Trail & ultra
On trails, vertical gain matters more than kilometres, and the descents matter more than most people expect. Whether it's 25 km in the hills or 100 km in the Alps, the plan is built in hours and metres of climbing, not in pace. This page gives you the framework; YOUB turns it into your plan.
Ranges for runners who already run regularly. Coming from road running, what you mainly need is time to adapt to climbing and descending. YOUB starts from your fitness, the terrain on your doorstep and the time you have.
| Goal | Build | Per week | Climbing per week | Longest session | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail 20–30 km | 10–12 weeks | 3–4 runs, 4–6 hours | 500–1,000 m | 2.5–3 hours | Uphill intervals, downhill technique, power hiking steep climbs |
| Ultra 50 km | 16–20 weeks | 4–5 runs, 6–8 hours | 1,000–2,000 m | 4–5 hours, or 3 + 2 hours on consecutive days | Back-to-back runs, fueling, poles |
| Ultra 60–80 km | 20–24 weeks | 5 runs, 8–10 hours | 1,500–3,000 m | 5–6 hours, or 4 + 3 hours | Big weekends, run–walk rhythm, gut training |
| 100 km and Alpine | 24 weeks or more, after a 50 km | 5–6 sessions, 10–14 hours | 2,500–5,000 m | 6 + 4 hours, one run into the night | Downhill durability, night running, mandatory kit, pacing by feel |
A rule of thumb for climbing: in your biggest weeks, aim for roughly as much vertical gain per week as the race has. For races with 6,000 m that becomes a share of it, climbed more steeply and more often. Every third or fourth week is lighter.
Forget pace. On trails you plan by time and effort: a kilometre with 150 m of climbing can take twice as long as one on the road. Hike the steep climbs briskly, as the fast runners do, and learn short, quick steps for the descents.
Climbing builds strength and endurance at once. Short, hard hill repeats make you faster; long climbs at easy effort make you durable. If you live somewhere flat, use a treadmill, stairs or whatever hill you have.
Downhill, your quads brake with every step. That eccentric work is what leaves you sore after a race, and it often decides the second half. So descents belong in the plan: measured, regular and progressive.
From 50 km on, the back-to-back weekend arrives: long on Saturday, long again on Sunday. It teaches you to run on tired legs without overdoing any single run. Pace doesn't matter here; time on your feet does.
After about three hours, your stomach has a say in the result. 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour is the usual range, with real food in longer ultras, and you rehearse it on every long run. In the heat, fluid and salt matter too.
YOUB plans trail and ultra-trail as goals of their own. Your runs come in from your watch, and YOUB measures their load using grade-adjusted pace, so a slow run with lots of climbing counts for what it really cost. Ask the coach and it plans a route with a target elevation gain and sends it to your Garmin as a course.
For each of these races, youb.app has the course, the elevation profile and the distances on offer. Pick your target and YOUB plans backwards from race day.
Coaching scenario
01
When the data shows that a demanding session does not fit the current state, YOUB does not react to one metric alone. The coach compares training history, subjective feedback, calendar pressure, and the next goal before suggesting an adjustment.
02
Depending on connected sources, YOUB can use completed sessions, duration, intensity, heart rate, sleep, recovery signals, availability, and goal dates. No single value decides the plan on its own.
03
A session can be moved, shortened, replaced, or intentionally kept. The decision is whether the change protects the long-term training goal while respecting real-life constraints and recovery.
04
YOUB provides coaching suggestions, not diagnoses. Pain, illness, injury, and medical questions belong with qualified medical professionals rather than an automated training decision.
05
For your trail race or ultra, the next workout is only one part of the decision. YOUB looks at the whole week: hard stimuli, recovery, long sessions, and calendar commitments need to fit together so the plan stays understandable and does not collapse after the first schedule change.
06
YOUB turns adaptations into a clear recommendation with a reason: why the session still makes sense, which risk is being reduced, and which alternative best supports the goal. The result is an understandable coaching dialogue, not an anonymous plan change, including a short follow-up question when the data or real-life context is not clear enough.
Review and sources
This page is maintained by YOUB editorially and reviewed against recognized guidance for physical activity, training load, and training safety. YOUB does not replace medical advice; athletes with symptoms or medical conditions should consult a clinician.
FAQ
Plan ten to twelve weeks with three to four runs a week: one on trails, one with hills, and a long run that builds to 2.5–3 hours. Hike the steep climbs and practise short steps on the descents. For most races of this length, 500 to 1,000 m of climbing a week is enough.
As a rule of thumb, in your biggest weeks roughly as much as the race has: for a 50 km with 2,000 m, up to 2,000 m a week. For Alpine ultras with 5,000 m or more, a share of that is enough, climbed steeply and often.
16 to 20 weeks with four to five runs and six to eight hours a week. The core is back-to-back weekends, about three hours on Saturday and two on Sunday, plus hill repeats, downhill work, strength and a fueling plan you've tested in training.
Around six months of focused preparation, ideally after you've finished a 50 km. Peak weeks reach ten to fourteen hours, with big weekends of up to six plus four hours and at least one run into the night.
The GutsMuths-Rennsteiglauf supermarathon covers 73.9 km and 1,874 m of climbing, mostly on runnable forest trails. That calls for plenty of long, easy kilometres, back-to-back weekends and regular climbing. Allow 20 to 24 weeks; YOUB builds the plan around your fitness and your calendar.
Yes. YOUB plans your trail or ultra training in the chat, sends the sessions to your Garmin as structured workouts and, on request, a planned route as a course. Your runs come back with their climbing and are assessed using grade-adjusted pace.
