Running
50 Mile First Finish
First 50-miler plan emphasizing big back-to-backs and fueling. 24 weeks, 5 to 6 runs a week.
- Distance
- 50 miles
- Length
- 24 weeks
- Runs per week
- 5–6
- Level
- Advanced
- Goal
- Finish
Who it's for
You run most days and are used to structured workouts. It is built to get you to the finish of a 50-mile race in good shape.
It is made for trails, not the road.
How the weeks work
It runs for 24 weeks with 5 to 6 runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 30 weeks, or tighten it to 22 if you are already fit.
The last 17 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- One long run a week that grows slowly. Run it easy; the time on your feet is the point.
- Back-to-back long runs on consecutive days, to practise running on tired legs.
- Longer efforts late in the week to get your legs used to holding form when they are tired.
Setting your paces
Start with a marathon-pace check run. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Making it stick
- Protect the key sessions. The easy running around them can move.
- Compare each benchmark with the last one and adjust your paces, up or down.
- Practise your race-day fuelling on long runs, not on race day.
