Finishing a hilly trail run - in 8 weeks

Intermediate 8 weeks 3x/week
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To follow this plan you must be able to run for 2 hours without stopping or have already finished a half marathon.

This plan includes 3 workouts per week and is based on 2 cycles of 3 weeks with one relief week between the 2 cycles and another before the trail run.

Ideally you will schedule your sessions on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday to stagger the workouts ideally but also to be able to accumulate the kilometres in a short period.


I cannot guarantee that you will succeed with running in the mountains, but thanks to this plan you should be able to finish without tiring.

You need to have Decathlon Coach application to launch this program !

Week 1 - Round 1: we begin gradually.

Try to run outside, spending as much time as possible in nature and changing surfaces.
Once you get used to unstable surfaces you will strengthen your muscles naturally

You must hydrate yourself on long runs, by drinking at least a mouthful every 20 minutes. There are many ways to carry your drink: hand-held drink, sports flask in short runs, a water holding belt or even a water bag.

  • 01. 1 hour of jogging in hilly ground
  • 02. 1h30 of jogging on flat ground
  • 03. 2 hour of jogging on flat ground

Week 2 - Cycle 1: We have a dynamic outing on Saturday.

Saturday's outing will consist of segmented running, to work on the speed changes and to gain dynamism.

  • 04. 1h15 of jogging in hilly ground
  • 05. 1h15 with 3x 6 fast minutes
  • 06. 2 hour of jogging on flat ground

Week 3 - Round 1: increasing the training load.

The training sessions, and effort you put in, mean that you may start to get tired.

Look after yourself, put on dry clothes after running, follow our nutritional advice, monitor your lifestyle and everything will be fine!

  • 07. 1h30 of jogging in hilly ground
  • 08. 1h30 with 3x 8 fast minutes
  • 09. 2h30 of jogging on flat ground

Week 4 - Regeneration week.

This week training becomes much lighter in order to recover from the endurance levels of the first training round.

  • 10. 1 hour of jogging in hilly ground
  • 11. 1h15 of jogging in hilly ground
  • 12. rest

Week 5 - Cycle 2: we work specifically on the trail

If you decide to invest in a pair of trail shoes (which is strongly recommended for the added protection), now is the time to start using them for real!

  • 13. 1h30 of jogging in hilly ground
  • 14. 1h35 with 3x 10 min fast minutes
  • 15. 2h45 of jogging on flat ground

Week 6 - Round 2: maximum training load.

This is the busiest week in your training schedule. The training sessions, and effort you put in, mean that you may start to get tired.

Look after yourself, put on dry clothes after running, follow our nutritional advice, monitor your lifestyle and everything will be fine!

  • 16. 1h15 of jogging in hilly ground
  • 17. 1h15 with 4x 6 min fast minutes
  • 18. 2h15 of jogging on flat ground

Week 7 - Cycle 2: We gradually reduce the training load.

In the penultimate week of training the sessions will shorten so as to not tire you.

  • 19. 1 hour with 10 fast minutes
  • 20. 1 hour 15 of jogging on flat ground
  • 21. 1 hour of jogging on flat ground

Week 8 - Recovery and competition.

The training is lightened so you arrive fresh at the start of the race.

Don't do any more than this to feel more confident: it would be counter-productive!

  • 22. 30 minutes jogging
  • 23. rest
  • 24. warm-up for the day of the race

Coach advice

"There is nothing like running outdoors to help yourself feel better. Thanks to this plan you will be able to participate in runs up to 42 km without feeling too tired."
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