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trail running articles
8 articles on trail running, newest first. Every one is sourced and links to the calculator it applies to.
First 50k Ultra Training Plan: 16 Weeks on Trail
A 16-week plan for your first 50k trail ultra: five runs a week, peak 7.5 hours, long runs to 3.5 hours with power hiking and back-to-backs. Free.
First 100k or 50 Mile Ultra Training Plan: 20 Weeks on Trail
A 20-week plan for your first 100k or 50 mile trail ultra: peak 9.5 hours, 4.5-hour long runs, back-to-backs, climbing and a fuelling plan you train. Free.
Experienced 50k Ultra Training Plan: Faster on the Climbs
A 16-week 50k trail ultra plan for runners with an ultra behind them: peak 9.5 hours, 4.5-hour long runs, power-hike repeats and climbing targets. Free.
Experienced 100k or 50 Mile Ultra Training Plan: 20 Weeks
A 20-week 100k or 50 mile trail plan for runners with an ultra behind them: peak 11 hours, 5.5-hour long runs, back-to-backs up to 2 hours. Free.
Competitive 50k Ultra Training Plan: Racing on Trail
A 16-week 50k trail ultra plan for runners racing for time or place: six runs, peak 11 hours, 5-hour long runs, hill sessions plus tempo. Free.
Competitive 100k or 50 Mile Ultra Training Plan: 13-Hour Weeks
A 20-week 100k or 50 mile trail plan for runners racing ultras: six runs, peak 13 hours, 6.5-hour long runs, hills plus tempo, 3,600 m weeks. Free.
How Kilian Jornet Trains (and Why He Counts Metres, Not Kilometres)
Kilian Jornet measures training in vertical gain, builds a 3 to 4 month easy base every year, and coaches himself by feel. The method and the 2026 season.
How Courtney Dauwalter Trains (No Coach, No Plan, No Heart-Rate Monitor)
The best ultrarunner alive trains by feel: no coach, no plan, no heart-rate data. Why it works for her, and what a heart-rate cap gives the rest of us.