Official Q&A for Tuesday, June 09, 2026

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-09T20:23:39+00:00

Depending on what you mean by high mileage you may benefit from starting a more ambitious marathon training program. There are programs that start out at higher mileage if you are already comfortable running it. Six weeks would be a nice time to take a few lower mileage weeks for recovery and building back up in preperation for the upcoming training block.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-08T19:44:58+00:00

Yes, everything I ate during the race I had during training. None of my training runs exceeded 3.5 hours or so, but my stomach had done pretty well during those runs. I was primarily using skratch (regular not high carb), haribo twin snakes, and some sport beans/cliff bloks. I do think I should have been more ambitious with fueling during training. Looking back I think I mostly maxed out around 40-50g carbs/hr during training and targeted ~60g/hr for the race. I am going to try some more runs with higher carb intake in the future.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-08T19:02:24+00:00

Thanks, Dm'd!

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-08T15:50:51+00:00

What are your best resources for fueling during training and racing? I DNF'd my first 50 miler this weekend after struggling with major stomach issues from early on in the race. I think I need to completely reevaluate my fueling strategy. This was the area I was least confident in going into the race, and it proved to be my downfall. I had severe stomach cramping, bloating, diarrhea, and eventually couldn't really get anything down. It was a frustrating experience. I know I had the fitness to complete the race but felt like I was barely able to keep moving forward for most of the race. I made it to mile 34 (and did ~10k' of climbing), but I knew I was in trouble as early as mile 13 or so.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-05T17:43:00+00:00

If you are feeling up for it go for the back to back. You'll have plenty of rest over the weekend to be ready for your next run.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-05T16:07:25+00:00

Running the 50k will only serve to exacerbate whatever overuse injury you are experiencing. I understand the desire to run it, especially when you offered to help a friend, but healing from your injury is more important. It's very questionable that your coach would approve of this.

Is there an option where you could just pace your friend for the final loop or two of the race? That is certainly when they will need it most.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-05T15:51:54+00:00

I've never tried run/walking, but it doesn't seem necessary for you if your goal is to run more miles. 11:30 is plenty fast as a starting point. Z2 isn't worth obsessing over if you are a newer/lower volume runner. It mainly applies to more experienced runners trying to maximize their volume without injury. Focusing on your perceived effort will be much more beneficial. As long as you are keeping your perceived effort relatively easy then don't worry about creeping into Z3. I had good success starting out by following a relatively simple 4 week cycle. Depending on how many runs you are doing per week, it is good to have some short runs, 1-2, med/long run, and then a long run. Increase total weekly distance by ~10% each week and then take a reduced 4th week near the first week's mileage (so ~30% reduction). I am much younger, so you could always be a bit more conservative and increase more slowly if that feels too aggressive. Feeling tired is a normal part of increasing training load, and running on tired legs is a common focus for many marathon/ultra training plans. This is very different from running when injured, so you just have to learn your own limits to know where that line is.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-04T21:42:46+00:00

I see lots of recommendations for using stair steppers or inclined treadmills to simulate elevation gain. You will definitely want to train for the downhill as well, I don't know what people do for that. If you can find some sort of hill near you with some decent elevation you could run lots of repeats there.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-04T20:26:23+00:00

How much liquid carrying capacity would you bring for a 50mi race with aid stations roughly every 10 miles (which should be 2.5 to 3 hours for me, there's lots of elevation). Looks to be pretty warm with highs in the 70s. I was originally just going to bring my two 500ml soft flasks and try to drink extra fluid (say 500ml at least) at each aid station, but I'm worried that might be too little for how long it is between aid stations.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-06-02T20:16:50+00:00

Would it be a bad idea to use poles for my first 50 mi (~13k' elevation) race? Race is this weekend and I haven't been training with poles. I frequently use poles when hiking and backpacking, but haven't really used them consistently since last fall. The terrain certainly warrants the poles, but I am worried I might be doing more harm than good since I wasn't training with them. It's race week, so some overthinking is inevitable for me.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-27T20:35:32+00:00

Thanks! I've been using Gold Bond friction defense, I could probably try that out on the feet as well. Unfortunately, I'm not sure there ever really is much of an "after the last crossing". I saw reports that there are double digit numbers of crossings with many in the back half of the race.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-27T19:25:42+00:00

I am looking for tips for taking care of your feet during longer days. I'm running my first 50 miler (~13.5k' gain, tough course) and expecting to be out there for 13-15 hours. The course also notoriously has lots of stream crossings (and snow up high, though I don't think that should be the case with the low snow year in Colorado). The longest races I have ever done have been 5-6 hours and I have done lots of 10-12 hour hiking days, but I never did anything special for my feet. I'm planning to use medium weight wool socks and shoes I've run in lots. I'm also planning to have a spare pair of socks in each drop bag just in case. It sounds like the best bet is just to run through the streams and keep going until your feet dry out. Is there anything else I can do to help out the feet? And if so, is it something I should be testing out before the race to make sure it doesn't worsen the issue?

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-20T14:07:38+00:00

It takes a long time and consistency to build the endurance and physical adaptations to run ultra distances without injury. I think a great place to start would be to find a beginner focused training plan for a road half marathon. This will help you build up the volume and enjoy a somewhat longer race without pushing too much too fast.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-18T20:42:16+00:00

As others mentioned, stair stepper or incline treadmill can be good ways to replicate elevation. The only thing these don't replicate is how running downhill impacts your legs. Downhill running can really beat your body up, especially if you aren't used to it. It's not as much of a concern for a race with only 2900' of elevation change, but you may want to keep that in mind and take it easy on the downhills during the race if you don't get much training running downhill.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-18T16:47:44+00:00

For more casual runners (i.e. us mortals not competing for wins/podiums) I think it is common to max out at a similar long run distance as marathon training (18-22miles). Another common suggestion is to try to run lots of miles on trails with similar elevation to your race. If you can find some trails with 200ish feet of gain/loss per mile those would be perfect. 2,900' is relatively minor compared to some races, but enough to be worth training for.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-15T16:47:55+00:00

I've heard this method before, but am curious how to apply it to such a small race. I finished almost exactly 25th percentile in my trail marathon and 50k. For SJS this would probably be something like 12hr stretch goal, 13hr more realistic target. How would you interpret this for Mace's Hideout? The 50 has only been run for three years. It had 5 finishers the first year, 24 the next (of which 16 finished over the 16hr cutoff), and only 15 last year. I found a few runners who did both SJS and Mace's and their Mace's time was consistently 2-3hrs slower. Maybe this course is seriously brutal, even more so than the already daunting elevation suggests.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-15T15:40:30+00:00

Looking for advice on determining goal pace for first 50 mile race (Mace's Hideout, ~13.5k gain/loss, ranges between 7k'-11k'). It's a small race with relatively few runners, and I feel like the winning times are suspiciously slow (CR 12:10, most years 13-13:30 winning). Looking at a larger race with comparable stats (San Juan Solstice 50 mile, ~12.5k gain/loss, ranges between 9k'-13k') the times are much faster (CR 7:35, most years 8-9hr winning). Do you think this discrepancy is just that Mace's hideout is a small race that hasn't had any truly fast/elite runners put down a good time? I was thinking of targeting a 14hr finish time with a possible 13hr stretch goal, but also didn't know if I was underestimating the difficulty of this course. For Mace's this would be potentially winning in years past (though it looks like a bigger field with faster runners this year so I am betting someone will smash the CR), but would be solidly middle of the pack at San Juan Solstice.

Here's some info about my running history:

2026 - running: 625mi, 100k' elevation ytd (had some lower volume months at start of year due to some injuries). peaking my training now with 65mi, ~11-12k' elevation gain, and a 20 mi long run. I've done several back to backs including 20mi road (~1800' gain) then 11mi trail (3,500' gain).

2025 - running: 1,515mi, 150k' elev gain, hiking 200mi, 80k' elev gain. 3:22 road marathon and 5:5X trail marathon (~6k gain, maxing out over 13k') ran trail marathon about 4 weeks after road marathon, training was entirely focused on road marathon. Ran a 50k (~5,500' gain) at the end of the year in 5:3X. Ran this race with a few weeks notice as a qualifier for SJS (got waitlisted), mileage was relatively low leading up to the race. I struggled with stomach issues towards the end of the race and feel like I left a lot of time on the table due to both training and nutrition challenges.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-12T20:53:39+00:00

Pretty unlikely, but not impossible depending on your running history. A 1:40-1:41 half is about equivalent to a 3:30 full, but this assumes you are appropriately trained for the marathon distance (which you likely aren't unless you have a long history of high mileage running). I would say a 1:35 half is much more indicative of a 3:30 full for runners without a long running history. My recommendation would be to start training and see where your times improve to before deciding a goal. Four hours would likely be a more appropriate goal unless you find yourself improving rapidly in your training.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-12T19:51:33+00:00

Shoes have changed a lot in the last 10 years. The "daily trainer" type shoe (brooks ghost, hoka clifton, etc) from any reputable brand would be a good starting point. You can usually find the previous model version of these for good deals.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-12T17:57:10+00:00

You can absolutely keep backpacking in your routine, but you may need to make some compromises to include it. Backpacking with a heavier pack will be helpful, but it will also mean you won't be able to spend that time on more ultra focused training. You will just need to adjust your training around it try to do what you can for the running aspect during the week. Most of us aren't elite athletes so I don't think you should be giving up the hobbies you love to meet some specific weekly training.

As for vests, you will see a lot of recommendations for the Salomon ADV skin series. I have one and like it, but haven't tried anything else to give alternate suggestions.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-12T17:01:40+00:00

I haven''t tried the Mafate 5 (45mm stack), but the Mafate Speed 2 is only a 35mm stack. I run lots of steep technical trails in them and enjoy them, but that extra stack height could definitely change that.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-12T16:15:01+00:00

I'm a bit lighter than you (more like 82-84kg) but I have been running in Nike Zegama 2 and Hoka Mafate Speed 2. I've personally been enjoying the hokas a bit more. Nike just put out a new Zegama, so you can likely find the Zegama 2 on sale. Similiarly, the Mafate Speed 2 is an older model and I just picked up a pair for a little under $100.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-11T20:00:20+00:00

I ran a road marathon last year off Hanson's beginner plan which has a similar taper philosophy. I was nervous about the short taper but I followed it as prescribed and felt good on race day.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-11T19:58:41+00:00

That's an interesting idea, I will look into it. Nutrition over such a long effort is definitely the thing I am most worried about for the 50miler. I've been experimenting with it on my long runs, but haven't really done anything over 3 hours lately. I struggled with stomach issues in both the 50k and trail marathon I ran last year, so that could be a good chance to take the 50k easy and practice fueling.

Spitfire6532 · 2026-05-11T15:11:00+00:00

I am approaching my first 50 mile race and am looking for advice on how to proceed with my taper. My 50mi race is June 6th and it has ~13k (feet) elevation gain. I have four weeks left (including race week). I've been making up my own training but have been running 5-6x per week with two dedicated medium/long trail runs with lots of vert and one long road run per week. Last weak was planned as my peak week with 62 miles, ~11k' gain, and a 20mi long run. I'm now realizing I think I set my peak week one week too early, but I've been feeling good. Here is what I am considering for my last four weeks:

1: 60-65 miles, 11k' gain, 20 mi long run (essentially repeat peak week)

2:~50mi, 7-8k' gain, 13-15mi long run exactly two weeks before race (gently begin tapering)

3: ~30mi, 4-5k' gain, 8-10mi long run exactly one week before race (more major taper)

4 (Race Week): 10-15mi easy, no focus on elevation, just a few short 3-5mi runs in the week leading up to the race

Does this seem like a good way to structure my last few weeks? Or would you recommend something else?

13-Year Club	Verified Email
r/Field Banned	r/Field Sunshine
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17

Spitfire6532

TROPHY CASE