If you are looking for a 50km ultra marathon training plan then you are in the right place. 50k is a perfect beginner distance for ultra running and if you’re looking to dip your toe into this insane sport then the 50k distance is perfect for you. This plan is also great for intermediate and advanced 50k runners.
In this guide, we break down a comprehensive 50K training regimen influenced by Kilian Jornet. We’ll explore the importance of heart rate zones, unravel the intricacies of base building, and navigate the intensity-focused weeks integral to Jornet’s methodology.
Whether you’re a trail running novice or a seasoned athlete aiming for a new achievement, this guide offers insights and a roadmap to conquer a 50-kilometer race. Lace up your shoes, absorb the wisdom inspired by Kilian Jornet’s techniques, and set out on a path to trail mastery with confidence.
“Training for the Uphill Athlete”
You guys loved the 100-mile training plan of how to train like Killian Jornet. So today, I’m coming back to you with the 50k training plan from Killian’s book, “The Uphill Athlete,” by Steve House, Scott Johnston, and my favorite guy, Killian Jornet.
For a little background, I used the 100-mile training plan from this book to train for my 100-mile race, and it’s what got me to the finish line. I had tried for 11 years to try to finish a hundred-mile race, and the way that I was finally able to finish was with the training plan from the book.
It was life-changing for me. It made it so I was able to accomplish something that I thought I would maybe never be able to accomplish, so I really love it, and I would highly recommend that you get it.
Heart Rate Training
One more thing before I get into the actual training plan is I’m just going to talk a little bit about heart rate zones just because some people are a little confused when it comes to that.
You don’t have to follow the heart rate zones and all that stuff. When I did my 100-mile training plan, I did not follow the heart rate zones exactly; I’ll admit that. But I think that they really will help you if that’s something that you’ve been training on.
If you’re focused on heart rate while in your normal training, you could carry that over to this training plan, or if you’ve never done heart rate-based training before, you could also try it for the first time right now.
So all of the training in this plan will be on a one-to-five heart rate zone training. Zone one is as easy as you can possibly go. A lot of Killian’s training will be in zone one.
There’s been lots of articles and stuff written about how much training Killian actually does in zone one. According to the data collected from Killian Jornet himself, he does 58% of his workouts in zone one, and you should too.
50KM Training Plan
This 16-week 50km training plan has everything that you will need to succeed in your race. If you would like to download this training plan for yourself you can find it here on this Google Sheet.
Here is the legend that will tell you what each of the colors mean:
50KM Training Plan Weeks 1-3
Weeks one through three are the base-building weeks, which means that you’ll be focusing on building aerobic capacity, improving running economy, and building strength.
So for these weeks, all of your training will be done in zone one and zone two. About 15% of your training should be done in zone two. Try to stay in zone one to two as much as possible during these first few weeks.
As you can see for week one, we have a total of 32 miles. We have a long run on Friday of 12 miles, and then the rest of the days, we’ll be doing four miles.
We’ll also have two recovery days per week. This is easier than zone one. It’s like low-level zone one training. So you’re going to want to just be taking those days as easy as humanly possible, basically. Or if you are running in zone 2 then try to make these days high zone one.
50KM Training Plan Week 4
After those first few base-building weeks, we have week four. Week four is a recovery week, which means that you’re cutting volume by 50% and taking days off when needed.
This means that you are doing all of your training in zone one if you are aerobically fit, and no getting up to zone two at all.
All of your training will be done in zone one. Just make sure that you are recovering from those first few weeks of base building and getting ready to really ramp up the training.
50KM Training Plan Weeks 5-7
Week five through seven, we have one more base-building week. So you’ll just follow what you did for those first few weeks on this week.
And then we hop into weeks six through seven, which is intensity-focused training. Intensity-focused weeks are going to be introducing zones three and four into your training. So you won’t just be doing zones one and two anymore. You’ll be doing a little bit of zones three and four as well.
As you can see on the intensity weeks, we have Tuesdays as our workout, which we will be doing intervals in just zone three.
And then we will also be doing some hill bounding, which is a little bit complicated. So on these days, you’re going to want to find a 30 incline or something close to that. It also says in the book that you can find a nice steep set of stairs or just whatever works for your training.
So for the first part of the workout, you’re going to be doing two 30-second hill repetitions. So you’re going to be going 30 seconds up to 30 incline and then walking down when you’re done. Make sure that you’re doing this in zone three.
Then after that, you’re going to be doing 2 by 20-second hill skipping. So you’re going to be skipping up the mountain. And this was Killian’s dig. This isn’t—I’m not making this up. So you do 2 by 20 seconds skipping up the hill, and then you walk down the hill again.
Then, lastly, you’re doing 8 by 10-second maximum power bounding with long strides. So you’re just going to be wanting to space out your strides as much as you possibly can. And then you’re going to be walking down.
And then, as you can see on these weeks, we also have one long run. So that will be on the weekend or any day.
One more thing to keep in mind is, for this training plan, you can throw around days whenever you need to. You can do some workouts on a Monday and then the other one on a Friday or just space it out however works best for your schedule. But this training plan is what I did that worked for me.
50KM Training Plan Weeks 8-13
Then you’re going to be doing a recovery week for weeks eight and eleven. And then we’re also going to be doing specificity training for weeks 9, 10, 12, and 13.
So specificity weeks are weeks of training specifically for your race. This will be the 50k race that you signed up for, and you’re going to want to train specifically for that race during these weeks.
This means that you’ll be doing back-to-back long runs, which are hard. Back-to-back long runs, I think, are definitely the hardest part of this training plan, but I think that they really helped me.
Every time that I’ve done well in a race, I’ve done back-to-back long runs. So I would recommend them. You will also be doing all of your speed work in zone 4, not in zone 3. So during these weeks, you’re really going to be pushing yourself to the next level.
You’ll also want to be doing at least half of your race elevation during these long runs. So if your 50k has 10,000 feet of elevation make sure to spread 5,000 feet of vert over those two back-to-back long runs.
As you can see in week 13, you have back-to-back 19-mile days on the weekend. So that is going to be tough. And you’re also going to be doing a zone 4 speed workout on Tuesday. So good luck.
50KM Training Plan Weeks 14-16
Lastly, we have week 14 through 16. So let’s do this last little part of the training. Weeks 14 and 15 we got taper weeks.
So this is when you’re going to start tapering down. You’re going to start getting ready for your race, preparing mentally, preparing physically. You are just going to be focusing on whatever your body needs to perform the best at your race.
So during these taper weeks, you’re just going to want to maintain the fitness that you’ve built over these last weeks, and you’re also going to start winding down your training to prepare for your race.
As you can see, we’re cutting all Zone 4 training and just focusing on zone 3 during these weeks. And we’re not doing back-to-back long runs anymore.
And then on to week 16. So this is what you’ve been working so hard for. You are going to crush your 50-kilometer race, I know it, if you follow this training plan. As you can see, week 16, Monday, you’re going to be doing 30-second intervals.
So this means that you’re going to be getting up to Zone 3 on this week. So as you can see on Monday and Wednesday, we have 30-second speed intervals. This is just to keep your legs fresh and not to get too lazy during this last week of training.
So as you can see, we’re doing 4×30 second speed intervals, and you’re getting up to zone three in these. And then the rest of your run will just be at Zone 1, and you’re going to be doing those on Monday and Wednesday. And then on the weekend, it is your race. And like I said, you are going to do so well, and you are going to crush it.
Alright, guys, so that is it for the 50-kilometer training plan. If you have any questions about it, make sure to comment below, and I will answer those. Thanks!
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