Final Preparation
Peak fitness week
This is your final build week. You're in peak fitness now. One more round of challenging workouts to sharpen your fitness and build confidence. You are ready. This week proves it.
Week at a Glance
Run (Short)
Stairmaster
Rest/Recovery
Hill Repeats
Ruck
Run (Long)
Rest/Recovery
This Week's Reading
Deepen your knowledge with these essential guides
What to Expect on Summit Day
Daily Workout Details
Complete breakdown with coaching notes for each session
Monday
Run (Short)
You will begin with an easy 5 minutes walk to get your muscles warm and your heart rate elevated. Then, you will complete 1 rounds of intervals, alternating between 12 minutes of running at a Easy to moderate pace and 3 minutes of walking to allow for active recovery.
Finish strong with a 5 minutes cooldown walk to gradually bring your heart rate down, followed by focused stretching for your lower body to prevent tightness and support recovery.
Workout Structure
Easy walk
Easy walk
"You're in peak fitness now. Two 12-minute blocks with a walking break."
Tuesday
Stairmaster
Begin with a 5 minutes easy warmup to get your legs moving and blood flowing. Then maintain a moderate steady pace for 30 minutes. This is where the real work happens. Focus on maintaining good posture throughout, keeping your shoulders back and avoiding leaning heavily on the handrails.
Cool down for 5 minutes at an easy pace, allowing your heart rate to gradually return to normal. Do not skip the post-workout stretching, as your calves, quads, and hip flexors will need attention after this session.
Workout Structure
"PEAK stairmaster duration. 15 intervals total. "Harder" means breathing harder but still able to talk in short sentences."
Wednesday
Rest/Recovery
This is when the real magic happens. While you rest, your body repairs the micro-tears in your muscle fibers, strengthens connective tissues, replenishes energy stores, and adapts to the training stimulus you have been giving it. Without adequate rest, you risk overtraining, injury, and burnout.
Rest days are not a sign of weakness or laziness. They are a critical component of any successful training program. Consider taking an Epsom salt bath to soothe sore muscles, spending time in a sauna to promote circulation and relaxation, getting a massage to work out any knots or tension, or simply putting your feet up and reading a good book.
Embrace this day, trust the process, and come back tomorrow ready to work hard again.
Workout Structure
Allow your body to recover. Summit day is getting close.
Optional Activities:
- • Light stretching
- • Gentle yoga
- • Foam rolling
"Recovery after two hard sessions. Your body needs this."
Thursday
Hill Repeats
Hill repeats build the leg strength and cardiovascular endurance you need for summit day. Find a consistent hill with a moderate grade and walk or jog up for 1/4 mile, then walk back down for recovery. The downhill walk is just as important as the climb because it lets your heart rate recover before the next effort.
Workout Structure
Do a mix of walking and jogging uphill. Then walk down for recovery. Repeat 6 to 8 times.
Pace
Walking and jogging mix
No Hills? Alternative:
Treadmill at 5-8% incline if no hills available
"This week you will mix walking and jogging across 6 to 8 repeats. Listen to your body and choose the number that feels right. You are in peak fitness now, so challenge yourself but do not overdo it before summit week."
Friday
Ruck
Use this time to enjoy being outside, clear your mind, and let your legs recover from the more intense training sessions this week.
Workout Structure
Easy walk at conversational pace
Practice everything. Hydration, pacing, posture. This is summit rehearsal.
"PEAK weight at 20 lbs! This is what you'll carry on summit day. Final ruck rehearsal."
Saturday
Run (Long)
You will begin with an easy 5 minutes walk to get your muscles warm and your heart rate elevated. Then, you will complete 1 rounds of intervals, alternating between 20 minutes of running at a Easy to moderate pace and 2 minutes of walking to allow for active recovery.
Finish strong with a 5 minutes cooldown walk to gradually bring your heart rate down, followed by focused stretching for your lower body to prevent tightness and support recovery.
Workout Structure
Easy walk
Easy walk
"First time running 30 minutes total. You did it! This is 5K running fitness. You're ready for the mountain."
Sunday
Rest/Recovery
This is when the real magic happens. While you rest, your body repairs the micro-tears in your muscle fibers, strengthens connective tissues, replenishes energy stores, and adapts to the training stimulus you have been giving it. Without adequate rest, you risk overtraining, injury, and burnout.
Rest days are not a sign of weakness or laziness. They are a critical component of any successful training program. Consider taking an Epsom salt bath to soothe sore muscles, spending time in a sauna to promote circulation and relaxation, getting a massage to work out any knots or tension, or simply putting your feet up and reading a good book.
Embrace this day, trust the process, and come back tomorrow ready to work hard again.
Workout Structure
Reflect on Week 12. You just completed final preparation. You are ready.
Optional Activities:
- • Full rest
- • Gentle stretching if desired
- • Foam rolling
"Full rest. You just ran 30 minutes total. Final preparation week complete."
Training Tips for Success
Essential guidance to optimize your training this week
Nutrition
Finalize your summit day nutrition plan. Stock up on tested foods.
Hydration
Practice your hydration strategy during the ruck and long run.
Recovery
Prioritize sleep and recovery. Summit week is next.
Progression
You just ran 30 minutes continuously. You have 5K fitness. The mountain awaits.
Looking Ahead to Week 13
Week 13 is summit week. Travel, acclimate, and summit!