Everyone has a personal approach to competition and the number of bibs pinned on over a year. Faced with a calendar full of races, each as tempting as the next, it can be difficult to navigate and choose the events to participate in. Let’s explore how to select the races you will do and how to effectively plan your season to perform at your best on race days!
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A few main goals per year
Some runners may pin more than 10 or even 20 bibs in a year.
During my track years, I could pin about thirty bibs in a year, but not all races served the same purpose. Some were used to test different strategies and prepare for upcoming ones. Only a handful were my main goals.
In road running and trail running, it is recommended to have a maximum of 4 to 5 main goals per year. If you have 1 or 2, that’s also very good! Why? Because for these main objectives, we often put in a lot of physical and mental intensity. And this will require some recovery right afterwards. Both for the body and the mind!
When you are doing marathons or Ultra trails
Aiming for 1 to 2 marathons per year as your main objectives is wise, and the same applies to ultra trails.
For instance, consider a marathon or a long trail in the spring and another in the fall. Shorter races can serve as preparation, like a half-marathon before a marathon or a trail half the distance of your main objective.
One pitfall to avoid is having two main objectives too close together, where you wouldn’t have enough time to recover. This often leads to injuries. After a marathon or a long trail where you’ve exerted maximum effort, I recommend at least 8 weeks between two major goals. An average of 3 weeks is needed for effective recovery post-objective (for example, following our post-goal recovery program).
If you plan to run several long distances close together, be prepared to run some races with less intensity, considering them as intermediate objectives. They will serve as training, but at a lower intensity or shorter distance than your main objective. Preparation races help fine-tune adjustments for these primary objectives, especially in terms of race strategy and nutrition.
When you do 10 km runs, half-marathons, or short trail races
For 10 km, half-marathon, or short trail races, you can target 3 to 4 main objectives per year. Maintain a logical approach by considering part of the season for speed work (e.g., several consecutive 10 km races) or endurance (e.g., a half-marathon if you haven’t done one yet).
Sometimes, runners who have completed a marathon feel they’ve improved and want to attempt a personal record in a 10 km race soon after. While this is feasible, for optimal results, we advise a 3-month specific preparation for the distance, as speed can feel limited post long-distance goals. Regular short interval training is key to optimizing performance 3 months later.
Combining road and trail running objectives?
For those who participate in both road races and trail runs, an ideal scenario is to dedicate part of the year to road running (often in spring) and another part to trail running (often in summer). To minimize injury risks, try not to schedule road races and trail runs within a month of each other, as they place slightly different demands on joints and muscles.
Sometimes, patience is key in establishing a competition plan over 2 or 3 years, rather than attempting everything in the same year. 😉
Which preparation races to plan?
When preparing for a marathon, running a half-marathon about 3 weeks before can help gauge your progress and reacquaint you with the competitive atmosphere. Running it 2 or 4 weeks prior to the marathon is also effective.
Similarly, if preparing for a half-marathon, consider running a 10 km race between 2 and 4 weeks beforehand. Testing yourself at a shorter distance is ideal for regaining speed. You can also run this at the pace planned for your main goal for practical experience.
For trail runs, aim to test yourself on distances about half as long as your main event, ideally with similar technical challenges to what you’ll encounter in the main race.
How to plan your training?
After listing your main objectives, you can structure your training! Feel free to adjust your preparatory races based on how your preparation is progressing.
The goal of training is to peak on the day of your main objective. This involves different preparation periods.
Start with a general preparation phase, where you’ll develop speed and endurance. The volume of the sessions will gradually increase.
Then, during the 3 months leading up to the race, you’ll enter a more specific preparation tailored to your race type, such as the well-known marathon preparation.
If you have preparatory races, plan for 4-5 lighter days before and a few recovery days afterward to ensure you’re in good condition for these races.
This often involves cycles of 3 weeks of increasing intensity, followed by 1 easier week to assimilate the training load from the preceding weeks. Be mindful during these semi-recovery weeks; recovery is an integral part of training!
In the 10-5 days before the main objective, you enter the tapering phase, reducing training load to arrive as fresh as possible for the event.
Find these key principles in the RunMotion Coach app
The earlier you set a main objective, the more comprehensive the training. If you enter an objective within 3 months before the race, the focus will primarily be on specific race preparation.
If you have 2 months between each main objective, enter your first objective as the primary one. Then, after completing it, take a few days off, and set the next main objective.
If your primary objective is a trail run, your training will be more trail-focused. If you don’t have access to mountains, long interval training on flat terrain, not on hills, becomes essential. Muscle strengthening is also crucial!
Planning your season means making choices. Being convinced of your choices and your upcoming training is the first step to success! Year after year, your desires will evolve, and your experiences will enrich your understanding of yourself. Good luck with your preparations for your next sporting challenges!