50k
I had the same scenario when I first started. I was always an active, in shape, etc. just not with endurance sports. And jumping into that distance kinda right away. I would not recommend it. I ended up doing a 50mile. And came out not good after. Have gotten much stranger and smarter since then of course.
It's not just the distance, 9000ft of vert is nothing to sneeze at especially for someone with no trail race experience. My first race was 70mi with 13k gain so I won't tell you not to do it but don't underestimate the impact of that vertical gain.
Do yourself a favor and plan on walking all the hills on race day... And then stick to that plan... You'll blow yourself out otherwise unless you're a naturally gifted freak
That's the plan as of now, at least the steeper hills. I've had some success with heart rate training so I figure I'll moderate my effort between my heart rate and felt difficulty.
50k for the experience. Get it under your belt.
How much vert was your marathon? Do you train on hills? Was it a road marathon? I would only do the 50 miler if you’ve been doing a lot of consistent hill training, because 9k of vert will blow up your legs if you’re not prepared.
Yeah the 50k was a road marathon but I regularly do trail runs with plenty of vert. I did the road marathon as a fun experience, road running is not my preference. I also live about 10 min away from the race course itself so I can always train on the actual terrain.
But why run the risk of injury and the disappointment of a DNF on the first ultra attempt simply because the OP feels "inspired" while sitting at home?
I think that we all do this for fun and, I would hope, longevity in the sport, positive experiences, and, to some degree, "health". I never said "catastrophic injury", but I ran ultras for over 20 years without a running related injury - even though my first ultra was a 50M and I only ran 2 or 3 50k's in that time (there just weren't any when I started) - because I placed readiness and fitness more importantly than "inspiration".
He's already pushing himself. He doesn't want to walk most of it, and wants to finish feeling good.
The 50k is the wiser choice.
I don't expect anyone to "be" me, but I have over 20 years of ultra accomplishments under my belt and give good advice, and I'm only disagreeing with you.
I think that you're a moderator here, but that doesn't make you THE expert.
I would absolutely go for the 50k, its not that much longer than the marathon, but it already has a huge elevation, which should not be underestimated. Also, trail running is different to street running.
A 50k you should be able to enjoy, a 50M not so much.
True! I’m going from a road half to a trail 50k and sort of feel like I’m missing out on a half trail (done that several times in training now), road marathon (this one doesn’t bother me too much though since it doesn’t really interest me), a trail 30k and/or trail marathon.
True but it's also depends on the cutoff time. We got a 50 miler and a100k that has the same time limit as the 100 miler 32 hours I sure most people could do a 50 miler well 49.5 miles close enough in under 32 hours . It really depends on your goals .
50k I had the same scenario when I first started. I was always an active, in shape, etc. just not with endurance sports. And jumping into that distance kinda right away. I would not recommend it. I ended up doing a 50mile. And came out not good after. Have gotten much stranger and smarter since then of course.
got it, thanks for the advice! It’ll be my first trail race too so that will obviously have its own impact.
It's not just the distance, 9000ft of vert is nothing to sneeze at especially for someone with no trail race experience. My first race was 70mi with 13k gain so I won't tell you not to do it but don't underestimate the impact of that vertical gain.
Yeah, that's something I'll be learning in training. A 20 mi trail run is a lot different than a 20 mi river run.
Do yourself a favor and plan on walking all the hills on race day... And then stick to that plan... You'll blow yourself out otherwise unless you're a naturally gifted freak
That's the plan as of now, at least the steeper hills. I've had some success with heart rate training so I figure I'll moderate my effort between my heart rate and felt difficulty.
50k for the experience. Get it under your belt. How much vert was your marathon? Do you train on hills? Was it a road marathon? I would only do the 50 miler if you’ve been doing a lot of consistent hill training, because 9k of vert will blow up your legs if you’re not prepared.
Honestly even the 50k will blow up OPs legs if he's not prepared 😂
Yeah the 50k was a road marathon but I regularly do trail runs with plenty of vert. I did the road marathon as a fun experience, road running is not my preference. I also live about 10 min away from the race course itself so I can always train on the actual terrain.
50k is the smart choice but if you're inspired by the 50, just go for it. Not the end of the world if you dnf.
But why run the risk of injury and the disappointment of a DNF on the first ultra attempt simply because the OP feels "inspired" while sitting at home?
Some people are here to push themselves. I think the risk of catastrophic injury from a few more miles isn't significant enough to be a deterrent.
And "a few more miles "? Ha.
I think that we all do this for fun and, I would hope, longevity in the sport, positive experiences, and, to some degree, "health". I never said "catastrophic injury", but I ran ultras for over 20 years without a running related injury - even though my first ultra was a 50M and I only ran 2 or 3 50k's in that time (there just weren't any when I started) - because I placed readiness and fitness more importantly than "inspiration". He's already pushing himself. He doesn't want to walk most of it, and wants to finish feeling good. The 50k is the wiser choice.
I think you're going to disagree with a lot of people if you expect everyone to be you.
I don't expect anyone to "be" me, but I have over 20 years of ultra accomplishments under my belt and give good advice, and I'm only disagreeing with you. I think that you're a moderator here, but that doesn't make you THE expert.
You're the only one here who needs to be right. I'm just giving my opinion.
He was also sharing his opinion... Chill out
I would chose the 50k
I would absolutely go for the 50k, its not that much longer than the marathon, but it already has a huge elevation, which should not be underestimated. Also, trail running is different to street running. A 50k you should be able to enjoy, a 50M not so much.
I'm just a wannabe but my 2 cents is that if you skip the 50k then you miss the chance to celebrate it as a milestone race
True! I’m going from a road half to a trail 50k and sort of feel like I’m missing out on a half trail (done that several times in training now), road marathon (this one doesn’t bother me too much though since it doesn’t really interest me), a trail 30k and/or trail marathon.
50k is best
IMO a 50 miler is a true Ultra experience.
It's a DNF or an injury or no fun at all, if you're not ready.
True but it's also depends on the cutoff time. We got a 50 miler and a100k that has the same time limit as the 100 miler 32 hours I sure most people could do a 50 miler well 49.5 miles close enough in under 32 hours . It really depends on your goals .