# 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

- **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

| Day | Session | Done |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monday | Rest or 30–45 min very easy | [ ] |
| Tuesday | Easy 50–75 min + 6–8 x 10–20 s relaxed strides | [ ] |
| Wednesday | Strength 35–55 min; optional 20–40 min easy | [ ] |
| Thursday | One quality session from the rotation below | [ ] |
| Friday | Rest or easy 40–60 min | [ ] |
| Saturday | Long terrain-specific run; practise pacing, equipment and fueling | [ ] |
| Sunday | Easy 45–90 min; extend to a back-to-back every 2–3 weeks in the specific block | [ ] |

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

## 3. Intensity rules

- **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

- **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

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

- 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

### 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

- 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

- 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

- 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

| Phase | Typical duration | Priority |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aerobic base | 6–10 weeks | Easy consistency, strength, strides and gentle hills |
| Build | 6–10 weeks | More weekly time, one quality session and longer terrain work |
| 100K-specific | 4–6 weeks | Durability, hiking, descents, equipment and fueling rehearsals |
| Taper | 2–3 weeks | Progressively reduce volume; retain short intensity and routine |

## 12. Weekly review

- [ ] 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

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

### 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

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/