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1. bootsie
   Member

   We are planning to run through the Marin Headlands on some of its beautiful trails about 10 miles each day for 4 consecutive days. We have done 5 half marathons the last couple of years - albeit slowly! We have about 5 months to prepare. Any suggestions on training for 4 long hilly days in a row?

   Posted 3 years ago #

2. Brad Hefta-Gaub
   Administrator

   In general I recommend a 10% ramp in volume per week. I think this approach can work for many endurance events even if they are multiday events.

   So 5 months is about 20 weeks. So you could work backwards...
   If you've done a half marathon, then you might feel comfortable doing 1/4th the distance 4 days in a row... say 3.25 miles.

   If you ran 3.25 miles, 4 days in a row, and then added 10% each week, then you'd get to 4 days running 10 miles per day in 13 weeks... 3.25*4, 3.5*4, 4*4, 4.3*4, 4.8*4, 5.25*4, etc...

   So that tells me that you have plenty of time to slowly add mileage and get to your goal.

   If I was doing this, I'd take a basic plan, and like what I've described above, and then "slow it down" and add some rest.

   So consider a 5 day a week schedule...
   4 days would be your "core days" where you will practice running 4 days in a row. Then in the other 3 days of the week, you'll rest twice and run once.

   I would do:

   • Th, Fr, Sat, Sun as my core days
   • Mon, Wed as my rest days
   • Tues as a non-core run day

   I would then mix up my "core running days" every other week, doing 4 days in a row one week, and then 2 days with 2 breaks the other week. So for example...

   • Week 1: running 4 days in a row of 3 miles per day
   • Week 2: 7 miles, rest, 7 miles, rest

   Since you have 20 weeks before you event, and this schedule will take about 12 weeks + your race week, that means you can either spend 8 weeks working up to your first 3x4 run, or you could use this start with a 3x4 right away, but add some weeks where you don't increase your mileage at all, but instead rest a week or stay flat for a week.

   Either way, this sounds like a very doable race.

   That said, of course, you should make sure that you are really healthy enough to take on this challenge, and most of all make sure you pay attention to your body and check with a medical professional if you have any doubt about your level of physical fitness.

   Good luck!

   Posted 3 years ago #

3. bootsie
   Member

   Thanks Brad; this is very helpful! We are doing this primarily for fun with a group of about 10 who have all done some endurance events.

   Posted 3 years ago #

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