Costa da Caparica, near Lisbon Airport | 20 to 28 February 2027

Itinerary

Times are a guide and may shift with the weather, the group and the occasional extra coffee. All times are local Lisbon time (WET). In late February the sun rises at about 7:20am and sets at about 6:20pm.

Day 1, Saturday 20 February: Arrival & Welcome

• Daytime: Fly into Lisbon Airport (LIS). Costa da Caparica is about 25 km away, roughly 30 to 40 minutes by road over the 25 de Abril bridge. We'll collect you in our vans at set group pickup times, which we'll confirm once you've booked your flights.
• Afternoon: Check in at the TRYP by Wyndham Lisboa Caparica Mar, a 4-star hotel on the seafront just across the road from the beach. Unpack, stretch your legs and get your first look at the Atlantic.
• 4:30pm · Optional shakeout run (20 to 30 min, very easy): A relaxed jog along the seafront path and the beach boardwalks. It's ideal for flushing out the flight.
• 6:30pm · Welcome briefing: Meet the group and the coaching team. We'll walk through the week and talk about your goals and your spring race. Please bring your current training load and any niggles so we can tailor your sessions.
• 7:30pm · Welcome dinner: Our first meal together, with fresh Portuguese food and great conversation.

Day 2, Sunday 21 February: Race Day or Beach Miles

Option A: Trail Montes Saloios, near Sintra (optional race, entry not included)

• 7:30am · Depart for Covas de Ferro (about 40 to 45 min): The Trail Montes Saloios runs through the hills, windmills and pine woods of the Montes Saloios, just east of the Sintra hills. The 10 km and 15 km races suit a training week. Enter online yourself before entries close in mid-February.
• Morning · Race as a controlled effort: We'll help you plan how to run it as a strong training effort rather than an all-out race, so the rest of the week still counts.
• About 1:00pm · Back at the hotel for lunch

Option B: Beach & boardwalk run at Costa da Caparica

• 8:30am · Easy run + strides (40 to 70 min, your choice): Along the flat seafront path, the boardwalks and the firm sand near the water's edge, then 6 x 20-second relaxed strides to wake up the legs.
• 10:00am · Breakfast
• Late morning: Beach, book, laptop or a coffee on the promenade.

Afternoon, everyone together

• 4:00pm · Education session: Training Theory 101: How aerobic fitness is actually built. We'll cover intensity zones, the 80/20 principle, easy-day discipline and how to use heart rate, pace and feel together.
• 5:15pm · Mobility & strength fundamentals (30 min): Your simple daily routine for the week.
• Evening: Dinner together.

Day 3, Monday 22 February: Threshold Day

• 8:30am · Key session: Threshold: First we warm up along the boardwalks. Then the main set runs on the flat seafront path that follows Avenida General Humberto Delgado for about 4 km, for example 5 x 6 min at threshold with 60 sec jog recoveries, adjusted to your level. You'll learn exactly what "comfortably hard" should feel like.
• 10:15am · Breakfast
• 11:30am · Education session: Threshold Training Decoded: Why threshold work is the engine room of distance running. We'll look at lactate, sessions that work for marathoners and 5 km runners alike, the "double threshold" trend and how to control your effort so you don't overcook it.
• Afternoon · Optional excursion: Cristo Rei & Cacilhas (about 20 min drive): Take in the classic view of the 25 de Abril bridge and Lisbon from the Sanctuary of Christ the King, then stroll the Cacilhas waterfront. Prefer to stay put? The beach is yours.
• 4:30pm · Optional recovery jog (20 to 30 min) or mobility session: Choose whichever your legs prefer.
• Evening: Dinner together.

Day 4, Tuesday 23 February: Lisbon City Run & Explore

• 8:00am · Breakfast
• 9:45am · Depart for Lisbon (about 25 min): We leave once the morning traffic over the 25 de Abril bridge has eased.
• 10:30am · Lisbon riverside run (8 to 14 km, easy to steady): We start at Doca de Santo Amaro, right under the 25 de Abril bridge, and run west along the Tagus past MAAT and the Monument to the Discoveries to the Belém Tower and back. It's flat, traffic-free and one of the best city runs in Europe.
• Midday · Pastéis de Belém & lunch in Belém
• Afternoon · Explore Lisbon: Choose your own adventure: the Jerónimos Monastery, the Baixa and Praça do Comércio, the lanes and viewpoints of the Alfama, or a ride on tram 28. Entry tickets aren't included.
• About 4:00pm · Vans back to Costa da Caparica: You'll be home around 4:45pm, ahead of the evening bridge traffic.
• 6:00pm · Education session: Injury Prevention & Strength for Runners: The most common running injuries, managing training load, early warning signs, and the handful of strength exercises that matter most. A short practical strength session follows, so you'll leave with a routine to take home.
• 7:30pm · Dinner together

Day 5, Wednesday 24 February: Track Day at Jamor

• 8:30am · Optional easy run + drills (20 to 40 min): Loosen up on the seafront before a quality afternoon.
• 9:30am · Breakfast
• 11:00am · Education session: Periodisation: Planning Your Season: How to structure base, build, peak and taper, and how to fit hard sessions around real life. You'll leave with a draft outline of the weeks between now and your spring race.
• 12:15pm · Light lunch
• 1:30pm · Depart for Jamor (about 25 min): The Centro Desportivo Nacional do Jamor is Portugal's national sports centre, set in parkland just west of Lisbon.
• 2:15pm · Key session: Track: After a warm-up, drills and strides, we'll run a session such as 6 to 8 x 800 m or 1 km reps with short recoveries on the 8-lane, 400 m track of the Estádio Nacional, with paces set individually. Public track time runs in set slots and the stadium can occasionally close for events. If that happens, we'll run the same session on the measured paths in the Jamor park.
• 4:15pm · Cool-down jog & head home: You'll be back at the hotel around 5:00pm.
• Evening: Dinner together.

Day 6, Thursday 25 February: Sintra Trail Day

• 7:45am · Breakfast
• 9:30am · Depart for Sintra (about 45 to 55 min): Once the morning rush is over, we head north into the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.
• 10:45am · Trail run (60 to 100 min, easy to steady): Forest trails in the Serra de Sintra, climbing through mossy woods and granite boulders with glimpses of the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace above. Today is about time on feet and enjoying the scenery, not pace. Walking the climbs is completely fine, and shorter and longer options are available.
• 1:00pm · Lunch in Sintra
• Afternoon · Explore Sintra: Wander the old town and its gardens, visit one of the palaces (entry tickets aren't included), or try a travesseiro, the local almond pastry, at a traditional bakery.
• About 4:00pm · Head home: You'll be back at the hotel around 5:00pm.
• Evening: Dinner together.

Day 7, Friday 26 February: Clifftop Trails & Fuel

• 8:30am · Recovery trail run + drills (30 to 50 min, easy): A short drive (10 to 15 min) takes us to the Mata dos Medos, a protected pine forest on top of the Arriba Fóssil da Costa da Caparica, the fossil cliffs that run along the coast. Soft forest tracks, a boardwalk loop and big views down the coast, then a short running-form drills session.
• 10:15am · Breakfast
• 11:15am · Nutrition workshop: Fuel Like You Mean It: Daily fuelling for training, carbohydrate periodisation, recovery nutrition, gut training, gels and fluids, and a practical race-week and race-morning plan. We'll also cover how to fuel tomorrow's long run.
• Afternoon · Free time: A full beach afternoon, a nap or a slow walk along the seafront. This is the perfect day to do very little.
• Evening · Pre-long-run dinner: A chance to practise the carb-focused fuelling we covered in the workshop.

Day 8, Saturday 27 February: Long Run & Farewell

• 8:00am · Key session: Long run (choose your distance, roughly 14 to 30 km): A flat, mostly paved route straight from the hotel along the seafront path, then south on the forest path towards Fonte da Telha beneath the Arriba Fóssil cliffs, out and back. The vans meet you along the way with water, and you'll practise race-day fuelling. Marathoners can add progression or marathon-pace segments.
• 11:00am · Big recovery breakfast
• 12:15pm · Education session: Race Strategy & Mindset: Pacing plans, the danger of going out too fast, how to handle the tough moments, mental skills and self-talk, and how to turn this block into your best spring race.
• Afternoon · Beach & recovery: Put your feet up, go for a cold-water dip if you dare, and do some gentle mobility. Sunset over the Atlantic is at about 6:25pm.
• 7:30pm · Farewell dinner: We celebrate the week's work and share plenty of stories.

Day 9, Sunday 28 February: Final Group Run & Departures

• 9:00am · Fun final group run: the Caparica Social 5 km (parkrun-style): A relaxed, flat 5 km along the seafront. You can run it, jog it or chat your way through it. Easy pace, no pressure and lots of high-fives.
• 9:45am · Coffee & pastéis de nata: We'll celebrate the week and take the group photo.
• 10:30am · Brunch & farewells
• From late morning · Departures: Group transfers to Lisbon Airport, about 30 to 40 minutes away.

Important notes

• Every session and day trip is optional, so you can tailor the week to your goals and energy.
• Sessions are adapted to all levels, from first-time 10 km runners to experienced marathoners.
• Late February on the Lisbon coast is mild, usually around 15°C by day and cooler in the mornings, with the odd shower. Bring layers and a light rain jacket.
• Spaces are limited to 16 to keep the group small and the coaching personal.

Nine days of Atlantic light, smart training and great people. We'd love to see you on the Lisbon coast.