I am 60 this year, with bad knees. Asked about replacements but not yet :o) this is a 38 miler with close to 14,000 feet elevation gain

When I trained for Comrades, my hill training intervals were mostly 2 x (5 x 2 min) sets with easy running in between intervals & sets twice a week. I also used a treadmill to model the incline of the five major climbs on the course and practiced power walking up them. Weight lifting will also help your legs build strength.

Thanks.. there are a few places of technical terrain of over 1000ft per mile.
I cannot do weights. Arthritis to bad in knees

Given you're training for a miler and The Rut is after that, you will have built more endurance strength and power by September.

I really don't know the best way to currently simulate or specify your training. I've never had the need to train on a treadmill. However over 6 months out, I would be more concerned with just building base miles for the 100 and work in the specific training when the weather makes it more practical. After all, your recovery from the 100 is likely to be the biggest factor on how well you back up for The Rut.

Any 50km with around 10000ft means you are doing a lot of uphill walking.

It looks an interesting, scenic and challenging course:

• 60% Single Track (30km)
  
• 25% Dirt Road (12.5km)
  
• 15% Off Trail (7.5km)

You may well be walking for over half of the course. It's likely to be more time and energy efficient on the hills and off-trail sections.

Sorry, not very helpful as to what you asked, but I'd say trust your 100 mile training, hit the trails and hills when you're able, and concentrate on your recovery post-miler.

Comrades is a way different. It's road and every hill is runnable.

I think weights have limited benefit for Kenney's race schedule. Aerobic fitness, endurance, bulk mileage, specifics of trail running (efficient ascents and smooth descents). That's where the training should be focused.

Just a thought, do you have anywhere suitable for stair repeats at this time of year?

How are you at downhills?

I know from running trails and trail races in Hong Kong, being good at climbing is great, but being good at steep technical descents helps you much more. If you're bad at these descents - like, say, me - you'll be slow and you'll use a lot of energy on the descents, both physical and mental energy. If you're good on the downhills, you can gain a lot of time while you're getting your energy back.

This is assuming that your races have equal or similar elevation loss and gain. If it's just a point-to-point up a mountain, descent skill doesn't matter.

Thanks. I did the Rut this last year......I am doing Telluride this year

https://www.runtelluride.com/40-mile/

followed by run rabbit run.

I started Ultras in 2014. First try at a 100, I trained completely flat land......Did not make cutoff at 50.......Had a lot of upper body weight. Swan a lot ect. 2015 trianed for hills, got a stress factor. But missed last cutoff for the rut by two minutes. 2016, ggod year training, on an 18 mile downhill in Big Horn, my compressed disks did not do well. Felt great back completely locked up....so made 70 miles. Finished the rut that year. 2017, good training. Fell 10 days before yhr trut, hurt knees bad, did not make last cut off. 2018 did better. Did a bucnh of trail runs. In lower 170's . Finished the Rut with an hr to spare.
However my arthritis in knees is getting bad. Needed a couple of shots that year.
So I have a base of running 35 to 40 miles a week for years now, with ramping up milage in the summer. Over the summer I have been doing probably 15 20 plus mile runs, at least one every weeknd with 40000 climbing. Did the Bridger ridge run few times.

I am just an old slow guy. Always back of the pack. Last year all my times were faster. I hope to be in the 160's this year. Managing my knees best I can...thank you

With that kind of elevation, how much do you really anticipate running uphill?

Get your mileage in, and I won't tell you not to do any repeats because it seems like that's all you're going to do to build strength (and it's relatively low-risk due to lesser impact forces). Go short or long - as in anywhere from 30-45s for the short repeats, up to to a mile for the long ones. It's all strength and adaptation - mix it up, have fun!

I will, however, say you need to practice power hiking. Way too many people come into ultras well trained to run, but then end up dawdling up the hills and hurting because they're not adapted to hiking up steep terrain. Don't be that guy. Train to move efficiently at a walk/hike - any steep hill will do, or add a few minutes of power hiking on the treadmill at the highest inclination it'll give you either during or after your run workout. You'll need to be able to move from running to power hiking and back again during the race, so during is better, but at this point you have lots of time to adapt.

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ill advised racing inc.

Thank you.
When it comes to spring, when I head to mountains in Montana i will be doing mostly power hiking on the trails. There 4 to 5 mile inclines and switch backs gaining 600 plus per mile that I cannot run.
Soon as the cold breaks here I hope to be doing snow shoeing.
Before a April/May, just trying to get as most in I can

Solid plan. I'll just be over here in flatland jealous that you have mountains to play with come spring!

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ill advised racing inc.

You can run but you can't do weights??? Are you able to any type of lower body exercises to help with core and strength???

No I cannot do weights. Running on flat land (I can do a 46 10k) and a 15 minute pace in the mountains on arthritic knees is much different than weights. I can do planks ect…...I need to get faster at powering up very steep technical terrain. Believe me, a 17 minute pace power walking a 20 % grade is harder that you think on technical terrain

No, I agree about the pace on such steep technical ground. If you can do that then that's darn good.

It just sucks you can't do any kind of weights.

Are you able to hike with a weighted pack? I find backpacking amazing cross-training for ultras, but will also just throw some weights/plates into a backpack (with some sort of padding to keep them stable and from bruising me) to go for a hike.

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ill advised racing inc.

Yes, will try.

Anyone have advice on getting good at downhill running? That was my biggest issue at a race last year. Seems like it is probably more technique based than just run a lot of down hills.

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Brian

I'm pretty pants at downhill technical running myself - I'm clumsy as hell - but quick foot turnover and letting your arms come up and out to flail a bit for balance helps. It doesn't have to be elegant; you just need to stay upright.

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ill advised racing inc.

Some technical downhill running stuff:

Take smallish steps
Lean forwards (backwards makes you go slow and prone to falling)
Arms can be out for balance
Look ahead but not too far - always be thinking about specifically where you can place your next footsteps
Let gravity do most of the work - let yourself drop, instead of "leaping"

Nothing beats practicing on the real stuff, if there's any rooty descents, rock gardens, etc I your area