Welcome to Flatland Ultra!
If you're reading this, you probably have a full-time job, maybe a family, and a deeply irrational desire to run 50+ miles through the countryside.
You also probably live in the Midwest.
When you open major running magazines, you see 22-year-old sponsored pros floating up 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado. That’s inspiring and all, but it doesn't help when you’re trying to squeeze in a 10-miler between morning drop-off and a 9:00 AM meeting.
Flatland Ultra is the antidote to the mountain-elitism of trail running. Every week, we’re delivering pro-grade race scouts, gear reviews, and training tactics specifically designed for the busy Midwest endurance athlete. No fluff. Just the intel you need to survive the miles and still crush it at work and at home.
Let's get into it.
The Flatland Feature: Training for Mountains on a Prairie
It's late April. If you are eyeing the Black Hills 100 in June or the Superior Fall Trail Race later this year, you have a math problem: Those races feature thousands of feet of climbing, and your neighborhood loop has exactly zero.
How do you build climbing legs when the highest point in your zip code is an interstate overpass?
1. Embrace the "Trash Vert:" If you don't have a 3-mile mountain climb, you need to accumulate "trash vert"—short, steep, repetitive climbs. Find a sledding hill, a steep riverbank, or a local high school football stadium. Yes, running up and down a 40-foot hill 60 times will test your sanity, but so will running 50+ miles. Ultra-running is a mental sport anyway. Consider it callous-building for your brain.
2. The Incline Treadmill Power Hike: This is the busy professional's secret weapon. You don't need to run at a 15% incline; you just need to power hike it.
Here’s a workout to try: Set the treadmill to 12–15% incline at 3.0 to 3.5 mph. Throw on a 15lb weighted vest or your fully loaded race pack. Do this for 45 minutes while listening to a podcast or taking a low-stakes conference call (camera off, obviously). It builds the exact posterior chain strength you need for mountain climbs, and you can do it right from your house.
3. Focus on the Eccentric (Downhill) Load: Most flatlanders don't fail in the mountains because their lungs give out on the uphills; they fail because their quads are shredded by the downhills. One way to increase this strength without having to find hills is to incorporate heavy reverse lunges and heavy squats into your weekly routine. You have to prepare your muscle tissue to handle the impact of descending or you’re done for.
Gear Pick of the Week: The "Road-to-Trail" Hybrid
The Problem: Midwest trail runs rarely start at a trailhead. They usually involve 2 miles of neighborhood pavement just to reach the dirt or gravel path. Pure trail shoes with massive lugs will get chewed up on the asphalt, and pure road shoes will slip on the mud.
The Solution: You need a hybrid. Right now, the Hoka Challenger 8 or the Saucony Peregrine 16 are the reigning champions of the Midwest mixed-surface run. They have enough cushion to handle the concrete, but tightly spaced, versatile lugs that grip perfectly on gravel roads and state park dirt. If you only want to buy one pair of shoes for your 5:00 AM weekday miles, grab a hybrid.
The Final Mile
That’s it for issue #1! If you found this useful, do me a massive favor: forward this email to one running buddy who is currently suffering through their own training block.
Enjoy the grind!
Ethan Poulter Founder, Flatland Ultra