So this isn’t a blog post about my mood, high – low (and everything in between) although it could be, it’s a post about the high-low ultra training plan that I am working my way through on my quest to run my first 50km ultra marathon 🏃‍♀️.

So what is a high-low training plan?  Basically, you have one high mileage week (on), followed directly by a low mileage week (off). On, off, on, off, and so on.  The high mileage weeks are double long run weekends, and the low mileage weeks are double mid-distance run weekends.  And guess what, I love it ❤️.

What’s so great about this type of plan?  Any other marathon plan that I have done before has been about 3 weeks of building mileage and a cut back week.  I find those 3 weeks really intense, overwhelming, and tiring 😬.  I end up dreaming of the cut back week, and when it finally comes it is over before it began, and I’m straight back into another 3 week build.

With this High-Low plan, each high week is swiftly followed by a luxurious low week 😌.  I just have 7 days to get through, and then I can have a little break.  I’ve run some of my highest weekly mileage ever on this plan, with no injury, and no sense of worry.

What’s not in the plan? Well, the plan I am following has no suggestion on pace, specific sessions to hit, or any interval training.  At the start I revelled in running slow and flat, and just enjoyed building the mileage, with no stress.  I ran soft as much as possible, avoiding hard paths, and just aiming to hit the weekly mileage, injury free.

What have I changed?  As the plan builds the mid-week run builds up to 10 miles, and in the dark middle of winter 🌚, with working and homeschooling, a mid week 10 miler was just not an option for me.  I’ve started to focus on using my mid-week runs on speedier tempo runs or fartlek interval sessions, and I don’t worry about that mid-week 10 miler.  And I make sure that I hit the weekend runs ✅, in the correct order: Saturday longest, Sunday long-ish.  I don’t hit the plans weekly mileage, but I’m trying to prioritise the most important elements of the plan.

Any COVID related changes?  COVID has had an impact on two things, the first was the race date.  My race was pushed back about 6 weeks, and then brought forward a few weeks from that, so I’ve been jumping around the weekly schedule 🗓️ trying to figure out where I fit in.  It’s a bit stressful, but I’ve had enough notice to be able to rejig the training weeks to match the race week.

The other thing that COVID had an impact on was my ability to travel to some significant hills ⛰️ to get some elevation training in. We are supposed to stay local for exercise during the lockdown, so this means that I have been doing loops of Richmond Park.  But the hills in Richmond Park are the tiniest bumps on the course elevation map of the race.  With over 6,364 ft of elevation in the race, I was getting a bit worried that I was only hitting 500 ft elevation in my training runs 😱.  So to try and counter this I have been running hills reps my runs where ever I can.  I managed 2500 ft elevation on my last 26 mile training run, and while that is less than half the elevation on the course, it’s a fair sight better than just a measly 500 ft!

Am I ready? Well, I have a few more weeks of training to go, with one more high mileage week, followed by 2 weeks of taper, and then it is race day 📍.  I have no idea what it will be like.  They say everyone walks the hills, but do they really, or will I be at the back of the pack.  What if I get lost 🗺️?  What if I can’t tough it out mentally 🤯?  What if I get hurt while out there?  What if I don’t finish?  But I’ve been training for so long now, and ran so many miles, I’m just going to give it a go, and see what happens.

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Race: Sussex Endurance Life Ultra

When: 17th April 2021 (originally, 20th March, then 1st May)

Distance: 34.1 Miles

Elevation: 6,364 ft

Training Plan: Ultra Ladies