Source audit, 21 September: retrieval level and evidence strength are separate. Health review remains outstanding. Check each item’s verification status.
Evidence behind the plan
Traceability to the existing protocol, not a new literature review. Confidence applies to the principle; exact doses may be practical defaults.
Relatively robust; exact split is a practical default
Aerobic training and intensity
Training-intensity distribution supports endurance development. The evidence does not establish a universal polarized-versus-pyramidal winner. The 80–90% easy target and one-quality-session week are working defaults, not an individually proven optimum.
Evidence supports benefits; review quality varies
Strength and economy
Reviews support strength training for running economy and performance, without requiring a VO₂max increase. The exact lifting schedule, stride count and plyometric dose are implementation choices and must fit tolerance. The umbrella review found important methodological weaknesses in many included reviews.
Practical framework; limited direct 100K trials
Long runs, terrain and progression
Race-specific exposure has physiological and practical rationale. Muscle damage as the main ultra limiter is an expert hypothesis. The 3–5-hour range, four-week loop and downhill minute progression are adjustable defaults, not trial-proven safety thresholds.
Mechanical effects clearer than performance benefit
Technique and cues
Cadence changes can alter mechanics; universal injury prevention or an ideal form is not established. Terrain cues are short self-coaching experiments, not individually validated prescriptions. Keep only cues that repeatedly help comfort, effort and control.
Established principles; high-dose and ultra case evidence limited
Fueling, hydration and heat
Practise tolerable carbohydrate delivery and condition-specific fluids. The eight-man 120 g/hour study and single elite ultra case do not prove a universal best dose. Heat increases carbohydrate demand, but does not supply one fluid or sodium number for everyone.
Fundamentals first; thresholds are practical rules
Recovery, readiness and taper
Sleep, food, fluids and appropriate load reduction remain the foundation. Ultra sleep evidence is heterogeneous and recovery-modality comparisons often have low certainty. The readiness traffic light and 2–3-week taper are practical frameworks; these linked studies do not validate every cutoff or taper detail.
Limits of the framework
Run–walk timing, weekly progression percentages and session scheduling are not universally validated. Use the practical rules conditionally, with readiness and safety flags taking priority. No new research was conducted for this site redesign.