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UTMB Training Guide: A Seasonal Approach

Aug 18, 2025

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_{Top photo: Sergio Muñoz}

Like any big race, the decision to run UTMB® Mont-Blanc didn’t happen all at once. For a long time, it was just a vague idea, popping in and out of my thoughts with no real time line or urgency. Weeks, even months would pass without giving it a second thought. And then, the idea would resurface. With a complicated stone and lottery system, running UTMB isn’t always a guarantee. So, when I finally qualified through my Western States finish, I knew this was it. I clicked the registration button in December and everything shifted. It became real.

In a way, I’d been training for UTMB long before I ever signed up. Just like every race builds upon the one before it, the miles, lessons, and experiences from past seasons had all been preparing me for this one. Still, I knew UTMB would be a unique challenge, unlike any other race I’ve trained for in the past.

I’ve been running trail races for nearly a decade now, during which time I’ve met runners from all walks of life. One thing I’ve noticed is that we share the drive to chase bold, sometimes intimidating goals. UTMB falls into this category. It requires training a unique set of skills: a late-evening start time, lots of night running, unpredictable weather, massive climbs and descents, and building relentless endurance.

There isn’t just a single correct way to train for an ultra – it’s a creative process with endless ways to do it. But then, how do you know where to start? How do you organize your training in a way that is concise, organized, and will adequately prepare you for your race?

Training for big races doesn’t have to be overly complicated. You don’t have to do anything fancy. A lot of it is straightforward, even boring. You don’t need to do double threshold days, sleep in an altitude tent, or wear a heat suit around town. Most importantly, enjoy the process.

Emily on the the trails above Chamonix. (Photo: Sergio Muñoz)

Train by the Season

To make training feel more manageable, I broke my calendar into smaller, seasonal blocks. Taking things one chunk at a time simplifies the process and helps the body to adapt to training stimulus.

Applying a seasonal structure has helped me stay consistent throughout the years. Hopefully, it can be helpful for you, too.

Fall: Recovery, Reflection, and Rebuilding

I came off the summer of 2024 having run my first ever 100-mile race. It was everything you’d expect it to be: challenging, satisfying, and very fatiguing. The aftermath required a hard reset, which took me a few months to understand. When I finally did, it coincided with autumn—fitting, for that time of year.

As someone who follows a training plan year-round, I took a full month to run “just for fun.” No goals, no set mileage, and no workouts on the calendar. I didn’t pay attention to pace, distance, or heart rate zones. I just ran. Whatever I felt like doing. If I didn’t feel like running, I didn’t. When I did run, it was at an easy, comfortable pace.

Instead of focusing on what my watch said, I focused on feeling—the Rate of Perceived Effort or RPE for short. RPE is incredibly useful, and not just for recovery periods. It’s an “old school” tool that is probably more useful than most metrics on a watch. Despite its lack of complicated tech, it is more specific than you might imagine. The measurement is broken down into a scale, ranging from 1 to 10: 1 being very easy and 10 being max effort. Each level corresponds to an increase in breath rate – at level one, you should be able to sing out loud without taking long pauses to take in air. At level 10, you might barely get so much as a grunt.

Although I use RPE throughout the year in my training and racing, I find it especially important during the off-season. It helps me tune into my body and understand the signals it’s giving me, telling me when to back off and when it’s ok to push harder.

After a month of running without a set schedule, I found I was ready to start thinking about more structured training again.

Training when trails are under snow, it’s cold, and you’re in Wisconsin. (Photo: Aaron Zimmerman on TMB)

Winter: Laying the Groundwork

Winter running is largely a mindset game. If you head into the season hoping for light snowfall and mild temperatures, you’ll likely end up frustrated by factors beyond your control and find your motivation slipping. I spend the majority of the winter months in Wisconsin, where staying unfazed by the cold is easier said than done, but I’ve found that approaching winter with flexibility and a willingness to adapt makes the experience far more enjoyable (and is just plain necessary). With race season still a ways off, the exact details of your winter training matter less than your consistency and mindset.

Strength and Stability

After the first snowfall, most trails become inaccessible, and I make a sharp pivot. My training shifts to flatter terrain, road running, and alternative activities like cross-training and gym work. With fewer hours spent on the trails, I take advantage of the extra time to increase my strength training. During the winter months, I can fit in three to four gym sessions a week. This season becomes an ideal window to focus on building the strength and stability that will carry me through the year—addressing weaknesses, improving durability, and laying the foundation for higher training loads and injury resilience once the race season ramps up.

Mental Training

This past winter, I also added something new to my routine – I began working with a mental strength coach. Mental training has been gaining traction in recent years, with more and more athletes treating it as a core component of their preparation. We’ve all heard the famous quote, “Running is 10% physical and 90% mental,” and I figured for a race like UTMB—with its evening start, long night section, and relentlessly steep climbs and descents—I might benefit from some dedicated mental work.

When I began the sessions, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d done some race visualization in the past but never felt it made a noticeable difference on race day. This, however, was different. The regular check-ins with a coach meant I was actively engaging with my mindset every week—something I would have never done on my own. I began to examine the moments when my mind held me back during training and racing. I experimented with mantras, trying them out on long runs to see what stuck. I built a vision board to reflect on what I wanted the year to look like, and, more importantly, why it mattered to me.

Could I have done most of this on my own? Probably.

Would I have? Probably not.

Was working with a mental strength coach helpful? Definitely.

Nutrition

I’ve also found winter to be a great time to focus on nutrition. With fewer hours spent running, I use the off-season to hone both my everyday eating habits and in-race fueling strategies. I’ve adopted the habit of getting regular (or at least semi-regular) bloodwork done. It’s been helpful to compare results year to year and better understand how my body is responding to training stress. Endurance athletes put their bodies under an immense amount of physical stress, which can deplete certain nutrients faster than normal and impact things like hormone balance, immune function, and recovery.

Once I get my results, I prefer to work with a registered dietitian over a general doctor. In my experience, endurance athletes have unique physiological demands that aren’t always recognized or understood in general medical settings. A dietitian can dive deeper into your bloodwork and tailor recommendations based on your training load, goals, and health markers.

Winter is also the perfect time to start experimenting with race-day fueling. Even though race season is months away, it’s never too early to begin testing what works for your gut. From gels to high-carb drink mixes to electrolyte blends, fueling can be a hit-or-miss process. What works for one athlete might not work for another, and you won’t know until you try. Plus, using your race nutrition regularly in training helps your body adapt to it over time. When spring rolls around, your gut is more prepared to handle the fueling demands of long runs and races.

Winter might force a shift in how and where I train, but it also offers opportunities I don’t get during the rest of the year—time to build strength, sharpen mental skills, dial in nutrition, and establish a solid foundation. And while it’s not always easy to head out the door when the weather is grim, every cold, dark, or snowy run builds mental resilience. Each one becomes a small investment in the kind of grit that pays off later. And it makes those warm, sun-drenched spring runs feel all the more rewarding. By the time the snow begins to melt and the trails reemerge, I’m not just ready for spring—I’m stronger, more focused, and extra grateful for every mile.

Venturing back into the mountains as snow slowly clears from the trails. (Photo: Sam Hill)

Spring: Recalibration, Reconnection, and Exploration

The first warm days after winter always hit differently. As the sun lingers a little longer and snow begins to melt from the lower trails, I feel the pull to get out and explore for hours. After a season spent on flatter, snow-cleared routes, I have to remind myself to ease back into the steeper terrain. The transition can be humbling—climbs feel steeper, descents less fluid, and I often go through my annual “where did my trail legs go?” phase. But this recalibration is part of the process.

In spring, my focus shifts toward rebuilding trail specificity. I slowly reintroduce vertical gain, using hiking poles on longer climbs and alternating steeper efforts with more runnable routes to give my legs time to adapt. Strength sessions evolve too, moving away from general durability work and toward exercises that mimic the demands of mountain running—single-leg stability, eccentric control, and power development. It’s a phase where I aim to build capacity without rushing the process.

Mobility and bodywork remain key. It’s tempting to jump straight into bigger mileage and elevation, but I’ve learned that the best gains come when I stay consistent with recovery work. Foam rolling, mobility flows, and regular soft tissue care help me handle the increasing load and avoid setbacks.

Spring also brings a much-needed shift in energy. Racing season begins to stir, and I find myself looking ahead, setting goals, visualizing efforts, and searching for a local race that excites and challenges me. This is the time to reconnect with the joy of trail running, not just the grind. I use early spring runs to explore new routes, test gear, and allow curiosity to guide me.

I try to remind myself that spring isn’t about being at my fittest—it’s about rediscovering my rhythm and building consistency. The trails might be muddy, snow-covered in places, or slow to open, but that’s part of the beauty of this season. Embracing the messiness, the unpredictability, and the slow return of strength is what makes it so satisfying. By the time late spring rolls around, I’m not just ready to train hard, I’m reconnected with my purpose and excited for the months ahead.

Training on home trails above Chamonix. (Photos: courtesy Emily Schmitz)

Summer: Details, Purpose, and more Recovery

As summer rolls in and race day gets closer, my training starts to look a lot more like UTMB itself—longer runs with more vert, time spent on steep trails, and getting used to moving efficiently over big climbs and descents. I’m focusing more on race-specific prep now: using poles regularly, hiking with purpose, dialing in nutrition, and testing the gear I plan to use on race day. These next couple of months are when I try to sort out the small details so that they’re second nature by the time I’m on the start line.

With more daylight and better weather, it’s definitely easier to fit in longer sessions on the trails. But I’m not out for full days; I’m still juggling training with recovery, work, and life. I’ve learned that quality matters more than just logging hours. Each workout has a purpose, whether it’s building endurance, practicing hiking, or just getting more comfortable on technical terrain. I aim to be intentional with the time I do spend outside.

The biggest challenge—and maybe the most important goal—is figuring out how to enjoy summer without overdoing it. There’s always the temptation to do more: run longer, climb higher, pack in every summer activity. But balancing that with recovery is key. I make space for easy rides, lake dips, short hikes, or just days where I let my body rest. Training is important, but so is having fun and staying mentally fresh. If I can finish the summer strong, healthy, and still excited about the race, then I know I’m in a good place.

Annual crowds cheering for the Friday night start of the UTMB in Chamonix. (Photo: Courtesy UTMB)

Training for UTMB is a season-long process, one that shifts with the weather, terrain, and energy of each time of year. By taking a seasonal approach, I’m able to stay focused without burning out, and flexible enough to adjust when things don’t go as planned. After all, anything can happen in a 100-mile race. The goal isn’t to control every outcome—it’s to show up prepared, adaptable, and ready to meet whatever the day brings.

A personal update: In March of this year, I received a call letting me know that I was selected for the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships team to be held in September 2025. At first, I planned to run both UTMB Mont-Blanc and the Championships with just one month between them. In the spring, however, I began to feel a slight ache in my left knee that traced back to an ankle roll. It flared up on long runs, and eventually led me to take several weeks off training.

Ultimately, this injury led to my decision to change my race distance to CCC, a “shorter” distance of the UTMB events.