min fast/1 min easy. 2 mi easy (think 10K to start, more effort to finish) | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 14 mi easy on trails (work the downhills) | 6 mi easy on trails plus 6 x 20 sec hills | 38 |
| 9 | Rest | 5 mi easy with 4 x 20 sec fast/40 sec easy | 2 mi easy, 3 x 1 min hills hard with 2 min easy recovery, 5 men easy, 15 in mod (think 10K effort), 2 min easy | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 10 mi easy on trails (30 min hard effort in middle around 1-hour effort) | 6 mi easy on trails with 4 x 30 sec fast/2 min easy | 33 |
| 10 | Rest | 5 mi easy with 4 x 20 sec fast/2 min easy | 2 mi easy, 2 x 8 min fast/3 min easy (think 1-hour effort), 2 mi easy with 4 x 30 sec fast/2 min easy | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 16 mi easy on trails (work the downhills) | 6 mi easy on trails with 4 x 30 sec fast/2 min easy | 39 |
| 11 | Rest | 5 mi easy with 6 x 20 sec fast/2 min easy | 2 mi easy, 5 x 3 min hills hard with 3 min easy recovery. 2 mi easy | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 20 mi easy on trails (1 hour moderate effort in middle around marathon effort) | 8 mi easy on trails with 4 x 30 sec fast/2 min easy | 45 |
| 12 | Rest | 2 mi easy, 20 min moderate (think 1-hour effort), 2 miles easy with 4 x 30 sec fast/30 sec easy | 5 mi easy | Rest | 2 mi easy in a.m. | 35K pushing a bit on trails (can be a training race). Practice fueling and work downhills. This will be tough and make you question life decisions | Pizza! | 35 |
| 13 | Rest | 5 mi easy with 4 x 30 sec fast/2 min easy | 2 mi easy, 6 x 3 min fast (think 1-hour effort to start, more effort to finish) with 1 min easy recovery, 2 mi easy | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 10 mi easy on trails (30 min moderate effort around half marathon effort in middle). Work all downhills | 6-10 mi easy on trails plus 8 x 30 sec hills | 43 |
| 14 | Rest | 5 mi easy plus 4 x 20 sec hills | 2 mi easy, 5 x 3 min hills hard with 3-4 min easy recovery, 2 mi moderate | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 16 mi easy on trails | 6 mi easy on trails plus 4 x 30 sec hills | 36 |
| 15 | Rest | 5 mi easy | 2 mi easy, 20 min hard on trails, 2 mi easy. Have fun with it and get comfortable with discomfort | 5 mi easy | Rest or cross train | 10 mi easy on trails (20 min mod effort around half marathon effort in middle) | 5 mi easy, plus 4 x 30 sec hills | 31 |
| 16 | Rest | 2 mi easy, 15 mins moderate (think marathon effort to start, faster in last 5 mins), 2 miles easy | 3 mi easy | Rest | 2 mi easy in a.m. | 50K! Start easy, fuel lots, smile more, and celebrate no matter what happens | Pizza! |