Running my first 50k in July

I think a 22-25 miler between now and the race would be detrimental. 50K is "only" ~8K longer than a marathon. Marathon training is adequate...just run at a slightly slower pace than you would for a thon.

1. Be specific in your training. Particularly in regards to terrain.

2. Test all your kit in training. Including food/drink options, how you’ll carry them, when you’ll take them. Be confident in everything you take into the race.

3. Do some downhill training, even if the course is not that hilly. Better to beat your quads up in training than halfway through the race. I find a good downhill session that leaves my quads hurting for a couple of days pays dividends for the next 4-6 weeks of running.

4. Know the course. Preferably run it all in parts beforehand. If not look it up on Google Maps or similar. Know where you can expect to run quicker, where it’s technical, where there are checkpoints or turnings. Break it down into manageable sections that you can tick off as you run. Visualise running it as much as possible beforehand.

5. Start steady. It’s 50k, you can afford to warm into it. Know your steady pace and stick to it. Don’t be distracted by what others do at the start. Don’t run steady ‘relative’ to them.

6. Take food/drink from the start. It’s easy to run the first third of the race thinking you don’t need to take anything, and during the last third it’s easy to forget/be too fatigued to be bothered. Plan for this before by having a schedule and sticking to it (e.g. 500ml per hour; 1 gel on every half-hour).

7. Have some mantras/cues dialled in to repeat for when it gets tough.

8. You’ve practiced running 22 miles which is good. But everything beyond that is unknown. Enjoy the experience of being in this new place.

9. Finish. Even if it’s not the time/position you hoped for.

10. Remember your mistakes, write them down, train for them, run better next time.

Best of luck to you! Hope you smash it.

The hay is in the barn. Don't run anything longer than 18 miles.

How many marathons have you run in July near where your 50k is going to be run?

Pay attention to the weather. If you haven't run a couple hot marathons and LIKED it, if it is going to be hot for your 50k, consider bagging it. By midwest, you may mean Minnesota but if it is hot, seriously, consider just running it to finish if you haven't run further than 22 miles before.

PS I would say the same thing about a hot marathon.

Make your taper just slightly easier than it normally would be for a marathon... sharpness is less of an advantage at that distance while you'll want the extra energy.

Remember this isn't a road marathon, the time doesn't matter. Bring a camera and lots of water and enjoy the day.

You can't start too slowly.

I agree withe the "hay is in the barn" statement. You will not benefit much at this point if at all from another 22-25 miler. I will say that you probably aren't trained well enough to run it fast (you need to have done several runs of 22+ miles for that), so you should just take it super easy. I would go easy even for 20 miles and then if you are feeling great, pick it up from there on out.

50ks aren't much different from marathons. Once you get up to 50 miles, then that's a different beast.

Have fun and good luck.