PLANNING: Season Planning

In light of my own recent injury, which wrecked my current plan, I was forced to sit down and come up with a new way to construct a plan for the 2009 season.

When you build a plan your only really have to objectives:

1. Arrive at your most important races in the best possible form
2. Don't get injured from too much too soon

The steps to build this will be posted on my blog www.mountain-runner.com. Here you can simply "steal" this suggested plan which will allow you to peak twice in a year: During the LL and again during the cross-country season.

First Peak
Base (8 weeks): 29/12/09-22/02/09 (3 WL races can be done as "speedwork", but you won't be in your best shape)
Intensity (12 weeks): 23/02/09-17/05/09 (starts at Trooperstown Hill race and finishes after Ticknock)
Peak (2 weeks): 18/05/09-31/05/09 (two Leinster League races can be used as tests here)
Race (8 weeks): 01/06/09-26/07/09 (you'll hit peak form the week of the Wicklow Way Relay and finish your first racing period at Snowdon)
Recovery (1 week): 27/07/09-02/08/09 (one week complete rest)

Second Peak
Base (8 weeks): 03/08/09-27/09/09 (restore you base before the cross-country season)
Intensity (4 weeks): 28/09/09-25/10/09 (you'll start the cross-country season while doing heavy training again)
Peak (2 weeks): 26/10/09-08/11/09 (you'll be tapering and sharpening up to the Leinster Intermediates)
Race (4 weeks): 09/11/09-06/12/09 (top form for the National Inter-Counties and the National Novices)
Recovery (3 weeks): 07/12/09-27/12/09 (complete rest before the new season's base training starts on 28/12)

If your targets are slightly different, you need to modify the length of your phases or change your start date.