Shaping Your Ultra Weekends at Every Age
Trail Note
This Trail Note sits alongside your Her Trails program. It draws on current research in women’s endurance physiology, hormones and energy availability to help you shape weekend long runs that work with your body, not against it.
Shaping Your Ultra Weekends at Every Age
The right weekend structure for a 25‑year‑old and a 48‑year‑old won’t look identical: and it doesn’t need to for both women to arrive powerful and prepared at the same 50–65 km start line.
In Her Trails, you’re following a shared 20‑week framework, not an age‑segmented plan. The fundamentals of good ultra training stay the same; what shifts is how that plan lands in your body and your life at different times.
Throughout the program we give hormonal guidance and check‑ins, but you are always the expert on your own situation. This Trail Note brings those pieces together so you can look at a weekend, notice where you’re at hormonally and in life, and decide whether to run it as written or adapt it slightly. You can always bring these questions into our coaching sessions or ask inside the HT Community Hub so we can support you best.
Her Trails gives you the structure. This Trail Note gives you the why behind that structure, and practical ways to adjust when your real life, hormones and recovery don’t match the “ideal week” on paper. Our goal is that you feel in the driver’s seat: confident about when to hold the line, and when a small, smart tweak will actually serve you better.
Age is one part of that picture. The patterns below use age and life stage as loose guides so you can sense‑check what you’re feeling and make a simple choice about long runs, strength and fuelling that supports your body.
Before age: the key indicators we want you to check
Whatever your age, use these questions when you look at a big weekend in your program:
- Recovery: Are you generally waking rested, with legs that feel “used” but not trashed 24–48 hours after long runs?
- Cycle / menopause status: Are your periods, perimenopause symptoms or post‑menopausal markers relatively stable, or have you noticed recent changes as load increased?
- Life load: Is this a calmer week, or are work, stress and caregiving already high?
- Training age & history: How many years of consistent running do you have, and how have you responded to long runs in the past?
- Injury / niggle history: Are you currently managing anything that flares with more duration (feet, shins, hips, back)?
The age bands below are there to help you interpret these signals, not to dictate what you “must” do.
How to use this Trail Note
When a weekend looks big (or you feel extra tired), move through these three steps:
- Check the key indicators above: recovery, hormones, life load, training age, niggles.
- Glance at the life‑stage section that feels closest to you and match your current week to the “thriving” or “fatigue / stress” guidance.
- Make one small change: slide to the lower or upper end of the range, or soften Sunday.
You don’t need to redesign the plan; you’re just nudging the dials so this week fits your real life.
Across the 20‑week life cycle of your program, your capacity won’t be flat. Some weeks you’ll feel under‑challenged; others, the same sessions will feel enormous. We expect that.
You can use the same levers you’ll see below – duration, intensity, terrain and recovery – to adjust:
- In early base weeks when you’re building back up.
- In busy life weeks in the middle of the build.
- In strengthening blocks when fatigue feels stickier than expected.
- In taper when your brain wants “one more big one”.
The patterns we outline in each age band are there as reference points you can apply anywhere in the cycle, not just in peak weeks.
20–30: Build the foundation you’ll use for decades
In your 20s, you may recover quickly and feel almost invincible. That’s a gift – but it can also hide early signs of low energy availability, iron deficiency and menstrual disruption. The aim in this decade is to build durable capacity and good fuelling habits, not to see how much deprivation you can tolerate.
When you see a 3–3.5 hour long run in your Her Trails plan during peak weeks, this is why: it’s long enough to create ultra‑specific stress, short enough that your body, hormones and bones can adapt when fuelling and recovery are in place.
Example 50–65 km weekend pattern (peak block, 20–30)
- Saturday (as programmed): 3–3.5 hour long run on race‑like terrain, fully fuelled.
- Sunday (as programmed): 60–75 minute base run or hike, very easy, on gentle trail.
If you’re thriving: You’re sleeping well, cycles are regular, easy days feel easy, and niggles are quiet. You can sit near the top of these ranges. Very occasionally, for slow/technical courses and if you’re recovering well, you might extend one long run toward 4 hours.
If fatigue, cycle changes or niggles appear: Hold the duration at the lower end of the range or trim by 15–30 minutes, and keep Sunday as written. We do not recommend adding 5–6 hour runs here unless you are highly experienced and well supported.
You can apply this same logic anytime a weekend looks big on paper – early in the build, midway through, or near peak. If life, cycle or recovery feel off, drop toward the lower end of the range that week and protect the pattern, not the number.
Fuelling to avoid RED‑S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)
Across all ages, one of the biggest risks in ultra training is doing more on less – high load with low energy availability. To protect your hormones, bones and performance:
- Make pre‑run fuel a non‑negotiable: a small carb‑rich snack before morning sessions, especially if they’re longer than 45–60 minutes.
- Aim to eat during long runs (for example 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour) so you’re not digging a huge energy hole every weekend.
- Avoid stacking “clean eating” plus high volume plus fasted training; patterns like skipping snacks, under‑fuelling rest days or cutting carbs can increase RED‑S risk in female endurance athletes.
- Use your cycle, mood, sleep and bones as feedback: missing or changing periods, frequent illness, stress fractures or flat mood are all reasons to talk to a health professional and review fuelling.
The aim is simple: your training load and your intake should match closely enough that your body has what it needs to adapt, not just survive the block.
30–38: Build around life, not against it
In your 30s, work, caregiving and mental load often rise sharply. Training that looks “perfect” on paper but doesn’t account for that reality tends to crack first at sleep, immune health and mood. We aim for weekends that are big enough to move the needle, small enough to fit around a full life.
When your plan shows a 3–4 hour long run with a shorter Sunday session, that’s us balancing ultra‑specific stress with the reality that you’re rarely starting the weekend with an empty tank.
Example 50–65 km weekend pattern (peak block, 30–38)
- Saturday (as programmed): 3–4 hour long run, with race‑specific hills and descents.
- Sunday (as programmed): 45–75 minute base run or hike, easy; some plans will show yoga or walk‑only here in deload weeks.
If work/life stress is high: Big week at work, sick kids, poor sleep? Choose the lower end of the suggested range or cut 15–30 minutes from Saturday, and keep Sunday very easy or swap it for a walk or yoga. You are still “doing the program”.
If you feel robust, well‑fuelled and well‑rested: You can sit closer to the upper end of the range, but we still recommend keeping 4 hours as a regular upper limit for 50–65 km races. Longer simulation days should be rare.
If you hit a run of high‑stress weeks in the middle of the plan, use this pattern: hold Saturday closer to the lower end of the range, keep Sunday easy or swap to walking/yoga, and let your body catch up while you keep the routine.
38–45: Navigate perimenopause and shifting recovery
In your late 30s and 40s, perimenopause can bring cycle irregularity, heavier or lighter bleeds, joint and tendon niggles, hot flushes and sleep disruption. None of this means you can’t train for ultras; it means each brick – training, life, stress – lands on a more sensitive foundation.
This is why you’ll often see 2.5–3.5 hour long runs paired with very gentle Sundays in our guidance for this life stage. We are already “baking in” extra margin for recovery, bone health and mood, so you don’t have to guess.
Example 50–65 km weekend pattern (peak block, 38–45)
- Saturday (as programmed): 2.5–3.5 hour long run, terrain‑specific, fully fuelled.
- Sunday (as programmed): 45–60 minute base run, hike or mobility + walk, depending on the week.
If sleep, hot flushes or mood are unsettled: Stay at the lower end of the Saturday range or trim by 20–30 minutes, and choose the easiest Sunday option (hike, walk, yoga). That is us “using the plan” intelligently, not stepping away from it.
If symptoms are quiet and recovery is good: You can build carefully toward the upper end of the range, but treat 3.5–4 hour outings as big efforts that need extra fuelling and a true recovery focus afterwards.
How to alternate long runs in perimenopause
Perimenopause can make long runs feel like they land harder and take longer to clear, especially when sleep, mood or heavy bleeds are in the mix. One simple way to protect recovery is to alternate your biggest efforts:
- One weekend as written (for example 2.5–3.5 hours Saturday with an easy Sunday).
- The following weekend slightly lighter (for example 2–2.5 hours Saturday with a walk, yoga or short jog‑walk on Sunday).
- If you hit a patch of poor sleep, hot flushes or heavy cycles, treat that as a “perimenopause deload” week and pull both days back toward the lower end of the range.
You’ll still accumulate plenty of time on feet across the 20 weeks, but with more room for your hormones, joints and nervous system to adapt.
During phases when perimenopause symptoms spike (sleep shifts, mood swings, heavy bleeds), use the shorter end of the ranges and gentler Sundays – even if the plan is mid‑build rather than peak. That’s how you stay in the program and honour your physiology.
45+: Longevity as a performance goal
Post‑menopause, oestrogen and progesterone fall, and bone turnover, tendon health and sleep can all change. At the same time, many women in their late 40s, 50s and beyond bring deep mental resilience and pacing wisdom to ultras; there’s evidence older women hold up well in very long events.
That’s why our guidance for this bracket tends to anchor around moderate‑long runs (2–3.5 hours), run‑hike strategies and strong emphasis on strength, mobility and balance. The north star is not one giant training day; it’s being able to keep showing up, year after year.
Example 50–65 km weekend pattern (peak block, 45+)
- Saturday (as programmed): 2–3.5 hour long run or run‑hike, with strength and mobility supporting the week.
- Sunday (as programmed): 30–60 minutes of easy walking, light jog‑walk or yoga, focused on recovery.
If joints, tendons or energy feel fragile: Choose the shorter end of Saturday’s range and keep Sunday as a walk or yoga. You are protecting the exact systems (bones, tendons, sleep) we care about most here.
If you’re feeling strong with good medical clearance and robust recovery: You may occasionally extend a key long run toward the upper end of your range, but we still recommend using truly long simulations sparingly and only with extra recovery built in.
Across all 20 weeks, if recovery or niggles start stacking, think “slide back to the lower end” rather than “push through because it’s peak”. For you, staying in the game is part of the performance goal.
Strength that supports ultras in peri‑ and post‑menopause
As oestrogen drops, maintaining muscle, tendon and bone strength becomes non‑negotiable for performance and long‑term health. The focus is less on light toning and more on progressive strength:
- 2–3 short strength sessions per week (20–30 minutes is enough) built around compound lifts: squats, deadlifts or hip hinges, step‑ups, lunges and calf raises.
- Upper‑body and trunk work to support poles, packs and downhill control: rows, presses, band pulls, planks or anti‑rotation holds.
- Balance and single‑leg work (single‑leg deadlifts, step‑downs, marching hip holds) to help protect ankles, hips and bones as you age.
Think of this as part of your ultra plan, not an extra: heavier (for you) but well‑rested strength makes your running more efficient and protects you for the long game.
In practice, that means most peak‑block weekends will live here:
- 20–30: around 3–3.5 hours Saturday, 60–75 minutes Sunday.
- 30–38: around 3–4 hours Saturday, 45–75 minutes Sunday.
- 38–45: around 2.5–3.5 hours Saturday, 45–60 minutes Sunday.
- 45+: around 2–3.5 hours Saturday, 30–60 minutes Sunday.
Your job isn’t to chase the biggest number, but to choose where you sit inside these bands based on your week.
The Her Trails filter for “big” weekends
Before you lengthen a weekend inside an online program, ask yourself:
- Does my event genuinely demand this, or would 2–4 hour runs and back‑to‑backs do the job?
- Does my current age, cycle or hormone status, recovery and life load support this stress right now?
- Is there space - physically, emotionally, practically: for the recovery it will require?
If the answer is no, you haven’t failed the program. You’ve done exactly what we hope you’ll do: use this guidance to adapt any week in the 20‑week cycle so training fits your actual life and body, not an idealised calendar.
Big ultras already ask a lot. The art inside Her Trails isn’t squeezing in the most you can possibly tolerate, but trusting a smart, evidence‑informed framework to do exactly enough: enough load to arrive ready, enough margin to stay healthy, and enough flexibility that your running can sit alongside the rest of your life for years to come.
