My Exact 80K Training Week Before Winning the British 100K - Lee Grantham

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of My Exact 80K Training Week Before Winning the British 100K from Lee Grantham. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

The week is built around the principle that the target race pace dictates the training activities: marathon‑pace work early in the cycle, then a 100 K‑specific pace later.
Total volume is 80 km (≈ 50 mi) per week, not the massive mileage often assumed for ultras.
Each week balances recovery runs, easy runs, a hard interval session, a long run, strength work, and cross‑training to keep fatigue low and quality high.
Recovery runs stay in zone 1 (very easy) while easy runs bridge the gap to harder sessions, staying in zone 2 for the last 5–15 min.
Strength & core (heavy legs) and bike cross‑training (50‑90 km per ride) provide aerobic base and accelerate recovery.

Workout Example (Wednesday – Interval Day):

5 × 1,500 m repeats
Rest: initially 500 m, later reduced to 250 m (≈ 4–4:10 min/km).
Target pace: 3:20–3:30 min/km (roughly marathon pace). In cooler conditions this would be 10 K‑to‑half‑marathon pace (20–30 s faster per km).
Goal: improve lactate threshold (LTE) and speed‑clearance efficiency.

Other Daily Structure (summary):

Monday: Recovery run (zone 1 → zone 2 for last 5–15 min) + heavy‑leg + core session (6 h after run).
Tuesday: 50‑minute easy run (~12 km, 55 min) – “bridge the gap”.
Wednesday: Above interval session, followed 3–6 h later by 50 km easy bike (zone 1‑2 on flat).
Thursday: Full rest day, but 2.5‑3 h flat bike ride (~90 km) for recovery and aerobic base.
Friday: 40‑minute recovery run (10 km in 46‑47 min) + 50 km bike ride (≈ 1 h 35 min).
Saturday: 50‑minute easy run, preparing for the long run.
Sunday: Long run 24 km at ~3:50 min/km average, with three faster segments (3 km, 7 km, 3 km) at 3:30‑3:40 min/km (about 10 % faster than 100 K pace, slightly slower than marathon pace).

Practical Tips:

Keep recovery runs truly easy (zone 1) to let the previous hard session “soak in”.
Use easy runs to bridge the gap between recovery and upcoming hard work.
Use bike rides on flat terrain for easy zone 1‑2 work; it builds aerobic capacity without adding leg fatigue.
One strength session per week (heavy legs + core) is enough when paired with low‑volume bike work (7‑8 h/week).
Respect rest days and keep recovery runs short; this preserves freshness for the interval and long‑run sessions.

Closing Note: Give this balanced 80 km week a try—adjust the paces to suit your own fitness in the Pacing app, and feel free to tweak the bike distances to fit your schedule. You’ve got the tools to train smarter, not just harder—go for it and enjoy the process! 🚀