Training Takeaways: Running Logan Peak Marathon and Using It to Build 100-Mile Fitness

Logan Peak in the morning sunlight

In June, I ran the Logan Peak Marathon, which I consider my strongest trail performance to date (strava link). The course measures just under 26 miles with approximately 6,500 feet of elevation gain, primarily on singletrack with sections of jeep road. Terrain ranges from lightly to moderately technical but remains almost entirely runnable. Average race elevation is 7,600 feet with a high point of 9,700 feet, introducing a moderate altitude component. While not a course record, my finishing time compares favorably with other strong athletes who have raced here over the years. Based on both objective outcomes and my effort during the race, I view this as my best trail performance to date. This is why I want to evaluate the training that led into it.

The six months leading into Logan Peak were characterized by both effective training and setbacks. Beginning January 1, I started a 16-week build toward the Salt Lake City Marathon. Following a minor hip strain over the winter, I resumed mileage at ~45 miles per week, progressing to ~70 miles per week within six weeks. While this represented a volume I had not previously been able to maintain on the roads, a successful high-mileage ultramarathon block the prior year gave me confidence that I could tolerate the increase.

During this phase I ran a marathon-pace session of 5 km, 4 km, 3 km, 2 km, and 1 km intervals averaging 6:10 per mile 3 months out from the race. This workout indicated that I could set a marathon PR (sub-2:55) on a notably harder course at altitude. I also believed that based on this session sub-2:45 could be in the cards. However, I got stuck with my hand in the metaphorical cookie jar as after this run my calf was giving me some trouble. Instead of being sensible I continued training through the issue maintaining ~70 miles per week. Unsurprisingly, this led to a calf injury that disrupted the remainder of the training block. Mileage became inconsistent, and preparation for Salt Lake City was compromised. I regained health in time to race, but I dropped down to the half marathon, where I ran 1:19. This was a personal best, but well short of what I thought I may be capable of.

Following the half marathon, I returned to structured training almost immediately without the fatigue of a long marathon block in the rearview. My plan this season was loosely based on the Norwegian “singles” method, which emphasizes 3 threshold sessions each week, very easy recovery mileage, and no unnecessary volume. The principle was simple: get faster at threshold efforts, keep easy days truly easy, and limit training to what I could easily absorb. Each week included three threshold sessions almost entirely on the track while my easy runs were ~6 miles on local trails with 1,500 feet of gain, keeping my heart rate below 130 bpm (Zone 1 for me). I also included one long run of ~15 miles (or about 3 hours) at the same heart rate on trails. Because the overall intensity was already high, I avoided pushing long runs into higher zones even though these would be ‘specific’ to the race. Threshold work began with shorter intervals (400–1,000m) and progressed to longer reps (1 mile, 2 km) to extend the duration I could sustain threshold pace. I rapidly improved these workouts and within a month I went from 6 × 1 km at 3:45/km to 8 × 1 km at 3:35/km at the same heart rate.

Seven days before the Logan Peak Marathon, I tested fitness with a controlled “5K” (it was 4.84k). I ran the first 3 km at threshold (3:34/km, 5:45/mi) before closing the final mile under 5:30 pace. The effort felt comfortable and confirmed what I was feeling in training. When workouts are well under your capacity it is hard to tell what you are capable of. Four days later, I ran 5 × 1 mile averaging 5:50 pace off one-minute rests, which again felt smooth and sustainable. This race was always a “B” race, and the lack of specificity was intentional. My aim was to test how fast I could get on a relatively low-stress program, prioritizing adaptation and life balance over pushing volume. The results suggested the approach worked: consistent threshold training and controlled recovery left me fresher, faster, and better prepared to perform. I think it is all too common to increase volume, and race workouts out of insecurity, but by trusting this process it left me in a better place than I would have been otherwise.

Heading into the race on June 21st, I felt confident in my preparation and believed that if I executed well, it was unlikely that anyone would be able to match my effort. I had target splits written for a finishing time around 4:10, which I considered slightly aggressive but within my capacity. At the start, I went out relaxed and avoided the front. I train on this course daily and knew the opening section was covered in loose, marble-sized gravel where it is easy to waste energy. Once the surface transitioned to grippier dirt, I began moving up passing early leaders one by one. By the top of the initial climb, I was in third position with the leader in sight. After this climb, I settled behind second place, Ricky, briefly to recover and take a gel. Meanwhile, Phillip, the early leader, surged ahead. I remained patient conserving energy until the first downhill and flat stretch, where I moved past Ricky and began closing the gap. On the next gradual uphill, an extended drag I had targeted as a key section in my race plan, I passed Phillip just before the final ascent to Logan Peak. By the summit, I had opened a gap of several minutes. The remainder of the race was a sustained downhill effort. I treated it as a controlled time trial, running smoothly and naturally increasing my pace with each mile. From that point forward, the outcome depended primarily on avoiding mistakes like falling rather than defending against competition. Overall, the effort felt hard but never unsustainable. I maintained strong energy levels throughout, which I attribute to the emphasis on threshold running and aerobic development in training. Importantly, this performance came off ~50 miles per week, a reminder that higher mileage is not inherently better. While overtraining has recognizable symptoms, under-training is harder to identify because there is no distinct threshold. Therefore, I think too many people push the edge of overtraining because you can feel it, and if feels like you are doing a lot. My takeaway from this block however is simple: if your performance improves, the training load is sufficient.

My A-race this season is The Bear 100 in September, and the current training block is essentially an adaptation of the earlier marathon cycle. Whereas the marathon block emphasized shorter, higher-intensity threshold work on the track to build speed and efficiency, the 100-mile block extends these principles to longer, lower-intensity efforts on trail. I am performing all of my threshold sessions uphill on trail and have a few targeted overload workouts to tax my downhill running as well (recall the hill/flat workout from my durability article). Repetitions have gradually lengthened toward 30 minutes at a slightly lower intensity, targeting aerobic threshold specific to sustained climbs. Easy runs remain easy but have gotten longer and incorporate significant elevation gain to maintain eccentric muscle adaptations. This progression mirrors the shift in race demands, from track-based speed for a shorter trail marathon to durability and aerobic threshold for a 100-mile mountain race.