50km Beginner Training Guide
Your first step into ultra-marathons. This is the plan for you if you can complete a 5km run without stopping.
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GLOSSARY FOR TRAINING PLAN TERMS
- Hill sprints: just as they sound – sprinting up a hill.
- Tempo runs: should be done at 86 – 90 percent of your maximum heart rate and feel ‘comfortably hard’.
- Descending intervals: this is a very intense workout that should only be performed one or twice a month. Start with high cadence for around 3 minutes. Cut length in half each interval. Recovery time should be same length as effort e.g. 3 minutes
- Progression runs: starting relatively slow or easy pace and getting progressively faster throughout the run.
- Over-unders: a type of interval structure with sustained intervals divided into segments that alternate between under-segments, resembling valleys and over-segments resembling peaks.
- Easy runs: 40% of maximum effort.
- On Off Ks: One pace 1km different pace the next.
Week 1
Monday – 7km Over and Unders 1k
Tuesday – 6km Easy Run
Wednesday – 7.4km Alternating Hill Reps
Thursday – REST
Friday – 7km Easy Run
Saturday – 8km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 2
Monday – 7km Half Easy Half Tempo
Tuesday – 5km Easy Run
Wednesday – 7km 400m Repeats
Thursday – REST
Friday – 7km Easy Run
Saturday – 10km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 3
Monday – 7km Tempo 2-1
Tuesday – 4km Easy Run
Wednesday – 9.2km Drop Set Hill Reps
Thursday – REST
Friday – 6km Easy Run
Saturday – 15km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 4
Monday – 5km Progressive Run
Tuesday – REST
Wednesday – 5km Ascending Hill Reps
Thursday – REST
Friday – 6km Easy Run
Saturday – 8km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 5
Monday – 7km Tempo 5k
Tuesday – 5km Easy Run
Wednesday – 7.2km Broken 600s
Thursday – REST
Friday – 7km Easy Run
Saturday – 18km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 6
Monday – 9km Tempo 2.5k
Tuesday – 6km Easy Run
Wednesday – 9.2km Drop Set Hill Reps
Thursday – REST
Friday – 9km Easy Run
Saturday – 16km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 7
Monday – 7km Tempo 2k
Tuesday – 5km Easy Run
Wednesday – 9.2km Longer Hill Repeats
Thursday – REST
Friday – 6km Easy Run
Saturday – 24km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 8
Monday – 5km Over and Unders 1k
Tuesday – REST
Wednesday – 7.2km Descending Intervals
Thursday – REST
Friday – 7km Easy Run
Saturday – 10km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 9
Monday – 7km Tempo 2k
Tuesday – 5km Easy Run
Wednesday – 7.8km Shorter Hill Repeats
Thursday – REST
Friday – 7km Easy Run
Saturday – 28km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 10
Monday – 8.8km 200m Repeats
Tuesday – 7km Easy Run
Wednesday – 9km Progressive Hill Reps
Thursday – REST
Friday – 10km Easy Run
Saturday – 21km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 11
Monday – 7km 1.5k Rep
Tuesday – 5km Easy Run
Wednesday – 7.1km Broken 600s
Thursday – REST
Friday – 5km Easy Run
Saturday – 35km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 12
Monday – 5km Tempo 2-1
Tuesday – REST
Wednesday – 7km Hill Repeats
Thursday – REST
Friday – 8km Easy Run
Saturday – 12km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 13
Monday – 5.2km Over and Unders 400m
Tuesday – 5km Easy Run
Wednesday – 7.2km Descending Hill Reps
Thursday – REST
Friday – 5km Easy Run
Saturday – 42.2km Marathon Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 14
Monday – 9km Tempo 6k
Tuesday – 6km Easy Run
Wednesday – 9km 1k repeats
Thursday – REST
Friday – 12km Easy Run
Saturday – 25km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 15
Monday – 9km Half Easy Half Tempo
Tuesday – REST
Wednesday – 11km Drop Set Hill Reps
Thursday – REST
Friday – 8km Easy Run
Saturday – 12km Long Run
Sunday – REST
Week 16
Monday – REST
Tuesday – 7km Taper Intervals
Wednesday – 5km Easy Run
Thursday – REST
Friday – REST
Saturday – 50km RACE DAY
Sunday – REST
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