100K Training Action Plan

Publication clarification — 22 September 2026: Session durations, progression percentages, downhill doses and the traffic-light thresholds below are practical planning examples, not validated injury-prevention rules or an individualized prescription. Adapt them to prior training and recovery; none is a target every runner must reach. Carbohydrate amounts are rehearsal examples rather than a minimum or a requirement to maximize intake. Clinical symptoms override the training plan.

Version: 1.2
Synced with: 100K_Training_Protocol.md version 1.2
Effective date: 28 August 2026

Use this as the weekly execution checklist. The full protocol remains the evidence and rationale source. Heart rate is a cross-check, not the sole decision-maker.

1. Daily readiness check

Evidence & limitations

• Green: normal sleep, mood, appetite, easy effort and no escalating pain -> train as planned.
• Amber: two or more mildly abnormal signals for two days -> cut volume 20–40% or replace intensity with easy running.
• Red: altered gait, focal worsening pain, illness, chest symptoms, fainting, or severe/unusual fatigue -> stop exercise and seek appropriate professional assessment; chest symptoms or fainting may require urgent care.
• Use HRV/readiness only alongside these signals; never let one wearable score dictate training.

2. Default week

Evidence & limitations

Keep 80–90% of running time easy. Do not add a second hard running session until this structure is consistently absorbed.

3. Intensity rules

Evidence & limitations

• Easy: RPE 2–3, full sentences and comfortable, unforced breathing; stay below an individually established first ventilatory/lactate threshold when available.
• Steady: RPE 4–5, short sentences, controlled.
• Threshold: RPE 7–8, hard but even; no sprinting.
• Short fast work: RPE 8–9 during repetitions; recover enough to preserve form.
• Do not derive intensity zones from MAF 180-age or nasal breathing. When thresholds are not measured, use RPE and talk test with heart rate as a secondary trend across comparable sessions.

4. Choose one quality session each week

Evidence & limitations

• Threshold: 3 x 8–10 min, 2–3 min easy; progress toward 2 x 15–20 min.
• Uphill aerobic: 5–6 x 4–5 min at RPE 7; jog or walk down.
• Steady specificity: 45–75 min at RPE 4–5 on race-like terrain.
• VO2 maintenance: every 2–3 weeks, 5 x 3 min at RPE 8–9 with 3 min easy. This replaces the normal quality session.

5. Four-week loading loop

Evidence & limitations

1. Establish: repeat a known tolerable load.
2. Build: add about 5–8% time or climbing only when recovery is green.
3. Specific: lengthen the long run or add a back-to-back; do not aggressively increase both.
4. Absorb: reduce running time 20–30%; retain a few strides and light strength.

6. Long-run durability

Evidence & limitations

• Build duration before pace; most long running remains easy.
• Progress toward 3–5 hours, depending on current load, terrain and recovery.
• During the 100K-specific block, use a controlled back-to-back every 2–3 weeks: approximately 3–4 hours Saturday plus 60–120 min easy Sunday.
• Hike steep climbs early and deliberately.
• Protect the opening third: sustainable effort, no early pace chasing.
• Rehearse shoes, pack, clothing, poles if applicable, lighting and aid-station routine.

Downhill progression

• Begin with 6–10 accumulated minutes of gentle descending once weekly.
• Add about 5 minutes every 1–2 weeks only if soreness resolves within 24–48 hours.
• Progress toward 20–40 accumulated minutes within long runs, matched to race terrain.
• Use short steps, stable trunk and controlled speed. Avoid hard descents close to race day.

7. Strength and economy

Evidence & limitations

Base/build: twice weekly

• Squat or split squat: 3–4 x 3–6.
• Deadlift pattern or hip thrust: 3 x 3–6.
• Straight- and bent-knee calf raise: 3 x 6–10 each.
• Step-down or single-leg squat control: 2–3 x 6–8 each side.
• Row or pull plus anti-rotation/carry: 2–3 sets.
• Leave approximately two repetitions in reserve; reduce volume before key long runs.

Plyometric microdose: once or twice weekly

• 2–3 sets of 10–20 low pogo contacts.
• 2–3 sets of 4–6 bounds per side.
• 4–6 short hill accelerations.
• Stop when landing quality, stiffness or coordination deteriorates. Omit during pain flares or high-fatigue weeks.

During the specific block, reduce strength to one maintenance session weekly. In the final 10–14 days, avoid anything that creates soreness.

8. Running technique

Evidence & limitations

• Cue: tall, relaxed, quiet; let the foot land naturally under the moving body.
• Do not target a universal 180 steps/min.
• If clear overstriding, braking or recurrent knee/tibial symptoms are present, test only a 5% cadence increase during 6–10 min of an easy run and reassess comfort and symptoms.
• Use strides and short hills as the default economy drills.

9. Fueling and hydration

Evidence & limitations

• Easy runs under 75–90 min: normal meals and comfort; do not force intake.
• Sessions over 90 min: practise fueling rather than routinely training depleted.
• Start long runs at 50–60 g carbohydrate/hour if tolerated.
• Increase by 5–10 g/hour across rehearsals toward a repeatable 60–90 g/hour using mixed carbohydrate sources.
• Begin within the first 20–30 min and take small, frequent doses.
• Record planned versus actually consumed carbohydrate per hour and GI symptoms.
• Change one variable per rehearsal: dose, product, concentration, texture, timing, heat or intensity.
• Do not make 120 g/hour the default.
• Individualize fluid to weather, thirst, observed sweat loss and aid stations; avoid drinking enough to gain body mass.
• Rehearse the complete plan in expected heat and terrain.

After key or long sessions, eat a carbohydrate-rich meal plus a normal high-quality protein serving within about two hours, particularly when another session follows within 24 hours.

10. Recovery minimums

Evidence & limitations

• Provide a consistent 7–9 hour sleep opportunity; extend it before the race or a major simulation when practical.
• Put the hardest sessions after the best sleep opportunities.
• Default recovery: sleep, adequate food, fluids, easy movement and appropriate load reduction.
• Resume intensity after a major simulation only when gait, sleep, appetite and soreness are near baseline.
• Recovery methods are optional and their effects depend on the outcome and comparison. Cold-water immersion has some evidence for short-term soreness recovery; this does not establish better ultra-race performance or long-term training adaptation. The earlier blanket wording about no performance-recovery benefit was too broad. See the dated editorial correction below.
• If using cold-water immersion for comfort during rapid turnaround or competition, keep it brief and do not use it routinely after strength training.

11. Phase focus

Evidence & limitations

12. Weekly review

Evidence & limitations

• ☐ 80–90% of running time was easy.
• ☐ No more than one hard running session.
• ☐ Long run was paced conservatively.
• ☐ Fueling was logged on sessions over 90 minutes.
• ☐ Strength and plyometrics matched the current phase and recovery.
• ☐ Downhill load increased only after soreness resolved within 24–48 hours.
• ☐ Amber or red signals were acted on rather than ignored.
• ☐ Next week's progression changes only one major load: total time, climbing, long-run duration or back-to-back stress.

Sync rule

Evidence & limitations

When evidence or athlete data justifies a change to the full protocol, update this action plan in the same review, use the same version number, preserve all safety flags, and record the practical change in both changelogs.

Changelog

Evidence & limitations

28 August 2026 — version 1.2

• Removed the inferred MAF-style and nasal-breathing preference and the associated easy heart-rate guide.
• Replaced them with RPE, talk test and individually measured or repeatable field-calibrated threshold guidance.

28 August 2026 — version 1.1

• Made sleep, nutrition, hydration, easy movement and load reduction the explicit recovery priorities.
• Reclassified physical recovery modalities as optional comfort tools rather than proven performance-recovery interventions.

28 August 2026 — version 1.0

• Created the condensed execution companion to 100K_Training_Protocol.md version 1.0.
• Preserved the full protocol's intensity anchors, weekly architecture, four-week loading loop, durability, strength, technique, fueling, recovery and safety rules.

Shared-edition correction — 21 September 2026

Evidence & limitations

The cold-water recovery paragraph has been corrected after checking the Moore et al. primary abstract. This is a dated editorial correction to the shared edition; the original protocol snapshot remains v1.2. Acute recovery and long-term adaptation are different questions. Full-text and health-risk review remain outstanding. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36527593/ (opens in a new tab)