Table of miles needed plotted against weeks and days of the week as a running plan
My NDW 50 training plan

I’ve ran the North Downs Way 50 ultra-marathon, by Centurion Running, five times now. I love it. It’s my favourite race of the year. Generally, I’m a 10-hour 50 mile runner. Fast at times, but generally slow, thirsty and one whom enjoys a bitch about the weather, fields, hills, etc.

This year however, I was injured in March and I was worried that I wouldn’t be in a good place to get my usual 10-hour pace in.

So I did something I very rarely do. I created a training plan. And by the powers of the sun-baked-trails of the North Downs, it worked a charm. I hit a PB and almost very nearly came in sub-9 hours.

Runner in the foreground smiling at the camera under tree canopy on a wide trail. Other runners are out of focus in the background heading the same way
I love the NDW

My six week North Downs Way 50 ultra-marathon training plan

This plan started from running 5 KMs up to running a single 50k training run. The week before had started from 1KM to 5.

The aim was to get me to a point where I had a good base of fitness to complete the NDW50 in under 10 hours and prepare myself for the NDW100 in August.

The plan helped me achieve both and I’ll certainly look to continue the plan for the rest of the year.

Week
M
T
W
T
F
Total
Type
1
5
6-R
7
8-R
9-R
37
Road
2
9
6-R
13
6-R
11-C
45
Road/Trail
3
13-C
6-F
21
6-R
10-H/C
56
Trail
4
10-H
6-R
26
6-R
10-H
58
Trail
5
10-H/C
6F
10-H
6-F
>32
64+
Trail
6
6-R
6-F
13-H
6-F
–
31
Trail
Race week
6-F
–
6-R
–
–
92
Trail

Key:

  • R = Recovery
  • C = Cycle option as an alternative
  • H = Hills
  • F = Fast
  • Note: All distances in KM

Why did I choose these distances?

Well, it started by simply adding an extra 1km every time I ran. From there, I increased some runs and decreased others, but kept the overall distance for the week the same. I then factored in other runs and events that I was expecting and gave myself some recovery time. I also allowed myself to never do any particularly long runs to help balance work / life / running.
There was no particular science to it, but there was some kind of method.

Important: Here’s what I agreed with myself before I kicked this off

Getting your head space right before you enter into anything that’s going to take commitment and sacrifice is always recommended. It’s a chance to accept and review the person you are, the likely hood of disruptions, that you’ll have good and bad days, and all the rest of life’s ups and downs. And to then not let them ruin, guilt or cajole you into feeling like you had to stick to a rigid structure that’s not right for you.

Here’s what I agreed with myself

  • I’ll aim to run 5 times a week
  • I’ll not run if I’m injured or unwell (and not have to make up the lost runs either)
  • I’ll not beat myself up if I miss a run, but gave myself 2 spare days in the week to get it in
  • I’ll stick to the distance (not under and not over)
  • I’ll tick a run off when I got home so I could track progress (Pavlov’s Dog)
  • I’ll vary the effort over the week
  • I’ll give myself an opt-out (cycling) if I just can’t face running the longer days
I’m glad I did have that internal talk and agreement and I heartily recommend you have one too. It certainly made it easier when the baby was having a bad day and it was all hands on deck. I didn’t feel any guilt on myself for ‘failing’ to go for the run. It also felt pretty good to be able to offer my wife the option for me to not run on a day as well, and then not have to compete between family life and my running choices.

Proof is in the pudding

My NDW50 ultra times over the last 5 years, including overall ranking (gender and age neutral).

2017 I also ran the NDW 100 and weighed only 82kg at the NDW 50 (85 – 90kg is normal). 2019 I weighed 85kg for the 50.

Year Overall time Overall rank Time to Box Hill Time to Reigate Hill
2015 10:06:45 83 03:50:55 05:36:14
2016 09:49:38 68 04:07:44 05:44:41
2017 09:30:05 58 03:49:58 05:26:57
2018 09:34:26 50 04:05:58 05:43:07
2019 09:03:18 49 03:49:14 05:21:08

Garmin data for the nerds with lots of data. Or Strava if you prefer.

Hope this helps someone.