Your Trail Running Week Outline
This is a basic schedule for a trail running group made up of experienced runners who prefer longer and more mountainous routes.
If other less experienced club or family members come along they can be given a lighter more mixed schedule of activities and relaxation and everyone can get together again each evening. With this in mind I would use extra staff to handle the two group programmes.
The order of running routes and venues used depends on weather forecast but the programme below is based on us having the usual good weather. April and May into June is probably the best period, temperatures are pleasant and the plants and trees are flowering or have leaf cover. September and October are also good months. November, December and January can be very nice but nights are shorter and there is a high risk of snow cover on some of the routes. It is also likely to be much colder.
Itinery :
- Day 1: Airport pickup from Malaga or Granada. Sorting rooms, getting settled in. A lot depends on arrival time.
- Day 2: Local area run, introduction to Alhama, the gorge, bird sanctuary and hot springs. 10km -16km choices.
- Day 3: Bermejales lake trail, a beautiful track with a full lap option (26km) or out and back (14km). Beach, swim, relax. Eat in village or at lake side bar.
- Day 4: The Jatar-Lucero loop 24km including part of Al Andalus stage 2 or Maroma (2068m) ascent, circa 18km, (can be extended).
- Day 5: Over to Granada : Hotel, Alhambra visit in afternoon, eve in the city. (rest day).
- Day 6. Monachil gorge loop. One of the best routes you will ever do. Circa 30km.
(This walk can be split to suit those happy to have a shorter but equally exciting day).
- Day 7: Alhama circuit or Loja mountain / desert loop, choice of routes.
- Day 8: Airport. (much depends on flight time).
- A week costs € 775 euros. (single supplement € 15.00 euros a night but it may mean splitting group).
Price includes, bed, breakfast, airport pickup, all ground transport, maps.
Alhambra admission needs pre booking at 14euros a person although majority are happy to visit the grounds and exclude the parts you pay to enter.
Minimum 1. Maximum 7.
Family Groups.
For runners with a non-runner partner or children I can still organise a week of running combined with a general holiday break. The area is packed with places to visit, beautiful walks, good bars, cafes and restaurants. Granada is only a short bus ride or drive away, Sierra Nevada is 1.5hours to ski slopes where, depending on time of year, you can ski or toboggan, take a Husky sledge trip and visit the high altitude training centre to run, swim or just relax. The Mediterranean coast is only an hour away and the Costa Tropical, Granada Provinces own seaside paradise is well worth a visit.
Price on application.
The STAAR.
This is a special ultra runners training circuit which can be incorporated into a week or 5 day visit. The Sierra Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama Ruta can be a 2, 3 or 4 day trip but the most popular is the 3STAAR. (there is a story about the 4STAAR here). The 3STAAR starts and finishes in Alhama de Granada. We cross the Sierra Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama natural park via the regions highest mountain (Maroma 2068m) and descend into the Axarquia region of Malaga Province. Overnight in Alcaucin, then through mountains to Competa and another overnight then back over the mountains skirting Lucero (1779m) and via tracks used during the Al Andalus Ultimate Trail race to Alhama. Travel light, eat well, visit some famous Andalucian white villages and cover around 100km. (
Read more about the STARR >> )
Price on application. (weather dependant although usually possible even in snow).
Preparation
As the majority of runners will be working 9 to 5 jobs and maybe running trails or racing at weekend correct " holiday " preparation is important. It would be very easy to get carried away, running each day, in the usually beautiful weather, and therefore suffering an overuse injury. It would put paid to any forthcoming race plans and waste the holiday.
- Plan to have an easy week of running each side of the holiday.
- Give yourself time to recover from the travelling, although in our case that shouldn’t take long as most of you could be here within 3 hours, ( which is why it is so easy to plan a long weekend out here ).
- Make sure to increase the amount of rest you take whilst here rather than have late nights, sightsee and train. The Spanish do tend to eat late, ( 10pm ) but we try to arrange for evening meals to be ready around 8pm.
Read a selection of excellent articles on trail running and preparation >>
