Running
50K Trail Goal Plan
Goal-pace 50K trail plan with two-quality weeks. 22 weeks, six runs a week.
- Distance
- 50K
- Length
- 22 weeks
- Runs per week
- 6
- Level
- Advanced
- Goal
- Time goal
Who it's for
You run most days and are used to structured workouts. It is built around a specific 50K time you want to hit.
It is made for trails, not the road.
How the weeks work
It runs for 22 weeks with six runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 28 weeks, or tighten it to 20 if you are already fit.
The last 14 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- One long run a week that grows slowly. Run it easy; the time on your feet is the point.
- Back-to-back long runs on consecutive days, to practise running on tired legs.
- Threshold runs of 15 to 30 minutes at a comfortably hard pace. You could say a few words, not hold a conversation.
- Hill repeats: run up at a strong effort, jog back down, repeat.
Setting your paces
Start with a marathon-pace check run. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Making it stick
- Protect the key sessions. The easy running around them can move.
- Compare each benchmark with the last one and adjust your paces, up or down.
- Practise your race-day fuelling on long runs, not on race day.
