r/ultrarunning

Hello all,

About to go under the knife, how long do I have to wait until I can log miles?
I’m seeing 7-10 days on ChatGPT… is that real? I don’t know if I can wait that long mentally.

I’m currently able to do about 10 miles with 3,000 feet of elevation gain, and I want to build up to longer runs with more mileage and climbing. I’m 43.

I fuel with gummies every 45 minutes or so, but I realized I’m not replacing any salt/electrolytes. In Southern California heat (around 85°), I start getting really fatigued in the last mile. I’m thinking it’s salt.

The day after these runs, my legs just feel wiped out. I try to eat a good amount of protein right after runssince I’ve heard that helps with recovery.

I figure it’s probably just gradually pushing the distance and elevation month after month, but I’d love any tips people have.

One thing I’ve noticed is how key focus is.

When I can really focus the run is stronger. But it’s not always easy I’ve got some serious PTSD (like many do ), and I’ve found that as my body starts breaking down on longer runs, my mind feels like it does too- I don’t know if that’s a thing, but sometimes the first miles are super focused and then after miles - old random BS thoughts start pushing . I just try to pull back to present for that strength, but also is tripping hazard when you’re distracted.

Anyway, I’m really grateful to even be able to do 10 miles with that kind of gain. Just looking for any recovery tips, focus tips or things that have helped you guys increase distance and elevation over time. Thanks!

i’ve been getting deeper into longer runs / ultra training and recovery is starting to feel like the part i’m worst at

i keep seeing compression therapy boots come up, but they’re expensive enough that i don’t want to buy them just because they look cool on Instagram. i’m not expecting them to magically fix tired legs or replace sleep/food/easy days, mostly wondering if they actually make a noticeable difference when training volume gets higher

the use case for me would be after long runs, back-to-back days, big vert days, or those weeks where my legs just feel kind of trashed. i’ve tried normal compression socks and stretching/rolling, but boots seem like a bigger commitment

for people here who run ultras or train high mileage, did compression boots end up being worth it? did they actually help you feel fresher, or are they more of a nice-to-have recovery luxury?

I’m looking for some advice. I recently completed UTMB UTS 20 (21km, 1200m elevation gain). That’s my longest trail run to date, I completed it in around 3hrs 50.

I’m thinking about signing up to the wildstrubel 50k (53k, 3300m elevation gain). That race is in September, roughly 14 weeks away.

I have trained and ran a road marathon back in 2024, and have recently started running trails after picking running back up again. My weekly mileage is around 20km at the moment - very low and needs to be ramped up.

If I was to commit to training properly for the next 14 weeks, do you think it would be possible to complete the course within the 14 hour cut off. Or is this a bit too ambitious?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hello everyone,

I have a question regarding shoe sizes. I recently discovered Altra shoes and ordered the Olympus 6 in several sizes to try on.
I’m not sure how to describe it, but I would say I have pretty chunky feet. Not only wide, but also kind of “tall,” if that makes sense.
The Altra shoes I ordered fit well in terms of length and width. However, the tops of my big toes are touching the upper part of the shoes, which gives me almost no wiggle room. I guess this could lead to blisters on longer runs.
Do you have any recommendations for shoes that are not only wide but also offer a spacious toe box, so my toes have enough room height-wise?

I just moved to one of the above from a mountain town and so far the trails are phenomenal. Loving it, so many sleeper areas. Problem is the heat is coming in fast. I’ve run quite a few hot hot races with good results, but how do you train in it? (I have traditionally done limited heat training for those races, and I naturally tolerate heat pretty well.) How do you adapt your schedule and program? I am used to some two a days and evening runs suck here. Do you just run less in the summer? Dreadmill, which I have historically reserved for speed work?

I am starting to think intensity needs to go down and try to cling to mileage as best I can over the summer. Quality workouts on the treadmill low and slow outside. I’m lifting more too since that’s inside.

I have a pretty good gear set up for heat but I am also open to tips on that. For sunny runs around 100F I wear:

- either half tights with sunscreen OR sun pants,
-sun hoodie,
-sun gloves,
-sunglasses,
-bucket or trucker hat with hoodie pulled over, and
-darn tough running socks
- sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen

I’ve been experimenting with double socks and toe lube which works pretty well in the heat but still getting hot spots on the balls of feet.

Any tips for the dry heat welcome!!

Running my first 100-miler this fall. Start is at 6pm, so I'll be running through the night and into the next day. I need eyewear that works in the dark (or at least doesn't hurt in the dark) and then handles full sun the next morning. I've been looking at active photochromic glasses. Any ultra runners using them? How do they hold up over 20+ hours?

Hey all! I’m thinking about making and selling ice bandanas, popping up at local run clubs and trail races. I live in Florida so lord knows we need it! I’m planning to use this to fund my race entry for the Across Florida 200 in November. It’s hard to find a cute AND functional ice bandana so wanting to make one. If you could have a perfect ice bandana, what would that involve?

Just signed up for a 100km of single track in the fall. My milage until now has been pretty poor but 2 years ago I ran a trail 50km just for fun as a weekly long run. I rely on what some refer to as “the ghost of fitness past” from when I used to xc ski race, doing high weekly volume of regular 15-20+hrs (maybe 1/3 running). But that was 5 years ago or so.

I’ll likely build up to 40km long runs on the trail by the end of August and do other long sessions on the bike, or bike/run combo sessions. With some other 1-2hr runs mixed into the week.

I know if I walk and take breaks I can probably make it to the finish line. But realistically how much of a hurt am I in for lol?

I’ve got June, July, and August to get cracking. Any training or race tips would be appreciated.

So I got the Amazfit Bip 6 because it was cheap and has offline maps but I noticed that while running it goes through 5-10% battery life per hour. While wearing normally or sitting on a desk the drop is minimal, but I really need it to last for 24+ hours when doing longer races.

Does anyone know how the drain will change if I turn off the continuous heart rate monitor and the Bluetooth? I don't need the heart rate monitor during these runs and am assuming Bluetooth isn't needed until I am uploading my workout.

I could do the tests myself I suppose doing the same runs week after week and measuring the differences, but it would be great if someone just had the answer since I won't have long enough to do this enough times to make me feel confident in the result.

I have a 100m run coming up this weekend and I might be coming down with a cold. The problem is, it's not a clear cold. I feel under the weather, I have a scratchy throat, occasionally I'm sneezy or sniffly, but I don't feel unambiguously sick. If I did, the decision would be an easy one.

The race would be my first 100m run as a point to point run, with a -- for me -- very ambitious cut off of 27 hours. I am a slow runner; I have done multiple 24 and 48h runs and one 100k run, but this would the first 100m run. This 100m run will/would be at the limit of my ability -- lots of things will need to go right, and there is very little room for error.

I am really torn on this one. I know about the tapering sickness, and I am reasonably confident this isn't it. But I also know that I have a lot of trepidation before this 100m run as I am not confident I can do it, and I am wondering whether I am giving up before I even try. Of course I could just give it a try, but I would also hate dropping out after just a few hours, considering I am also dragging two people along as my crew, and there's two days of driving involved.

London to Brighton 100km this weekend.. would love to know how everyone is feeling?! The heat is really starting to put me off, and I am convincing myself I suddenly have shin splints (classic pre-ultra nerves). Hoping to do it in sub 13, but think it might be ambitious!

Got my first ultra (50k) next weekend. It looks like it might be pretty hot which we’re not used to over here in the UK.

Any last tips for the race along with the best way to cope with the heat?

Thanks :)

Has anyone try those over the regular one I purchased the regular one in September but didn’t work for me heel was digging into my Achilles.
Apparently that model has a totally different upper.
I’m not finding much Reddit post about those on durability etc.

Been running in Bangalore for the past year and something's been bothering me.

Every serious runner I know trains in New Balance, Brooks, Asics, or Saucony. All imported. All ₹8,000–15,000. And the Indian options, Decathlon, Campus, Vector X, Nivia nobody serious actually uses them for training.

There's this massive gap and nobody's filling it. No Indian brand at ₹4,000–7,000 that a marathoner would actually trust.

I'm trying to understand whether this problem is real or just me, so I put together 8 questions, takes 3 minutes.

If you run seriously (or even semi-seriously), I'd genuinely love your take. I'll share all the findings back with everyone who fills it, including what Indian runners actually pay, what they trust, and what it would take to switch.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFnzCwYI1ae\_p9OD4xPl5JkEI-zIfAGZq7PuxvQv\_sq-FKTQ/viewform

Not selling anything. Not a brand pitch. Just trying to understand the market before building something, and this community would know better than anyone.

Hi I’m from iowa (54M) my balls slide against my shorts I had these shorts since I was 17 in cross country I’ve done 33 ultra marathons in these as well but my balls get rubbed raw by these shorts and the tip of my wiener gets chafed and changed how do I fix

Hello. I won tickets for a 50k run that is next weekend. I ran a trailmarathon 3 months ago and trained very well for it (with a good training plan) and things went great. But after the trailmarathon I ran about between 10k and 20k per week (3 months ago untill now)

I wonder if I will be ready for the 50k next week?