UKC

So I have just taken the plunge and entered my first 100 miler for next summer.

Any wise words or advice on training over the next year?

I have only done 50's, in fact doing one again in July and am horribly behind where i need to be, i have a heavy three months ahead of me...

No idea what yo have done up to now or which 100 it is as the course will matter how you train for it so all this may be old news to you so apologies if it is

I find time on feet and hours is more relevant to miles, don't get me wrong, miles do matter, i will still do the odd 25-30 miler here and there but mainly just looking for lots of time in the hills so a good 6-8 hours when time allows

Also back to back days really help, so a good 20 miler on a Saturday then a 10-15 on the Sunday

For a 100 i would also want to be doing some good long sessions in the dark too so i know how i react to running into a normal sleep time

Also sort your fuelling if you haven't already done so, its can be the end of it if you get it wrong.

You know your own body, and what you can cope with physically, but mental preparation is important. A few thoughts:

• Back to backs are great. I run the first day hard to get tired. The second day pace isn't important, but concentrate on your running technique. The idea is to make sure you can run with good technique even when tired. This helps you not to get injured (and bail).
• Not so sure about lots of running in the dark (although I do it). Just naturally, I run a lot in evenings, and deepening gloom (often without a headtorch). This is good as it trains you to run in low light conditions.
• Downhill. If you can run downhill efficiently, you can gain a lot of time, and keep yourself much fresher. Train for it. If you are in a place where you can make use of transport to gain height, use it to help you do more downhill training. In the Alps (with a lift pass) I would try and train 50 / 50 uphill / downhill by time, which means maybe run 500m up off the top of a lift, then 1500m down to the valley. 
• Train your properception if you are running off-road. Where are you looking as you run? Does it change when going  from flat to downhill. You should be able to run at pace downhill keeping your vision a few metres ahead, rather than at your feet, even on rough ground.
• Completely agree on understanding your fuelling. Know what you can cope with and what you can't. Know the warning signs for your body, and how to deal with them.
• If you have a drop bag for your race, change your shoes for a different model half way (ideally every 50km or so). Different makes / models put the pressure points on your feet at slightly different places, so changing helps you not get blisters

Enjoy!

Steve

Good luck. What have you done in the past? It would make a big difference to the appropriateness of any advice.

Thanks for the advice folks!

The fuelling is definitely one I need to work on, hopefully the races this year will help with that though.

yorkshireman, I have done plenty of marathon distance trail/fell races.

A few 31m/50kms and booked on for a 50 and 60 miler this year as well.

Great stuff. My main takeaway is that 100 miles is more than just twice as hard as a 50 miler - race management (looking after your feet, fueling, pacing etc) play a much more important part, as well as sleep deprivation.

As said before I wouldn't worry too much about night running - if your 50 milers start and/or finish in the dark you'll have enough experience and being on an organised race you might find you're running in a group by the time night comes (strongly recommended if its a friendly race).

Fuelling strategy will go out the window. Get some principles nailed but understand that you'll have to play it by ear - its better to eat something than nothing, but its easier to recover from hunger than dehydration.

Also, don't overestimate how many calories you need - the human body has something like 50-60k calories stored in fat and you can go for long periods without really eating during times when you're struggling to take it in.

Nothing beats experience though. It took me 10 years of smaller ultras to tackle my first 100 miler - eveyone is different of course but I think if I'd tried it without having learned a lot the hard way I would have possibly failed. I think you have to program your brain to prevent it from shutting you down doing something stupid (which frankly running 100 miles is) by gradually showing it that you're not going to kill yourself.

Best of luck

Train specific for it some of the time, don't ignore pace work, race shorter ultra's as training but don't over do it. Loads of shorter runs is more important than the odd long run. Overall weekly volume prepares you better than just long runs on the week. 

Racing 5k's - marathons improves your overall running efficiency, don't ignore shorter distances.

Get out at night and very early in the morning so you know what it feels like to be out at 3-4 am. I always feel awful running at those times of the day.

I'm going to buck the trend and say beware back to backs. I think there's an injury risk. For me, I was a 90 mile a week runner, I'd do 2-3 long runs a week, but only one over 16-17 a week. Midweek 11-15's were crucial in building that engine. I've just never been a back to back runner but have been a constant high volume runner (just ran my 30,000 strava mile). I'm an old man now but still hit 70-80 most weeks.

Late to the party for advice here, but I just did my first 100 mile run last weekend. It was a self-set course, rather than part of an event as I was doing it for charity and didn't want it called off due to Covid (and also wanted to pick the best weather window). 

Aside from the fueling stuff (salty potatoes and watermelon being my choice), my advice is if you can run most of the course beforehand this is a great advantage so that you don't have to concentrate too hard on nav, and you can judge how you are going. My longest training run was 50 miles, which was the first half of my route - and the bit I was least familiar with. On the day of the 100, I found it extremely encouraging that I was getting to the same spots much fresher and feeling strong. On my 50 I'd hit a wall at 35 miles, but on the 100 I was still clicking along up until about 60. Mentally this was great!

And with the strong chance of sounding boastful, I actually really enjoyed the whole run. People often say "enjoy it" which can be a bit cliche, but if you prep well, you will. I got to the end without a single blister and was still able to smile, and walk/wobble the extra mile back to the carpark. And did it in under 24 hours which was a personal target.

If you want any tips (not claiming to be an expert by any means) that are fresh in my mind, PM me. 

From bitter experience I've learned the value of strength training in order to bullet proof your legs and avoid injury. I'd always assumed I didn't need to bother with all that nonsense. Then literally overnight, my running was curtailed for 6 months with a bad calf.

Calf raises, squats, lunges, all the stuff for which there are loads of articles out there. It's dull, but not as dull as being injured.