This plan is built specifically for the Arizona Monster 300: 300.5 miles and 32,386 ft of climbing, point to point from Patagonia to Superior across the Sonoran Desert, with a 150-hour cutoff. The weekly notes and tips follow the course, cutoffs and rules in the official Runner Manual.
The Monster is more runnable than most 200+ mile races (about 108 ft of gain per mile), but it asks for its own kind of toughness: 5-6 days on your feet, a real pack with mandatory gear and up to 3 liters of water, 20+ mile sections between aid, temperatures from below freezing to 100F, a 6,175 ft climb to Mt Lemmon at mile 151, and a hot, rugged final 75 miles. This plan trains all of it.
What's included:
- 24 weeks of structured workouts (RPE-based) with planned vertical for every session: Base, Build 1, Build 2, Race-Specific, Taper and Race Week
- Two strength sessions per week built in the TrainingPeaks strength builder (exercise demos, sets and reps), progressing from Foundation to Heavy + Downhill Durability to Peak Maintenance, plus taper and race-week activation sessions
- Race-specific key sessions: loaded power hikes, uphill threshold and fast-hike intervals, downhill durability work for the Mt Lemmon descent, race-rhythm run-walk for the runnable desert miles, night-finish long runs, an overnight run, a 3-day Triple Block, a 3-day "Mini-Monster" camp, a Mt Lemmon simulation and a 10-hour dress rehearsal
- Three power hike benchmark tests to track your climbing progress
- A heat acclimation protocol for the final 5 weeks
- Weekly coach notes (targets, focus, key sessions) plus 24 Arizona Monster tips: the course in five chapters, cutoffs and your time budget, mandatory gear, water and the self-serve stations, night running, shoes, fueling, desert hydration, foot care, sleep strategy, the mental game, poles, pack fit, drop bags, crew and pacer rules, heat and cold, desert hazards, navigation, sanitation, section-by-section race strategy, taper and a race-week checklist
The plan assumes you have finished a 200-mile race (or a tough mountain 100 plus some multi-day experience) and can comfortably train 7-8 hours a week, including a 2.5 hour trail run, before starting. Running/hiking volume builds from ~7.5 hours a week to a peak of ~20 hours, with peak weeks of 10,000-12,000+ ft of vert, plus 1-2 strength sessions a week.
The plan is based on time and vertical gain. Week 24 starts on race day.
If you have any questions please contact me!
I'm here to support you in achieving your most ambitious aspirations. Whether you're gearing up for your first ultramarathon or training for your 10th 200 miler, my goal is to get you to the starting line fit, healthy, and prepared to put your best foot forward. Questions? Text me: 917-991-4696
Please feel free to contact me for a free consultation and to see if we're a good fit and how we can work together! You can visit BGEcoaching.com for more details.