Planning your race season

Planning your race season can be very exciting and inspiring. No matter if the "big race” is your very first ultramarathon, or if it’s just another ultra you just couldn’t refrain from signing up for — you need to make a solid plan for training and preferably also some “training races” along the way (training races are less important races leading up to your main goal of the season). 

But it can be difficult to know how to lay out the season in a productive way — you need to plan for recovery in between races, and you need to both train and race smart in order to be your strongest self when it’s time for your big race. It’s reasonable to plan for an A race some time into the future, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do any other races along the way – you just need to have a clear strategy. 

Coaches Ellen and Johnny running La Diagonale des Fous 2018, 100 miles and 10 000 meters of ascent. This is one of the toughest 100-milers out there, and it took Ellen and Johnny more than 52 hours to finish. A race such as this one is a typical A race, where you are willing to risk smaller injuries and a long recovery period.

A, B and C races

A simple classification that helps when thinking of your races is to divide them into A, B and C races, according to their importance. 

The A race is the most important race of the season. All of your preparations, every training session and all your mental strength should be focused on this race, and the goal is to be able to perform at your very peak on this particular race. You adjust your training schedule so that your body is as strong as possible on race day, and during the competition you can use up all of your extra reserves and you might even think it’s okay to push yourself so hard that you end up with a smaller injury. For an A race it can be okay (but not for B or C races). After an A race you typically need a longer period of recovery than you would after a less significant race. 

B races are less important and normally you don’t adjust your training schedule that much before a B race, maybe you just take it a bit easier on the two training sessions prior to the race, and perhaps also give yourself a couple of extra days with lighter training after the race. However, B races are still a great opportunity to try out the race plan, gear and energy. For this to be productive you have to at least somewhat race as you would on an A race. And during a B race you can also keep in mind that if it shows that you’re having a good day, you can of course give it a go (maybe even aim for the podium!). 

C races are the kind of races you do only for fun and you don’t have to adjust your training schedule at all. You will probably want to let the race be performed on a very low level of effort (compared to A or B races). You should think of a C race as a regular training session, only with company. Having access to aid stations and a planned route can make your long training runs a pleasure, if you do some of them on a C race, instead of by yourself! This is the kind of race you run just because your best friend wants some company, and if you look at it as a C race, it’s okay to say yes!

Don’t race too often

Don’t plan too many A races during one season. Not even the elite ultramarathon runners have more than a few (maybe two to three) A races per season. Physical recovery isn’t the only thing you need to consider, you also need to think about mental recovery after an A race. Sometimes it can take time to get back into training again after an A race, simply because you used up a lot of your energy during the race — both mental and physical. 

Talking about mental recovery, this is also a reason why you shouldn’t plan too many B and C races either. Some runners race almost every weekend and they still feel as eager to toe the starting line the next time. But far from everyone works like that. It’s easy to feel “burned out” from racing too much, and if you perform too many B and C races before your actual A race, there’s a risk that you might not feel as keen on racing when it’s finally time for your big race. 

Read more
How to recover faster after an ultramarathon race

Written by Johnny Hällneby, Ultrarunning Academy