Relentless Forward Progress

Bryon Powell is a former Washington, DC, attorney who left his job to devote himself to running ultramarathons full time. He publishes the popular trail running and ultrarunning website iRunFar.com, and competes in ultras nationwide. His articles have also been published in Outside, Running Times, Trail Runner, Competitor, and UltraRunning. Bryon is a contributing editor at Trail Runner and is an advisory board member of the American Trail Running Association. He lives in Park City, Utah. As a runner, he has twice placed in the top ten at the Leadville 100 ('06 & '09), twice won the under-30 age group at the Western States 100 ('05 & '06), and was part of the first American team to place in the top three at Morocco's Marathon des Sables ('09).

The first practical guide to running races longer than 26.2 miles.

Acknowledgments 11Foreword by Eric Grossman 131 So You Want to Run an Ultramarathon! 19 What Is an Ultramarathon? 19 Why Run an Ultramarathon? 21 How to Use This Book to Run an Ultramarathon 23 Why Run an Ultra? by Krissy Moehl 252 The Building Blocks of Ultramarathon Training 29 Turn Up the Training Volume 29 Training Pace 29 Weekly Mileage 30 Increasing Weekly Mileage and the 10 Percent Rule 31 On the Long Run 33 Put Your Back into It: Back-to-Back Long Runs 35 Bonk Runs 36 The Need for Speed: Intervals, Fartleks, and Tempo Runs, Oh My! 37 The Need for Speed?: Why Speed Training Is Unnecessary for Ultramarathons, by Geoff Roes 40 Racing Far Is No Excuse for Training Slow, by Ian Torrence 43 Recovery 47 Tips for Recovery 49 Tapering 51 Ultra Cross Training, by Adam Chase 52 Burnout and Fear of Missing Out 55 Overreaching and Overtraining 56 Do You Need a Coach? 58 Conclusion 603 Training for Course Specifics 61 On Footing 61 Trails 62 Roads 63 Tips for Running a Road Ultra, by Michael Wardian 64 On Climbing 67 On Descending 69 Downhill Running in Ultras, by Dave Mackey 714 Using the Training Plans 75 Presumption of Training Background 75 Time Versus Mileage Versus Trail Mileage 76 Training Specificity 76 Speed Work 77 Intervals 77 Tempo Runs 79 No-Speed-Work Option 79 Rest 80 Tailor Your Training Plan 80 Days of the Week 80 Days Per Week 81 Altering Weekly Mileage 82 Jumping into the Deep End: Starting Training Plans at Week 5 83 Preparatory Races 84 Consistency Is Critical 84 Coach Yourself 855 Training for 50k, 50-Mile, and 100k Races 87 Modifications for Running Less than 50 Miles per Week 87 Training for a 50k Race 88 Option to Modify a Marathon Training Plan for a 50k Race 89 Training Plan for a 50k Race on 50 Miles per Week 91 Training Plan for a 50k Race on 70 Miles per Week 92 Training for 40-Mile to 100k Races 93 Training Plan for Races of 40 Miles to 100k on 50 Miles per Week 94 Training Plan for Races of 40 Miles to 100k on 70 Miles per Week 95 Training for Your First 50 Miler, by Dr. David Horton 966 Training for a 100-Mile Race 99 Training Plan for a 100-Mile Race on 50 Miles per Week 101 Training Plan for a 100-Mile Race on 70 Miles per Week 1027 Trail Running Basics 103 Life's Crooked Paths 103 Walking, Your New Best Friend 106 Lean on Me: Get a Boost From Trekking Poles 108 How to Walk Uphill 109 Staying Safe on the Trails 111 How to Fall 113 Does a Bear **** in the Woods? 116 For Men 116 For Women 116 Defecating in the Woods 117 Protect-A-Place, for the Places You Want to Protect Most: A New and Improved Formula for Running Trails Responsibly, by Dakota Jones 1198 Hydration and Electrolytes: Keeping the Glass Half Full 123 Fluid Loss 124 Electrolytes and Hydration 125 Table: Water-Electrolyte Balance, by Karl King 127 Monitoring Hydration 128 Hauling Your Hydration Source 129 Tips for Drinking on the Go 1309 Fueling the Fire: Nutrition and Ultras 131 General Notes on Nutrition 131 Feed the Habit: Long Run and Race Day Nutrition 133 Nausea 137 Fueling for Recovery 13910 No Pain, No Gain: Dealing with Injuries and Other Setbacks 141 Listen to Your Body 142 The Dish on Chafing 142 The Agony of De Feet 143 Blister Prevention by John Vonhof 145 Rhabdomyolysis and Kidney Failure 149 I Said, NSAIDs! 151 The Lean, by Scotty Mills 15211 Gear Up 155 Treat Your Feet Right 155 Benefits of Trail Shoes 156 Choosing a Shoe for the Trail 159 Light Up the Night 160 Getting Carried Away: Options for Hauling Gear 162 Get Me Outta Here: Navigation on the Trail 163 GPS Accuracy Tips 16612 Racing Ultramarathons 167 Choosing Your First Ultra 167 Setting Goals and Expectations 168 Pre-Race Preparations 170 Travel Plans 170 Race Research and Planning 170 Sample: My To-Do List for the 2009 Leadville 100 172 Support Crews 173 Pacers 175 Drop Bags 176 In-Race Strategy 177 Go Out Slow 177 Maintain an Even Effort 178 Mental Approaches to Race Day 179 Race Day Problem Solving 180 Across the Highland Sky: A Story of In-Race Management, by Eric Grossman 182 Aid Station Strategy 185 Have Fun! 18613 Environmental Conditions 187 The Heat Is On 187 Performance and Acclimation 187 Heat Performance and Acclimation, by William Henderson, MD 189 Tips for Beating the Heat 193 Hot-Weather Ultra Tips, by Jamie Donaldson 194 Heat Cramps, Heat Exhaustion, and Heatstroke 195 Avoid Being Low at High Altitude 196 The Effects of Altitude 197 Arriving and Acclimating at Altitude 198 High Altitude Pulmonary Edema and High Altitude Cerebral Edema 200 Chill Out with Cold-Weather Running 201 Clothing 202 Hydration, Fueling, and Other Tasks 203 Traction 204 Learning to Run in Cold Weather 204 Hypothermia, Frostnip, and Frostbite 20414 The Ultrarunning Community 207 Join the Ranks 207 Call for Feedback 209 Ultrarunning and the Internet 210 Ultrarunning as a Family Affair 211 Conclusion 212Afterword: The Sky Is No Limit by Meghan M. Hicks 213 Get Yer Adventure On 214 By Snowshoes We Endure 215 Fastpack It 217 Stage Races and the Art of Attrition 218 Dream It, Do It 220Appendix: Barefoot Running and Ultramarathons, by Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee 221 How Does Barefoot Running Help? 222 Baby-Step Your Way into Running Light and Free 223 Barefoot Benefits 226About the Author 230