Plan a season that makes sense: which races to pick and what to expect from each

A race

One main race that sets the shape of the whole year

Secondary

Two or three B and C races that build towards it

Spacing

Real recovery between hard races, not just a couple of rest days

Goals

Pair process goals with a single time goal

Data

Start from your actual results, not the time you wish you had

Review

Look at what worked before you choose next season

Your A race is the reason for the season: the one you want to do well, the one that excites you or scares you a little. It could be a half marathon, your first Spartan Beast or a DEKA where you want to beat a time. What matters is that there is only one, or at most two, far apart in the year.

Choosing it first puts everything else in order. You know how many weeks you have, what kind of training it calls for, and which races on the calendar will help you get there and which will only take something out of you.

B races are serious rehearsals: you race them with intent, but without sacrificing your A race build-up. C races are training sessions with a bib, handy for practising logistics, your opening pace or fuelling on the move.

A good secondary race resembles your main one in something specific: distance, terrain, type of effort. If your target is a long Spartan, a short trail race or a Spartan Sprint a few weeks earlier teaches you more than a flat 10K.

• A: one race, with all your preparation pointed at it.
• B: one or two, with their own goal but no long taper.
• C: as many as you like, as training, with no pressure on the result.

Every hard race sends a bill that a couple of easy days will not cover. The longer and more intense the event, the longer you need before training hard again, and that margin has to come from the calendar, not from willpower.

When you place the dates, count back from your A race: the build-up weeks, the taper in the final days and the recovery from any B race in between. If it does not fit, there is one race too many, not too little effort.

A time goal tells you where you want to end up; a process goal tells you what you will do each week to get there. Running a 10K under a certain time depends on the day, the course and the weather. Training three times a week for twelve weeks depends only on you.

You need both. The time goal gives direction and the process goal keeps you going when the clock does not cooperate. If race day goes badly, you can still look back and see that you did everything within your control.

• Process: sessions per week, strength days, hours of sleep, long runs completed.
• Time or position: a specific mark, a time per zone in DEKA, finishing a Spartan without penalties.

Combining a road race, a Spartan and a DEKA in one season is doable and fun: each format trains something different. Road racing rewards steady pacing; Spartan, endurance on rough ground and obstacles; DEKA, strength and the ability to repeat short efforts.

The key is that one of them leads and the others support it. If your A race is a DEKA, a short road race sharpens the running part; if it is a Spartan, a DEKA midway through the build-up works as a strength check.

The best starting point for a goal is your last result in a similar race. With Club Pulse you see your finish time in your personal area of the Pulse app and, when the race publishes them, your splits; you can also compare your result with other editions of the same race and, if you do DEKA, check the DEKA leaderboard.

With that data a goal stops being a wish. If your splits show you lose a lot in the second half, a sensible target is to pace more evenly rather than chase a much faster time. And to see which races fit your dates, the Pulse race calendar lists upcoming events with their packs.

Once your A race is done, give it a few days and go over the year calmly: which races helped, which were surplus, where you got injured or ran short of rest, and which process goals you actually met.

If you are just starting out or coming back after a long break, check with your doctor before planning a demanding season. Pulse is not a medical service and this article is no substitute for a professional assessment.

• How many races should I do in a season?

  It depends on your experience, the distances and how much time you can train. Rather than a number, make sure there is one clear main race and that every hard race has its recovery margin before the next.

• Can I have two main races in the same year?

  Yes, if they are well apart and you have time to prepare for each and recover in between. If they fall close together, the sensible move is to pick which one leads and treat the other as secondary.

• What if my main race goes badly?

  Look at your process goals and your splits before drawing conclusions. One bad day does not erase weeks of good training, and understanding what went wrong gives you the first goal of next season.

• Does it make sense to mix Spartan, DEKA and road races?

  Yes, as long as one of them is the priority. Each format builds different abilities and alternating them keeps the season varied, but your training should still be aimed at the main race.

• Where can I see my results to plan ahead?

  In your personal area of the Pulse app, with Club Pulse: finish time, splits when the race publishes them, comparison with other editions of the same race and the DEKA leaderboard.