16-Week Marathon to 50K Trail Running Training Plan
Converts road-marathon fitness into trail and ultra durability: climbing, power hiking, descending and fueling skills. A structured 16-week plan by RunForce.
Who Is This For
Road runners who have finished a marathon (or run 40-60 km a week consistently) and want to step up to their first trail 50K. You have the aerobic engine; this plan adds what roads do not teach: climbing and hiking, controlled descents, technical footwork, back-to-back long runs and eating on the move.
Plan at a Glance
- Distance: 50K (31 mi)
- Duration: 16 weeks
- Level: Intermediate
- Training days/week: 5-6 (5 runs + strength)
- Peak training: about 9 h of running a week, long run 4h00, back-to-back 1h30
- Terrain: Mixed: road-to-trail transition, rolling and hilly trails, progressively more technical footing
- Elevation profile: Built for 50K courses with 1,000-2,500 m (3,300-8,200 ft) of climbing. Weekly climbing in the plan: 400 m (1,300 ft) rising to 1,600 m (5,200 ft).
How the Structured Workouts Work
- Targets: heart rate as a % of max HR, with a range for every step (warm-up, reps, recoveries, cool-down). Enter your max HR in TrainingPeaks; week 1 includes a field check.
- Zones: Z1 60-70% (RPE 2-3), Z2 70-78% (RPE 3-4), Z3 79-86% (RPE 5-6), Z4 86-91% (RPE 7-8), Z5 91-100% (RPE 8-9).
- RPE: each target also shows its 1-10 effort, for short reps, heat, altitude or running without a heart-rate monitor.
- No pace targets: pace means little on climbs and technical trail.
- Devices: workouts sync to compatible watches (e.g. Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Apple Watch). A chest strap is recommended.
- Strength: Strength Builder sessions with videos, sets, reps and a target RPE.
Prerequisites
A road marathon finish in the last 18 months or 5+ hours of running a week, a 90-min long run, no current injury. Access to hilly trails at least once a week (a treadmill at 10-15% can stand in for climbs).
What Is Included
- 16 weeks of structured workouts: Foundation week 1, Aerobic Development weeks 2-6, Strength & Muscular Endurance weeks 7-10, Race-Specific weeks 11-14, Taper week 15, race week 16. An easier week every 3-4 weeks.
- Purposeful long runs, back-to-backs and a dress rehearsal, plus a fueling lesson on every long run.
- Race day set as a TrainingPeaks event on the final Saturday, with pacing, fueling and checklist.
- RunForce Strength Builder sessions with exercise videos, sets, reps and RPE: 2 a week in the foundation phases, 1-2 in the specific phases, none in the final 10 days.
Your Coach: Adrien Thévenet
UESCA-certified Ultrarunning Coach. 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.