Writing my 100k mountain ultramarathon training plan
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- Опубликовано: 24 янв 2024
- Sign up to my email list here to get the plan 😊🙏 chris-branch.ck.page/100k-plan
And here are some of the videos I mentioned in the video:
- See how I trained in the run-up to my first ultramarathon: • The Only 4 Runs You Need
- This is how I do my VO2 Max training: • Training for performan...
- If you want tips to run further, here's my top five: • 5 Reasons You Can't Ru...
- And lastly, here is my one-hundred-mile ultramarathon: • I Tried to Run 100-Mil...
Happy training 😊🙏 
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This is fantastic. Thanks for making it!
I'm so pleased it helps ☺️🙏
Really enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, I appreciate that ☺️🙏
Love this video man. So appreciate how clear you made this and how much detail you shared.
Thanks so much, and I'm so pleased it helped 😊🙏
Thanks for sharing this Chris. Great to hear how you're approaching your training. I've signed up for the same race and also don't live in the mountains so this was super useful!
Amazing! Say hi if you see me there. Best of luck with your training 😊🙏
Great video Chris thanks ..using your videos as motivation and a guide to working towards my first ultra.Just signed up for my first trail half marathon in Cheddar so looking forward to this ..keep them coming 👍
Amazing! Best of luck with that trail half. I bet it's a hilly one! 😂
Very good, detailed plan Chris 👏
Thanks so much 🙏
Thank you for this video. I will be revisiting your content regularly.
Thanks so much, I appreciate that 🙏😊
The views on those mountain runs are stunning! Another great video, thanks, Chris!
Thanks so much, James! 😊🙏
Thanks for sharing, the value of your videos for all of us is wonderful! The bigger YT numbers are definitely coming and you deserve them! I started running this past fall and I fell in love with the damn thing. I'm currently on the 9th week of a 20 week marathon program and I think I can see the benefits of a shorter program. Best of luck!!
Thanks so much! And it's tricky, we should feel tired in our training blocks - that's a sign that our body is adapting to the new stimulus, but there's a fine line between fatigue and burnout. I think with all the other craziness of life, I have crossed into burnout in the past. I wish you the best with it!
Great video thanks and super useful. I’m in a very similar boat with work, family and time limited. Also don’t live near any hills without a long drive. Great that you have put together your own plan. I’ve taken set race plans and juggled them around to suit my availability and back to back days are a winner 👍🏻
Yes, it's hard to get out on tired legs, but it creates such a good change and feels more efficient on time 😊🙏
Running my first ultra (50mile) in May and your videos have been great at giving me ideas for training. Cheers man
Thanks so much! I'm so pleased they're helping. Best of luck with your training 😊🙏
I'm happy to see this new series of videos about training!
I would love to watch some content about how to effectively manage the increase in running mileage while still incorporating strength training. For me, this is the toughest aspect.
Looking forward to seeing you in May at the UTS100! 😊
Hey Felipe! Great to hear from you!
And yes, it's definitely a tough aspect, but there's no way I'm sacrificing the strength this time ahead of UTS100. I think it's going to be key in getting me to the finish line this time
Hey Chris, all your tips and tricks are super useful for those of us that are completer’s not “competer’s”. I have signed up for my first 50klm and Al on an online training plan but just trying to maintain fitness until the ultra training block!!!! Also city dweller!!! Keep it up I have added in ALOT of your suggestions. Thanks Fish 🇦🇺
That's so kind of you to say, thanks so much! And I wish you the best for your first 50k - you'll love it ☺️🙏
Just found your channel and I love it. Some brilliant advice here. I going to have to go through the back catalogue. I'm currently training for my first 100km mountain ultra.
Thanks so much, that's very kind to say 😊🙏
Which ultra are you training for?
@ChrisBranch The Fellsman in the Yorkshire Dales. Not sure how many K's I should be getting in. Its hard to find time with work and kids.
Looks like a good plan mate. Hope the training goes well, staying injury free in the build up is the name of the game for me ☺️ signed up for the UTS100 too so might see you out there 🤘🏻
Amazing! It would be great to see you out there 👊 Best of luck with your training 🙏😊
Very good video and sharing how you develop your training plan. I am in a similar position to you and previously used those two books for my training plans. I've signed up for the Eiger trail 51km race in July and following Personal Best Program which is a MAF based. Will watch your progress with interest, especially the 4 runs/week to see how that helps you. Good luck with your training!
Amazing! I saw that Eiger race pop up on my feed and it instantly went on my bucket list. I will be there one day for sure! Best of luck with your training :)
I love your philosophy in developing your plan.
Thanks so much! I hope it helps 😊🙏
I've been doing zone 2 run training for Paris marathon since watching your videos. This will be my 10th marathon but all the others I went for time and feel awful after. This one I want to finish feeling good so will run it zone 2 all the way. I really like your video the only four runs you need and will add in the other 2 training sessions after my marathon because I'm doing the OMM in October. Will keep watching your progress as it inspires me to do better....Thanks
This sounds amazing! I bet it's a totally different experience in Paris. It's definitely fun to push for a fast time too, but it's so nice to enjoy the run in zone 2 and not get beaten up by it. Best of luck with your training ☺️🙏
Great insights here Chris, i think an interesting follow up video would be your approach to nutrition during this training block
Thanks so much! Funnily enough, I'm just editing (well, my editors are) a video to come out tomorrow about long-run nutrition. I also have a video planned about 'what I eat in a week' sort of thing, because for a long time I struggled to eat enough in a training block, and I've picked up a few tricks that I think could help people. That will be out soon 😊🙏
What a beautifully spoken man.
Thank you, I appreciate that 😊🙏
So glad i found this video. I'm 7 weeks out from my first 100k and this exactly the info i needed.
Amazing! I'm so glad it helped, and best of luck with your first 100k. It's exciting! 😊🙏
How'd it go?
Went great! Finished in 14 hours , took a lot of your advice thanks for reaching out
Just a few random thoughts. I looked at the cutoffs for UTS 100k. They seemed generous, but then I looked at the course profile and understand. One-third of the starters in your race last year DNF'd (which is the same ratio as a 100k I did last year with "only" 3500m of elevation, albeit in a tropical storm). At the race I did (also UTMB), the cut-offs were based on when you left the aid station, not when you arrived. I noticed that people (with crew) were spending what seemed like a lot of time at the aid stations, chatting and taking care of their feet. Also in the night, it became a death march through the dark (and rain). I hadn't done night time training and it was hard going over the wet, technical terrain. This is where I lost the most time, especially since it was far into the race and my printed-out race plan didn't match the distances showing on my watch, and I became disoriented/dispirited. Fortunately I had trained a lot on running muddy downhills and picked up time on those (except at night). Simon Guerard put out a video recently in which he distinguished "hill training" from "training for hills". I don't know UTS, but I bet that there was a lot of quad-trashing. Looking forward to more of your training story.
These are all great thoughts. And yes, Snowdonia is known for quad bashing 😂
Best of luck with your training 😊🙏
Thanks for this great video. I also write my own training plans built around some solid principles gained from some great runners and good books. I liked the point you made about length of time so to be peaking not burned out and I will think about that, and also what factors as a good base build, in my next plan for a 4 day stage event (total distance 48km/5400m elevation) in Nov this year. For future vlog ideas, I am interested in seeing what a plyometric workout would look like for you, especially as you say no equipment, quick and at home. Cheers.
Thanks so much! And it sounds like you have a solid plan yourself. I'll definitely get a plyo video out soon, but I will probably share little snippets sooner on Instagram before I end up making a long-form video about it, so follow me there too if you're on it (link in my bio of my channel). Best of luck with your training 😊🙏
This is a very well-thought-out training plan. My biggest problem, and I presume for so many type A ultra runners, is burnout and subsequent injury. I'll borrow some of your principles for my upcoming training block, which happens to be a 100K as well (albeit mostly flat).
Honestly, this has been my biggest problem in the past too! I'm now if the late stages of this plan, and I'm tired, but not burned out. I feel the best I've felt at this stage of the plan. Time will tell if I've trained enough for the big race ahead, but I'm enjoying the plan more than usual and I feel fit and strong. I hope it helps you too 😊🙏
Love the haircut 👌
Haha thanks 😂🙏
I'm a recovering "Expert Sitter"! 😂 Over a year into abstaining from excessive sitting, now.
Attempting an ultramarathon is a long way off for me, although I would love to get there in the future. Currently training for my first half-marathon, which I'm planning on being be a hilly trail adventure.
Thanks for the great videos, Chris. 👍
Well done on transitioning from being an expert sitter! And that sounds like a wonderful adventure you will have. Best of luck with your training 😊🙏
Great content as always Chris, and very useful for me as I am tackling my first 50k in May (previous longest distance is a half marathon.) Nice TWSBI by the way - I swear we have the same taste in coffee, pens, hobbies… 😂
Love it! Congratulations on booking your first 50k, I really hope your training is going well.
And I wondered if anyone would notice the TWSBI You're the first 😂
PS. I just looked at your channel. I can play Romance anónimo on the guitar too 😂 - this is getting eerie..
Your videos are slowly becoming my favourite 'running' content here on RUclips. Great to see how a runner with some experience goes about training. I'm a complete noob (occasionally go for a 5k) but I signed up for a 25km trail run with 800m of elevation at the end of August. Then a marathon mid October :D. From the research I've done so far it seems that zone 2 training is the best, at least to start out with (and to keep the baseline), would you have any other tips for someone like me? 23 years old male in a decent physical shape in case it matters :)
Thanks so much, that's very kind of you to say 😊🙏
you're right, zone 2 is a great place to start, and you will quickly be able to build your distance that way. It's important to bring in some speed work too, but that can come a bit down the line (or now if you feel ready). Have you seen my 'Only 4 runs you need' video? (I'll link it below). That outlines the structure you could follow, although right now you would reduce the mileage a bit. It sounds like you've got a great year of running ahead of you 😊🙏
ruclips.net/video/T046gAm3ZgU/видео.htmlsi=6Kt9bZ__NtXCF9oz
@@ChrisBranch Thanks for the fast reply, I'll take a look at the video! Will try and keep the updates coming as I progress through the year, looking forward to new videos :)
Thanks for sharing Chris. Do you have/are you planning on doing a Plyo Strength follow along vid?
Definitely! Im scripting it now and it will be out soon 😊🙏
Awesome video and great info and this helps me out so much. How did you create your spreadsheet?
Thanks so much, I'm glad it helped! I just wrote it based on what I have learned in the past from other programs, but tailored it to my life at the mo.
Very interesting, thank you! I love making my own training plans and have been trying to perfect one for me over my first few ultras.
I'm interested in any strategies you have for keeping yourself on the plan? As I tend to start well but then have a wobble.
My only strategy is to book a race that scares me! 😂
I think we all have a tendency to drift back to our comfort zone, this is normal. The only thing that keeps me pushing outside my comfort zone, and to stick to the plan when I start to get tired, is the knowledge that I have to do a monstrous race at the end of it.
There are other tactics, like chatting to my wife each Sunday and figuring out our respective training for the week ahead so we know how we're going to fit it around the family (and get held accountable!).
But, other than that, it's _fear_ that keeps me on it 🤦♂️😂
Hi Chris, love the calmness and structure to your videos which i'm sure will serve you well in the mountains. Are you planning on the UTS 100k bulding on the 50 last year?
Thank you so much, I appreciate that. And yes, UTS100 this year. The 165 still feels utterly ridiculous to me and too much of a monster, but the 100k gives me that nervous excitement that I think is a mark of a worthy challenge. Are you running it?
Yep I am - its my 1st 100k mountain ultra so a bit of uncertainty that the training will be sufficient to get me through. My goals are similar - don't break on top of the glyders! I live in the south and have access to the southdowns so there are some small hills and I'm basing a lot of my training on elevation gain via these. I've done a recce in September which sufficiently horrified me. I'm a GP so fitting in runs much like yourself can be tricky and so improtant to make the most of the time available. I've downloaded your plan - very kind of you to share @@ChrisBranch
@@themallard78 haha that's funny about the recce 😂🤦♂. I've heard that the second climb up to the GLyders is brutal. I haven't done that section going the other side of Pen-y-Pass - we drop down the other way in the 50k.
I haven't done a mountain 100k either. I'm hoping my experience in the 50k, smooshed together with my experience in the Track 100-miler should land somewhere in the middle and get me to the finish line 🤞
Best of luck with your training and say hi if you see me on the day 🙏
Great videos and I can't wait to see your plan. I'm interested in your view of the double run weekend.
As a single father, every other weekend is busy with hanging out with my daughter. What are your thoughts on a double run every other week, replacing a long run every week?
This sounds like a great alternative. We all have to do our best while juggling the realities of life, and I'm sure this will be fine. Best of luck with your training 👊
Love the video, making training work for your life important to keep it consistent. I am training for my first ultra in May, on my 35th bday 😬😅 the Keys100.
My question is, in regards to race specific conditions. It will be hot, it will be humid, what is the best way to help acclimate to heat outside if the sauna, and when do you think I should implement heat training into my routine. I dont want to start too early bc the way I see it heat adds HR and I feel like I need to focus on zone 2 slow runs the most right now. I am running 5 days a week right now with only one “hard” day(speed repeats). Any advice is much appreciated
Thanks so much! And that's super exciting about your race. I must admit, I'm no expert when it comes to heat acclimatisation. When I see pro athletes I follow on Instagram get ready for hot races, they tend to get there 3 weeks before the race, do a bit of intensity and then do their taper there, but that's as much as I know. Sorry I can't be more help! 😊🙏
Great video and content Chris. Newly subscribed. As someone who has run ultras for the last few years, I am interested to know how you adjust your plan or tackle training if you have two, three or more events booked throughout a season and there is only 4-6 weeks between events.. do you drop the training down after a winter of aerobic work or do you have a strategy to keep up training between races. Thanks again, Mike
Hi Mike, thanks so much, I appreciate that.
With races, I always start with having clear goals. My top level goal is that I want to have adventures, but I also want to look after my long-term health. What this means is that when I'm planning my year, I only have one or two 'A-races' a year, and if I've got two, they will be spread out. So I will never find myself, for example, having two monster races 6 weeks apart because it doesn't feel right for me in terms of managing my long term health. I know lots of people do many big races a year, but I like to have a bit more space between the biggies.
Therefore, I will have my other races as training. Then they fit fairly neatly into my training plan and it really helps to have them 4 - 6 weeks before the big ones.
I'm probably not being very helpful here if you're asking how I manage having two big A-races close together because I just don't do it 🤦♂️😂
And in answer to your last point, I definitely have an off-season and spend a bit more time on aerobic work and strength training. Again, this ties in with my long term health goals, and it gives me a buffer of strength before getting into my next ultra block where I might lose some. This means that my training volume dips a bit as well and I have to start a block a bit lower than where I left off. But it's coming back quicker now I'm a couple of years into it.
I'm not sure how helpful that is? Either way, I wish you the best with your training 😊🙏
Awsome videos mate can you tell us after a run do you get any soreness in any parts of your body and how do you work through it.thanks keep up the great work
Thanks so much! I get a little achey, and I just do all the usual things; foam roll, massage gun, stretch, end-range strength training etc. ... as I was typing that I realised it might not be that usual! I do spend quite a bit of time each week looking after myself, but it's become quite natural for me now. This video might be a good place to start: ruclips.net/video/4Lh_xL9-I-0/видео.htmlsi=8RxYbQ1QiFv_uvp2
@@ChrisBranch thanks so much for getting back fellow a few people but no one seems to put content on pulling up after a run with sore muscles.keep up the great work 💯
Hi Chris, really enjoying your videos and a great insight. I am planning my first 50km this year. What does your plyo workout look like as you said you do it at home with no equipment?
Thanks so much! I will definitely be making a video about this. I will probably share little snippets sooner on Instagram though before I end up making a long-form video about it, so follow me there too (link in my bio of my channel) 😊🙏
Just subscribed love the channel!! Considering training for my first ultra - I’ve run a marathon and had a knee injury which has been lingering. How would you advise training for an ultra with a problematic knee when running by at higher volumes (I increased my mileage too fast last time)
Great content brother!!
Thanks so much for your kind words!
And in answer to your knee pain question, two words: strength training!
You won't run your way out of pain (well, actually, you might, but that's another story), but you can strengthen your way out of pain.
I finished filming a video today about strength training, it will go live next week, and I have plenty more to come. Also watch this: ruclips.net/video/wP_hRfdZvxE/видео.htmlsi=b1zz9hQmJMjsRT8q
😊💪
Such great advice. I actually started strength training after the injury and it helped but then I fell off and went back to just running. Now I’m dealing with it again lol - I started strength training again a month ago so hoping it will help. Keep making
Great content!
Regarding questions surrounding the training block/ preparation:
I notice that my overall endurance transcends my physique; I wear down easier than my endurance fails. Any tips surrounding strength training etc..?
Totally! I've had plenty of questions around this, and I'm putting something together soon 😊🙏
Great video! 🎉 im running a 100k in a few months, How many miles per week do you run in preperation for that ?
And I want to hear your thoughts on the mileage per week, How much does it matter? And How to set it up, more but shorter runs or fewer but longer. Ive Done both and might stick to the later.
Keep pushing! 😊
I've started to train more for time than for mileage, and I even think of my races in time. My 100k in the mountains is probably going to take the same amount of time as my hundred-miler on the track, so I just need to be someone who can keep moving for that long.
As for your final question, I honestly think both would work. I was chatting to someone in my Track100 who doesn't do any training, but that was his 23rd hundred-miler that year (in October) - that's basically one every two weeks! I'm not saying that's optimal, but it's evidence that doing a massive run quite frequently and less smaller runs works. Having said that, every plan I have seen online takes the approach where you run most days with one long run a week. Maybe it's worth you experimenting and seeing what works best for you - that's what I'm doing with this plan 🙏😊
@@ChrisBranch Thank you Chris! appreciate the answer 💪
Thanks for another great video. I was interested in your comments about shorter training plans as I don't know what to do. I signed up for my first ultra (100k), happening in Sept 2024 and found a 26 week training plan. Then I got a bit over enthusiastic and started it 10 months before the event. Now I'm at week 9 and I'm not even supposed to start until March. Do I start again from week 1 in March and go right back to much lower mileage? Am I likely to suffer burn out if I don't? Appreciate any comments.
Thanks so much!
And I just looked back to the beginning of my 100-mile training plan written by 80/20 running, and it wasn't until week 7 that it programmed more than a 'normal' week for me. I think if you feel fine where you are, maybe just hang out with that volume for a while, focus on strength training and build a buffer of strength, and then pick it back up at the point at which you cross into week 10. We can still have a good baseline fitness outside our plans, and you can cope with that fine (arguably even better!) if you are consistent 😊🙏
Hi Chris, been following your plan and it appears to be working like a dream, thanks a million. My event is coming up in a couple of weeks and I wonder if you’d share some thoughts on the leap from training to a 100k event. Longest training run is 4 hours, the event could take 4? 5? times longer than that. Does Adrenalin fill in the gap in the day? If you had any reflections I’d love to hear them. Thanks again.
This is a hard thing to cope with mentally, but you just have to trust that the plan has got you to a point where you can cope with it on the day. By increasing your weekly mileage, being consistent, and increasing your long run distance, you have it in you to cover the 100k. The main thing to focus on when in the race is pacing and nutrition. Hopefully you have figured out your 'go all day' HR in other races, and use that as a guide to manage pacing, and have a watch of my long-run nutrition video for tips there. The training you're doing is enough, and then it comes down to pacing and nutrition on the day. I hope that helps 😊🙏
Typically generous thoughts, thanks Chris. I’ll let you know how it goes. (Repeats to self - pacing and nutrition, pacing and nutrition …)
Hi Buddy, fab video actually helping me train so well for my 2nd Ultra which is a 50miler. What pace do you run in your recovery runs, is this Z2 or Z1? Keep the vids coming
Thanks so much for your comment! My recovery runs are low zone 2. Nice and easy 👌😊
@@ChrisBranch Thank you Chris, last Q sorry. How long 'Time' do you do your recovery run for?
@@stefanlaing2802 it depends what stage in the an I am - at the beginning it's about 40 minutes, but towards the end it might be an hour. It's relative to the rest of my weekly volume 👍
@@ChrisBranch thanks for much for your advise Chris
Thanks for sharing your training plan Chris. I see that your workouts are either “hard” or “easy” I don’t see any tempo work in there. Is there a reason for this? Keep up with the videos mate. I find them very informative 😊
Thanks so much! And yes, when dropping down to just 4 runs a week, I thought the tempo was the one I could sacrifice. Having said that, I was actually pondering this topic this morning when out for my run, and I reflected that last year I did quite a bit of my tempo on the stair climber in the gym. Maybe what I could do is half an hour of stairclimber tempo after my heavy strength on Wednesdays 🤢
If I was going to drop a workout it would probably be the VO2 max as it is the least specific to the race. I enjoy my tempo runs though so I may be a little biased 😊
Or maybe as you get closer to the event swap the VO2 max for tempo?
@@user-ln6sf8uc6z I definitely see your point. Maybe my ego is at play here because I got sick in December with the flu and my VO2 Max dropped 3 points 😂. I also may have a bias because I love those hard 4-min runs for VO2 max training. I love tempo too, though... so we'll see what happens. I'll certainly be sharing any updates as the plan unfolds 😊🙏
my training "plan" is walk up lots of hills at weekends.
I wish I had more hills near me! 😂
Good watch. Just putting my 100k block together as well. What one are you going to do?
Thanks so much. I'm signed up for UTS100. How about you?
@@ChrisBranch I was debating that one. Look amazing. On my list for sure. I elected for the easier Ultra Challenge Lake District as a pre cursor for Ring o Fire round Anglesey at the end of August.
@@lukeburdon they both look great too! Best of luck 🙏
When runners talk about burnout, do you mean regarding motivation or does the body get too tired to continue?
I have the latter problem. I overtrained. My motivation is unbreakable :)
Haha, most of us who are addicted to running don't have a problem with the motivation either 😂
Here, when I say 'burnout', I'm talking more about physiological fatigue. I've suffered with it before from too much training, work, family, and general life busyness, but I seem to be doing okay on this plan 😊🙏
I have two kids both young and I find getting out for more than 2 hours hard, how do you schedule that in? I am also doing UTS 25k this year
I would love to say there's an easy way to fit it in amongst all the chaos of family life, but there's not.
I've tried different models. I tried doing it on Sundays before taking the kids to sport. This meant that as my runs got longer, I ended up setting the alarm for 4am and heading out before 5.
I've now changed my work around so I can fit it in on Fridays which helps.
Double-days are also very effective. Say, 10k in the morning and evening.
Best of luck with your training and I hope you have a fantastic day with UTS ☺️🙏
Plyo days ?? What exactly do you mean
Plyometric training is where you do short, very explosive movements to target fast-twitch fibres. It's great for building resilience in connective tissues too. I'll make a whole video explaining this soon 😊🙏
@@ChrisBranch tnx, waiting for your videos👍