Trail Running Goals: How to Train for the Race That Means the Most

IIf you’ve ever built a race season just because you felt like you should, you’re not alone. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned as both a runner and a coach, it’s this: when you decide to truly invest in one race, your “A” race, everything changes.

That investment shifts how you train, how you rest, and how you show up. It gives your season direction. And if you want to get the most out of that race, you have to plan for it like it means something.

It’s a lot like life: when you stop spreading yourself thin and focus on the few things that truly matter, everything gets clearer and more purposeful.

Let’s get into how to do that.

1. Choose the trail race that feels personal, not performative

Your “A” race should mean something to you. Maybe it’s a new distance, a course you’ve dreamed about, or a race that fits your life right now. The reason matters less than the connection.

When you pick a race because it looks cool or everyone else is doing it, training becomes an obligation. But when you choose a race that feels aligned...with your goals, your schedule, and your body...it becomes a mission.

Same thing in life. When you’re chasing goals just because everyone else is, you lose your spark. When you pick something that feels like yours, you show up differently.

That’s the difference between just training and training with purpose.

2. Structure your trail running build with intention

Once you’ve picked your “A” race, work backward from race day. Look at your training time, life schedule, and recovery needs. Then design the build so your biggest training block lines up with your highest energy and lowest life stress.

Here’s how that might look (the ranges are in here because it depends if you're base building, how long your race is, experience, etc):

• 18–24 weeks out: Spend 3–4 weeks in a VO₂ Max block. This means having a super hard workout each week (think RPE 8–9) to build that engine so you can push that VO₂ Max up and then get into your Lactate Threshold block.

• 14–20 weeks out: The VO₂ Max block builds the engine...big power, big capacity. The lactate threshold block? That’s where you make that engine more efficient, so you can go faster for longer without running out of gas.

• 3–12 weeks out: The endurance block is all about long, easy miles...teaching your body to handle the grind without blowing up. VO₂ Max builds the engine. Endurance makes it fuel-efficient, so you can keep the wheels turning for hours (or, let’s be real, all day out there). Get race-specific: vert, terrain, descents, all of it. Get on course if you can.

• 2–3 weeks out: TAPER...rest, chill the fuck out, and be ready for race day!

Your training should feel like a funnel...wide at the start, narrowing toward specificity as you get closer to race day.

Just like in life, you start broad, figuring out what works, and narrow in as you move toward what matters most. Focus beats hustle every time.

3. Treat recovery as part of the plan (before and after the race)

Training hard without recovery is like saving money and never letting yourself spend it.

Recovery is where the gains happen...both leading up to and after your “A” race.

In the final 1–3 weeks before race day (depending on taper length), your goal isn’t to cram more in. It’s to absorb what you’ve built. That means dialing back intensity, focusing on rest, and trusting your prep.

Then, after the race, don’t rush back to “normal.”

Plan a true recovery block of at least 2–4 weeks. That doesn’t mean zero movement, but it does mean lowering pressure. Sleep in. Walk the dog. Do easy strength or short runs for joy, not data.

Your body and brain both need that space to reset because emotional investment takes energy too.

In life, this looks like honoring the pause after big effort. You don’t finish a huge project or tough season and instantly start the next. You breathe, you reset, and then you build again.

4. Plan around your life, not your ego

Your “A” race should support your life, not compete with it. If you’ve got a busy work quarter, travel plans, or family commitments, be honest about what’s realistic.

There’s no badge for overcommitting and running yourself into exhaustion. The most consistent athletes are the ones who plan sustainably.

Ask yourself:

• When can I train most consistently?

• When do I need downtime for work or family?

• What weather or conditions do I want to train in?

  
  

Those answers matter way more than what anyone else is doing. You can still chase big goals, just make sure they fit into the life you actually have, not the one you wish you did.

Same goes for everything else you care about. There’s strength in knowing what you can take on and still do well and that applies far beyond running.

5. Protect your energy like it’s part of training

When you’re training for one race that really matters, not everything else can get equal attention. You’ll need to say no sometimes...to extra races, unnecessary runs, or even social plans that drain you.

Think of energy management like mileage management. You wouldn’t add double long runs every weekend just because your friends are. Same goes for emotional load.

Ask yourself weekly:

• What’s giving me energy right now?

• What’s draining it?

• What can I adjust to stay consistent and healthy?

  
  

That’s part of training too.

It’s also part of life. You can’t keep every plate spinning...at least not well. Protecting your energy is how you show up better everywhere else.

6. Rehearse your race mentally and physically

If you’ve emotionally invested in this race, practice the things that matter most before race day. That means:

• Running with your race-day gear and pack

• Testing fuel during long runs

• Training on similar terrain or conditions

• Visualizing key moments — climbs, aid stations, or the finish

  
  

Your brain should already “know” the race when you show up. That familiarity keeps you grounded when fatigue or nerves hit.

And when you’re standing at that start line, it won’t feel like hope. It’ll feel like readiness.

The same principle applies to anything big in life...practice builds confidence. You can’t control the outcome, but you can control your preparation.

7. Build in off-season time

Your “A” race is the centerpiece of your season, not the whole season. After it’s over, give yourself a true off-season. This is where you:

• Sleep more

• Strength train

• Play other sports

• Let your body and brain reset

  
  

Your off-season is what sets up your next season’s success. Without it, you’re just piling fatigue on fatigue and wondering why your motivation disappears by February.

Think of it as recharging your system, not checking out.Same goes for your career, relationships, and creativity...rest isn’t the opposite of growth; it’s the fuel for it.

8. Don’t compare your training calendar to anyone else’s

One of the fastest ways to lose joy in trail running is by comparing your training, racing, or recovery to someone else’s.

Your goals, body, and life are unique. Maybe you thrive on racing every month, or maybe one big race a year is perfect. Both are valid.

Trail running should add to your life, not drain it. The best plan is the one that lets you train hard, stay healthy, and still have energy for the rest of your world.

Same truth, different setting: comparison steals joy everywhere. The more you focus on your own lane, the freer you feel.

9. Reflect before you rush into the next thing

When the race is over, resist the urge to sign up for the next thing. Sit with what you did. Ask:

• What went well?

• What would I do differently?

• What did I learn about myself?

  
  

Reflection is what turns one race into long-term growth. When you give yourself that space, you honor the time, emotion, and effort you put into it and that’s what helps you stay emotionally invested in the next race.

Same goes for life. Every experience is data for what comes next..if you give yourself the pause to learn from it.

P.S. Not every single race has to be an emotional investment, especially if it’s a distance you’ve done before or it’s not an “A” race.

Wrapping it up

Training for your “A” race is about more than logging miles. It’s about committing your time, energy, and focus to something that truly matters and respecting the process before, during, and after.

When you treat your “A” race like it deserves your best, you’ll show up stronger, more prepared, and far more fulfilled...no matter what the finish line looks like.

And if that doesn’t sound a little like how we should be living, I don’t know what does.

Want to go deeper into the this? Listen to Episode 10 of Dirt Nap Diaries: Building Your Race Season: How to Choose Races That Actually Mean Something.