This is the Experienced level plan for the EcoTrail Wicklow 80 km race - FINAL seven weeks. This plan is suitable to you if:

- Plan to begin training for EcoTrail Wicklow on the mid-Monday of August
- You plan to be competitive (finish in less than 10.5 hours)
- You are training for the EcoTrail Wicklow 80 km or other hilly 80 km trail race
- You are not currently injured or carrying a niggle
- You can run at least 3-3.5 hours comfortably
- You have run with some consistency for the last 6 months
- You run 5 -7 days per week or more
- You have run at least 8 hours per week on average recently (if not you'll need to adjust down the starting volume or lower your pace for all workouts)
- You have some previous experience with different types of running sessions such as intervals and tempo runs
- You have access to some hilly terrain and trail as the plan includes runs on hills an trails (if not you must improvise: it's not ideal but work with what you have)
- Have a watch to record pace. A heart rate monitor is a bonus but not requiredThe basic week revolves around:

This plan consists of only the final 7 weeks of the build-up:

- 5 weeks 'RACE-PRACTICE' training and a 2 week COMPETITIVE period consisting of a Taper week and a Race week
- 6-7 days training with rest days on Mondays and Fridays (note you can switch days around to suit yourself)
- Average volume of 9 hours 30 minutes per week with minimum of 5.75 hours and maximum 10 hours 30 minutes (about
- 2 easier weeks (1 step-back weeks and the final 1 'taper' week)
- Faster work generally done on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Long Run Sundays ((if you shift this to suit yourself remember to move other workouts so there is not a hard run within 24 hours of the long run)
- Polarised training: Only about 10% of the total running volume is done at paces above AT (paces you would describe as 'faster than easy'). These faster element are spread over 16 of the total 42 runs (leaving 26 runs that are 'purely easy intensity')