Monster Mash
31 October 2026 · Houston, TX, US · Road
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 5-week training plan
The organizer-confirmed date and distance shape this generic plan. Vertical targets stay blank until course elevation is verified.
4 weeks and 1 day 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.
Default starting point: 25 stable km/week, longest recent outing 8 km, 4 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: course elevation or GPX. Future previews may use new evidence; kept copies remain unchanged.
Plan assumptions and limits
- Road race: the plan is distance-driven and no vertical target is prescribed.
- Short-runway maintenance mode does not raise weekly load above the stated stable starting point.
- Only 4 weeks and 1 day are available instead of the normal 8 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: Build consistent easy running12.9 km; long run 9 km
- Long run
55 min (about 8.9 km). Build relaxed time on feet at conversational effort.
- Recovery run or hike
25 min (about 4 km). Keep this genuinely easy, or substitute an easy hike.
Week 2: Hold the long run; keep the other runs easy25 km; long run 8 km
- Rest
Rest or gentle mobility.
- Easy aerobic run
30 min (about 4.8 km). Conversational running. Today stays easy.
- Easy run
50 min (about 8.1 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Long run
50 min (about 8.1 km). Build relaxed time on feet at conversational effort.
- Recovery run or hike
25 min (about 4 km). Keep this genuinely easy, or substitute an easy hike.
Week 3: Hold the long run; keep the other runs easy25 km; long run 8 km
- Rest
Rest or gentle mobility.
- Easy aerobic run
30 min (about 4.8 km). Conversational running. Today stays easy.
- Easy run
50 min (about 8.1 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Long run
50 min (about 8.1 km). Use race-like terrain where practical, but keep the overall effort controlled.
- Recovery run or hike
25 min (about 4 km). Keep this genuinely easy, or substitute an easy hike.
Week 4: Reduce fatigue while retaining a small intensity reminder18 km; long run 5.5 km
- Rest
Rest or gentle mobility.
- Short race-effort reminder
30 min (about 4.9 km). Start with 10 minutes easy. Then 3 x 2 minutes at controlled race effort, with 1 minute easy between repeats. Finish with at least 10 minutes easy; any remaining time is easy.
- Easy run
25 min (about 4.1 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Long run
35 min (about 5.7 km). Keep this comfortable and finish with plenty in reserve.
- Recovery run or hike
20 min (about 3.3 km). Keep this genuinely easy, or substitute an easy hike.
Week 5: Arrive rested; avoid last-minute fitness work9 km before the race
- Easy run
25 min (about 4.1 km). Keep this short and conversational. The goal is freshness, not fitness.
- Easy pre-race run
20 min (about 3.3 km). Run conversationally. If already familiar, include a few relaxed strides with full recovery; otherwise stay easy.
- Optional shakeout
10 min (about 1.6 km). Rest, or jog very easily if that reliably helps you feel better.
- Race day
Run the 10 km as planned: start controlled and use the fuelling and kit rehearsed in training.
- Post-race recovery
Prioritize rest, food, fluids and gentle movement; do not schedule a workout by default.