on a whim,
no doubt. i once did a 12hrs trail race on a whim. it was pretty rough '12hrs of roots and rocks' in hawaii. i got a free entry so i decided to do it two days before the race. my running leading to that had been 50 miles a week tops. i had a lot of fun. it was a challenging 2.5 mile loop trail that every competetor walked up and ran the way down a mile or so. i managed 45 miles....could have done the 50 but settled. the time and distance do not give justice to the difficulty of the course (any of you ever ran on tantalus in hawaii?) i'm sure there are a lot more difficult courses tho. i guess it was a lot 'easier' since it was a loop and i took brief rests (that eventually became longer and longer) at every lap. i do believe you can do it.
tear it up
marzian

I certainly dont have much experience with ultras however i did do the JFK 50 miler last nov and the HAT 50k this past march.
I am signed up to do the JFK 50miler again this Nov.

For me the training was no different than training for a marathon. I did some 20 milers and on sme weeknds leading up to it i did back to back long runs on sat and sundays. Since it was a trail run, i also tried to run trails at least once a week to be prepared for that type of running.
With the right attitude and with mental toughness i knw it can be done. Youhave a good base. I would suggest however running it a slower pace than yourun your marathons at. It is a long day and a long distance . I did my 50miler in 9hrs and 2min, much slower than i would run a marathon and i felt fine the entire way. In fact the recovery and impact of that race was much less than a marathon, i htink due to the slower pace and the softer sufrace.

My two cents is to go for it!!!

jason keep us updated with your training. I like the idea to do one some day.

jason
sounds like you have a solid plan for your upcoming ultra.
i too am training for mine, so last friday sat and sunday i did two back to back long runs as well (friday and sat) followed by a 70mile bike ride on sunday.
this sat i plan to run another 20miler and sunday i plan to run 4hrs on the AT.
i think those back to backs help.

just remember to keep your pace slower than a marathon pace.
good luck
linda

Hey Jason, it's really mind over matter, as they all say above. That's all an IM is remember? The only thing is to make sure 'your' matter can handle the distance and not break below you. You can psych yourself up, but unless you have the stamina and the goods well..... Sounds like you have the endurance though. An IM should be good prep for the ultra length. BTW do you have a run schedule set up yet? Another question would you mind sharing that schedule? I would be very interested to see what your doing for miles and just the regular routine of training for this kind of event.

Inquiring minds want to know!
BBB

The First Time I ran 50 miles,my training log quote for that week was.."They are able because they think they are able.(Heroditus)" That about says it...Attutide is everything..A positive outlook makes for a good day.
I have finished 15 ultras including 8 fifty milers...my first fifty on only two 18 milers!
Take your time,relax...most ultra runners will tell you to run on the flats and down hills and walk the up hills.
Eat! Drink! Be merry!
Do be careful your first time at this distance...you can trash yourself and not realize it till months later.
You will have an inner tiredness for awhile afterward and that's normal..
So...Elenore Roosevelt said.."You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
Have a great day and let us know how ya did!

hahaha... Anton I came across that site in some random browsings yesterday and bookmarked it as one of the best resources I've seen for ultras! Tell him it's great!

mmm ultraman looks fun! Goofy challenge does, too... but Fl is so far away!

Yeah.... there is also supposedly a decaironman -- yup, 10x each distance! And an offroad ironman... yay hills and trails!

Disneyland half seems odd... I guess it could all be in the park, but the area around disneyland doesn't seem too nice and race friendly to me.

That is crazy... it sounds kinda fun, but I think the lap factor would drive me crazy. I'm kinda sleepy just from reading it. The laps are also what is keeping me from (so far) attempting the double and triple IMs in the US (if they are even held any more... not finding much new info on them ... http://www.oarevents.com/readnews.asp?id=112) ...

Xterra-style ironman: the off-road IM - http://www.oarevents.com/event.asp?id=44&catID=1

I think the laps would get to me too. I like the change of scenery as I go along.

BBB-if that dude did that Decairon he is seriously mental. 2 years to recover?? Yikes

Recovery wouldn't be so bad.

Your first 30 - 60 days would be in rehab to rid you of your addiction to painkillers.
3 hots and a cot, and group therapy. maybe a walk in the garden. Hooray!!

Then some physical rehab for a few months.

Don't worry you'll be kept occupied. ;)

Did you check out the prices?

$ 350 for a double tri
$ 400 for a triple tri

Considering an M-Dot is at least $450 and it is only a single I think they are quite a value.

Inflict 2 and 3 times the pain and suffering to yourself for less than the cost of 1 IM. :eek:

Now that would be a sales pitch.

I would go but I have an appointment for electroshock and some self-flagellation next week, Sorry,

I would like a strawberry shake.
and can I get some tri's with that shake. :D

That is a heck of an accomplishment - Double and triples - Wowzers!

Is that what is in store for us???!!! :eek:

How do you keep track and even more so how do you keep from getting dizzy - with all those loops?!

Well, thankfully that's over! I made it the whole 50 mi. in just a shade over 9 hrs. I set a 10 min. mile pace from the gun and was pretty steady all day long. I took between 2-3 mins. to hydrate and get some nutrition at each of the 12 scheduled aid stations along the course. Believe me, that little break works wonders! Had a great day to run, but the course is brutal. I know the trails well, but somehow it just seemed to be worse after oh...an extra 20-30 miles. I guess that will do it.

I have a new appreication for the athletes that compete in these events on a regular basis. Bottomline, Ironman is fun, running for 8-9 hrs. is not (at least for me). Especially at 10min. pace, those marker just don't pass by fast enough. Too much time to focus on the pain and the mileage remaining. I'm certainly glad that I did it, however, you're not going to find me back on an Ultra course any time soon.

[B]Thanks, everyone for your advice prior to the race, it must have been good, I finished.[/B]

Hey that is a heck of an accomplishment! Great job! :D

Only ONE 50 miler?!!
Congrats...a wonderful accomplisment.
In a couple of weeks though, you'll start thinking about it again...

Hey massageman90 - See you at IMWI 2006! :D My first IM too - There are several here that are also from the area doing it also - hopefully get some together and do some training rides on course next year.

http://www.trifuel.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3503

IMWI 2006 link

RV