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The Trail Running Briefing

Coach Isaac Alcaide

Sport

Fréquence : 1 épisode/7j. Total Éps: 31

The Trail Running Briefing is a short, weekly podcast for trail runners and endurance athletes who want to train with purpose. In 5–8 minutes, each episode focuses on one specific aspect of performance: training design, physiology, strength, durability, or race execution. No hype. No filler. Just clear, practical insights you can use immediately. Hosted by Isaac Alcaide, endurance coach, the podcast is designed to be listened to on the move, during easy runs, commutes, or recovery helping you understand your training so you can run better, longer, and with more confidence on the trail.

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Données mises à jour le 08/09/2026

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Episode 31 - Peak Form: How to Reach It and Why You Can’t Stay There Forever

Saison 1 · Épisode 30

vendredi 28 août 2026 • Durée 22:23

Peak form is not simply about being as fit as possible. It is the point where high fitness meets low fatigue, allowing an athlete to fully express the adaptations built over weeks and months of training.

Hard training develops aerobic fitness, strength, durability, climbing and descending ability, but it also creates fatigue. This means runners can sometimes be getting fitter while temporarily feeling slower or heavier. Tapering works by reducing that fatigue while preserving the fitness already developed.

Research supports substantially reducing training volume before an important race while maintaining some intensity. The purpose is not to create new fitness at the last minute, but to reveal the fitness already there.

Peak form should also be viewed as a window rather than a permanent state. Fitness can be maintained for relatively long periods, but the ideal combination of fitness, freshness, race specificity and psychological readiness cannot be held indefinitely.

After an A-race, the goal should therefore not be to stay at your peak, but to repeat the cycle:

RECOVER → REBUILD → DEVELOP → TAPER → PEAK AGAIN.

The key message of the episode is simple:

Training builds the fitness. Tapering reveals it.

Wang, Z., Wang, Y., Gao, W., & Zhong, Y. (2023).Effects of tapering on performance in endurance athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0282838.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282838
Bosquet, L., Montpetit, J., Arvisais, D., & Mujika, I. (2007).Effects of tapering on performance: A meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1358–1365.
Mujika, I., & Padilla, S. (2003).Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(7), 1182–1187.DOI: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000074448.73931.11
Calvert, T. W., Banister, E. W., Savage, M. V., & Bach, T. (1976).A systems model of the effects of training on physical performance. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 6(2), 94–102.DOI: 10.1109/TSMC.1976.5409179
Spiering, B. A., Mujika, I., Sharp, M. A., & Foulis, S. A. (2021).Maintaining Physical Performance: The Minimal Dose of Exercise Needed to Preserve Endurance and Strength Over Time. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(5), 1449–1458.DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003964
Millet, G. Y., Tomazin, K., Verges, S., Vincent, C., Bonnefoy, R., Boisson, R. C., et al. (2011).Neuromuscular Consequences of an Extreme Mountain Ultra-Marathon. PLOS ONE, 6(2), e17059.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017059

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Episode 30 - The Plateau Problem: Why Ultrarunners Stop Improving and How to Move Forward

Saison 1 · Épisode 29

vendredi 21 août 2026 • Durée 16:20

In Episode 30 of The Trail Running Briefing, we explore why ultrarunners sometimes stop improving even when they are training consistently and working harder.

A plateau doesn’t always mean you need more mileage or more intensity. It can mean your body has adapted to the same training stimulus, accumulated fatigue is hiding your fitness, recovery or fuelling is insufficient, or your training is no longer targeting the qualities that actually limit your performance.

We look at the importance of purposeful progression, keeping easy runs genuinely easy, strength training, durability, recovery weeks, adequate fuelling and race-specific preparation.

The key message is simple: training is not about collecting more kilometres, it is about creating adaptation. Before doing more, understand what needs to change.

Key References:

Zanini, M., Folland, J. P., & Blagrove, R. C. (2026).Regular Long Runs and Higher Training Volumes Are Associated with Better Running Economy Durability in Performance-Matched Well-Trained Male Runners.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 58(1), 162–173.
Zanini, M., Folland, J. P., Wu, H., & Blagrove, R. C. (2025).Strength Training Improves Running Economy Durability and Fatigued High-Intensity Performance in Well-Trained Male Runners: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 57(7), 1546–1558.
Tiller, N. B., & Millet, G. Y. (2025).Decoding Ultramarathon: Muscle Damage as the Main Impediment to Performance.Sports Medicine, 55(3), 535–543.
Llanos-Lagos, C., Ramirez-Campillo, R., Moran, J., & Sáez de Villarreal, E. (2024).Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.Sports Medicine, 54(4), 895–932.
Sperlich, B. et al. (2023).The Proportional Distribution of Training by Elite Endurance Athletes at Different Intensities During Different Phases of the Season.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1258585.

Episode 29 - When More Becomes Too Much: Burnout in Ultrarunning

Saison 1 · Épisode 29

vendredi 14 août 2026 • Durée 09:56

Ultra running demands far more than just mileage. Long runs, back-to-backs, strength work, fuelling, recovery, work, family and everyday stress all contribute to the total load an athlete carries.

In this episode, I explore burnout in ultrarunning, how it differs from normal fatigue or overtraining, and why it can gradually turn something we love into something that feels like an obligation.

We look at the key warning signs, physical and emotional exhaustion, declining motivation, reduced sense of achievement and losing enjoyment in the sport, and most importantly, what runners can do to reduce the risk.

The central message is simple: your real training load is training plus everything else happening in your life.

Sustainable ultra running isn’t about doing the maximum training you can survive. It’s about training at a level you can repeatedly absorb while protecting your motivation, health and love for running.

Key references:

Raedeke, T. D., & Smith, A. L. (2001). Development and preliminary validation of an Athlete Burnout Measure. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 23(4), 281–306.
Gustafsson, H., DeFreese, J. D., & Madigan, D. J. (2017). Athlete burnout: Review and recommendations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 109–113.
Lonsdale, C., Hodge, K., & Rose, E. A. (2009). Athlete burnout in elite sport: A self-determination perspective. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(8), 785–795.
Kellmann, M., Bertollo, M., Bosquet, L., et al. (2018). Recovery and Performance in Sport: Consensus Statement. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(2), 240–245.

Episode 28 - Older, Wiser, Stronger: How Ultra Training Should Change With Age

Saison 1 · Épisode 28

vendredi 31 juillet 2026 • Durée 10:21

Episode 28 explores how ultra training should evolve with age without lowering ambition. The central idea is the recovery budget: every long run, hard session, strength workout and race creates stress, while sleep, work, nutrition and life commitments affect how quickly that budget is restored.

As runners get older, training does not necessarily need to become easier, but it should become less crowded and more purposeful. This means allowing more recovery between demanding sessions, maintaining strength training, using intensity selectively and treating races as major training loads rather than casual additions to the calendar.

The episode also stresses that sustainable training matters at every age. Younger runners may tolerate poor decisions for longer, but repeated overload can still lead to injury, fatigue and burnout. The key message is:

Do not ask how much training you can survive. Ask how much training you can absorb and repeat for years.

Key references:

Tanaka H, Seals DR. Endurance exercise performance in Masters athletes: age-associated changes and underlying physiological mechanisms. The Journal of Physiology. 2008;586(1):55–63. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2007.141879
Borges N, Reaburn P, Driller M, Argus C. Age-related changes in performance and recovery kinetics in Masters athletes: a narrative review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 2016;24(1):149–157. doi: 10.1123/japa.2015-0021
Valenzuela PL, Maffiuletti NA, Joyner MJ, Lucia A, Lepers R. Lifelong endurance exercise as a countermeasure against age-related VO₂max decline: physiological overview and insights from Masters athletes. Sports Medicine. 2020;50(4):703–716. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01252-0
Fragala MS, Cadore EL, Dorgo S, et al. Resistance training for older adults: position statement from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. 2019;33(8):2019–2052. doi:

Episode 27 - The Race You Didn’t Finish: Recovering from a DNF

Saison 1 · Épisode 26

vendredi 24 juillet 2026 • Durée 09:51

After a DNF, remember this sequence:

Feel it. Separate it. Learn from it. Then move forward.

Feel the disappointment without shame. Separate the facts from the story you are telling about yourself. Extract a small number of useful lessons. Then rebuild through ordinary, consistent action.

A DNF is painful because the goal mattered. But it is a result, not an identity. It records where one race ended; it does not decide where your running ends.

So keep this sentence for the difficult days after an unfinished race:

“I did not finish this race—but this race has not finished me.”

Key references:

Mosewich, A. D., Crocker, P. R. E., Kowalski, K. C., & DeLongis, A. (2013). Applying self-compassion in sport: An intervention with women athletes. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 35(5), 514–524. DOI: 10.1123/jsep.35.5.514
Ceccarelli, L. A., Giuliano, R. J., Glazebrook, C. M., & Strachan, S. M. (2019). Self-compassion and psycho-physiological recovery from recalled sport failure. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1564. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01564
Zhang, N., Huang, J., & Yao, J. (2023). Athletes’ self-compassion and emotional resilience to failure: The mediating role of vagal reactivity. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1192265. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1192265
Kuchar, A. L., Neff, K. D., & Mosewich, A. D. (2023). Resilience and Enhancement in Sport, Exercise, & Training—RESET: A brief self-compassion intervention with NCAA student-athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 67, 102426. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102426
Neumann, D. L., & McInnes, M. (2025). A brief writing intervention assists athletes to cope with performance failures. PsyCh Journal, 14(5), 787–798. DOI: 10.1002/pchj.70026
Alipour Ataabadi, Y., Cormier, D. L., Kowalski, K. C., Oates, A. R., Ferguson, L. J., & Lanovaz, J. L. (2022). Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 4, 868576. DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2022.868576

Episode 26 - The fitness that survives: How to Build Durability for 100K and 100-Mile Races

Saison 1 · Épisode 26

vendredi 17 juillet 2026 • Durée 12:26

Durability is the ability to preserve your performance as fatigue accumulates during prolonged exercise. While fitness describes what you can do when fresh, durability determines how much of that fitness remains after many hours of running.

In a 100K or 100-mile race, pace can decline because of muscular damage, worsening running economy, reduced force production, poor fuelling and mental fatigue. A durable runner still becomes tired, but their deterioration is slower and more manageable.

Durability is developed through consistent training volume, progressive long runs, selective back-to-back sessions, race-specific terrain, downhill conditioning and strength training. Long runs should also be used to practise realistic pacing, hiking, nutrition and equipment.

The common mistake is trying to prove durability through excessively long or exhausting sessions. Durability is not built by destroying the body in one weekend. It comes from months of sustainable training that can be repeated consistently.

Fitness may carry you through the first half of an ultra. Durability determines what remains for the second.
Key References:

Maunder, E., Seiler, S., Mildenhall, M. J., Kilding, A. E., & Plews, D. J. (2021). The Importance of “Durability” in the Physiological Profiling of Endurance Athletes. Sports Medicine, 51, 1619–1628. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-021-01459-0.
Jones, A. M. (2024). The Fourth Dimension: Physiological Resilience as an Independent Determinant of Endurance Exercise Performance. The Journal of Physiology, 602, 4113–4128. DOI: 10.1113/JP284205.
Millet, G. Y. (2011). Can Neuromuscular Fatigue Explain Running Strategies and Performance in Ultra-Marathons? The Flush Model. Sports Medicine, 41, 489–506. DOI: 10.2165/11588760-000000000-00000.
Millet, G. Y., Tomazin, K., Verges, S., et al. (2011). Neuromuscular Consequences of an Extreme Mountain Ultra-Marathon. PLOS ONE, 6, e17059. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017059.

Episode 25 - Carb Loading: Don’t Start Empty

Saison 1 · Épisode 24

vendredi 10 juillet 2026 • Durée 10:16

In this episode, we cover why carb loading is not about eating a huge bowl of pasta the night before a race, but about arriving at the start line with full fuel stores. For trail and ultra runners, glycogen is the body’s fast-access fuel, and starting underfuelled can make the later stages of a race much harder.

The key message is simple: carb loading should be planned, practised, and spread across the final 24–48 hours before race day. A good target for long endurance events is often around 8–12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day, depending on the runner, the race, and gut tolerance.

The episode also explains what runners often get wrong: relying on one big meal, eating too much fibre or fat, trying new foods, or worrying about small increases in body weight caused by glycogen and water storage.

The practical advice is to use familiar, easy-to-digest carbohydrate foods, reduce gut stress before race day, and rehearse the strategy before key long runs or lower-priority races.

Main takeaway: Carb loading fills the tank before the race; race fuelling keeps topping it up. You cannot fully compensate during the race for arriving underfuelled.

Key references:

Thomas, D. T., Erdman, K. A., & Burke, L. M. — “Nutrition and Athletic Performance.”
Burke, L. M., Hawley, J. A., Wong, S. H. S., & Jeukendrup, A. E. — “Carbohydrates for training and competition.”
Wallis, G. A. — “Dietary Carbohydrate and the Endurance Athlete: Contemporary Perspectives.”
Vitale, K., & Getzin, A. — “Nutrition and Supplement Update for the Endurance Athlete.”
Kerksick, C. M. et al. — “International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutrient Timing.”
Mata, F. et al. — “Carbohydrate Availability and Physical Performance.”
Naderi, A. et al. — “Carbohydrates and Endurance Exercise: A Narrative Review.”

Episode 24 - The Low Point Is Not the End: How to Survive the Dark Miles

Saison 1 · Épisode 24

vendredi 3 juillet 2026 • Durée 11:16

In this episode, we look at one of the most important skills in ultrarunning: managing the low points. Every runner will face dark moments during an ultra, but a low point is not necessarily the end of the race. It is usually information: you may need fuel, fluids, sodium, cooling, warmer clothing, slower pacing, or simply a mental reset.

The key message is: do not make big decisions from a low point. Instead, use the simple process: Check. Fix. Wait. Check what may be causing the problem, fix one or two obvious things, then give yourself 15 to 30 minutes before judging the race again.

The goal is not to feel good all day. The goal is to stay functional when things feel bad.

Key references:

Pageaux, B. - “The psychobiological model of endurance performance”
Marcora et al. - “Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans”
Blanchfield et al. - “Talking yourself out of exhaustion: the effects of self-talk on endurance performance”
Burgum et al. - “Reduced mood variability is associated with enhanced performance in ultramarathon running”
Bieleke et al. - “If-then planning”
Tiller et al. - “International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutritional considerations for single-stage ultra-marathon training and racing”
Hew-Butler et al. - “Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia: 2017 Update”
Cao et al. - “Head, face and neck cooling as per-cooling during exercise in the heat”
Bongers et al. - “Cooling interventions for athletes”
Costa et al. - “Nutrition for Ultramarathon Running: Trail, Track, and Road”

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Episode 23 - Heat Acclimation: Train the Body Before the Weather Tests You

Saison 1 · Épisode 23

vendredi 26 juin 2026 • Durée 11:24

In this episode, we explain the difference between heat acclimatisation and heat acclimation. Acclimatisation usually refers to adapting naturally to a hot environment, while acclimation is a more controlled process using tools like hot-water immersion, sauna, or structured heat exposure.

The key message is that heat adaptation is not just about “getting used to suffering.” It creates real physiological changes: lower heart rate at a given pace, earlier and more efficient sweating, better temperature regulation, reduced perceived effort, and improved tolerance when racing or training in warm conditions.

For ultrarunners, this matters because heat can compromise pacing, hydration, fuelling, digestion, decision-making, and overall race performance. However, heat work should be treated as training stress, not recovery.

The episode gives practical starting points for both hot-water immersion and sauna: begin with short exposures of 10–15 minutes after easy runs, then gradually build towards 20–30 minutes, and only progress further if well tolerated. It also highlights precautions: avoid heat exposure when ill, dehydrated, dizzy, very fatigued, or medically vulnerable.

The main takeaway: do not wait until race day to discover how your body responds to heat. Train the heat response before the weather tests you.

Key references:

Racinais et al. 2015 — Consensus Recommendations on Training and Competing in the Heat
Racinais et al. 2023 — IOC Consensus Statement on Recommendations and Regulations for Sport Events in the Heat
Zurawlew et al. 2018 — Post-exercise Hot Water Immersion as a Practical Heat Acclimation Strategy
Zurawlew et al. 2019 — Hot Water Immersion, Retention of Heat Adaptations
Scoon et al. 2007 — Post-exercise Sauna Bathing and Endurance Performance in Competitive Runners
Casa et al. 2015 — National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Exertional Heat Illnesses

Episode 22 - The Minimum Intensity for the Right Adaptation. No More.

Saison 1 · Épisode 22

vendredi 19 juin 2026 • Durée 13:00

In this episode, we explore one of the most important principles for sustainable ultrarunning progress: using the minimum intensity needed to create the right adaptation.

The goal of training is not to suffer as much as possible. The goal is to apply the right stimulus, recover from it, and repeat it consistently over time. Whether we are doing intervals, hill work, downhill sessions, strength training, or long runs, the same principle applies: enough stress to adapt, but not so much that it disrupts the rest of the training block.

The episode compares training intensity with a doctor prescribing medication. The best dose is not the highest dose; it is the dose that works with the fewest side effects. In running, too much intensity can create unnecessary fatigue, soreness, injury risk, and poor recovery. Too little does not create adaptation. The sweet spot is the smallest useful dose.

For ultrarunners, this means progressing gradually, respecting recovery, and judging sessions not only by how hard they feel, but by whether they allow consistent training afterwards.

Key message: Train hard enough to adapt, but not so hard that the cost is greater than the benefit.

Key references:

Androulakis-Korakakis et al. — The Minimum Effective Training Dose Required to Increase 1RM Strength in Resistance-Trained Men
Schoenfeld et al. — Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men
Hughes et al. — Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training
Spiering et al. — Maintaining Physical Performance: The Minimal Dose of Exercise Needed to Preserve Endurance and Strength Over Time
Rosenblat et al. — Polarized vs Threshold Training: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Muñoz et al. — Does Polarized Training Improve Performance in Recreational Runners?
Oliveira et al. — Comparison of Polarized Versus Other Types of Endurance Training Intensity Distribution

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The Trail Running Briefing – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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Liens partagés entre épisodes et podcasts

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