Trail 100 Miles Training Plan: 26 Weeks, Beginner, RPE
A structured, progressive 26-week effort-based (RPE) plan to get you to the finish line of your first trail 100 Miles healthy and confident. It builds your aerobic base, climbing and descending strength and race-day routines step by step, with an easier week every fourth week.
The Race
A typical trail 100-miler: 161 km with about 4,000-7,000 m (13,000-23,000 ft) of climbing. Twenty-four to thirty-six hours for most first-timers, including at least one full night on the trail. The plan works for any trail race of this distance: the race day is set as an event on the final Saturday.
Who It Is For
You have finished a 50-mile or 100K trail race, run 4-5 times a week (about 6 h) and can run 2 h on hilly trails.
Your 26 Weeks
- Phases: Preparation weeks 1-2, Base weeks 3-11, Build weeks 12-18, Specific weeks 19-23, Taper weeks 24-25, race week 26.
- Weekly: 5 runs and 2 strength sessions, about 5.3 h rising to 12.4 h of running.
- Long runs: 2h00 to 6h00, with back-to-back runs up to 3h00.
- Climbing: about 750 m rising to 2600 m a week.
- Trail skills: hill repeats, power hiking, downhill technique, fueling practice and a dress rehearsal.
- Strength: two RunForce 45-min sessions built in the TrainingPeaks Strength Builder (A: Force & Posterior Chain; B: Single-Leg & Mountain Durability), with a demonstration video for every exercise.
RPE Training
- RPE 2-3: very easy, you could sing
- RPE 3-4: easy, full conversation (most of your running)
- RPE 4-5: steady, a few sentences at a time
- RPE 5-6: moderately hard, short phrases
- RPE 7-8: hard, a few words only
- RPE 8-9: very hard, short intervals only
Every run is prescribed by effort on a simple 1-10 scale (RPE), so you need no heart-rate strap or power meter. Week 1 teaches you the scale with the talk test. RPE works on any terrain: a climb at RPE 4 feels like RPE 4 whether you run or hike.
The RunForce Beginner Trail Series
Seven progressive plans: 10K, 20K, 30K / 20 Miles, 50K, 75K / 50 Miles, 100K and 100 Miles, each in Heart Rate, RPE and Pace versions. Finish one, recover for 2-4 weeks, then start the next distance. This plan is also available in Heart Rate and Pace versions. Search "RunForce Beginner Trail" in the TrainingPeaks store.
Your Coach: Adrien Thévenet
Endurance coach since 2011, working with elite athletes, professional endurance athletes, major race winners, and a Spartan National Champion across road, trail, and mountain running.
Certifications:
-25 Years of Endurance Sports Experience
-TrainingPeaks Level 2
-UESCA Ultrarunning
-RRCA Certified
-STRYD Power Coach
-ACE Certified
With 25 years in endurance sports, I offer tailored coaching for diverse runners - from beginners to sub 3-hour marathoners. Emphasizing well-being, we collaborate on a program that fits your life keeping you motivated.