What is the most important intensity? Performance in an endurance event comes from the highest average speed. Training determines what the highest average speed–“race pace”–will be. The higher the race pace, the faster the time. The faster the time, the better the performance. So the more race pace training an athlete can tolerate, the
A review of my 2018/2019 skimo training The 2018/2019 skimo season was my best ever. I finished the season sixth in Canada and went to the World Championships in Switzerland. A lot of factors contributed to that outcome, luck included. My 2018 training cycle was a big factor. It was much different than in previous years
Six drills to make ARC training more effective After a ten-year hiatus, I’ve started rock climbing again. I “remember” how to move–thank God for engrams [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7611167_In_Search_of_the_Motor_Engram_Motor_Map_Plasticity_as_a_Mechanism_for_Encoding_Motor_Experience] –but I started with zero climbing fitness. My forearms
How bored can you be? “I’m bored,” my son often says. He uses it as a justification for distraction. Boredom is bad, he thinks, so something external should be sought so the boredom can end. But the mind is a muscle. And boredom can make it stronger [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_
VO2 Max: A 14-year retrospective In 2005, I went with three friends to get our first VO2 max tests. I didn’t know what the results meant. But fourteen years later, that first test is a good benchmark, and I can make some unfortunate conclusions. When compared to two more tests that bracket six years
Is 5.11 the junk zone of rock climbing? Between 2005 and 2010, I focused on sport climbing. I redpointed 13c and flashed 12c. A key part of my progress was avoiding 5.11. When I was sport climbing, I learned a lot from my friends Jay Audenart and Simon Villeneuve [https://www.instagram.com/p/BoUKvTvDUQl/]. Simon in
Functional Mysophobia: Crazy ways to stay healthy Originally published at Uphill Athlete in February 2019. For endurance athletes, staying healthy while training represents more money in the fitness bank. Imagine that for every day you were sick, you had to dig into your savings and pay your employer two and a half days of income: * Five days
How to calibrate a treadmill I recently discovered that my treadmill doesn’t report its actual speed. At first, I was disappointed. Then I calibrated the machine and found that it under-reports its speed. Phew! The other day at the gym, I warmed up on a treadmill that I had used many times in the
Don't fill the bowl When I “fill the bowl”, life is too jam-packed. Everything in the bowl competes for space. When the unexpected happens, the important things suffer. The solution? Don’t fill the bowl. — Most mornings, I eat eggs with lentils, bruschetta, and hot sauce. This morning was no different, but all our
Should Whoop change its name to Whoops? Last month, I started using a Whoop. I hoped that it would guide me toward better recovery. Unfortunately, the Whoop's activity tracking is too inaccurate and imprecise to be of much use. I sent it back for a refund.
Lactate Testing Lactate Test #5: Progress On September 18th, I did my fifth lactate test for the season. As with previous tests, I did both the aerobic and anaerobic portions on the same day with a break and some food in between. What does this lactate test show? Anaerobic capacity has increased In my last test,
Comparing Data: Whoop vs. Garmin Fenix 2 This morning was my second workout with a Whoop on my wrist. In both cases, Whoop’s data is inaccurate and grossly overstates the intensity of the workouts. I recorded both sessions with the Whoop and a Garmin Fenix 2 with an HRM-Run chest strap. The workout was a recovery
Lactate Testing Lactate Test #4: Stupid is as stupid does Over a month ago, I did my fourth lactate capacity test of the season. I did both the aerobic and anaerobic portions on the same day, albeit with a break and some food between them. Since my last test in early July, I’ve been doing a lot of Local
Training on a treadmill: Accuracy versus precision In early 2018, I bought a treadmill. Training on a treadmill sounds horrible to most–and for long, steady sessions it is–but for high-intensity training, it’s perfect. Yesterday, I wrote about the big impact that gradient has on climb rates. While writing, I looked online for an angle-to-gradient
Gradient: Small changes in angle, big differences in climb rate When using climb rates as benchmarks, make sure that the grade of the terrain during tests is consistent. Small variations in gradient will create big differences in climb rates and misleading results between tests. I often use a treadmill as part of my warm-up for strength sessions in the gym.
Slow & steady is boring. Is it really necessary? Originally published at Uphill Athlete in July 2018. I love The Matrix. In my favorite scene, Neo straps himself to an archaic dentist’s chair. He’s learning martial arts by downloading them into his brain. Once they’re installed, he can use them in the digital world. To make
Lactate Testing Lactate Test #3: Moving in the right direction Last week, I did my third lactate test of the season. As planned after my second test, I wanted to minimize glycogen depletion in the anaerobic portion, so I split the test into two parts. I did the aerobic part on July 2nd and the anaerobic on July 3rd. Since
Planning a training season The chance of any plan going according to plan is zero. But the chance of arriving at an unknown destination without a map is also zero. Reality unfolds somewhere in the middle. For the 2018/2019 season, I did an analysis of where I’m at and what I need
Lactate Testing Lactate Test #2: What happened to aerobic capacity? On May 21st, I did my second lactate capacity test of the season. I planned on both an aerobic and anaerobic capacity check during the test. But the aerobic part of the test was too long. It likely caused a bit of glycogen depletion. Depletion would have compromised the results
Lactate Testing Lactate Test #1: Where am I starting from? On April 7th, I did my first lactate capacity test of the training season. A lactate capacity test tells you: * Your aerobic capacity by plotting ~2 mM/L and ~4 mM/L against pace and heart rate; * Your anaerobic capacity by measuring the peak lactate output during the test; and
Sand Castles: A mental model of endurance training Originally published at Uphill Athlete in May 2018. Training endurance is like building a sandcastle. You need sand, water, the sense not to overdo it, and both the expertise and creativity to build something great. Basic endurance is like piling dry sand. It can’t be shaped, just piled higher.
Making the best recovery test even better When I woke up this morning, I knew that I needed to change my training plan. My Training Peaks [http://www.trainingpeaks.com] metrics are positive, but my reality is far different. My TSB [https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/applying-the-numbers-part-3-training-stress-balance/] is near zero, but I’m tired. I should be
Clogging up the Drain: Why you're forced to slow down Originally published at Uphill Athlete in July 2018. When I first started skimo racing, I started races way too fast. The gun would go off, and I’d bolt forward. I’d feel great for about 60 seconds, and then as if I was running through molasses I’d have
Caffeine: How a man can feel like a boy The race season is over. Caffeine season has begun. In my training, I often do fasted, caffeinated runs first thing in the morning. Fasted sessions are one method of depletion training. Starting a training session with low glycogen stores stimulates aerobic adaptations in slow-twitch muscle fiber. Adding caffeine to a
How to destroy aerobic capacity I’ve had a high anaerobic threshold for the past several years. Six weeks ago, I followed some bad advice and did way too much intensity for my fiber type. I almost blew up. I had one race during that period, and I finished several minutes behind my usual cohort.