Ultra race preparation
Six weeks to a 77 km ultra: what to run this week
A worked example: 77 km in six weeks, 5 hours of sleep, a 32 km long run yesterday, a niggle. The week changes. The peak date stays.
You are six weeks from a 77 km trail ultra. That is a short window. It is still a written block: keep the long run, keep most days easy, put one quality dose in only if sleep and legs allow, and taper the last 10–14 days.
Yesterday you ran 32 km. Last night you slept five hours. The right knee is a 2/10 niggle, not a collapse.
Today’s written session was intervals. That session is junk intensity on five hours of sleep and a niggle. Skip it. Do 45–60 minutes easy: walk or jog so slowly you can speak a full sentence. If you have never run, walk the whole 45–60 min. That counts. Flat or gentle trail. If talking breaks, walk until it comes back.
A sample week from here, if sleep returns: Mon rest or 30 min walk. Tue 50 min easy walk/jog (full sentences). Wed rest. Thu 40 min easy. Fri rest. Sat long 90 min walk/jog, still talking — or hike the same minutes. Sun 40 min easy or rest if the knee is louder. Same minutes on a bike if you cannot run: 50 min easy cycling replaces 50 min easy jogging.
Keep the long easy. Don’t add kilometres to catch up. Eat and drink what you already use on longs. Do not invent a new gel.
Reassess tomorrow. One easy day does not lose the 77 km. A smashed Tuesday can. The peak date stays.
Now put your own date in
This guide opens a week the planner would actually write. Change the date if yours is different. The ready date stays.
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