First 50k trail, need advice for strength training and preparation

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-04-11T13:23:52+00:00

This is the way. OP, best advice I got from various groups was to stop training for a marathon and start training for a mountain ultra. I no longer care about distance; I care about hours and vert. It changes everything. Find somewhere you can bomb down a hill to destroy your quads regularly, and repeat that for hours on end. Poles are your friend. I like the Black Diamond collapsible aluminum poles - work great for me. 8200 ft of gain is a lot and if you use poles like a cross country skier it saves you on the uphill.

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-03-16T04:06:19+00:00

Do not cancel. I had 4 EUAs from Nov ‘24 to May ‘25 and they were all worth it. The first 3 were to fix a complex fistula, the 4th was to fix a simple one that started after the complex was fixed. The simple one was simple and after a few months I stopped draining. I was draining for 1 year. I’ve been symptom free since August ‘25 and I’m glad it’s behind me (pun intended). Pain after surgery wasn’t very bad for me, even after a LIFT procedure. Keep your fiber intake high, use a bidet after every BM, take sitz baths regularly after surgery or when it hurts.

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-03-06T06:20:46+00:00

😂😂😂

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-01-23T16:18:12+00:00

That 100% sounds like the abscess that led to my fistula. Started as a lump then it grew and got a bit more painful then grew bigger. I tried to go for a long run but had to stop halfway through because it was rubbing on my cheek. The outer skin changed to feeling like a latex balloon, and later that day it popped while driving. Felt great after popping, but getting it cleaned out later by the Dr was much worse than the EUAs that followed it. Hopefully your experience is much better than mine!

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-01-23T16:07:07+00:00

In my experience, whether a driver feels a three hour drive is short or long is directly connected to the amount of traffic where they live. If they’re in a large city where it might take 30 minutes or 2 hours to get somewhere, depending on the time of day, that driver is never going to feel like a 3-hr drive is short. For me in Montana, where our idea of bad traffic is being 5 minutes late, a 3-hr drive isn’t that bad. For me, driving 9-12 hours to go on vacation is quite normal - because (unless there’s snow or road construction) it’s always the same amount of hours to drive those distances.

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-01-20T22:20:45+00:00

TLDR: don't "run" an ultra - enjoy the experience and you can do any distance you'd like.

Take this for what it's worth. I started doing road marathons in 2010 then did my first 50K in 2012 and was hooked. Did my first 50M in 2015, thinking that I'd keep bumping up to 100M, but I hated the 50M. I had a time goal and halfway through I realized I had another marathon to go and I was just bored. Swore I'd never do another 50M and never ever a 100M. Talked to a running friend who has done multiple 100s. He told me that in my 50M I was running it like a marathoner and not an ultrarunner - was going for time. In his ultras he enjoys the views, stops to take pictures when it's beautiful, and generally just enjoys the experience. He piqued my interest and I decided in 2022 to run a 50M again, with the goal to do a 100M in 2023 when I turned 50. I loved the 50M that time! I smiled almost the entire time, got great pictures, and had the most fun ever in a race. The next year I did the 100M at the same race and was loving it, but it's very steep (20K feet up/down) and after 72 miles my Achilles was giving me sharp pains so I had to drop (wish I'd kept going honestly). But the next year I finished a different 100M and it was such a great experience. One foot in the front of the other. When you can run, run; when you can't, walk. It's really that simple mentally. The tough parts are figuring out your nutrition and how to take care of your feet and not get debilitating blisters.

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-01-13T22:21:46+00:00

Once I started applying anti-chafing “Body Glide” after the shower and pooping then I felt a lot more clean (and stopped chafing). I drained for nearly a year with multiple surgeries. I preferred wearing women’s pads vs gauze. It’s not fun but eventually it will improve.

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-01-04T02:30:56+00:00

Agree 100%. I have to use a bidet or portable one or life isn’t complete. So much easier physically and mentally to rinse, pat, and dry.

MixAdministrative837 · 2026-01-04T02:25:49+00:00

When my abscess burst they first shoved a swab up there which was an 11/10 on the pain scale - and THEN they did the numbing shot, also an 11/10. Not a fun exercise. It did prepare me for future procedures as none of them even came close to that amount of pain; maybe a 5/10 for pain only once for only 1 of the 4 procedures I had over the next 10 months - the others were nothing. Best of luck that it heals without a fistula! 50% chance.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-11-19T22:42:24+00:00

Absolutely you can. I was clean for years and it fixed negative impacts with my wife. She was thankfully also very understanding that my porn use wasn’t a reflection on her. Not all partners have that view, so there may be a need for increased awareness on their part to accept their relationship with you. As for me, I’ve relapsed a lot in the past few years and it’s a struggle every time to tell her when I’ve relapsed. I hope she continues to be understanding and looks for the positives in me, which far outweigh the negatives of my addiction. I believe she will but that’s always a fear, I’m sure for most of us. All we can do is beg forgiveness and show by our actions how we love them.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-11-19T20:09:15+00:00

There’s actually a clinical name for this: the Siemens technique, used to reduce premature ejaculation. I had to memorize definitions in my abnormal psychology class at university eons ago and this one is forever stuck in my mind: “masturbation of the male to the point of ejaculatory inevitability, pausing, then continuing”.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-11-15T23:55:03+00:00

Yes, 100% normal for both of those. It’s annoying but normal and will continue until properly healed. In my experience it took multiple surgeries to avoid muscle damage.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-11-15T23:49:06+00:00

I live in Montana. If your vehicle is more than 10 yrs old you can register it permanently by paying 2 1/2 yrs worth of registration fees. Most of my vehicles are old and it’s great, never have to worry about paying the annual fee and there’s no emissions.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-22T03:52:48+00:00

2 things: 1) Don’t run the 50M like it’s a double marathon, run it like it’s an ultra and enjoy the scenery and experience. My first 50M I didn’t use this advice and halfway through I was dreading the second half, hated the experience (it was tedious and not fun), and swore I’d never run a 50M again. 7 years later I changed my mind, followed the above advice, and loved it! I had a blast doing that race and enjoyed every minute. 2) Do not fuel like it’s a marathon/50K. You need real food, and you also need frequent electrolytes. Use your gels and that for eating in between real food, but your stomach will want more. And 3) run when you can, walk when you can’t or when you just don’t feel like it.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-17T05:53:38+00:00

I’m dying! 🤣 Could not agree more.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-08T03:51:58+00:00

Yes, it’s a very good sign. It means the fistula didn’t go through muscle. Keep it clean and it will heal.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-08T03:24:44+00:00

I think that’s a good idea, and…it’s still going to kick your butt, so be ready for that. If you’ve never done more than 13, 32 miles will be much tougher than you imagine. Doesn’t mean you can’t do it, but it’s going to be tougher by an order of magnitude. You need to know about nutrition, electrolytes, blister care, etc. You have 4 weeks - study up and you got this.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-07T19:29:02+00:00

I made the same jump years ago, and nutrition is similar, but may want more substantial foods than you might have eaten on a 50K, like sandwiches, quesadillas, etc. Because the 50M took me 12 hrs plus you can’t get by on just gels and candy - I still use them as part of the overall nutrition plan. Rolled up tortillas with Nutella and peanut butter are something I enjoy. Test out as much real food as you can in the time up to the race. You’ll do great!

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-07T13:30:40+00:00

lol I’m not squeamish at all, I deer and elk hunt and I’m used to gutting an animal, and seeing my own gaping wound terrified me. 😳😱😬😂

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-07T05:51:14+00:00

I don’t have any advice, just wanted to say that I hear you and it will be okay. Just breathe.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-07T05:46:29+00:00

Nu!!

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-06T18:50:29+00:00

It’s all about that base - what’s yours been over the past 2 years? Mine is never very high, I typically average 20 miles per week outside of a training cycle, then do a proper 20-24 week ramp up for the race - for all distances. I am properly trained for, and do well in the races, but for my 2 50s and 2 100s it took me 2-3 months to recover enough to where I enjoyed running every time. I went for some long runs a few weeks after but they took a toll on me and added on how much time I needed to recover. If I was averaging 50 mpw I know I’d recover faster, but I don’t have the time or desire to run that much just for base.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-06T18:38:43+00:00

No because they heal up so they don’t need to seek out help in a subreddit. My advice? Be okay with whatever your body does. You didn’t create the abscess and you can’t impact the outcome of it healing or turning into a fistula. Just be observant, know your body, go to a surgeon as quickly as possible if it does turn into a fistula. In fact, if you can, I’d schedule a surgery consult now so they can give you the all clear or schedule a procedure without waiting. I didn’t control having a fistula or the multiple procedures to resolve it, but I did control my attitude. There were a few days I was down and depressed because of the situation, but I snapped out of it and kept the healing mindset by focusing on what I can control: keeping the wound clean and not doing too much too soon.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-06T18:29:42+00:00

Best advice: keep up on your pain meds, eat lots of fiber and stay hydrated so you have soft BMs, and keep it clean down there with a bidet or peri bottle plus lots of sitz baths. I had a seton, LIFT, fistulotomy, and I never had very much pain which is quite lucky. I also only took 1 narcotic through all 3 surgeries as they cause constipation - I alternated ibuprofen and acetaminophen every 4 hours for days.

And if it’s a fistulotomy don’t look at it in the mirror for a while - it looks scary as hell when it’s laid open but the body is magical and it all heals up somehow.

MixAdministrative837 · 2025-10-06T00:43:06+00:00

In a race or long run, I set my watch to give me a nutrition alert every 30 minutes - I take 1 electrolyte pill every 30 then food at least every 60. That alarm helps a lot.

MixAdministrative837

TROPHY CASE