Grand Raid des Cathares
22 October 2026 · Carcassonne, FR · Trail
Official race website not yet verified. Check the date source below before committing.
Plan a season around this raceWhat TrailSplits knows
Beta training plan
Your 3-week training plan
The calendar-listed date and distance shape this generic plan. Verify the date before committing; vertical targets stay blank until course elevation is verified.
2 weeks and 6 days cannot replace a full build. This plan preserves existing fitness, rehearses race demands and tapers.
Proceed only if the stated recent training genuinely reflects your current preparation.
Use it for race-effort sessions and race day. Easy runs stay easy whatever the goal; the plan's efforts come from how you run now.
The plan starts 5 October 2026, 1 weeks from now. Until then, easy running at your usual volume keeps you ready for week 1; the season planner can fill those weeks with base training.
Default starting point: 45 stable km/week, longest recent outing 28 km, 5 running days/week, aiming to finish well.
No connected training history is used. Unanswered details remain conservative assumptions.
No account needed. A kept plan stays on this browser until its storage is cleared; find it under My kept plans, where you can also change single weeks.
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Change only what you know. The preparation check and plan update immediately, without an account.
Still being enriched: organizer date confirmation and course elevation or GPX. Future previews may use new evidence; kept copies remain unchanged.
Plan assumptions and limits
- Very long event: this generic block does not establish readiness for multi-day, sleep-deprived or expedition racing.
- Unknown ascent (D+): the engine omits vertical targets rather than inventing them.
- Short-runway maintenance mode does not raise weekly load above the stated stable starting point.
- Only 2 weeks and 6 days are available instead of the normal 24 weeks; this is a compressed, finish-focused build.
- Generic planning guidance from race facts and stated training — not medical care or individual coaching.
- Training distances and durations are approximate alternatives, not pace targets. Use current effort, not a hoped-for finish time. Repeat or shorten a week if recovery is poor; do not make up missed sessions.
Week 1: Your longest runs, still at an easy effort45 km; long run 21 km
- Rest
Rest or gentle mobility.
- Easy climbing: run-hike
55 min (about 5.5 km). Climb at a conversational effort, power-hiking the steep parts, and descend with control. Time on hills, not a workout.
- Easy run
40 min (about 4 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Easy run
40 min (about 4 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Long trail day: part 1
210 min (about 21 km). Use race-like terrain where practical, but keep the overall effort controlled. Rehearse race fuelling: about 40 to 80 g of carbohydrate an hour from early on, 400 to 800 ml of fluid an hour depending on heat and sweat, and sodium with it (about 300 to 600 mg an hour). Use what you will carry on race day and adjust to your stomach.
- Long trail day: part 2
105 min (about 10.5 km). Move easily on tired legs. Hiking is valid; stop if mechanics deteriorate.
Week 2: Reduce fatigue while retaining a small intensity reminder23.1 km; long run 8 km
- Rest
Rest or gentle mobility.
- Short uphill reminder
35 min (about 3.6 km). Start with 10 minutes easy. Then 3 x 3 minutes at a strong, sustainable uphill effort, walking back down between them. Finish with at least 10 minutes easy; any remaining time is easy.
- Easy run
40 min (about 4.1 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Easy run
40 min (about 4.1 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Long run
80 min (about 8.2 km). Keep this comfortable and finish with plenty in reserve. Practise the fuel, hydration and kit you intend to use; treat amounts as rehearsal, not a universal prescription.
- Recovery run or hike
30 min (about 3.1 km). Keep this genuinely easy, or substitute an easy hike.
Week 3: Arrive rested; avoid last-minute fitness work10 km before the race
- Easy run
40 min (about 4 km). Keep this short and conversational. The goal is freshness, not fitness.
- Easy pre-race run
40 min (about 4 km). Run conversationally. If already familiar, include a few relaxed strides with full recovery; otherwise stay easy.
- Optional shakeout
20 min (about 2 km). Rest, or jog very easily if that reliably helps you feel better.
- Race day
Run the 161 km as planned: start controlled and use the fuelling and kit rehearsed in training. Fuelling: about 40 to 80 g of carbohydrate an hour from early on, 400 to 800 ml of fluid an hour depending on heat and sweat, and sodium with it (about 300 to 600 mg an hour). Use what you will carry on race day and adjust to your stomach. Afterwards: rest or walk for several days, then short easy runs only, with no hard running for three to four weeks, longer after a long mountain day.
- Post-race recovery
Prioritize rest, food, fluids and gentle movement; do not schedule a workout by default.
- Optional easy movement
Walk or move very easily only if it feels restorative. A return to running is individual.