How I Trained for My First Ultramarathon: Bridget's Story and Advice

Ultra marathons are not for the faint of heart. They require determination, dedication, and proper training to conquer the long distances and challenging terrains. I found my passion for running when I was in high school, having completed two half-marathons with a group of girlfriends. Following that, my freshman year of college I decided to train for the Moosalamoo 14-mile race, which happened to land on my 19th birthday. I decided to celebrate the proper way, and after completing the race, I drove an hour back home to run the remaining 5 miles it would take me to reach 19 miles on my 19th.

So, what has occurred since the summer of 2020? Well, I decided to stop running and chose to focus on weightlifting for the remainder of college. I had zero clue what I was doing in the gym and lacked consistency in a solid workout regime. Over time, I found myself unable to run 2 miles consistently without disliking it and having to take multiple breaks, questioning how I ever got into running initially. For nearly four years, I didn't attempt to run beyond 2 miles, but that all shifted in October 2023.

My mom, who has been the inspiration behind my running journey, had ran the Ghost Train 30-Hour Ultramarathon in Brookline, NH for her first time, completing 45 miles. She couldn't stop raving about how amazing the course was, that it was a well-supported race, and the overall vibe of it made for a great race experience. When she was talking about this race, I could feel that spark I once felt for running reigniting in me once more.

I verbalized this not-so-crazy dream of mine to my closest friends and coworkers. How in a year, I was going to complete my first ultramarathon. No one told me I wouldn't be able to do it, and I think it's because they know how stubborn I am when I set a goal for myself, both a blessing and a curse at times. In January of 2024, registration opened up and I signed up for the 30-Hour Ultramarathon, which in all honesty was more nerve-wracking than the race itself. I then set off to train for the following nine months. Below is what worked for me, what didn't, and things I recommend when training for your first ultramarathon, coming from someone who went from 0 miles to 45 miles in 9 months.

A photo taken of me before the race!

What worked for me when training and during the race:

1. Finding A Fueling Strategy: You can read all of the blogs out there and get advice from ultrarunners about their fueling and hydration strategy for a race, but the thing is, it's different for everyone. During my race, I had no GI issues whatsoever (besides a small wave of nausea every once in a while). That is because I practiced how I would fuel for my race well in advance on my longer runs so I could see how my body tolerated certain forms of fuel. This is probably the most common and important piece of advice you will receive when training for any race!

   1. Here is what I did during my race: Hydrated early, within the first 30 minutes or so of starting. You may not feel like you need it, but it is preparing your body for what is to come and helps in avoiding dehydration that may creep up on you. A good rule of thumb that I used to make sure I was hydrating enough is that if I had to pee semi-frequently and was producing saliva, I knew I was doing somewhat okay with hydration.

   2. I fueled every 45-minutes to an hour and aimed to consume about 200 calories per hour of activity. What helped me with this was the weekend before my race, I prepared bags for each lap and anticipated that I would be completing each lap every four hours (which held true, as I completed three 15-mile laps in under 13 hours, which also accounts for aid station breaks and rest stops). I also know now that after completing that race, I dislike using gels as a fueling source. I found they were too sticky and bothersome to deal with while running, and they ended up getting all over myself and my pack (since we don't litter in this household!)

   3. I also made it a priority to get in electrolytes, whether it be Tailwind Endurance Fuel in my collapsible water bottle or through salt tabs/fuel, every 30-minutes to an hour of activity. This ended up working out well for me, as my hands didn't really start to swell until I was on my last lap.

      
      

2. Music (or Podcasts): Believe it or not, for the first 30 miles of my race I didn't listen to any music and instead used that time out on the course to enjoy the scenery and make friends with the other runners out there! One of my favorite parts about running is talking to others and getting to listen to their stories and advice, no matter how young or old someone is! Once I was on my last lap, however, it was getting dark and figured I needed some motivation to keep going.

   1. During my training runs, what gets me looking forward to getting out there and moving my body is that I get to listen to music. What I listen to largely depends on the weather and my mood at the time of my run, but for this race specifically I listened to a bunch of Taylor Swift. I never was a huge fan of her music until Fall of 2023, of course I knew her popular songs but that was it in terms of what I knew about her discography. I've always respected her as a person and have thought that she carries herself in a way that I admire, but her songs didn't click with me personally until after I graduated undergrad. I found myself to resonate most with her album's folklore and evermore, and those opened the gates to her lyricism in other albums that I had yet to truly explore. Her music instilled a newfound confidence in me, a spark that I hadn't felt previously, and guided me along my training into this ultramarathon "era" so to speak.

   2. Podcasts are another great option to listen to while you are running. Typically, I don't gravitate towards them, but I know that it helps my mom while she runs her longer training runs. One that she recommends is "Choose Strong" by Sally McRae, a podcast about choosing strength over fear in every situation in life. Another podcast that I personally recommend is "The Mel Robbin's Podcast" by Mel Robbin's. I find her podcasts to be informative and direct on how to improve different aspects of you life and I enjoy listening to both her and Sally McRae talk while I am getting ready for the day, working, or doing chores around the house! I do want to give podcast listening on runs a try, so we shall see how that goes.

3. Recovery and Stretching! This is definitely a weak spot of mine, and one of my goals for the 2025 racing season. What hindered my ability to train at my fullest potential was my lack of motivation when it comes to stretching and prioritizing recovery. Taking five to ten minutes before and after your runs to do some dynamic (before) and static (after) makes a huge difference in how you feel throughout your run and in the days after it. Also, if you have a rest or active recovery (walking, yoga, swimming, biking, etc.) scheduled, make sure you are doing them! Even if my legs feel good after a long run, I don't want to overtrain them and then get frustrated when I have an overuse injury. Recovery is just as important, if not more, than training for a race itself. One thing that I was to focus on more this year is getting into foam rolling, since I rarely gravitated towards that during my first year of training, and I know the benefits are monumental such as:

   1. Improve flexibility and range of motion

   2. Helps with delayed-onset muscle soreness

   3. Decreases injury risk

   4. Improves performance

   5. Enhances recovery

   
   

   (I mean, what runner doesn't want all of these things!)

What didn't work for me while training and during the race:

1. Mentality: You will hear this over and over but running is a HUGE mental sport. I had some of the mental toughness that it takes due to my prior experiences with running, but this was a whole new ballpark. Something that I struggled with a lot throughout the whole process was lacking the discipline that it took to stick with the training habits that I had build. This was largely due to some poor habits that I had developed in college, and looking back on it I regret not having the mental strength to not have started those habits in the first place or at least recognize that what I was doing wasn't in moderation or healthy. There is nothing stopping me from becoming the healthiest and strongest version of myself except for me, and it took me a while to come to that realization. During the race, physically I felt amazing after doing 45-miles. What stopped me at 45-miles was the fact that I had been on the course for 12 hours, it was now dark out, and there were less people out running so I didn't have a buddy with me to help push each other. Going into the 2025 race season, I want to improve on this by doing more runs throughout the night by myself to build up that mentality, as well as train without music or podcasts because when my AirPods started to die on my 3rd lap, I knew I did not have it in me in that moment to push for a 4th.

   
   

2. Chargeable Electronics: After this race, I am pro-battery powered electronics all the way. There is nothing more frustrating than when you are tired, hungry, thirsty, cranky, etc. etc. and then your electronics start to die on you, and you have to wait for them to charge. This was another thing that kept me from going out to do 60 miles, my Garmin watch was dead at this point (to be fair I think if I play around with my backlight settings, I can get it to last longer) and my Airpods were on their last leg. It is much easier to swap out some batteries (I kept multiple in a plastic bag in my pack) then to fumble around with cords and look for backups to your electronics that require a charge.

   
   

3. Unorganized Race Bin/Overpacking: Going into the 2025 race season, I am looking forward to mastering my packing list. I know now that I packed too much in my Osprey pack during the race, making it uncomfortable to run with at times. Since there's no more than 4 miles between aid stations, I may ditch the bladder for two collapsible water bottles that I can fill, one with electrolytes and one with regular water. I also know that I didn't use a lot of supplies on the course, but it is always nice to have a small first aid kit (stuff to treat blisters or small cuts), some medicine for any GI issues, fuel (a must have), and batteries if you need them. Additionally, the bin I kept at home base was disorganized, especially the further along into the race I got where I was just throwing things into it in order to get back out on the course.

Running an ultramarathon is as much a test of mental endurance as it is physical. Over the course of my training and during race day, I learned so much about my body, my mind, and what it takes to push beyond my perceived limits. The biggest takeaway? Preparation matters, but flexibility is just as important. Some things will go according to plan, and others will require quick thinking and adaptation.

Going into the 2025 race season, I’m excited to take what I’ve learned so far and improve—whether that’s refining my fueling strategy, building more mental resilience, or simply staying more organized on race day. My journey from barely being able to run two miles to completing 45 miles in under 13 hours has shown me that growth is possible with consistency and commitment.

If you’re thinking about taking on your first ultramarathon, know that it’s not about being the fastest or the strongest. It’s about finding your rhythm, testing your own limits, and proving to yourself that you are capable of more than you ever imagined. The journey won’t always be easy, but it will be worth it.

Here’s to chasing bigger goals, running further, and embracing every step of the adventure. See you on the trails!