Choosing A, B, and C races: How to build a sustainable race calendar
If you’ve ever looked at your race calendar and felt overwhelmed, or been tempted to run every event as if it were your Olympic final, you’re not the only one.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of racing at full intensity every time. Especially when you're motivated, in good shape, or simply excited by all the events happening each season. But not every race needs to be, or should be, a personal best.
In fact, trying to race all-out too often is one of the quickest ways to burn out, get injured, or lose your joy for running altogether.
A-, B-, and C-races can be a great framework. It’s a way to structure your season with purpose. They make space for big goals and spontaneous runs. It enables you to plan for peak efforts without draining your energy beforehand. Most importantly, it helps you to stay connected to the reason behind your training.
In this article, I’ll walk you through what A-, B- and C-races are, how to choose them and how to train for each one, ensuring you put in the right amount of effort and focus. We'll also discuss the mental aspects of race prioritisation because motivation, flexibility and enjoyment are just as important as pacing and tapering.
Whether you're planning your first race season or looking to bring more balance to your training year, this approach can help you to run more efficiently and joyfully.
Why race prioritisation matters
It’s easy to get excited about races, especially when event announcements start showing up and your friends begin signing up for their spring races. Before you know it, your calendar is filling up fast and every race suddenly feels like one you “should” go all-in for.
But here’s the thing: not every race needs to be your best performance. And it shouldn't be.
Pushing yourself to the limit at every event is one of the quickest ways to burn out or get injured. Your body and mind can only peak a few times a year. That’s why prioritising races matters. It enables you to train purposefully, manage your energy levels, and develop a season that fosters long-term growth rather than just short-term highs.
When you structure your race calendar with a clear hierarchy of key goal races, tune-up events and fun or community runs, it becomes easier to plan your training around them. You know where to push yourself, where to hold back and where to simply enjoy the experience.
This kind of structure doesn’t make your training rigid. It makes it sustainable.
It also ties directly into your long-term goals. Whether you’re training for a marathon personal best, aiming to complete your first 10K, or trying to build consistency throughout the year, your race plan should reflect your goal and support it with the right rhythm and recovery.
What are A, B, and C races?
Not every race should be treated the same. That’s one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my roles as both a coach and an athlete. When you give every race the same level of priority, attention and effort, you miss the opportunity to perform at your best when it matters most.
This is where the idea of A-, B- and C-races comes in.
This simple structure helps you to stay focused, manage your energy levels throughout the season and train with purpose. Each race has a role. Once you understand what kind of race you’re signing up for, it becomes much easier to adapt your training and mindset accordingly.
A-races: Your main event(s)
These are the most important races of the season.
Your A-race is your main goal. You want to arrive feeling fresh, confident and ready to perform at your best. For most runners, this is the race where you aim to achieve a personal best, a specific time goal, or a personal milestone such as completing your first marathon.
You will usually only have one or two A-races per year, depending on the distance and your recovery needs. Training blocks are designed around this event. You’ll taper in the lead-up to it, adjust your schedule to prioritise recovery and prepare mentally for a strong performance.
Examples:
Your first half or full marathon
A Boston Qualifier
A race where you aim to break a time barrier (like sub-2 for the half)
This is the race where everything aligns: your fitness, your mindset, and your focus.
B-races: Tune-ups with purpose
Your B-races are supporting races. They are important, but their purpose is to help you prepare for the A-race.
They provide a great opportunity to test race-day pacing, practise nutrition and hydration, experiment with gear or simply experience the process of racing in a slightly less high-pressure environment. You can push yourself hard, but you won't need to taper fully, and you'll recover more quickly.
They are often scheduled 4-8 weeks before your main race, serving as checkpoints to assess your training progress and identify areas for improvement.
Examples:
A half marathon in the lead-up to your marathon
A 10K to sharpen speed before a goal half marathon
A trail race to practice terrain management and fuelling
B-races help you fine-tune the things that can’t be fully simulated in training.
C-races: Low pressure, high fun
C-races are the lightweights of your calendar, and often the most enjoyable.
These are the races you run without expectations. They're spontaneous and relaxed, and you can even use them as part of a long run or workout. You might run them with friends, use them for pacing practice, or simply enjoy the atmosphere.
The goal here isn’t performance. It's about variety, connection and rhythm. C-races make racing fun and low-pressure, and they can help you stay mentally fresh during a long training block.
Examples:
A local 5K
A themed race
A mid-training race where you run the first half easy, second half moderate
You won't taper for these. You won't overthink them. You just show up, run and enjoy.
Understanding the difference between A-, B- and C-races gives your season structure and makes it much easier to know where to give your all and where to hold back.
How to select your A, B, and C races
Now that you know the difference between A-, B- and C-races, the next step is to learn how to choose them. As with most things in running, it depends on your goals, your lifestyle, and your rhythm.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you make those decisions feel easier.
Step 1: Define your main goal
Start with clarity. What is the one thing you really want to achieve this season?
Is it to run your first marathon? Or break a time barrier in the 10K? Or build consistency and confidence across a new race distance?
Whatever it is, this goal will be your anchor for the A-race. The race that matters most should guide your training and recovery, not the other way around.
Tip: Choose only one or two A-races per year. These should be spaced far enough apart to allow for full preparation, peak performance and proper recovery.
Step 2: Choose your A-race(s)
With your goal in mind, look for a race that not only aligns with your ambition, but also fits with your lifestyle.
Ask yourself:
Is the timing realistic based on where I am now?
Is the course suitable for my goal (e.g. flat for a personal best, hilly for a challenge)?
What will the weather, travel and logistics be like?
Will I have enough time to build up gradually and taper well?
Once you have chosen this race, it will become the cornerstone of your calendar. Everything else will be planned around it.
Step 3: Add a few B-races for support
Once you have chosen your A-race, look for opportunities to test yourself in the lead-up, but don't push yourself too hard.
B-races typically take place 4-8 weeks before your main event. Think of them as tune-ups. They help you to fine-tune your pacing, try out your race-day shoes and gels, and build your race-day confidence without needing to peak.
Choose events that:
Simulate the distance or terrain of your A-race
Fit into your training build-up (e.g. a half marathon at the end of a long training block)
Feel exciting, but not essential
You'll train through these races with minimal taper and recover quickly afterwards.
Step 4: Sprinkle in C-races for joy or variety
These are the flexible, feel-good races that add variety to your season. You can run them for fun and socialising, to practise dealing with race-day nerves, or as part of your training (for example, running a local 5K at tempo pace during a long run).
Look for C-races that:
Are logistically easy (local, affordable)
Don't require extra tapering or major recovery
Bring something extra, such as fun, community, confidence or variety
Bonus: C-races can be a great reminder that not every run has to be serious. Joy is part of the process, too.
Step 5: Zoom out and check the balance
Once you have scheduled your A-, B- and C-races, take a step back and review the entire calendar.
Do you have enough time to build up to your big efforts, reach your peak, and then recover?
Do any periods feel overcrowded or underwhelming?
Have you factored in non-running life events such as holidays, work deadlines and family time?
Does the schedule feel exciting, manageable and sustainable?
If not, make adjustments. There’s no shame in pulling back or rearranging. The goal is to have a season that supports your progress and wellbeing.
The best race plans aren't necessarily the ones with the most events. They help you run in a way that feels meaningful, enjoyable, and suitable for your current lifestyle.
How race hierarchy influences your training
Once you have mapped out your A-, B- and C-races, the next step is to ensure that your training reflects these priorities. This is important because not all races demand the same preparation or recovery.
When you know which races truly matter, you can plan more effective training sessions, manage your energy levels and arrive on race day with the right mindset and level of effort. It's about being intentional. Not just about what you train for, but also how you train for it.
Training load and tapering
Your A-race is where you give it your all. This involves reducing your training volume in the final weeks to allow your body to absorb fitness, improve performance and arrive feeling fresh. Your workouts will become shorter and more specific. Recovery becomes non-negotiable.
For B-races, the taper is lighter, if there is one at all. You might reduce the intensity of your workouts slightly in the days before, but these races often take place in the middle of a build phase. The aim is strong execution, not perfection.
For C-races, there is no taper at all. These races are integrated into your regular training routine, sometimes as part of a long run or back-to-back training days.
Effort levels on race day
Each race type requires a different mindset on the day:
A-race: 100% focus and effort. You’re well-rested, fully prepared and mentally ready to test your limits.
B-race: 85-95% effort. You might push yourself, but you’re holding something back, saving your best for the main event.
C-race: 60-80% effort. You can use it as a progression run, pace a friend or simply enjoy the experience. Priority is given to experience rather than performance.
This range enables you to race more frequently without burning out. It also helps you to view racing as a skill to be practised rather than just a result to be chased.
Planning around races
Understanding the role of a race in your season helps you to decide where it fits into your training.
C-races can be scheduled into training blocks with minimal adjustment. You can run them at tempo effort or as part of a longer day. The key is not to overdo it. You're running through them, not peaking for them.
B-races are strategic checkpoints. They provide feedback on pacing, fitness and nutrition before the main event. You can use them to test your race-day shoes, perfect your nutrition plan, or simulate a taper week. Without the pressure of a final performance.
After each race, your recovery approach should reflect the effort you put in.
A-race: Take a full recovery week, cut volume, skip intensity and rest.
B-race: Light recovery for 2-4 days, depending on effort and distance.
C-race: Often no extra recovery is needed, just resume training as planned.
Staying flexible, focused, and emotionally balanced
During race season, it’s easy to get swept up in results. Knowing your race priorities helps you stay grounded. Not every race needs to go perfectly. Not every finish time defines your fitness.
Having a clear structure means you can enjoy racing more freely. You know where to push. You know where to take it easy. You also know that one tough race won't ruin your whole season. It's just part of the process.
Mental strategy: Managing expectations and staying motivated
It’s easy to become obsessed with numbers: splits, finish times and personal bests. While these goals can be motivating, they can also create pressure that takes the joy out of racing, especially if you feel that every race has to be your best. Especially if every race feels like it has to be your best.
This is where prioritising races becomes as much a mental strategy as a physical one.
Not every race has to be your best
Once you have clearly defined your A-, B- and C-races, you can start to approach each one differently. You’re not treating every event as if it were a final exam. You know which races require your maximum effort and which are just part of the process.
This reduces race-day anxiety. It also makes space for curiosity, experimentation and play, especially in your B- and C-races. You can practise pacing. Try something new with nutrition. Run without the pressure of a watch. All of these things help to build confidence without draining your mental energy.
And on those days when things don't go as planned? You can bounce back more quickly because one race doesn't define your whole season.
Celebrate small wins along the way
Progress isn’t only measured in PBs. It shows up in so many other ways:
Running a strong final kilometre
Handling tough conditions with calm
Sticking to your fuelling plan
Feeling strong and in control until the finish
Simply showing up, even when you didn’t feel 100%
Celebrate those moments. They build the kind of mental strength that sustains you far beyond a single race.
Embrace flexibility when life changes
Remember that training and racing exist within the context of your life. And, unsurprisingly, life rarely sticks to a perfect plan.
Even a great training plan needs flexibility. If you get sick, injured or overwhelmed at work, or if you just hit a period of low motivation, it's okay to change things. For example, you might postpone your A-race to a later date. You might downgrade a B-race to a C-race. Or you might even pause racing altogether and come back when the time feels right.
That isn’t failure. It's adaptability. It's what will allow you to keep running for years, not just seasons.
Stay connected to your why
When you take a step back from race results and weekly volume, what really motivates you to run?
For many of us, it's about more than just speed. It’s about movement, community, confidence, clarity and freedom. It's about how running makes us feel, not just what we can achieve.
Choosing a mix of A-, B- and C-races will help you stay connected to your “why”. It brings variety to your season. It keeps pressure in check. It also reminds you that racing isn’t just about performance. t’s about experience, expression and joy too.
At the end of the day, you get to decide what success looks like. When your definition includes flexibility, fun and fulfilment, you’ll stay motivated in the long run.
Whatever your race calendar looks like, remember this: you don’t have to give your all every time. When you select your A-, B- and C-races intentionally, you allow yourself to train well, recover fully and enjoy the journey.
Sustainable racing isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters at the right time for you.
