BACKYARD ULTRA TRAINING PLAN | 20 WEEKS | LAST ONE STANDING
A complete 20-week build for a backyard ultra where the goal is not a number of miles but being the last person to finish a yard. This plan is about making the hour feel ordinary for as long as it takes.
WHO THIS PLAN IS FOR
Runners who have finished at least one ultra, or one backyard, and are now going after the win rather than a distance. You should be comfortably running 6 to 8 hours a week before week 1 and able to build to 16 to 19.
WHAT IT TAKES
Peaks at 19 hours 15 in week 15. Six days a week: five runs and two strength sessions. Saturdays build to a 14 yard, two-day dress rehearsal that runs through a full night and into the next morning.
WHAT IS IN IT
140 days, every session written, with nothing left to guess at.
Yard blocks from 4 to 10 yards, four of them starting after dark.
A 14 yard dress rehearsal in peak week, run at race start time, through the night.
All hard running built as structured workouts that sync to your watch using percentage of threshold heart rate.
A full strength programme in four phases: Foundation, Max Strength, Loop Durability, Maintenance.
WEEKLY NOTES COVERING THE THINGS THAT ACTUALLY DECIDE A BACKYARD
Picking a loop split you can repeat on the second night
Transition discipline and the chair problem
Fueling to 60-90 g of carbs an hour, one item every hour
Sleep banking, the nap protocol and the 3 a.m. hour
Feet, socks and shoe changes over 30-plus hours
The second day, crewing, weather, taper, race week and a full execution plan
WHAT YOU NEED
A GPS watch, a measured 4.17 mile loop you can get to, access to a gym or a barbell and dumbbells, and a headlamp.
Set your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate in TrainingPeaks after the week 1 field test and every structured session will target the right intensity automatically.
Ultra running coach for trail and mountain ultramarathons, 50K to 200 miles. Thirteen 200+ mile finishes including the Triple Crown of 200s, four straight Cocodona 250s with two top-fives, plus Western States, Leadville and Badwater 135. I build time-based training that fits around your life rather than replacing it. I also co-host the Distance To Empty podcast. Reach out for a free consultation to see if we're a good fit: distancetoemptypod.com