Trail running, with its varied terrains and technical challenges, requires a minimum of preparation if you want to progress while avoiding injuries. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced trail runner, organizing your trail season is key to fully enjoying every race and achieving your goals. It’s especially important to plan your trail season in advance, as you often need to register early to secure your race bib.
With a calendar full of exciting events, here’s how to plan your year to get the most out of your training and competitions.
Contents
Choosing Your Main Trail Goals
In trail running, as in road running, it’s best to limit the number of main goals per year, especially for long trails. If you’re aiming for distances over 40 km, it’s recommended not to exceed 3 to 4 main goals in a trail season. Of course, you can participate in other preparatory races (without pushing yourself to the limit), but it’s better to stay reasonable if you want to run for many years.
For ultra-trails (starting at 80 km), it’s possible to do 2 to 3 ultras of 80-100 km in a season since they cause fatigue but generally last less than 24 hours.
Beyond that, particularly for 100 miles (160 km), 1 to 2 ultras are more than enough to allow for optimal preparation and proper recovery. These races exceed 24 hours of effort, often requiring one or two full nights outdoors.
The body can handle this temporary fatigue, but there is a risk of exceeding your limits with more than 2 ultras per year. You might try to focus on recovery, but generally, you return to work the Monday or Tuesday after the race, accumulating fatigue. You know the saying “Take care of your horse if you want to go far”? It’s the same with ultras if you want to continue for several seasons.
If possible, plan one main goal in spring and another in summer or early autumn to space out your races and give your body time to rest. With the wide range of available events, you’ll surely find the perfect race for you.
Alternating Main Goals and Preparatory Races
Short or medium-distance trails are ideal preparation stages for ultras or long trails. These intermediate races allow you to test:
- Your nutrition strategy.
- Your gear (shoes, pack, etc.).
- Your race pace.
For example, if your goal is a 100 km ultra, plan a trail of about 50 km 6 to 8 weeks before. This will help you refine your preparation without overloading your schedule.
Organizing Your Trail Training Throughout the Season
The goal of trail preparation is to reach your peak fitness on the day of your main goal. To achieve this, preparation is organized into key periods adapted to trail-specific requirements.
General Preparation
Begin with a general preparation phase, where you work on the basics: building endurance, strength, and speed.
This is also the time to include varied sessions, such as long runs, strength training sessions (a big plus in trail prep), or hill work. The volume and intensity of the sessions increase gradually.
Specific Preparation
During the 3 to 4 months leading up to your race, the preparation becomes more specific. Adapt your training to the terrain and elevation of your goal: mountain runs, technical trail work, and effort simulations. This phase resembles “trail preparation,” focusing on pace management and race strategy.
If you participate in preparatory races, schedule lighter days beforehand to arrive in good shape, and take time to recover afterward, as these races should support your main goal.
Often, training follows a cycle of 3 progressive weeks, followed by a lighter week to absorb the workload. Be careful not to overdo it during recovery weeks: they’re just as important for progress and injury prevention.
Finally, in the 10 to 15 days before your main race, you enter the “tapering” phase. Training volume and intensity decrease to ensure you arrive fresh and ready to perform/enjoy yourself on race day. In trail running, this period is crucial to allow your body to recharge before tackling the challenge. You need both physical and mental freshness to give your best during the race.
Recovering Well After a Trail
After a demanding trail race, it’s essential to give your body time to recover. Recovery time depends on the race distance and intensity:
- Short trail (<30 km): 1 to 2 weeks of active recovery.
- Medium trail (30-80 km): 2 to 4 weeks.
- Ultra (>80 km): 4 to 6 weeks minimum.
During this period, favor gentle activities like walking, cycling, or easy runs, and gradually return to more intense sessions.
Managing Technicality and Altitude
When planning your trail season, it’s important to consider the technicality and altitude of the races you want to participate in, especially if the terrains differ from where you usually train. Here are some tips for organizing yourself:
1. Choose varied races to improve
Including events with different profiles and terrains throughout your season can help you better prepare for your main goal. For example:
- A hilly race to work on endurance and pace.
- A technical race to familiarize yourself with rough trails.
- A high-altitude race if your main goal is in the mountains.
You can also, particularly if preparing for a highly technical trail or one with significant elevation, focus only on races with a high elevation ratio.
2. Plan strategic weekends to simulate race conditions
If you live in a flat area or far from mountains, schedule outings or short stays closer to specific terrains for your goal. These “Intensive training weekends” allow you to adapt your body to climbs, descents, and technical trails. For more advice, check out our article on these weekends here.
3. Account for altitude in your preparation
If some of your races are at altitude, plan to arrive a few days early to acclimate. Include preparatory events or outings with some elevation earlier in the year to get your body used to this type of effort.
Plan Your Trail Season with RunMotion Coach
The RunMotion Coach app helps you structure your trail season optimally. The earlier you define your main goal, the more gradual and complete your training can be. If you set a goal within 3 months before a race, the app will support you with a program focused on specific preparation for the event.
RunMotion Coach doesn’t stop at adding your race goals: you can also integrate strength training (PPG) sessions, stretching, or even plan training camp to prepare for technical terrains or elevation. These features help you build a complete training plan adapted to your schedule.
A Few Example Trail Seasons
Preparing for the UTMB (or the TDS) at the End of August
The UTMB® is typically the peak of your season. As soon as possible (the draw takes place in January), set the goal as your main objective in the RunMotion Coach app. Plan a 80-100 km race (a bit more than 50% of the target distance) about 6 to 8 weeks before the race, so between late June and early July. Before that, you can do several races of 40-60 km to start preparing your body and strategies, including your nutrition strategy. Start early with training camp, spacing them 3 to 4 weeks apart at a minimum.
Preparing for the Diagonale des Fous and the Festival des Templiers
If you have a major race in autumn, like the Diagonale des Fous or the Festival des Templiers, you can aim for another main goal in spring, such as an 80-100 km race (or more) in May during the MaXi-Race or Trail de Haute Provence. This will give you time to recover and start another 4-5 month training cycle. You can add several intermediate races as well.
Combining UTMB® and Diagonale des Fous?
Depending on the year, there are 7 to 8 weeks between the UTMB® Mont-Blanc and the Diagonale des Fous. Some elite and amateur runners are tempted to do both. While not impossible, we advise against it because preparing for the Diagonale des Fous requires training on more technical terrain than the UTMB® Mont-Blanc. After the UTMB®, you’ll need 3 to 4 weeks to recover and “improvise” until the Diagonale des Fous, leaving little time for proper preparation.
Additionally, before an ultra trail, you need mental and physical freshness, which is hard to achieve less than 2 months after another ultra. It’s better to spread these goals over two years.
Have a Great Trail Season!
In summary, planning a trail season requires a real strategy: choose your races carefully, respect recovery times, and adapt your training to your environment. With RunMotion Coach, every season becomes the perfect opportunity to progress and enjoy your adventures in nature. Happy training, and see you on the trails!