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but it worked for me.
Zealot!
Only kidding.
P.s. Your programme makes me feel like I'll be undercooked come end Oct, tho yours was for the 100 not a 50 yeah?
rhb-
Yeah, I used my plan to build up towards a couple of 100s although I did try to fit a couple of other races in as training runs. I'm not sure what mileage I'll be hitting over winter in preparation for the sdw50, but given I want to ride some audax and other commitments I recon I'll be underprepared too.
Also wore my vibram toe shoes for an easy 5k with the gf this evening... Saw two foxes so clearly they enhanced my connection with nature :-)
ewanmac
If you can't run past 2k then that is a general running question rather than an ultra question... however, for me (and obviously my experience only) distance running came in two phases.
I got into running because I got bullied into entering an Ironman when I'd never run more than 5k before. I spent a several years trying to build up the distance at a reasonable rate and dragging myself around marathon courses but was persistently dogged by knee injuries and mounting physio bills. FOR ME (deliberately shouty) the solution was a deliberate change to my running gate and footwear. From heel striking and various models of 'stability control' running shoe to mid/forefoot strike with semi-minimal/low heel drop shoes.
I don't really want to spark a big debate about fore/mid/heel strike, to me zealots at either end of the spectrum damage the discussion, but it worked for me. One thing I would say is that it took me about 2 years of deliberately transitioning through several different shoes and being super cautious about changing too quickly (e.g. I would often run 5k in normal shoes then switch to vibrams for the final 2k, and then gradually increase the distance). Still, I would say that I was mostly adapted to my new gait by about 2011 and other than a few niggles I've been essentially injury free since then.
WRT building up from IM/marathon distance to ultras, my view is to build up slowly. I simply got into a habit of running the following programme:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 10k
Wednesday: start at 10k build gradually to 22k
Thursday: 10k
Friday: Intervals
Weekend: back to back long runs starting at about 30k for the weekend and building towards about 85km over the weekend (split however you like but I liked 42/42 or 50/35).
Build the distance each week but listen to your body and build up in small increments. Take every 4th week off. In rest weeks I think I usually ran most days but at a very easy pace and never over 10k a day.
My first attempt at a 100miler I used this schedule over about 6months and dnf'd, although I did make it ~75miles and had done the first 50 in about 8 hours (waaaay faster than planned). My second attempt I probably ran a similar weekly volume in training but I worked less hard during each run and built up over 9 months instead.
All of this advice goes out of the window soon, as I'm currently averaging under 20km/week for 2016 and I have a marathon planned for October and then probably a 50 in spring... I'm hoping my body just remembers how to do it :-)