An Amateur Runner's Guide to Running Your First Ultramarathon
Over the last three years, the universe has been kind enough to allow me to experience the various flavours that running has to offer, from 5Ks to ultra distances, from roads to mountain trails.
Running has literally taken me places in my 20s, given me plenty of memories to cherish and also given me such a cool, incredibly diverse friend circle (something you can't just get out of "networking" events).
So I thought of simply writing down and reflecting upon some of the things that running has taught me and I am hoping it inspires someone to run their first ultramarathon.
1. Your running is the maximum expression of your health
This is a quote by Kilian Jornet and something that will stick with me for the rest of my running journey. You can't outrun your health, which means you have to take bloody good care of yourself every single day.
Every single decision that you take in your life/ career must revolve around your health. Only if this fundamental pillar of running is sorted and runs on auto-pilot, you will be able to express more of your running potential.
You will have to say "no" to a lot of things that compromise your health and wellbeing on a daily basis. Of course this will come with tradeoffs too, so you need to make peace with it.
2. Momentum matters a lot
Don't get injured or at least try your best not to. I have been lucky to not get injured in my running journey so far (apart from the occasional twisting of my ankle, something I am trying to get better at and overcome my fear of downhill running!)
The point is momentum is incredibly powerful and so is the power of consistency compounding over a long time. It's incredibly frustrating to restart your running journey, so do your best to not get injured. No race glory is worth it, if it puts you away from running for several months.
Don't be a one-hit wonder.
3. Walking is your best friend
I enjoy walking a lot, almost excessively. I hit 10k-15k steps effortlessly everyday even if I don't run. Listening to an hour long tech podcast, walking at the end of a stressful day at work.
Also, there's no shame in walking as you build your aerobic base. And walking plays a much bigger role in aerobic base building than most runners realise.
And in races where your body has given up, you'll have your best friend to bank on and this can only happen if you develop a healthy relationship with walking.
I have in fact been overtaken by people walking at Khardungla Challenge, so that should tell you something. Some of the best ultrarunners I know are excellent walkers. They can walk at 8-9 mins per kilometer for hours and hours at a stretch.
4. Master Hydration and Fuelling
You are going to be on your feet for a long time for these ultra distances. You better start training your gut to fuel and hydrate properly for several hours at a time. And nope, you'll be relying on a completely different fuel system compared to elite marathoners. So you got to figure out what works for you and not simply copy folks.
Electrolytes are almost non-negotiable in case you sweat excessively like I do. Almost every single muscle cramping incident can be dated back to me not hydrating properly with electrolytes.
Also, explore fuel mixes as an alternative to gels for races. They are just as convenient to carry as gels and have really saved my day when I have gotten sick of gels during a race (usually happens after 4-5 hours for me).
For example:
Unived Elite Drink Mix 160 or Tailwind.
I experimented with Naak energy waffles during my race and they were too good and kept me going for hours. Snickers work too! Given that I can only consume 5-6 gels in a race that lasts 10-15 hours, I go with Unived Elite Gel 180 (the rationale being consume as many calories as you can when you can!).
There is no right answer. Everyone's gut behaves differently, so experiment what works for you during your long runs.
Also, the options in India are very limited. Hope this changes in the future and we Indian runners get to fuel better and get affordable gels that don't just taste like cough syrup.
5. Recovery is more important than your training
Listen to your body always. You don't have to go Goggins mode every single day and get that workout done at any cost.
If your sleep is wrecked from a hectic week at work, you're not really doing yourself any favour by still getting that 50-80 kms of running done that week as an amateur athlete.
Your nervous system can go into a severe sympathetic (fight or flight) mode if you're not managing the chaos well. Watch out for signs of inflammation and make sure you recover and sleep like a baby every single day.
Experienced runners are much better at managing their emotions and recovery than I am, I am still learning the art of letting go and finding a balance.
In fact I took a little break from running in February since I was experiencing signs of accumulating fatigue. I am getting back one run at a time slowly and steadily.
6. Make peace with failing a lot
The first time I had a DNF (19 km trail run at Hanumangarh), I simply sat at the top of peak for 2 hours feeling sorry for myself.
Have had 4 DNFs so far.
In December 2025, I had a crushing last minute DNF at UTMB Doi Inthanon, 2 kms away from the finish line after climbing about 2400 m. The unexpressed potential in that race hurt a lot. I had to learn to pick myself up and went on to complete a 56k, 2600m+ trail race within the next five days.
You're going to fail a lot. That's in the nature of ultramarathons. Don't take yourself too seriously and keep moving forward with the lessons learned.
7. Enjoy the process
Running journey isn't linear. You will go through plenty of ups and downs. It's sinusoidal in nature, just like life is.
Find out what aspects of running you enjoy and keep doing that. I love easy running and spending time on my feet and have spent most of my running journey doing just that.
I have also gravitated a lot towards trail running, even though I absolutely suck at it. I am in awe of trails and nature, since I don't get to experience that in my everyday life. I have even documented some of my trail running experiences on Youtube.
You need to continue to enjoy the process, you need to stick with it long enough to figure out what aspects of running you enjoy the most.
In April 2025, I visited Everest Base Camp at 5364m. I had no plans for it. A colleague mentioned an open spot, and I simply said yes since I was in the best shape of my entire life, thanks to running.
My first marathon was also a trail ultramarathon coincidentally (Bison Ultra 45k). It simply just happened as I was enjoying the process and wasn't looking to hit any arbitrary distance.
Have your own unique running goals. Write your own story.
8. Talk to mentors and be a part of a community
I am not talking about random running clubs here.
Twitter running community has been amazing and they have been my cheerleaders since Day 1. Some of you reading this may still remember me from spamming 1-2 kilometer runs on your feed everyday when I started running.
Some runners have become like family to me in this journey and have also been fortunate to have incredible running mentors in this journey.
Running is a solo sport. You start alone. The right community will find you if you keep going.
9. Mental strength can be your secret weapon
Nobody wants to run 50 kilometers really. In scorching heat. In high altitude. In slushy terrain.
You can only do so by fooling your own mind. You need to figure out "why" you are doing that to yourself.
By breaking the daunting distance down. One aid station at a time. One run at a time.
By embracing the suck until the next aid station.
Until things get better.
It does get better often, if you keep going.
You figure out your "why" in these hard moments.
I derive a lot of confidence from my bad races where I have had to drag myself to the finish line (Malnad Ultra 50k 2024).
The beauty is these lessons can be translated to other dimensions of life as well.
10. Watch running documentaries and learn from the best
I have spent countless hours watching running documentaries on Youtube.
How awesome is it that you get to learn from some of the best runners in the world? You get to watch them train and get to learn how the best in the world operate sitting in the comfort of your home.
You get to learn about interesting race formats like Barkley Marathons, Backyard Ultra.
It's a cheat code really.
I don't know if its manifestation or not but watching running documentaries is awesome.
It has had a lot of impact on my running journey.
11. Invest in good running gear
Running gear is expensive. I get it. But most of them like a good running vest, running poles, hydration flasks/ bladder, a good GPS watch are one time expenses.
I would have saved myself a lot of pain, frustration and chaffing if only I had done some research and invested in better running gear.
Running gears in India are also more expensive and inferior in quality. So you might want to trouble your friends coming back from a foreign trip for some running gear shopping.
Enough gyaan for now.
Running has given me far more than finish lines and felt like writing this piece down.
In case you're looking for interesting race recommendations, here is my Running Resume.
Hope running gives you the kind of joy it has given me in life and more.
Without a doubt, the best thing I have done in my 20s.
