What a Full Year of Ultra Training Actually Looks Like (Beginner Runner)

I ran 10 ultramarathons in the past 12 months. If you want to run ultras, this is what a realistic year of training can look like—not a highlight reel, not a blueprint, and not sugarcoated. Just the honest ebbs and flows of real life mixed with endurance training.

This post breaks down:

• How I got into ultrarunning as an adult
• The month-by-month reality of my training
• What went wrong, what worked, and what surprised me
• The real numbers from the entire year

If you’re a beginner runner or someone curious about ultras, this should give you a grounded expectation of what’s possible.

What a full year of ultra train…

I Didn’t Grow Up Running

I started running as an adult.
No track. No cross country. No high school mileage base.

The only running I did growing up was sprinting a mile as fast as possible—and to me, that was long distance. I stayed active through basketball and general movement, but running wasn’t part of my life until I was 26.

After about two years of consistent running, I built up to my first marathon. I lost weight, cleaned up my habits, and eventually committed to ultramarathons.

• First 50K: went great
• First 55-mile race: an absolute disaster

That failure stuck with me.

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The Goal for 2025

When 2025 rolled around, I knew exactly what I needed to fix.

I made a list of about 20 things I had to stop doing—not because they were bad, but because time and energy are finite.

The goal was simple:

Get comfortable in the 50-mile to 100K range so that one day a 100-miler is realistic.

The key theme for the year became this:

Short-term inconsistency. Long-term consistency.

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Month-by-Month: The Real Training Year

January: Almost Nothing

I was in the middle of selling a business. Running wasn’t the priority yet.

Total miles: 24

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February: Momentum Returns

I put a tune-up race on the calendar to force consistency—a 6-hour loop race on snow.

Miles: 111

Race result: ~27 miles, tied for first

Proof that having something scheduled matters

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March: Marathon Block

I ran:

A training marathon

A 20-mile long run

The Run Through Time Marathon in Salida, Colorado (~4,000 ft gain)

I ran it sick. It wasn’t fun—but it mattered.

Miles: 152

Two weeks off afterward

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April: First Big Breakthrough

Desert Rats 100K (64 miles).

This race changed everything for me mentally. It was the first time I got past 50 miles without feeling completely destroyed.

Miles: 114

Post-race: basically stopped running and returned to work

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May & June: Almost No Running

This part wasn’t ideal—but it was real.

I chose to finish business obligations as fast as possible, even if that meant almost no training.

May: 17 miles

June: 45 miles

I stayed active with lifting, hiking, swimming—but not much running.

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July: Ramp Up Fast

I had 28 days to prepare for a 50-mile race after barely running for two months.

Instead of panicking, I treated the race as a training run.

Notable runs:

32-mile self-supported run from my apartment to the top of Pikes Peak

A hilly marathon training run

Miles: 193

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August: Fatigue Meets Fitness

Started with a relay marathon where I unexpectedly set a 10K PR.

Six days later:

Mount Hood 50 Miler

~11,000 ft of climbing

Legs were destroyed, but I finished without blowing up

Later that month:

29-mile training run from Garden of the Gods → Pikes Peak → back down

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September: Speed Surprise

Nearly all my training had been low-intensity (Zone 2).

Speed work made my knee swell—so I avoided it.

At the Pikes Peak Marathon, I surprised myself:

Finished 1 hour faster than expected

Improved from 422nd place to 80th

Huge mental breakthrough

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October: Consistency Month

No big races. Just steady mileage.

Marathon training run

Another 20-miler

Signed up last-minute for the Dead Horse 50 Miler

Miles: 130

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November: Chaos Before the Race

Moved houses one week before race day.
Beat my body up badly moving equipment, weights, and inventory.

I rested completely until race day.

Dead Horse 50 Miler:

Took 2 hours off my previous 50-mile PR

Sprained my foot and ran 25 miles on it

Recovered fully in ~3 weeks

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December: Full-Circle Confidence

I ran 41 miles from sunrise to sunset on the shortest day of the year—and felt strong at the end.

That was the goal all year.

Miles: 130

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The Numbers (That Surprised Me)

Total running time: 312 hours

Total miles: 1,265

Activities: 237

Average run: 5.3 miles

Monthly average: 105 miles

Elevation gain: 134,000 feet

Average heart rate: 124 bpm

I had 15 weeks where I ran under 6 miles total.

And yet—I still progressed.

Why? Because running wasn’t the only movement:

Hiking

Lifting

Stair stepper

Swimming

Mountain biking

None of that shows up in the data.

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Two Lessons That Matter

1. Recovery Is Not Failure

Taking time off kept me healthy.

If you’ve been injury-prone, a rhythm of lighter weeks can be a strength—not a weakness.

2. The Taper Is Real

The races I properly tapered for felt completely different.

Using races as training runs is great—but if speed matters, tapering matters more.

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Final Thoughts

This year was the first time I truly felt like an ultrarunner.

Not because of medals or placements—but because I could:

Run 40–60 miles

Finish feeling strong

Recover and come back healthy

If you’re on a similar path, I’m rooting for you.

And if this helped you set realistic expectations for ultrarunning, that’s a win.