Free trail running training plan
Run. Sometimes hard. Rest. Repeat.
Boost your fitness, improve your race times, and learn how to train smart, run fast, and be strong.
A structured, periodized, scientific, and educational exercise training plan for trail running and mountain running newbies with a road or track running background.
Informed by experimental and empirical evidence.
Designed by Thomas Solomon: a PhD scientist, an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist, and a UKVRN-registered nutritionist.
Do you regularly use this training plan?
If you are new to this plan, it is essential that you read all of the information below before using it. So, scroll down and keep reading.
If you're a regular existing user of this plan, click the arrow below to jump down to the plan.
Important medical information
The content of this page is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice of any kind. If you've never exercised before, this training plan might not be appropriate for you. By voluntarily opting to use the training plan and exercises on this page, you are confirming that you have completed at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on at least 3 days per week for at least the last 3 months, and you are confirming that you are medically cleared to participate in structured exercise. If there is any reason that an increase in your current physical activity level may impair your health (due to, but not limited to, existing injury, illness, chronic health conditions or diseases, such as cardiovascular / metabolic / renal disease), you should consult your doctor before using this training plan. If increasing your current physical activity level causes any injury, illness, or disease you must stop exercising and consult your doctor immediately.
Liability: Accessing and using the content (including, but not limited to, the training plan and physical exercises) on this page are voluntary and you use the content at your own risk. Thomas Solomon assumes no liability for damage, loss, injury, illness, or death which may occur when using the content. See terms of use for more info.
Fitness tests
Before you join this training plan for the first time, complete the following fitness test to help ensure you are working at the right intensities during the sessions. Fitness test weeks recur during the plan to see how you're progressing and to re-calibrate your training intensities. If you're re-joining the plan after a break (due to illness, injury, or apathy), please repeat the tests.
Start with Run Warm-up (see suggestion here), then:
Race 3 kilometres as fast as you can. I.e., run 7.5 laps of a 400-metre running track, or find a flat and uninterrupted route using Mapmyrun, or set a 3 km distance function on your GPS watch.
Enter your finish time into the Pace Calculator (see calculator here) to see what your training paces should be.
Finish with 5 mins of Easy effort running followed by Cool-down exercises (see suggestion here).
Once you have completed the time-trial fitness test, you are ready to rock!
The training plan below is structured around a 12 week macrocycle containing three 4-week mesocycle phases: a 4-week Base phase, a 4-week Transition phase, and a 4-week Race phase.
Each mesocycle contains two higher-load "stress" weeks followed by a "deload" week and a low-load "recovery" week.
The plan automatically updates every Monday and resets to the start of the base phase every 12 weeks.
Free trail running training plan:
Distribute the sessions below throughout your week, taking at least 48 hours between each run and at least 48 hours between each strength session. A run session and a strength session may be completed on the same day. For easy runs and long runs, choose a duration that is sensible considering your running history and current fitness. If you add additional runs (or other activities), only add EASY exertions (RPE 2 to 4 / 10). If you have a race this week, for 2 days before and following the race, avoid Strength sessions and replace Threshold/Hard sessions with Easy runs. | Run 1: | |
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TRAINING TIP OF THE DAY:
Share this training plan with your people:Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Breathing rate, and the Talk test — how hard should you train?
Learn to be aware of your feelings, your breathing rate, and your ability to talk/sing, and set your training intensities according to your Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) out of 10, where RPE 1/10 is being sat down doing nothing and RPE 10/10 is maximal exertion. Study the diagram below to learn what level of exertion to give for the various training intensities.
Please feel free to use and share this image but give credit to Thomas Solomon PhD.
Use the following tips to maximise your long-term gains for endurance racing:
80% to 95% of your weekly running time should be spent in the "Easy" domain at RPE 2-4/10. Increase your weekly volume by gradually increasing the number of Easy runs and gradually increasing their duration. This will help condition your body to move faster for longer during your harder runs and will help you recover more quickly from harder efforts. Every successful elite athlete has built their mightiness on a solid foundation of "Easy". Any hiking, running, cycling, etc, that you add on top of a suggested training plan should be kept in the "Easy" intensity domain at RPE 2-4/10.
Only 5% to 20% of your weekly running time should be spent doing "Hard" work, at or above RPE 5/10. These types of sessions are taxing, add a lot of strain to your body, and take longer to recover from. Sure, training hard every day will acutely increase your fitness, but it will also increase your risk of injury and accumulate excessive fatigue, making subsequent sessions feel harder and leaving you needing more time to recover from them. Don't aim to be mighty tomorrow; play the long game and be sensible. Train smart.
Back to fitness tests
Running pace calculator — how fast should you run?
Running pace calculator:
When doing uphill efforts or running on hilly/mountainous terrain, these estimated "flat terrain" paces are useless and should not be used as targets. In such circumstances, ignore pace and use the RPE scale along with the Breathing and Talk test descriptions to work at the correct level of exertion (click here). Doing so will also help you learn how you feel at different intensities so you can eventually master your exertion levels and never need to look at your pace/heart rate again.
When going up steep inclines on an "Easy" run or even a "Threshold" effort, it is likely that you will have to lower your speed to a hike in order to stay in the intended intensity domain. That is totally fine! Even the best trail runners and mountain athletes on Earth hike when the grade gets steep. 
EASY runs build your "endurance" and should be run no harder than RPE 4 / 10.
THRESHOLD sessions build your "Fatigue resistance" and should be run at RPE 6 to 8 / 10.
S.H.I.T. (Short-duration High-Intensity Training) sessions build your "Speed and power" and should be run harder than RPE 8 / 10. Back to fitness tests
Strength training for trail runners (bodyweight circuits and mountain goat sessions).
(clickable links to instructional videos) IMPORTANT: If you are new to using this training plan, spend the first couple of weeks simply studying the exercises below and practising proper technique (click links for videos). This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
Back to fitness tests
Warm-up and cool-down for trail runners.
(clickable links to videos) Activation exercises:Complete 5 reps of each exercise at a low intensity (RPE 2/10) using a full range of motion, and move on to the next exercise.
Rocking frog. ¦ Alternating cossack squats. ¦ Walking knee hugs.. ¦ Walking ankle grabs. ¦ Walking squats. ¦ Walking lunges. ¦ Walking leg-swings. ¦ Lateral leg swings.
Progressive effort walk-jog-run on flat terrain:Start with 2 minutes Brisk walking with purpose, no harder than RPE 2/10.
Then 2 minutes of Easy-paced jogging, no harder than RPE 4/10.
Then 2 minutes of running, progressing up to Threshold, no harder than RPE 8/10.
Dynamic drills:Complete 2 x (5-secs, 15-sec rest) of each exercise at a moderate- to vigorous intensity (RPE 6-8/10).
Butt-kicks. ¦ High-knees. ¦ High-knee skips.
Strides:Run up to 6 x 10-second accelerations, with 1 min rest between each.
Accelerate to ~95% of maximal speed (not an all-out sprint).
Focus on running tall, looking forward, and being light on your feet with a fast foot turnover.
Warm-up complete. You are ready to rock!
Super Easy jogging or brisk walking.Back to fitness tests
Warm-up and cool-down for bodyweight circuits and mountain goat sessions.
(clickable links to videos) Activation exercises:Complete 10-reps of each exercise at a low-intensity (RPE 2/10), and move on to the next exercise.
Rocking frog. ¦ Lying hip abduction. ¦ Lying hip adduction ¦ Lying hip internal rotation ¦ Lying hip external rotation ¦ Walking knee hugs.. ¦ Walking ankle grabs. ¦ Walking squats. ¦ Resistance band shoulder rotations. ¦ Resistance band pull-aparts. ¦ Scapular pull-ups.
Progressive effort walk-jog-run, or treadmill / x-trainer / elliptical / row-ergo:2-mins Super Easy (RPE 2/10)
2-mins Easy (RPE 4/10)
2-min progression up to Threshold (RPE 8/10).
NOTE: If you plan to do an Easy run on a Circuit day, integrate the run into your Circuit session warm-up and cool-down.
Warm-up complete. You are ready to rock!
Super Easy jogging or brisk walking, outside or treadmill / x-trainer / elliptical / row-ergo. Whatever you choose, keep the intensity easy (RPE 2 to 4 / 10).Back to fitness tests