“In most cases I would say, “no” especially for someone’s first 100-miler. That amount of volume is awfully close to race day. That’s when things should really start to be winding down, you should start approaching your taper. You should have already had your training camp or big peak training week about five weeks before your event. So I’d wanna be doing that about three weeks earlier than this particular stage race. Trying to do that this close to your first 100-miler doesn’t give you a lot of flexibility when it comes to anything you might need to adjust that didn’t quite work out during that stage race and also from a recovery standpoint… both mentally and physically a weekend like that can take a lot out of you and leave you pretty fatigued and you don’t have a lot of room for error that close to your 100-miler.

So I would look to plan your peak weekend or week, whether that be a training camp, a stage race, anything like that closer to five weeks ahead of your 100-miler, which gives you some time to recover. It gives you a couple long runs to still dial anything in that maybe didn’t go as planned gives you a little bit of a buffer and it allows you to then approach your taper well rested, confident, and prepared for your first 100-miler.”

“I love this question cause it’s one I get quite often. Few things to think about when you’re making a leap from shorter road races to trail running is that there are some variables there that you’re gonna wanna consider as part of your training. So while on paper this person has a ton of green lights when it comes to their base, they have a very solid base, really strong weekly mileage, low injury rate. All things I love to see. Their pacing, fueling, hydration, and gear are gonna be completely different than what they’ve been doing with their half marathon training in general.

So in most cases it’s not simply a matter of building up the mileage it’s the fact that the race itself and the training therefore needs to look different as well. So you’re going to have to train the gut. You’re going to have to practice completely different hydration and fueling strategies than you would for a road half marathon. Your gear is going to look different. You’re probably gonna have a hydration vest. Your trail shoes… things that you maybe haven’t been playing with or trying. So while on paper this person could probably make the leap based on their base from a half marathon to a trail 50K in about four months, you wanna make sure you’re giving yourself the time to be pacing your runs differently fueling your runs differently and then the gear that you will need to support that trail and ultra experience.”

“Specifically for this person, their first 50K. I would say the more trail and the more trail and ultra runners can get attuned into their rate of perceived exertion or their RPE the better success they’ll have and the more intuitively they will be able to run. So many factors can impact heart rate when it comes to trail and ultra running: dehydration, heat, humidity, elevation, altitude, excitement, caffeine. So many things can impact that number. So if somebody learns to run by a rate of perceived exertion they are able to micro adjust within a run based on how they are feeling in that moment. So they’re not tied to a number that dictates and tells them how they should be performing instead they have trust in how they are feeling so that they can adjust within a run when to push and when to throttle back.

If you’ve been using a heart rate monitor to tell you when to adjust or when to push or when to pull back you might not know how to do that on your own. So you can use a heart rate monitor and use your heart rate ranges to start that conversation with your body but I recommend and find that a lot of people in trail and ultra running have a lot more success when they learn to run by RPE and how their body is feeling.”

“Can you use tools like treadmills, stairmills, and step climbers to help you prepare? I always tell my athletes focus on what you have access to and what you can control not on what you don’t have access to or what you can’t control. And fitness is king! And you can always control your fitness and your preparation before an event in terms of how fit you will show up that start line. Now we work least specific to most specific. So while you’ve been working on building that fitness throughout your season as you get 6 to 8 weeks before your event this is when you’re gonna wanna layer on the specificity on top of that fitness that you’ve built.

Using a stairmill, a step climber, or a treadmill at an incline can be a great way to prepare for an event when you don’t have access to verty trails. You can swap in a few days a week of your training to help simulate the vertical gain of your event. I also like to remind people that what goes up usually comes down. So if you’re gonna prepare yourself for the up’s make sure in the final weeks of your training you’re also preparing your tissues for the down using either eccentric loading of the quads through strength interventions or some downhill repeats to help prepare your legs for those grueling downhills.”

A lifelong runner from Northern California, Sarah overcame a long-term injury in 2010 and has since completed multiple ultra events. With an M.S. in Exercise Science focused on performance enhancement and injury prevention, as well as certifications in personal training and restorative exercise, Sarah brings expertise in helping athletes stay strong and healthy. As a military spouse, she’s gained diverse experience working with athletes globally and even served as a consultant for an NFL team for four seasons.

“My goal with all of my clients is to build smart, effective training plans while being both a resource and cheerleader as I partner with them to aim higher and accomplish big things – whether that means a PR, conquering a new distance, rekindling the love of running or coming back from injury. The “why” of running is so very personal for each of us, and I feel when we combine that “why” with a quality, personalized training plan, amazing things can happen! Let’s maximize your performance and minimize injuries, frustration and take the guesswork out of your training.”