Ultramarathon Training Planner
TRAINING PLANNER
A periodized ultramarathon training plan built on the science behind the world's top ultra coaches. Answer 15 questions for a free plan — or upload your Garmin data for a plan calibrated to your actual fitness, heart rate zones, and training load. Run smarter, go further, show up race ready.
How it works
From your first question to a race-ready plan in under 2 minutes — or upload Garmin data for a plan built on your real fitness numbers.
Free: Answer 15 questions about your fitness, weekly mileage, race distance, and terrain — takes about 2 minutes. Garmin upload: Export your activity data and the planner parses 18+ metrics — VO₂ max, training load, heart rate zones, cadence, and elevation gain — for a plan calibrated to your actual fitness.
Pick your race date and the planner works backward from it, building a periodized structure — Base → Build → Peak → Taper — calibrated to your current fitness. Hard weeks are followed by recovery weeks. The plan ends on race day.
Get a week-by-week calendar with daily workouts, zone targets, and long run progression. Peak week, taper, and race-week guidance are included. Download as CSV or PDF.
Free to use — upgrade for Garmin-powered plans
Answer 15 questions and get a full periodized training plan at no cost. Upload your Garmin data to unlock a plan calibrated to your real fitness metrics — VO₂ max, heart rate zones, training load, and more.
- ✓ Full periodized training plan (Base → Build → Peak → Taper)
- ✓ Built from 15 questions about your fitness and race goal
- ✓ Week-by-week calendar with daily workouts and zone targets
- ✓ CSV download
- ✓ Everything in Free
- ✓ Plan calibrated to your VO₂ max, HR zones, and training load
- ✓ 18+ parsed Garmin metrics inform mileage, intensity, and pacing targets
- ✓ PDF training plan download
The coaching science behind it
This tool was not adapted from a marathon plan. It was built from the ground up for ultramarathons, drawing on the frameworks of coaches who have guided athletes to Western States, Hardrock, and UTMB podiums.
Author of Training Essentials for Ultrarunning. The planner applies Koop's interval periodization model — building VO₂ max through targeted quality sessions rather than junk miles — and his guidance on managing training load across a full build cycle.
Co-author of The Happy Runner, co-host of the Some Work All Play podcast, and coach to elite mountain runners. The planner incorporates Roche's emphasis on easy aerobic volume, terrain specificity, and the importance of uphill speed work.
Ultrarunner, coach, and sports scientist. The planner reflects Malcolm's approach to integrating strength work, fueling periodization, and managing fatigue accumulation across back-to-back long weeks.
Key research behind the methodology
Zone 2 training — sustained effort at roughly 60–70% max HR — is the primary driver of mitochondrial biogenesis and fat oxidation enzymes (CPT1, MCT1). Elite endurance athletes spend 70–80% of training in Zone 2; most recreational runners underdo it at 50–60%. The planner prioritizes genuine Zone 2 volume and flags when grey-zone training crowds it out.
Periodization structures training into phases — progressively overloading the body, then allowing recovery before the next phase begins. Applied to ultramarathons: a Base phase builds aerobic capacity, a Build phase develops race-specific fitness, Peak week tests peak readiness, and Taper reduces fatigue so the body arrives on race day primed rather than depleted.
Injury risk spikes when acute training load (the past week) rises too sharply relative to chronic load (the past 4 weeks). Keeping the ratio between 0.8–1.3 reduces injury risk significantly. The planner uses this ratio to cap week-over-week mileage increases and flag recovery weeks — protecting you from the overreach that sidelines runners in the months before their goal race.
These are three of the primary frameworks applied in the planner. Additional research on heart rate zone training, VO₂ max development, running economy, and nutrition periodization also informs the plan structure.
Example output
Below is sample output for a runner targeting a 100-mile race in 16 weeks, currently running 30–35 miles/week with moderate elevation. The plan builds to a 55-mile peak week with 7,000 ft of gain before tapering.
| Day | Workout | Details | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Rest | Active recovery — walk or light yoga | — |
| Tue | Easy Run | 6 mi @ Zone 2 · flat terrain, fully conversational | Low |
| Wed | Workout | 8 × 400 m hill repeats · jog-down recovery | High |
| Thu | Easy Run | 5 mi @ Zone 2 | Low |
| Fri | Rest | — | — |
| Sat | Long Run | 18 mi w/ 2,800 ft gain · last 4 mi at goal race effort | High |
| Sun | Recovery Run | 4 mi easy + 20 min strength | Low |
| Week total | 41 miles · +4,100 ft | ||