6 Tips to Become an Ultra-Runner from Pro Mike McKnight 

So 26 miles just isn’t far enough for you, huh? If that’s the case, and you’re ready to take your running game to the next level, you’ve probably heard of Ultra running. These ultramarathons range from 31 miles to over 200 miles and are a grueling test of mental and physical stamina. Sounds like fun, right? 

If you answered yes to that question, then these tips from professional Ultra runner and coach Mike McKnight will be just what you need to get started on your Ultra journey. McKnight coaches runners from beginners to those preparing for 200-mile races, so whether you’re at the very start of your journey, or just looking to improve, keep reading to see what this pro recommends. 

1. Stay consistent

Though running 50-plus miles might seem more daunting than just hitting the gym or taking a few laps around the neighborhood, McKnight says that “the biggest thing that I tell people is to focus on consistency when they start.” Just like with anything, consistency really is key. 

That means that instead of going all out for your first few training sessions, pace yourself with mileage that’s feasible for you to do consistently. Consistency over distance, especially initially, will go a long way. 

2. Don’t get intimidated

While consistency is important, McKnight stresses the importance of creating a routine that will work for you. That means not looking at other ultra-runners and thinking “Why can’t I do that?” 

“I think it’s easy when somebody wants to get into Ultra marathons to start Googling things and they start learning about these runners,” McKnight says, giving the example of fellow Ultra-runner, Andrew Glaze. 

“I use him as an example all the time, but it’s like, if somebody Googles Andrew Glaze, and says ‘my gosh, this guy is putting out 100-plus mile weeks, and he’s been doing it for what, three years now,’ if somebody comes to Ultrarunning and learns about him, it could be easy to get intimidated, and be like ‘holy crap, I don’t got time for that,” McKnight laughs. 

“I just try to remind people Andrew didn’t start here. He’s been ultra-running for years before this. So just focus on the consistency,” McKnight says, stressing that everyone starts at the beginning at some point. 

3. Build your mileage slowly

Once you get those two hurdles out of the way, it’s time to actually hit the pavement. McKnight says that he “thinks a good place to target is 45 minutes a day. Once you get comfortable with that, then start looking at building your mileage and working towards where you should be to be able to run an Ultra.” 

While this number might change depending on how much running experience you already have, it provides a good starting point that you can adjust as needed based on your personal goals, timeframe, and pace.  

4. Get your mind right 

Running 50, 100, or 200 miles is an extreme physical feat, but getting through a challenge like this requires some mental preparation, as well, McKnight says. 

“I try helping people see that the hardest part of an Ultra, especially 200 miles, is the mental side,” he says, explaining that when coaching runners for 200s, he’ll “throw in one or two weekends where I have them go run two to three hours on a Friday night starting at 10pm. Then they finish at 1am, pop in bed, wake up at 5am, and then go for a four- to five-hour run.” 

McKnight says that this helps prepare runners for the mental struggle of sleeping poorly, and can aid in answering the question of “why you’re trying to do a 200-mile race.” 

This mental shift is what helped McKnight take his running to the next level in 2019. “The biggest thing that helped me was more of a mental shift,” he says of his strategy compared to back in 2017. 

“I always say I tried lying to myself. If my leg was hurting, I would try to pretend it wasn’t hurting, and then I’d eventually accept it was hurting, and I’d just be super pissed off and start shuffling and just throw myself a pity party. But in 2019, on the way to the first race of the Triple Crown, I was listening to a podcast. It was Trail Runner Nation, and they interviewed a guy who put one of those manual treadmills into a shipping container. He had no light, no idea what time it was, and no idea how far he’d run.

“The goal was to run on that treadmill for a full 24 hours and basically just stay on it until they opened the doors and said 24 hours is up. One of the things that stood out to me was that he would have these conversations with himself where he tried to normalize what he was going through. And so the example he gave is he’d be like, ‘Okay buddy, what are you feeling right now?’ And he’d talk back to himself and say, ‘My leg hurts; I have no idea what time it is; this is so mentally challenging,’ and he lists off all these problems that he was dealing with.

“And then he would just kind of talk back to himself and be like, ‘yeah, what would you expect? This is what you signed up for. It’s going to be hard, so just deal with it.’ So for me, that helped me realize how important it was to be honest with myself, and it helped me to embrace things a lot more, and be honest with myself instead of trying to lie to myself.” 

Now you don’t have to go and lock yourself in a storage container for 24 hours to get your mind right, but McKnight does recommend figuring out your “why” for those times when you feel like you want to quit.

5. Dial in your nutrition

Apart from training and the mental side of things, McKnight says that “the other big thing is dialing in your nutrition,” especially when it comes to what he eats on race day. 

“For me, I found that for the first 12 to 15 hours, I need to focus on easier foods like gels and liquid calories. I’ll do a lot of fruit-based stuff like fruit leather, applesauce, and freeze-dried fruit,” he says. 

“Then, roughly after that 12- to 15-hour mark, my stomach is getting used to the whole running and digesting food, cooling myself down from the heat, and I can start having a little bit more real food,” McKnight says, adding in that he “loves Siete potato chips,” at this point. 

While your nutritional needs won’t be identical to McKnight’s, his suggestion to dial in your nutrition and find out what works best for you and your body holds true, as your diet can make or break your race day. 

6. Master your electrolytes 

Along with nutrition comes electrolytes, which are a whole lot more important than many runners might think. “I’ve seen a lot of racers mess up their race by not fully grasping how important balancing your electrolytes is,” McKnight says. 

To get on top of your electrolytes, the running coach recommends “a company called Precision Hydration. They measure how much sodium per liter of sweat you lose. All of us are different – some of us are heavy salt sweaters, Some of us aren’t,” he says, saying that having that precision can be game-changing, “if you have the money for it.” 

“If you don’t have money for it right now, generally what I’ve seen is 300 to 600 milligrams per hour is kind of the sweet spot,” McKnight says of taking a less scientific approach to mastering electrolytes. 

“That’s just for salt supplementation because that’s not factoring in the salt from potatoes, potato chips, or whatever food you’re eating,” McKnight says, explaining that this might change “depending on if it’s hot or not,” too. 

He also advises runners to “make sure you’re getting pure water with those electrolytes because a lot of people will just pump themselves with electrolytes all day, and they’re not drinking plain water. So that sodium ends up just sitting in their gut and doesn’t absorb,” leading to some less-than-pleasant side effects. “So get enough electrolytes per hour, and make sure you break it up every 30 minutes because if you do too much at once, your stomach will hurt,” McKnight says. 

While McKnight’s recommendations are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ultra training, if you’re serious about upping your races, training, or just want more information, McKnight offers 1-on-1 coaching for runners of all fitness levels. 

Want more from Mike McKnight? Follow him @thelowcarbrunner, or check out more on his website. 

(Header image credit: Janna Herzog)

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