Do You “Need” a Coach?

Obviously, the answer is no. No one strictly “needs” a coach. BUT if, as an endurance athlete, you have specific goals, the right coach will always be hugely beneficial.

Anyone can do it themselves, just like anyone can cut their own hair, paint their own walls, or hang their own doors. However, paying for expertise generally means getting the job done faster and to a higher standard.

I often hear athletes proudly proclaim, “I achieved ‘X’ on my own through pure determination, discipline, and willpower. I don’t need anyone else.” To which I always respond: That’s impressive – now imagine what you could have achieved with the extra support the right coach provides.

There’s a reason why every great sportsperson has a coach. You might not be aiming to be a world champion, but don’t you want to be the absolute best version of yourself?

Notice I’ve repeated “the right coach” – and that distinction is crucial.

After years in this game, I’ve learned that the relationship between coach and athlete is everything. Sometimes a partnership starts brilliantly but evolves to reveal fundamental misalignments. When that happens, the healthiest approach is to part ways professionally, thanking each other for the journey.

For a coaching relationship to work, you need shared core values and beliefs. I’ve separated from athletes whose approaches conflict with my fundamental philosophy that a better person makes a better athlete. If an athlete is willing to cut corners or prioritise outcomes over integrity, we’re not a good match.

I’ve also moved on from athletes who consistently undermine structured training. Rest days aren’t suggestions – they’re critical. An athlete adding an “easy” 10-mile run on a recovery day or sneaking in unnecessary strength work isn’t demonstrating commitment; they’re potentially sabotaging their own progress.

My mantra is always “Your Goals are My Goals” – but that doesn’t mean blindly supporting every impulse.

I’ve invested years studying endurance, biomechanics, and strength conditioning. For the right athlete, I can be transformative. For the wrong one, I’m likely seen as an obstacle.

The Tangible Benefits of Coaching: 

A great coach transforms your athletic journey through systematic, science-backed support:

Structured Learning and Optimisation:

Coaches provide training plans rooted in scientific principles and proven methods. Unlike self-devised programs, these structured approaches are designed for maximum efficiency, ensuring every training session has purpose and precision. For athletes balancing training with work, family, and other responsibilities, this targeted approach means achieving better results in less time.

Customised Performance Strategy:

 Cookie-cutter training plans are a thing of the past. A skilled coach tailors programs to your:

• Unique physiological makeup
• Individual strengths and weaknesses
• Specific age and fitness level
• Personal performance goals

This level of personalisation is virtually impossible to achieve through self-teaching or generic online resources.

Accountability and Psychological Support 

Beyond physical training, a coach serves as:

• A motivational catalyst
• An emotional support system
• An accountability partner who ensures you:
  
  • – Stick to training schedules
  • – Push through performance barriers
  • – Overcome mental and physical setbacks

Safety and Technical Mastery 

Coaches bring critical expertise in:

• Proper form and technique
• Injury prevention strategies
• Recognising signs of overtraining
• Biomechanics optimisation

Advanced Insights and Continuous Improvement 

Leveraging years of experience working with diverse athletes, coaches offer:

• Nuanced performance feedback
• Constructive criticism
• Performance monitoring
• Strategic technique refinement

The Holistic Approach 

A great coach doesn’t just improve your athletic performance – they invest in your comprehensive development as an athlete and individual. They bring a wealth of knowledge accumulated through years of working with athletes across various disciplines.

Remember, the goal isn’t just to train harder, but to train smarter. The right coach can be the difference between good and great – between potential and breakthrough.

Closing Thoughts: Your Potential, Unleashed

Ultimately, a coach isn’t about replacing your drive or undermining your self-belief. A great coach is a catalyst – someone who helps you unlock potential you didn’t even know you possessed. They’re the mirror reflecting your capabilities, the strategist mapping your path, and occasionally, the gentle but firm voice that keeps you accountable.

Whether you choose to work with a coach or continue your journey independently, the most important thing is maintaining curiosity, commitment, and a growth mindset. 

Keep learning, keep challenging yourself, and never stop believing in your capacity to improve.

Your athletic journey is uniquely yours. Own it.

As endurance athletes, we pour our hearts and souls into training for our biggest races. The months of gruelling workouts, careful nutrition, and mental preparation all culminate in that one pivotal event – the “A” race we’ve been building towards. But once the finish line tape is broken and the elation of achievement begins to fade, many athletes are left feeling a sense of emptiness and letdown. This post-race comedown is a natural part of the cycle, but handling it effectively is crucial for avoiding burnout and setting yourself up for future success. In this post, we’ll explore the reasons behind the post-race slump and share strategies for emerging from it stronger than ever.

There are several key factors that contribute to the post-race comedown:

Hormonal shift: 

During intense training and competition, our bodies produce elevated levels of hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and endorphins that keep us energized and focused. But once the race is over, these hormone levels plummet, leading to a feeling of lethargy and emotional flatness.

Lack of structure: 

The regimented training schedule that provided a clear sense of purpose for months on end is suddenly gone, leaving athletes feeling lost and unsure of what to do next. This abrupt shift in routine can be disorienting.

Identity crisis: 

For many endurance athletes, their sport is a core part of their identity. When that intense focus is no longer required, it can leave a void and lead to feelings of losing one’s sense of self.

Unmet expectations: 

Even if an athlete achieves their goal, there can still be a sense of disappointment if the experience didn’t live up to their lofty expectations. The “let-down” feeling can set in as a result.

Recovery demands: 

The physical toll of the race means the body requires extensive rest and recovery, which can make athletes feel sluggish and unmotivated compared to their peak performance state.

Understanding these underlying reasons is the first step towards developing effective coping strategies. 

Now let’s explore practical ways for athletes to navigate the post-race comedown and position themselves for future success. 

Here are some proven techniques for handling the post-race comedown:

Allow for a recovery period: 

Rather than immediately jumping back into training, give yourself ample time to physically and mentally recover. Listen to your body’s signals and don’t rush the process. Aim for 1-2 weeks of active recovery before gradually ramping back up.

Maintain a routine: 

Even if your training schedule is on hold, try to maintain a sense of structure and purpose in your daily life. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, continue healthy eating habits, and find other fulfilling activities to occupy your time.

Engage in self-care: 

Use this downtime to focus on your overall wellbeing. Indulge in hobbies, spend quality time with friends and family, and make time for relaxation and rejuvenation. Activities like yoga, meditation, and massage can be particularly helpful.

Set new goals: 

Once you’ve given yourself time to recover, start looking ahead to your next challenge. Set new training and performance goals that will reignite your passion and sense of purpose. Having a clear vision for the future can help provide motivation.

Reflect and celebrate: 

Take time to acknowledge your accomplishments and the hard work that led you to this point. Journal about your race experience, share your story, and ALL your feelings with loved ones and whoever is part of your support crew; coach, training partners etc, and find ways to commemorate your achievement. This positive reinforcement can help offset feelings of emptiness.

By implementing these strategies, endurance athletes can navigate the post-race comedown in a healthy way and emerge even stronger for their next big challenge. The key is being proactive, patient, and focused on long-term growth rather than immediate gratification.

The post-race comedown is an unavoidable part of the athletic journey, but with the right mindset and proactive approach, you can overcome it and use it as fuel for your next big challenge.

Be patient with yourself, focus on self-care, and keep your long-term goals in sight. By doing so, you’ll be able to ride the emotional waves of the sport without letting them pull you under.

So take the time you need to rest and recover, then get ready to rise up and tackle your next big adventure.

The finish line may be behind you, but the road ahead is full of boundless opportunity.

Recovery is the secret weapon that many endurance athletes overlook in their quest for peak performance. While the thrill of pushing through tough workouts and logging long miles can be addictive, it’s actually during rest that your body adapts, rebuilds, and grows stronger.

Think of recovery as the invisible training partner that transforms all your hard work into tangible gains. Whether it’s a strategic active recovery session, a well-placed rest day, a deload week, or a carefully planned taper before your big race, mastering the art of recovery is just as crucial as nailing your hardest workouts. 

Let’s explore how to optimise your downtime to maximise your performance.

Active Recovery Sessions

Active recovery sessions are a strategic tool in your training arsenal, designed to promote blood flow and accelerate the body’s natural healing processes without adding additional stress. These low-intensity workouts—typically performed at 50-60% of your maximum heart rate—help flush metabolic waste products from your muscles while promoting the delivery of oxygen and nutrients essential for repair. The key is to stay well below your aerobic threshold; think easy runs where conversation flows effortlessly, gentle swims that feel more like a glide than a workout, or light cycling with minimal resistance. For most endurance athletes, these sessions should last 30-45 minutes and can include dynamic stretching, mobility work, or light cross-training activities. Research shows that active recovery can reduce muscle soreness, improve range of motion, and maintain neuromuscular pathways—all while giving your body the break it needs from high-intensity training.

Complete Rest Days

Complete rest days are non-negotiable pillars of any solid training program, serving as your body’s opportunity for deep physiological restoration. During these zero-training days, your muscles repair micro-tears, glycogen stores fully replenish, and your endocrine system rebalances—particularly cortisol levels, which can become elevated during sustained training blocks. Most athletes require 1-2 full rest days per week, though this may vary based on training age, volume, and intensity. Remember: rest days are not signs of weakness but rather strategic opportunities for adaptation that ultimately lead to stronger performance.

Deload Weeks

Deload weeks represent a broader recovery strategy, typically implemented every 4-6 weeks of structured training. During these periods, training volume is reduced by 40-60%, allowing for comprehensive recovery while maintaining fitness. This systematic reduction prevents the accumulation of physical and mental fatigue that can lead to overtraining syndrome. A well-designed deload week maintains the basic structure of your training but scales back the challenging elements—shorter long runs, fewer high-intensity intervals, and an overall decrease in training stress score (TSS). This periodic reset is particularly crucial during high-volume training blocks or when preparing for key events.

Tapering

Tapering is the sophisticated art of reducing training load before a target race while maintaining fitness and ensuring peak performance. An effective taper, typically lasting 7-21 days depending on your event and training history, involves a calculated reduction in volume while preserving some high-intensity work to maintain neuromuscular sharpness. Research indicates that a proper taper can improve performance by 2-3%, which could mean several minutes in a marathon. The key is to reduce training volume by 40-60% progressively while maintaining approximately 80% of training frequency and including short, race-pace efforts to stay sharp. This approach allows your muscles to fully repair, glycogen stores to peak, and your central nervous system to refresh—all while preventing the staleness that can come from complete rest.

Remember that mastering recovery is as much an art as it is a science – it requires patience, self-awareness, and often the discipline to do less rather than more. The most successful athletes aren’t just the ones who train the hardest, but those who understand that adaptation happens during recovery, not during the workout itself. By strategically implementing these recovery tools – from active recovery sessions to well-planned tapers – you’re not just preventing burnout and injury; you’re actually building a stronger, more resilient athlete. Listen to your body, trust the process, and give yourself permission to embrace these essential periods of restoration. Your future race-day self will thank you.

Practical Breakdown of Examples for Each Recovery Strategy

Active Recovery Sessions:

Runners: A 30-minute easy jog at conversational pace (heart rate below 140 bpm), followed by 15 minutes of mobility work including leg swings, hip circles, and ankle mobility exercises

Cyclists: 45 minutes of spinning at 50-60% FTP (Functional Threshold Power), keeping cadence high (90+ rpm) but power low

Cross-training options: A 30-minute swim focusing on form rather than speed, or a yoga flow session focusing on stretches beneficial for endurance athletes

Sample weekly placement: Schedule these sessions after hard interval workouts or long endurance efforts

Rest Days:

Complete rest: Truly inactive days – no structured exercise at all.
Light movement only: Gentle walking, basic stretching, or foam rolling as needed.
Recovery tools: Use compression boots for 30-45 minutes, take an epsom salt bath, or focus on getting an extra hour of sleep.
Optimal timing: Place these after your hardest training days or longest endurance sessions, typically following Saturday/Sunday big training blocks.

Deload Week Example (Marathon Training): 

Normal Week vs. Deload Week comparison:
Long run: 20 miles → 12 miles
Interval session: 8x800m → 4x800m
Tempo run: 8 miles → 4 miles
Weekly mileage: 50 miles → 30 miles
Maintain: Same number of sessions but reduced duration/intensity

Tapering Example (for a marathon): 

3 weeks out:
Reduce volume by 20%
Keep 2 quality sessions but reduce repeats
Long run reduced to 2.5 hours maximum

2 weeks out:
Reduce volume by another 20%
One medium-long run at 90 minutes
Include 2-3 mile race-pace segments in runs

The path of an endurance athlete isn’t always paved with perfect health and peak performance. 

As dedicated athletes, we often face the frustrating dilemma of whether to lace up our shoes when our bodies are fighting off seasonal bugs. 

While the temptation to push through illness can be strong – especially with upcoming races or training goals – the decision to train or rest requires both wisdom and strategy. 

Let’s explore how to navigate the delicate balance between maintaining fitness and respecting your body’s need for recovery when illness strikes.

Fitness lost during illness

First, let’s address the elephant in the room: fitness loss during illness. Many athletes panic at the thought of losing hard-earned gains during a forced break. However, research shows that it takes significantly longer to lose fitness than most people think. A week of modified training or even complete rest won’t derail your season. In fact, pushing too hard during illness is far more likely to set you back than taking appropriate rest.

Understanding your body’s signals is crucial during these times. That scratchy throat or unusual fatigue isn’t just an inconvenience – it’s your body’s way of demanding attention. Think of illness as a yellow traffic light in your training journey. Sometimes you need to slow down, other times you need to stop completely, but rushing through at full speed is never the answer.

The tricky part comes in distinguishing between situations where modified training can be beneficial and those where rest is non-negotiable. This isn’t just about comfort – it’s about understanding how exercise affects your immune system and overall recovery. Training with certain symptoms can actually strengthen your body’s response, while exercising with others can compromise your immune system and extend your illness.

The Mental Game

Let’s talk about the mental game – because let’s face it, that’s often the hardest part. Being sidelined, even temporarily, can mess with our heads. We start to stress about lost fitness, missed training blocks, and derailed race plans. But here’s the reality check we all need: some of the world’s most successful athletes have faced illness mid-season. What sets them apart isn’t their immunity to getting sick – it’s their approach to recovery.

Consider this your opportunity to work on the often-neglected aspects of athletic performance. When you can’t hit your usual training intensities, you can focus on mobility work, technique analysis, or even mental preparation. Many athletes emerge from illness breaks with improved form and fresh motivation, having used the downtime to reset both physically and mentally.

Impacting Others

One often overlooked aspect of training through illness is the impact on those around us. Training partners, gym-mates, and fellow athletes depend on us to make responsible decisions. Showing up to a group workout while contagious isn’t dedication – it’s potentially compromising others’ training and health. Part of being a mature athlete is recognising when staying home isn’t just best for us, but best for our entire athletic community.

The Plan

The key to navigating illness lies in developing a strategic approach rather than making emotional decisions. This means having a clear protocol in place before you get sick, so you’re not making judgment calls when you’re already under the weather. Think of it as another aspect of your training plan – one that’s just as important as your workout schedule or nutrition strategy.

Remember, your relationship with endurance sports is a marathon, not a sprint. Every elite athlete’s career is marked by periods of adaptation and adjustment. Those who sustain long-term success aren’t the ones who never get sick – they’re the ones who master the art of working with their bodies rather than against them. The ability to pivot, adjust, and sometimes completely step back is as valuable a skill as any training technique.

As we head deeper into cold and flu season, take time to develop your own illness protocol. Write it down, share it with your coach or training partners, and commit to following it. Consider it an investment in your long-term athletic development. After all, the true measure of an athlete isn’t just their ability to push through tough workouts – it’s their capacity to make intelligent decisions that support sustained performance.

In the end, illness doesn’t have to be a complete roadblock in your endurance journey. With the right approach, it can be a temporary detour that ultimately leads to greater body awareness, smarter training decisions, and more sustainable athletic development. The next time you feel those first symptoms coming on, remember: responding with wisdom today keeps you stronger for all your tomorrows.

Judging Symptoms and their Severity

The general rule of thumb is the “neck check”:

Symptoms above the neck (runny nose, sore throat, mild headache): Usually OK to exercise at reduced intensity

Symptoms below the neck (chest congestion, body aches, fever, stomach issues): Rest is essential

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

When it’s OK to train (with modifications):

• Mild cold symptoms
• Clear runny nose
• Minor sore throat
• Train at 50-70% of normal intensity
• Reduce duration
• Stay well hydrated
• Monitor how you feel and stop if symptoms worsen
  

When you should rest:

• Fever (absolutely no training)
• Influenza symptoms
• Chest congestion/cough
• Severe fatigue
• Body aches
• Stomach issues
• Any difficulty breathing

Return to training protocol:

• Wait until major symptoms resolve
• Start at 50% intensity for first 2-3 sessions
• If feeling good, increase by ~10-15% each subsequent session
• Take 5-7 days to return to full training

Remember that training while seriously ill can:

• Prolong recovery time
• Weaken immune response
• Increase risk of complications (like myocarditis)
• Lead to poor performance and injury due to compromised coordination

How to Modify accordingly

Endurance/Cardio Modifications:

1. Heart Rate Based
   Keep heart rate 20-30 beats below normal training zone
   Stay in aerobic zone (conversational pace)
   Stop if heart rate is unusually high for the effort level
   
2. Duration Changes
   Reduce session length by 30-50%
   Example: If you normally run 60 minutes, cut to 30-40 minutes
   Break longer sessions into shorter chunks with rest periods
   
3. Intensity Adjustments
   Replace high-intensity intervals with steady-state work
   If you normally run, switch to power walking
   If you cycle, reduce resistance/stay seated
   Pool workouts: focus on technique rather than speed

Specific Activity Modifications:

• Running: Walk/run intervals instead of continuous running
• Swimming: Technical drills instead of hard sets
• Cycling: Flat routes, avoid hills, lower gear
• Use perceived effort scale of 1-10: stay at 4-6 maximum

Recovery Modifications:

• Double your normal rest intervals
• Take extra recovery days between sessions
• Include more dynamic stretching
• Focus on breathing exercises

Environmental Considerations:

• Train indoors if possible to control temperature
• Avoid training in cold/wet conditions
• Stay extra hydrated (illness increases fluid needs)
• Wear additional layers to stay warm

As runners, we’re bombarded with a plethora of technical terms and jargon that can sometimes feel overwhelming. 
Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or just lacing up your shoes for the first time, you’ve likely heard phrases like “running mechanics,” “running economy,” and “running efficiency” thrown around. But what do these terms actually mean, and how do they impact your performance? 

In this post, we’ll break down these key concepts in simple, easy-to-understand language. 
By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of the science behind your stride and how you can use this knowledge to become a more informed, efficient runner. 

Let’s dive in and demystify some of the most common—and commonly misunderstood—running terminology.

Running mechanics: 
Running mechanics refers to how a person moves their body while running. 
It includes things like:
Arm swing
Foot strike (how your foot lands)
Stride length
Body posture
Cadence (steps per minute)

Good running mechanics can help prevent injuries and improve performance.

Example:
Let’s use arm swing as an example:
Inefficient mechanics: A runner who swings their arms across their body (crossing the midline) wastes energy and may cause rotation in the torso.
Efficient mechanics: Arms swing forward and back, close to the body, with elbows bent at about 90 degrees. This helps maintain balance and can actually assist with forward momentum.

Running economy: 
Running economy is how efficiently a runner uses oxygen at a given pace.
It’s like fuel efficiency in a car, but for runners. A runner with good economy uses less energy to maintain a certain speed. Factors that affect running economy include:
Running mechanics
Body composition
Training adaptations
Environmental conditions

Example:
Alex and Sam are both training for a marathon.
During a 10-mile training run at the same pace:
Alex consumes 70 ml of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute
Sam consumes 65 ml of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute

Why this matters:
Sam is using less oxygen (energy) to run at the same pace as Alex.
This means Sam is likely to feel less fatigued at the end of the run.
Over the course of a marathon, this difference in energy expenditure becomes significant.
Long-term implications:
Sam may be able to maintain this pace for a longer distance.
Sam might recover more quickly between training sessions.
In a race scenario, Sam would have more energy reserves for a strong finish.
Practical outcome:
If both increase their pace, Sam might be able to sustain the faster speed longer than Alex.
In a marathon, Sam might finish several minutes ahead of Alex, despite starting at the same pace.

Running efficiency:
Running efficiency is closely related to running economy.
It’s about how well a runner converts energy into forward motion.
An efficient runner wastes less energy on unnecessary movements. Improving efficiency can help runners:
Run faster with the same effort
Run longer before fatigue sets in
Recover more quickly between runs

Example: Let’s compare two runners over a 10K race:
Runner A finishes in 45 minutes, taking 180 steps per minute with a stride length of 1.5 meters.
Runner B also finishes in 45 minutes, but takes 170 steps per minute with a stride length of 1.6 meters. 
Runner B is more efficient because they cover the same distance in the same time with fewer steps, suggesting less energy expenditure.

As we’ve explored the concepts of running mechanics, economy, and efficiency, it becomes clear that these aren’t just fancy terms for coaches and elite athletes. They’re practical tools that every runner can use to improve their performance and enjoyment of the sport. 
By understanding how your body moves, how efficiently it uses energy, and how to optimise your running form, you’re empowering yourself to become a better runner. 
Remember, small improvements in these areas can lead to significant gains over time, whether you’re aiming for a new personal best or simply want to run more comfortably. 
So the next time you lace up your shoes, take a moment to think about your mechanics, consider your economy, and strive for efficiency. 
Your future running self will thank you. Keep learning, keep improving, and most importantly, keep running!

Spark Your Endurance:
Why Intensity is the Secret Ingredient Your Training is Missing

I see so many athletes, including those that work with coaches logging endless miles without seeing significant improvements in their endurance performance, and often getting easily avoided overuse injuries. It seems it is still believed that volume is the only thing that matters.

It’s time to shake up your training routine and truly embrace the power of intensity. While building volume is crucial for endurance athletes, relying solely on long, slow distance workouts is like trying to win a race with only half your engine firing.

Properly and precisely incorporating high-intensity training into your regimen isn’t just a trend—it’s a scientifically backed, well researched game-changer and it can unlock your true potential, boost your performance, and make those gruelling races feel a whole lot easier, taking you from ‘good’ to ‘great’.

Benefits of adding Intensity Work

Improved VO2 max:
High-intensity workouts can increase the body’s ability to utilise oxygen during exercise, leading to better overall endurance performance.

Enhanced lactate threshold:
Intense training helps the body become more efficient at clearing lactic acid, allowing athletes to maintain higher intensities for longer periods.

Increased power output:
High-intensity intervals can improve an athlete’s ability to generate force quickly, which is crucial for sprints and hill climbs in endurance events.

Time efficiency:
Intense workouts can provide significant fitness gains in shorter training sessions, which is beneficial for athletes with limited training time.

Mental toughness:
High-intensity training can help athletes develop the mental resilience needed to push through discomfort during competitions.

Improved economy:
Intense workouts can enhance an athlete’s efficiency of movement, leading to better performance with less energy expenditure.

Metabolic adaptations:
High-intensity training can boost the body’s ability to use fat as fuel, potentially improving endurance performance.

Injury prevention:
Incorporating intensity can help maintain muscle strength and power, which may reduce the risk of overuse injuries common in endurance sports.

Avoidance of training plateaus:
Mixing high-intensity workouts with traditional endurance training can prevent adaptation stagnation and continue performance improvements.

Race-specific preparation:
Intense workouts can simulate the demands of racing, helping athletes prepare for the varying intensities they’ll face in competition.

Common Types of Intensity Training

Interval Training:
Short intervals: 30 seconds to 2 minutes of high-intensity effort followed by equal or slightly longer recovery periods.
Long intervals: 3-5 minutes of hard effort with 1-3 minutes of recovery.

Fartlek Training:
Swedish for “speed play,” this involves alternating between high and low intensities during a continuous run.
Can be structured (e.g., 1 minute hard, 2 minutes easy) or unstructured (based on feel or landmarks).

Tempo Efforts:
Sustained efforts at or slightly above lactate threshold pace.
Typically last 20-40 minutes or can be broken into shorter segments with brief recoveries.

Hill Repeats:
Short, intense uphill runs (30 seconds to 2 minutes) followed by easy downhill recovery.
Helps build strength and power while improving running economy.

Pyramid Workouts
Intervals that increase in duration or intensity, then decrease (e.g., 1-2-3-2-1 minutes of hard effort with recovery between).

Sprint Training:
Very short (10-30 seconds) all-out efforts with full recovery between repetitions.
Improves neuromuscular coordination and power output.

Tabata Protocol:
20 seconds of maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times (4 minutes total).
Highly effective for improving both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

Lactate Threshold Workouts:
Efforts at or just below the lactate threshold, often done as longer intervals (e.g., 2 x 20 minutes) or as a continuous effort.

VO2 Max Intervals:
Work periods of 3-5 minutes at or near VO2 max intensity with equal rest periods.
Highly effective for improving maximal oxygen uptake.

Race-Pace Training:
Intervals or sustained efforts at goal race pace, helping to improve efficiency and pacing at race-specific intensities.

Example of a Weekly Plan for an Advanced Triathlete
(70.3 – Specific Prep Phase, nearing Peak Week)

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
AM: Bike – 90 min, including 5×5 min threshold intervals
PM: Strength training – 45 min full body workout (Speed + Power Focus)

Wednesday
AM: Swim – 45 min endurance with technique drills
PM: Run – 60 min, including 8x400m repeats

Thursday
AM: Bike – 60 min steady endurance ride
PM: Mobility and flexibility work – 30 min

Friday
AM: Swim – 60 min, including 10x50m sprint intervals
PM: Run – 45 min tempo run

Saturday
AM: Long bike ride – 2.5 hours, including 3×15 min race-pace efforts; plus
Transition practice – 30 min brick run off the bike

Sunday
AM: Long run – 90 min, with last 30 min at race pace

Key features of this plan:

1. Multiple disciplines each day to improve overall endurance
2. High-intensity sessions (intervals, tempo runs) to boost performance
3. Long endurance sessions, especially on weekends
4. Recovery and cross-training activities (yoga, easy swims)
5. Brick workout (bike-to-run) to practice transitions

REMEMBER…

As you embark on your journey to elevate your endurance performance, remember that intensity is not just about pushing harder—it’s about training smarter.

By strategically incorporating high-intensity workouts into your regimen, you’re not only maximizing your training time but also unlocking new levels of physical and mental resilience. Embrace the challenge, listen to your body, and watch as your performance soars to new heights.

The path to endurance excellence isn’t just about going far; it’s about going far, fast, and with purpose. So lace up, gear up, and get ready to redefine your limits. Your best performance is waiting on the other side of intensity.

Visualization may sound like New Age mumbo-jumbo to skeptics, but the science backing its efficacy in endurance sports is hard to ignore.

Far from being a mystical practice, visualization is a concrete mental technique that leverages the brain’s neuroplasticity to enhance athletic performance. When an athlete vividly imagines executing their sport, their brain fires in patterns strikingly similar to those observed during physical practice.

This mental rehearsal strengthens neural pathways, improving muscle memory, reaction times, and even physiological responses like heart rate and breathing patterns.

For endurance athletes facing long hours of grueling physical exertion, this powerful mental tool can be the difference between hitting the wall and pushing through to victory.

How athletes use visualisation: 

Mental rehearsal:
Athletes can use visualisation to mentally rehearse their performance, imagining themselves successfully completing their event or overcoming challenges. This helps build confidence and familiarity with the task.

Stress reduction:
Visualising calm, successful performances can help reduce pre-race anxiety and stress.
Try to experience every part of the race. See it, hear it, Feel it. 

Goal setting:
Athletes can visualise achieving their goals, which can increase motivation and commitment to training.

Technical improvement:
By mentally practicing perfect form and technique, athletes can reinforce proper movement patterns.

Race strategy:
Visualising race plans and tactics can help athletes prepare for different scenarios and make better decisions during the event.

Recovery and healing:
Visualisation can be used to promote relaxation and potentially aid in the recovery process.

How to effectively use visualisation: 

• Make the imagery as vivid and detailed as possible, engaging all senses
• Practice regularly, ideally daily
• Visualise both the process (training, race execution) and the outcome (crossing the finish line, achieving a goal time)
• Include positive self-talk and emotions in the visualisations

Transform Pain into Power

One of the most interesting uses of visualisation is relating to Pain management.

Endurance athletes often face discomfort during long events. Visualisation can be used to imagine managing pain effectively, helping athletes prepare for and cope with physical challenges.

When the body screams and every fibre begs to stop, endurance athletes face their greatest challenge: managing pain. While physical training is crucial, the mind plays an equally vital role in pushing through these moments of intense discomfort.

Enter visualisation – a powerful mental technique that transforms the abstract concept of “mind over matter” into a tangible, practical tool.

Far from being mere imagination, these mental exercises can rewire an athlete’s perception of pain, turning it from an insurmountable barrier into a manageable aspect of performance.

By harnessing the brain’s incredible plasticity, endurance athletes can develop a mental toolkit that not only helps them cope with pain but can actually alter how they experience it.

Let’s dive into some specific visualisation techniques that can make the difference between hitting the wall and breaking through it.

Specific visualisation exercises for pain management

The Pain Colour Transform
Visualise your pain as a specific colour, perhaps red or orange. As you breathe deeply, imagine this colour gradually changing to a cool, soothing colour like blue or green. With each breath, see the colour shift and the pain diminish.

The Numbing Glove
Imagine putting on a special glove that has numbing properties. Visualise this glove slowly covering your hand, then your arm, and eventually your entire body. Feel the numbing sensation spread, dulling any pain or discomfort.

The Pain Dial
Picture a dial or slider in your mind, representing your pain level. Visualise yourself slowly turning down this dial, reducing the pain intensity. As you turn the dial, feel the pain decreasing throughout your body.

The Healing Light
Imagine a warm, healing light entering your body through your breath. With each inhale, see this light spreading to areas of discomfort. As you exhale, visualise the pain leaving your body as dark smoke.

The River Flow
Picture your pain as leaves floating on a river. As you run or compete, see these leaves (your pain) flowing away downstream, leaving you feeling lighter and more comfortable with each passing moment.

The Strength Absorber
Visualise your body as a sponge, absorbing strength and endurance from your surroundings. As you take in this energy, see it pushing out any pain or discomfort, making you stronger and more resilient.

The Pain Bubble
Imagine encapsulating your pain in a bubble. See this bubble slowly floating away from your body, taking the discomfort with it. As it drifts further away, feel the pain becoming more distant and manageable.

To use these effectively:

• Practice regularly, not just during competition
• Combine with deep, rhythmic breathing
• Be as detailed as possible in your imagery
• Experiment to find which techniques work best for you
• Use positive self-talk along with the visualisations

Mastering these visualisation techniques for pain management is not an overnight process, but rather a skill honed through consistent practice and personalisation.

As athletes integrate these mental strategies into their training regimens, they often discover benefits that extend beyond pain tolerance – improved focus, enhanced recovery, and a deeper mind-body connection.

Ultimately, the power of visualisation lies not in escaping discomfort, but in redefining one’s relationship with it. By embracing these mental tools, endurance athletes can transform pain from a formidable foe into a familiar companion on their journey to peak performance, unlocking new levels of endurance and achievement previously thought impossible.

In Conclusion:

Visualisation, for all of it’s benefits, isn’t just for elite athletes or new-age enthusiasts; it’s a practical, scientifically-backed tool accessible to anyone seeking to elevate their performance and well-being.

By harnessing the power of your mind, you can unlock hidden reserves of strength, resilience, and focus that you never knew existed.

So why not give it a try? The only limit is your imagination, and the potential rewards – both on and off the field – are boundless.

Conditioning, a cornerstone of athletic preparation, extends far beyond mere cardiovascular endurance.

It encompasses the holistic development of an athlete’s physiological systems to meet the specific demands of their sport or activity.

So many PT’s will be claim to be Strength and Conditioning Experts, or tell you their specialism is S&C but don’t be fooled. While most might be good at the “S” part – Strength training, the “C” is a far more complex.

This multifaceted approach to fitness enhances not only stamina, but also an athlete’s ability to perform at high intensities, recover rapidly, and maintain technical proficiency under fatigue.

By systematically stressing and adapting various energy systems, conditioning sculpts the body into a more efficient and resilient machine, capable of withstanding the rigors of competition and training. Whether it’s a marathon runner pushing through the final miles or a soccer player making a crucial play in extra time, effective conditioning can often be the difference between victory and defeat.

Conditioning refers to the cardiovascular and muscular endurance component of fitness training in the context of Strength & Conditioning (S&C).

While strength focuses on developing muscular power and force production, conditioning aims to improve an athlete’s ability to perform repeated efforts over time without fatigue.

Key aspects of conditioning:

Say Goodbye to RICE and Hello to PEACE & LOVE

If you’ve ever twisted an ankle or pulled a muscle, you’ve probably heard the age-old advice:
RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
For decades, this has been the go-to protocol for managing acute soft tissue injuries.
But what if I told you that sports medicine has moved on, and there’s a new approach in town?
Enter the PEACE & LOVE protocol, a more nuanced and scientifically-backed method that’s changing how we treat everything from sprains to strains.

In this post, I’ll explore why it might be time to put RICE on ice and embrace a more dynamic approach to healing.

PEACE & LOVE Protocol:

PEACE (Immediately after injury)

Protection:
Unload and avoid painful movements for 1-3 days to minimise further injury and reduce the risk of aggravating the damaged tissues.

Elevation:
Optimise fluid flow by lifting the injured limb higher than the heart, which can help manage swelling in the acute stage.

Avoid anti-inflammatory modalities:
Let the natural inflammatory process run its course, as it’s a necessary part of the healing process.
Avoid ice and anti-inflammatory drugs, which can potentially delay healing.

Compression:
Use elastic bandages or taping to reduce swelling and provide support to the injured area.

Education:
Understand that pain is normal and doesn’t always indicate tissue damage; adopt an active approach to recovery.

LOVE (After first few days)

Load:
Introduce gradual, pain-free loading to stimulate repair and remodeling of injured tissues.

Optimism:
Foster a positive attitude and realistic expectations about recovery to improve outcomes and reduce the risk of chronic problems.

Vascularization:
Engage in pain-free cardiovascular activities to increase blood flow to the injured tissues and promote healing.

Exercise:
Restore mobility, strength, and proprioception through targeted exercises specific to the injured area and overall function.

Uses of PEACE & LOVE

The PEACE & LOVE protocol is applicable to a wide range of acute soft tissue injuries, not just sprains.

Here’s an overview of the types of injuries where this approach can be beneficial:

Muscle strains: Injuries to muscle fibres or tendons.
Ligament sprains: Stretching or tearing of ligaments (not just ankle sprains, but also knee, wrist, or other joint sprains).
Contusions (bruises): Injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
Tendinopathies: Acute inflammation of tendons.
Minor tears: Partial tears in muscles or tendons.
Bursitis: Inflammation of the small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion bones, tendons, and muscles.
Overuse injuries: When caught in the acute phase.
Sports injuries: Many common sports-related soft tissue injuries.
Whiplash: Neck strain often associated with auto accidents.
Repetitive strain injuries: When they flare up acutely.
Minor joint injuries: Where there’s no fracture or dislocation.

The PEACE & LOVE protocol is particularly useful for injuries where inflammation and tissue repair are key parts of the healing process. It’s designed to support the body’s natural healing mechanisms while promoting optimal recovery and return to function.

However, it’s important to note that this protocol is not suitable for all types of injuries. For example:

Fractures
Severe tears requiring surgical intervention
Dislocations
Head injuries
Internal injuries
Wounds requiring stitches

These types of injuries require immediate medical attention and specialised treatment.
Additionally, for chronic conditions or injuries that aren’t improving with self-care, it’s always advisable to consult with a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

In conclusion, the PEACE & LOVE protocol represents a significant shift in how we approach soft tissue injuries. By working with our body’s natural healing processes rather than against them, we can potentially achieve faster and more complete recovery.

While RICE served us well for many years, it’s time to embrace this up to date and truly beneficial approach.

Remember, however, that every injury is unique, and it’s always wise to consult with a healthcare professional for personalized advice. As we continue to learn more about the intricacies of healing, who knows what future innovations in injury management might bring?

For now, give PEACE & LOVE a chance – your body might thank you for it.

The Surprising Strategy That’s Boosting Speed for Runners at Every Level

Running faster isn’t just about pushing harder – sometimes, it’s about knowing when to slow down.

Enter the run/walk method, a training technique that’s revolutionising how runners of all levels approach speed improvement. 

While it may seem counterintuitive to incorporate walking into your training regimen when aiming to get faster, this strategic approach can lead to significant gains in speed and endurance. 

By alternating between periods of running and walking, you can train more efficiently, recover more effectively, and ultimately run faster than you ever thought possible. 

In this post, we’ll explore how run/walk intervals can be your secret weapon for unlocking new levels of speed, whether you’re a beginner looking to run your first 5K or an experienced marathoner aiming for a personal best.

Benefits of the Run/Walk for all levels of run ability

• Reduced risk of injury:
  By allowing regular recovery periods: The walk intervals give your muscles and joints brief respites from the impact of running. This reduced cumulative stress can help prevent overuse injuries, especially for new runners or those returning from injury. It also allows you to maintain better form throughout your workout, further decreasing injury risk.

• Improved endurance and cardiovascular fitness:
  By alternating between higher and lower intensities, you challenge your cardiovascular system in ways similar to interval training. This method allows you to spend more total time exercising than you might if running continuously, leading to greater endurance gains over time.

• Mental breaks during longer runs:
  The walk intervals provide short mental respites, making longer distances feel more manageable. This can be especially beneficial for newer runners or those tackling longer distances, as it breaks the run into smaller, less daunting segments. It can also help reduce the mental fatigue that often accompanies endurance running.

• Easier transition to continuous running:
  For beginners, run/walk intervals offer a gentler introduction to running than trying to run continuously from the start. As fitness improves, you can gradually increase the running intervals and decrease the walking periods. This progressive approach helps build confidence along with physical ability, making the transition to continuous running feel more natural and achievable.

Remember to adjust intervals based on individual fitness levels and goals. Gradually reduce walking time as running ability improves.

How it works for the different levels of runners

Beginners:
Start with shorter running intervals and longer walking intervals, such as 1 minute running and 2 minutes walking.
Gradually increase running time and decrease walking time as fitness improves.
Aim for 20-30 minutes total workout time, 3 times a week.
Focus on consistency and building a habit rather than speed or distance.

Intermediate runners:
Increase running intervals to 3-5 minutes with 1-2 minutes of walking.
Experiment with different interval ratios, like 4:1 or 5:1 (run:walk).
Aim for 30-45 minutes total workout time, 3-4 times a week.
Incorporate one longer run per week using run/walk method.

Experienced runners:
Use run/walk intervals for specific purposes, such as recovery runs or long distance training.
Try advanced interval patterns, like 10 minutes running with 1 minute walking.
Use this method to gradually increase distance in marathon training.
Implement run/walk strategy in races to maintain overall pace and reduce fatigue.

Detailed strategies for using run/walk intervals to improve speed

Progressive Interval Training:
Start with a 3:1 run-walk ratio (e.g., 3 minutes run, 1 minute walk)
Gradually increase the running interval and decrease the walking interval
Aim to eventually reach a 9:1 or 10:1 ratio
Focus on maintaining a faster pace during the running segment

Fartlek-style Run/Walk:
Incorporate varying speeds during your running intervals 
Example: 3 minutes easy run, 1 minute walk, 2 minutes hard run, 1 minute walk
This trains your body to handle different paces and improves overall speed

Tempo Run/Walk:
Use run/walk intervals during tempo runs (runs at a “comfortably hard” pace)
Run at tempo pace for 5-10 minutes, then walk for 1 minute
Repeat for the desired workout duration
This helps you maintain a faster pace for longer cumulative distances

Hill Run/Walk:
Find a moderate hill and run up for 30-60 seconds, then walk back down
Repeat 6-10 times
This builds leg strength and power, translating to improved speed on flat ground

Descending Intervals:
Start with longer run/walk intervals and gradually shorten them
Example: 5 min run/1 min walk, 4 min run/1 min walk, 3 min run/1 min walk, etc.
Increase your pace slightly with each shorter interval

Race Pace Practice:
Use run/walk intervals to practice your goal race pace
Run at your target pace for 3-5 minutes, then walk for 30 seconds to 1 minute
This helps your body adapt to the faster pace while still allowing for recovery

Long Run Speed-Play:
During your long runs, incorporate faster-paced run/walk intervals
Example: Every 10 minutes, do a 2-minute faster run followed by a 30-second walk
This maintains the endurance benefits of long runs while adding a speed component

* Remember to warm up properly before these workouts and cool down afterwards.
Also, don’t do speed work more than 2-3 times per week to allow for proper recovery. Gradually increase the intensity and duration of these workouts over time.

Summary

Incorporating run/walk intervals into your training routine isn’t just a strategy for beginners or a way to build endurance – it’s a powerful tool for runners at all levels to boost their speed and performance.

By allowing for strategic recovery, higher-intensity efforts, and increased training volume, this method can help you break through plateaus and achieve new personal bests. Remember, improving your speed is a gradual process that requires consistency, patience, and smart training.

Whether you’re tackling your first 5K or aiming to shave minutes off your marathon time, give run/walk intervals a try. You might be surprised at how taking periodic walks can lead you to run faster than ever before.

So lace up your shoes, set your timer, and embrace the power of the run/walk method – your next PR might be just a few intervals away.

RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport is a serious thing and something all endurance athletes should have a little bit of awareness of, as well as anyone who is active and looking to shed some body fat and change their body composition.

Low Energy Availability (LEA) discussed in a previous post (find it here: https://differentbreed.io/low-energy-availability-lea/)and RED-S are closely related concepts in sports nutrition and exercise physiology.

Studies suggest that 20-60% of endurance athletes may experience LEA which can then lead to RED-S. Female endurance athletes are at higher risk, but male athletes are also affected. Ironman triathletes and ultramarathon runners are particularly susceptible due to extremely high energy demands.

Definition:

RED-S refers to impaired physiological functioning caused by relative energy deficiency and includes, but is not limited to, impairments of metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis, and cardiovascular health.

Evolution of the concept:

• Originated from the Female Athlete Triad (disordered eating, amenorrhea, osteoporosis).
  *The Female Athlete Triad is a syndrome of the three interrelated conditions that was first recognised in the 1990s. It’s an important concept in sports medicine and women’s health
• Expanded to include all athletes, regardless of gender.
• Recognises a wider range of health and performance consequences.

Health consequences:

• Menstrual function: Irregular or absent periods in females
• Bone health: Decreased bone mineral density, increased fracture risk
• Endocrine system: Hormonal imbalances (e.g., thyroid, growth hormone, cortisol)
• Metabolic rate: Decreased BMR to conserve energy
• Cardiovascular health: Reduced heart rate, blood pressure changes
• Gastrointestinal function: Delayed gastric emptying, constipation
• Immunological function: Increased susceptibility to infections
• Hematological: Anaemia
• Growth and development: Potential stunting in adolescents
• Psychological: Depression, anxiety, disordered eating

Performance consequences:

• Decreased endurance capacity
• Reduced muscle strength
• Increased injury risk
• Decreased training response
• Impaired judgment
• Decreased coordination and concentration
• Irritability and depression
• Increased risk of fatigue and exhaustion

Risk factors

RED-S is more prevalent in endurance athletes due to the potentially high training volumes, which is one of the key risk factors.
It can also be seen in sports where leanness is seen as the ideal, and also sports utilising weight categories as these can lead to rapid weight loss practices.
Other common risk factors are disordered eating, a lack of nutrition knowledge leading to excessive calorie deficits and also perfectionist personality traits.

Diagnosis and assessment:

There is no single diagnostic test, instead the usual routes to diagnosis involve:
– Comprehensive assessment including building a detailed history of medical records, nutrition, psychological mapping, training history etc.
– Physical examination
– Laboratory tests ( hormones, bloods, bone density etc)

Challenges specific to endurance sports

As touched on above endurance athletes are an at risk group due to training volumes.
The key to be aware of and manage to avoid LEA and RED-S is consuming enough calories during long training sessions and also proper management of pre and post fuelling.

Where some athletes struggle is:
– Suffering gastrointestinal issues during prolonged exercise.
– Having a suppressed appetite after intense endurance exercise.
– Dealing with the pressure to maintain low body weight for perceived performance benefits.

Prevention strategies for endurance athletes:

• Regular monitoring of energy intake, body composition, and performance
• Emphasizing fueling for performance rather than weight loss
• Incorporating strength training to maintain muscle mass and bone density
• Periodizing nutrition to match training cycles
• Education on nutrition and the importance of adequate fuelling during long training sessions and races

Final Thoughts

As we navigate the complex landscape of athletic performance and health, it’s crucial to remember that our bodies are not mere machines, but intricate systems requiring balance and care.
RED-S serves as a stark reminder that the pursuit of athletic excellence should never come at the cost of long-term well-being.
I hope that by fostering a culture of open communication, prioritising education, and embracing a holistic approach to training and nutrition, I can help create an environment where athletes thrive both on and off the field.
The journey towards peak performance is a marathon, not a sprint, and maintaining energy balance is the fuel that will carry athletes through their careers and beyond.
I want to champion a future where athletic achievement and vibrant health go hand in hand, creating a legacy of sustainable excellence in sports.

Cracking the Code: 8 Periodization Models to Revolutionize Your Training

Ever wonder how top athletes seem to peak at just the right moment?

The answer lies in a powerful training strategy called periodisation.

This systematic approach to planning workouts isn’t just for Olympians—it’s a game-changer for athletes at all levels.

By strategically varying training intensity and focus over time, periodization helps you build fitness, prevent burnout, and hit your peak performance when it matters most.

Whether you’re training for your first 5K or gunning for a podium finish, understanding periodisation can take your endurance game to the next level.

Let’s dive into the different models. I have listed them in the order from most commonly used / easiest to understand to the most complex model.

The Different Periodisation Models:

Linear Periodisation

This is the traditional model, involving a gradual progression from high-volume, low-intensity training to low-volume, high-intensity training as the competition approaches. It’s divided into distinct phases:
– Preparatory phase (building base fitness)
– Competitive phase (race-specific training)
– Transition phase (active recovery)
Best suited for: Novice to intermediate athletes, or those with a long preparation phase before a main event.
Strengths: Simple to implement and understand. Allows for steady progression.
Weaknesses: May lead to performance plateaus for advanced athletes. Less flexible for multi-peak seasons.

Reverse Linear Periodisation

As the name suggests, this model reverses the linear approach. It starts with high-intensity, low-volume training and progresses to higher volume, lower intensity work as the competition nears. This can be beneficial for some endurance events.
Best suited for: Athletes in sports where maintaining power or speed is crucial even as endurance increases.
Strengths: Can help maintain power while building endurance. Useful for sports like rowing or swimming.
Weaknesses: May not provide sufficient base endurance for some athletes.

Undulating Periodisation

This model involves more frequent variations in training volume and intensity, often on a daily or weekly basis. It can be further divided into:
– Daily Undulating Periodisation (DUP): Training variables change daily
– Weekly Undulating Periodization (WUP): Training variables change weekly
Best suited for: Advanced athletes, those needing to maintain multiple fitness components simultaneously, or athletes with frequently changing competition schedules.
Strengths: Provides variety, potentially reducing burnout. Allows for simultaneous development of multiple fitness attributes.
Weaknesses: More complex to plan and implement. May not allow for optimal development of any single attribute.

Block Periodisation

This approach concentrates on developing specific abilities in blocks, typically lasting 2-6 weeks. Each block focuses on a particular aspect of fitness (e.g., aerobic endurance, lactate threshold, VO2max).
Best suited for: Elite athletes, those with multiple performance peaks in a season, or athletes needing to dramatically improve specific aspects of fitness.
Strengths: Allows for concentrated development of specific abilities. Flexible for multi-peak seasons.
Weaknesses: Requires careful planning to avoid detraining in non-focused areas. May be too intense for novice athletes.

Polarized Periodisation

This model emphasizes a distribution of about 80% low-intensity training and 20% high-intensity training, with very little moderate-intensity work. It’s gained popularity among endurance athletes in recent years but needs to managed very carefully.
Best suited for: Endurance athletes in sports like running, cycling, or cross-country skiing.
Strengths: Mimics the natural training patterns of successful endurance athletes. May reduce risk of overtraining.
Weaknesses: May not provide enough specific preparation for some events. Can be psychologically challenging due to the intensity of the hard sessions.

Wave-Loading Periodisation

This involves alternating periods of high and low training stress, creating a wave-like pattern in training load over time.
Best suited for: Athletes prone to overtraining or those who respond well to frequent recovery periods. Strengths: Built-in recovery periods can prevent burnout. Allows for multiple peaks within a season.
Weaknesses: May not provide enough consistent stimulus for some athletes. Requires careful monitoring to ensure proper loading.

Conjugate Periodisation

Originally developed for strength sports, this model simultaneously develops multiple fitness components and can be adapted for endurance athletes.
Best suited for: Multi-sport athletes or those needing to maintain a wide range of physical abilities. Strengths: Allows for simultaneous development of multiple fitness components. Can prevent boredom and staleness.
Weaknesses: Complex to design and implement. May not allow for optimal development in any single area.

Fractal Periodisation

This is a more complex model that applies similar training patterns across different time scales (days, weeks, months), creating a fractal-like structure.
Best suited for: Highly advanced athletes or those with very long-term development plans.
Strengths: Provides a coherent structure across multiple time scales. Can be highly individualized.
Weaknesses: Very complex to design and implement. Requires sophisticated monitoring and adjustment.

Key Considerations:

1. Athlete’s experience level: Novice athletes often respond well to simpler models like linear periodisation, while advanced athletes may benefit from more complex approaches.
2. Competition schedule: Single-peak seasons might suit linear models, while multi-peak seasons often require more flexible approaches like block or undulating periodization.
3. Sport-specific demands: Some sports require maintaining multiple fitness components simultaneously, favoring models like conjugate or undulating periodisation.
4. Individual response: Athletes respond differently to training stimuli. Some may thrive on variety (undulating), while others may need more focused blocks of training.
5. Available time: More complex models often require more time to see significant benefits, which may not be suitable for athletes with shorter preparation phases.

Sometimes, the most effective approach often involves combining elements from different models to create a personalised plan that addresses the specific needs and constraints of the individual athlete and their sport.

What is LEA?

LEA occurs when an individual’s energy intake is insufficient to support the body’s functions after accounting for energy expended in exercise.

It’s essentially an energy deficit that can occur in both athletes and non-athletes.

It’s calculated as energy intake minus exercise energy expenditure, relative to fat-free mass. This can be a complex calculation involving a lot of monitoring but there is a simple explanation further below.

LEA can occur even when total calorie intake seems adequate, if exercise energy expenditure is high. It can lead to various physiological and performance issues, including REDs which we will discuss in the next post.

It can, paradoxically, lead to weight gain in some cases. This is most commonly seen in women and is definitely something active women should be aware of if they cut calories and or/up the activity levels.

Weight Gain

Consuming less calories and then gaining weight might seem counterintuitive, but there are several mechanisms through which this can occur:

Metabolic Adaptation:
Chronic LEA can cause the body to lower its metabolic rate to conserve energy.
When normal eating resumes, this lowered metabolism can result in weight gain.

Hormonal Changes:
LEA can disrupt hormonal balance, particularly affecting thyroid hormones and cortisol.
These hormonal changes can lead to increased fat storage and water retention.

Increased Appetite:
After periods of restriction, the body may signal increased hunger, leading to overeating.
This can result in rapid weight gain, often exceeding the original weight.

Changes in Body Composition:
LEA can lead to loss of lean muscle mass.
When weight is regained, it’s often in the form of fat rather than muscle, changing body composition.

Insulin Sensitivity:
Prolonged LEA can affect insulin sensitivity, potentially leading to increased fat storage when normal eating resumes.

Disrupted Hunger and Fullness Cues:
Chronic undereating can disrupt natural hunger and fullness signals, making it harder to regulate food intake.

Psychological Factors:
The stress of restrictive eating can lead to binge eating episodes, contributing to weight gain.

Edema:
In some cases, especially when LEA is severe, the body may retain water, leading to temporary weight gain.

Rebound Effect:
When energy intake is increased after a period of LEA, the body may overcompensate by storing extra energy as fat.

It’s important to note that while LEA can sometimes lead to weight gain, the primary concern should be overall health and performance rather than weight alone.

All Impacts of LEA

Physiological impacts:
Metabolic rate reduction
Bone Mineral density decrease
Impaired protein synthesis
Cardiovascular changes; i.e. lower heart rate, blood pressure
Hormonal disruptions; i.e. decreased estrogen, testosterone

Psychological impacts:
Increased irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Depression
Anxiety

Performance impacts:
Decreased endurance
Reduced muscle strength
Increased injury risk
Impaired training adaption

Addressing LEA involves gradually increasing energy intake to support bodily functions and athletic performance, which may or may not result in weight changes.

How to calculate LEA

LEA is defined as dietary energy intake minus exercise energy expenditure, normalized to fat-free mass (FFM).
The formula is: Energy Availability = (Energy Intake – Exercise Energy Expenditure) / Fat-Free Mass.

The Thresholds are:
Optimal energy availability: >45 kcal/kg/FFM/day
Reduced energy availability: 30-45 kcal/kg FFM/day
Low energy availability: <30 kcal/kg FFM/day

Let’s look at an example of someone weighing 70 kg with 20 body fat%

Step 1:
Calculate Fat-Free Mass (FFM):
Body Fat Mass = 70 kg × 20% = 14 kg
Fat-Free Mass (FFM) = 70 kg – 14 kg = 56 kg
Step 2:
Energy Availability (EA) Calculation EA = (Energy Intake – Exercise Energy Expenditure) / Fat-Free Mass

For our 56 kg FFM individual:
Optimal EA threshold: 56 kg × 45 kcal/kg = 2,520 kcal/day
Low EA threshold: 56 kg × 30 kcal/kg = 1,680 kcal/day

Example scenarios:

A. Optimal EA: Energy Intake: 3,000 kcal Exercise Energy Expenditure: 400 kcal EA = (3,000 – 400) / 56 = 46.4 kcal/kg FFM/day (Optimal)

B. Reduced EA: Energy Intake: 2,500 kcal Exercise Energy Expenditure: 600 kcal EA = (2,500 – 600) / 56 = 33.9 kcal/kg FFM/day (Reduced)

C. Low EA: Energy Intake: 2,000 kcal Exercise Energy Expenditure: 800 kcal EA = (2,000 – 800) / 56 = 21.4 kcal/kg FFM/day (Low)

These calculations demonstrate how increased exercise energy expenditure or decreased energy intake can lead to reduced or low energy availability, even when total calorie intake might seem adequate.

When you are looking to achieve a body composition change and loose fat the one key thing is a Calorie Deficit, which means burning more calories than you eat.
When we think calorie burn, most of us will immediately think “Exercise” but thats just a small part of the puzzle.

Here are all the ways our bodies burn calories:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR):
   This is the energy your body uses to maintain basic life functions while at rest, such as breathing, circulation, and cell production. It accounts for the majority of calories burned daily.
2. Physical Activity:
   Any movement burns additional calories. This includes:
   • Exercise (e.g., running, swimming, weightlifting)
   • Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): daily activities like walking, cleaning, fidgeting
3. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF):
   The energy used to digest, absorb, and metabolize food. It typically accounts for about 10% of total daily energy expenditure.
4. Adaptive Thermogenesis:
   The body’s ability to generate heat in response to environmental changes or diet.
5. Growth and Development:
   Children and adolescents burn extra calories for growth. Pregnant women also burn additional calories to support fetal development.

The component that contributes most to our daily calorie burn for most people is the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).

BMR typically accounts for 60-75% of total daily energy expenditure for sedentary individuals. This means that even if you were to lie in bed all day, your body would still burn a significant number of calories just to keep your basic life functions operating.

The exact percentage can vary based on factors such as:

1. Age: BMR tends to decrease with age.
2. Body composition: More muscle mass increases BMR.
3. Gender: Men generally have a higher BMR than women due to greater muscle mass.
4. Genetics: Some people naturally have a higher or lower BMR.
5. Health conditions: Certain medical conditions can affect BMR.

It’s important to note that while BMR is the largest contributor to calorie burn for most people, physical activity can significantly increase total daily energy expenditure, especially for very active individuals. For athletes or people with physically demanding jobs, the calories burned through activity might approach or even exceed their BMR.

The one that generally gets overlooked but can actually end up having a BIG effect on your daily burn is NEAT – Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

Tips for increasing NEAT in daily life:

1. At Work
   Use a standing desk or treadmill and vary your position throughout the day.
   Take walking meetings instead of sitting in a conference room.
   Set a timer and stand up at least once every hour. Add in a stretch if possible, or a walk around the building.
   Use a smaller water bottle so it needs filling more often.
2. At Home
   Do more vigorous versions of chores (scrub the floor rather than mop for example).
   Stand or pace while using your phone.
   Do simple exercises or stretching during tv commercials, or between episodes.
   Dance while listening to music.
3. During Commutes / Errands:
   Park further away from entrances of buildings.
   Get off public transport one stop early and walk the rest of the way.
   Carry groceries instead of using trollies for small shops.
   Walk or bike instead of using your car wherever possible.
4. Social Activities:
   Suggest active things to do; mini golf, bowling etc.
   Play active video games that require movement.
5. Throughout the day:
   Fidget more; drum your fingers, tap your feet etc.
   Increase your daily step count wherever possible.
   Use a smaller water bottle so it needs filling more often.
6. At Night:
   Do some light stretching or yoga before bed.
   Tidy your living spaces before going to bed.
   

Remember, the goal is to make movement a natural part of your day. Even small increases in activity can add up over time and contribute to higher overall calorie burn.

Carb-Load Like a Pro!

Whether you’re lining up for a marathon, ultra-endurance event, or all-day sufferfest, proper pre-race nutrition can be the difference between bonking at the wall and unlocking next-level performance.

While pretty much all endurance athletes understand the importance of staying fuelled during an event, I find that the actual understanding how to do this can be pretty lacking.

It can feel like a mindfield… so I’m going to break it down and make it as simple as I can for you.

In a nutshell it means optimising what you eat in the days beforehand and it is a massively underrated part of the high-performance equation.

By strategically carb-loading and topping off fuel stores through precise nutrient timing and food choices, you can start your biggest races topped up with maximum muscle glycogen levels – allowing you to go harder, longer, and put your training to its fullest test.

Carbohydrate loading to maximize glycogen stores

Glycogen stores can deplete relatively quickly during prolonged endurance events, which is why carbohydrate loading in the days leading up to the event is so important.

Here are the headlines:

• Muscles store glycogen as the primary fuel source for high-intensity exercise lasting longer than 90-120 minutes.
• A well-trained endurance athlete may have 350-700g of glycogen stored in their muscles prior to carb loading.
• During a marathon or long endurance event, these glycogen stores can become depleted after about 2-3 hours of activity.
• Glycogen depletion is a major cause of hitting “the wall” or bonking during prolonged exercise when the muscles run out of easily accessible carbohydrate fuel.
• The carb loading protocol aims to maximize muscle and liver glycogen levels by tapering training and consuming a high-carb diet (7-12g/kg bodyweight) in the 1-3 days before the event.
• Proper carb loading can increase the total glycogen stores by 50-90% over normal levels, delaying fatigue.
• The timing of carb loading is important – loading too early results in glycogen depletion before the event.

Good Pre Race Foods to Include in your Carb Load Phase:

• White rice or pasta with a simple tomato/marinara sauce
• White or sweet potatoes
• Bagels or English muffins with jam/honey
• Bananas
• Rice cakes or crisp breads
• Sports drinks and electrolyte beverages
• Low-fiber cereals such as porridge, Ready Brek or Shredded Wheat.

Simple Pre-Race Meal Examples:

• Baked potato with salt, small side salad, and a sports beverage
• Plate of pasta with marinara sauce and a banana
• Bagel with peanut butter, a handful of pretzels, and a smoothie
• White rice, grilled chicken, steamed veggies, and an electrolyte drink
• Oatmeal with honey, a piece of toast with jam, and a fruit cup

The key things that make these “simple” are:

• Easily digestible carb sources like rice, potatoes, pasta
• Limited fiber, fat and protein to avoid GI distress
• Hydrating fluids like sports drinks
• Familiar, bland foods that the athlete tolerates well
• Single-plate or bowl meals for easy consumption

The focus is on providing high-quality carbs to top off glycogen stores, along with some protein, antioxidants, and fluids – without overwhelming the system before the endurance event begins.

Other things to consider:

Optimal Timing and Composition of the Pre-Event Meal:

• Timing is crucial – the pre-event meal should be consumed 3-4 hours before the start to allow for proper digestion and absorption
• Composition should be high in easily digestible carbs (e.g. white rice, pasta, potatoes, bread) and low in fat/fiber to minimize GI distress
• Fluids should be included to top off hydration levels
• Some protein can be included, but the focus should be on carb-rich foods
• Individualize based on personal tolerances – avoid any foods that typically cause GI issues
• Portion sizes depend on the event duration but usually around 3-4g/kg carbs

Hydration Strategies Before the Event:

• Begin hydrating heavily 2-3 days out by increasing fluid intake
• Aim to consume 5-10mL per kg bodyweight about 2-4 hours pre-race
• Include sodium in pre-race hydration to better retain fluids
• Monitor urine color to ensure proper hydration levels
• Don’t over-hydrate excessively, as this can cause hyponatremia
• Customize hydration based on individual sweat rates and event conditions

Summary:

The key for pre-event fueling is to maximize carb/fuel stores through proper loading, time the final fuel intake for optimal digestion and utilization, and ensure adequate but not excessive hydration levels heading into the endurance event.

This primes the body’s energy systems for the upcoming demands. It ensures you have done everything you can via your nutrition to back up the hard work you have put in via your training.

As we know, the human body has an incredible ability to adapt and become stronger in response to the physical demands placed upon it.

This adaptive process, when done specifically, is known as supercompensation. It is a fundamental principle that underpins effective training for athletes across a wide range of sports and disciplines.

At its core, supercompensation describes how, after being exposed to a new training stimulus that causes short-term fatigue, the body overcompensates during the recovery period by enhancing its capabilities beyond the pre-training level.

By strategically applying the supercompensation model, endurance athletes and those following supporting strength and conditioning programs can maximise their performance gains, avoid overtraining, and unlock their full physical potential.

Supercompensation is more than just regular training because it follows a specific pattern and principles.

Here are some key points that distinguish it:

Overload Principle;
Supercompensation requires exposing the body to greater stress/workload than it is accustomed to, through increased volume, intensity, or new training stimuli. This overload causes temporary fatigue.

Recovery Period ;
After the overload, there must be a recovery period where the training load is reduced to allow the body to adapt and rebuild itself stronger than before.

Cycle Pattern;
Supercompensation follows a cyclical pattern of overload -> fatigue -> recovery -> enhanced capacity. This cycle is repeated as fitness levels increase.

Timing;
There is an optimal timing element. If the recovery period is too short, the body won’t fully supercompensate. If too long, detraining can occur before the next overload.

Individualization;
The overload stimulus and recovery time required varies per individual based on factors like training age, genetics, nutrition, etc.

Progressive Overload;
As the body adapts, greater overload is required to continue supercompensating and making fitness gains over time.

Specificity;
The supercompensation effects are specific to the muscles, energy systems, and skills trained under overload.

Whether you’re a marathoner looking to shave minutes off your PR, a cyclist striving for that extra watt of power output, or a weightlifter aiming to break through frustrating plateaus, strategically applying the principles of supercompensation can be a game-changer.

By precisely calibrating periods of overload training followed by optimal recovery, you unlock the ability to push past previous limits and take your physical capabilities to newfound heights.

The human body’s supercompensatory powers are remarkable – learning to precisely harness this phenomenon is what separates those who achieve extraordinary gains from those who stagnate. It is also where a coach can really help you make the difference as a great coach will know how to read your training data and apply the right cycles at the right times to get you your best results. .

Embrace the cycle of overload and renaissance, and prepare to redefine your personal performance potential.

Even endurance athletes with true mental grit and mental toughness will inevitably face dark moments when shit gets tough, motivation plummets and the prospect of quitting seems tempting.

The ability to overcome these psychological slumps separates the middle-of-the-pack finishers from the podium contenders.

While physical conditioning is paramount, having an arsenal of mental strategies to deploy when the inner voice turns negative can mean the difference between succumbing to the brain’s quit signals or finding renewed focus and determination.

Your Emergency Mindset Toolkit:

This is your emergency mindset toolkit – a collection of psychological techniques to reboot mental grit when the shadow of burnout and despair looms large over your endurance ambitions.

Breathing Exercises

• Specific rhythmic breathing patterns to use to re-center and recover mentally (e.g. box breathing, 4-7-8 technique)

Positive Visual Cues

• Having predetermined positive images/visions to call upon to rebuild inspiration (e.g. loved ones, past successes)

Memory Anchors

• Pre-planned positive memories to vividly recall and reconnect with sources of determination

Body Scanning

• Systematic tension-release routines to bypass mental fatigue and reconnect with the physical

Chunking

• Breaking down races into motivational segments rather than focusing on the whole daunting distance

Power Postures

• Adopting postures and stances associated with confidence, resilience to reset the mindset

Cognitive Reframing

• Countering negative thoughts by consciously reframing them in a more empowering light

External Anchors

• Identifying motivational competitors, pacer groups or markers on the course to re-engage with

Endurance races create an inevitable ebb and flow of emotional peaks and valleys.

When the tides of motivation go out, the greatest endurance athletes have a toolbox of psychological tactics to draw from.

By implementing these mental coping strategies – whether it’s breathing exercises, positive visual cues, or cognitive reframing – you build resilience against the forces trying to derail your mindset.

You develop the capacity to override the brain’s impulses to quit and instead access renewed focus and determination. Cultivate and practice these techniques, and you’ll fear no motivational abyss, armed with the mental ammo to charge through the lowest lows en route to the finish line.

The mind quits long before the body, but with these coping tools, you’ll be the master of both.

As I approach a weekend with a DB Athlete undertaking another massive challenge (their second 100 mile Ultra in 6 weeks) the subject of managing your mindset during a BIG event is clearly on my mind.

So… I’m sharing one of my favourite concepts, first introduced to me by ‘The Iron Cowboy’ James Lawrence during his “50” challenge where he completed 50 IronMan distance triathlons in 50 US States in 50 days.

This is the Concept of: “Don’t Get Too High. Don’t Get Too Low”

The ability to regulate emotions and maintain an unwavering mental focus can separate the champions from the also-rans in grueling endurance competitions.

While physical preparation is crucial, how you manage your mindset and psychological state during the inherent ebbs and flows is equally vital.

This emerging philosophy emphasises cultivating a even-keeled, balanced state of mind – steadfastly avoiding the pitfalls of overconfidence during high points and despondency during low points.

Here are some key aspects of this mindset approach:

1. Emotional regulation:
   Endurance events involve physical and mental ups and downs. The theory suggests regulating emotions to avoid getting carried away by momentary feelings, whether positive or negative, which could disrupt pacing and focus.
2. Consistency:
   Maintaining a consistent level of effort and concentration is considered ideal, rather than expending too much energy in bursts of over-enthusiasm or letting negative emotions drain commitment.
3. Pacing:
   Getting too high can lead to starting out too fast and burning out prematurely. Getting too low can cause one to slow down unnecessarily or even give up. An even pace matching one’s training is recommended.
4. Objectivity:
   The idea is to objectively assess the situation at each point, without the extremes of over-optimism from temporary good feelings or despair from temporary setbacks.
5. Resilience:
   Avoiding emotional peaks and valleys can help cultivate resilience to overcome the inevitable challenges that arise.

The ultimate goal is to stay level-headed, stick to one’s race plan, and persist with determination throughout the ups and downs until the finish line.

Proponents believe this balanced mindset allows athletes to perform closer to their full potential over the entire distance.

If you want to truly become the best athlete you can be, you have to first master and the weaponise your mindset and this is a key asset.

Periodisation… a term every endurance athlete has probably heard but it is obvious from many conversations I have had recently that few actually understand what it is all about.
Even if you have a coach who plans your training it is still beneficial for you to have a basic understanding of this concept.

What is it all about?

Periodisation is a strategic way of structuring your training program to maximize results and prevent burnout or injury. It involves cycling through different phases of training with varying intensities and volumes.

The basic idea is to alternate between periods of harder, more intense training (like lifting heavier weights or increasing your mileage) and periods of lighter, lower-intensity training. This allows your body to work hard and make gains during the intense phases, while also giving it a chance to recover and avoid overtraining during the lighter phases.

For example, you might have a 4-week block of really challenging workouts where you’re pushing yourself hard. Then, you’d follow that with a 1-2 week period of easier, recovery-focused training to let your body rest and adapt to the previous training stress. This cycle of hard work followed by planned recovery is repeated throughout your overall training plan.

The benefits of periodisation:

1. It helps prevent plateau by constantly introducing new training stimuli
2. It reduces your risk of injury or burnout from doing too much too soon, and ensures you’re fresh and rested for important competitions or events.
3. It’s a way of strategically managing your body’s finite energy resources over time for long-term, sustainable progress.

How periodisation allows athletes to maximize training adaptations while preventing overtraining and burnout:

Periodisation is designed to facilitate the body’s adaptive responses to training stress while also allowing for adequate recovery and replenishment of energy stores.

This is achieved through structured periods of overload followed by planned periods of reduced training load or complete rest.

During the overload phases, the body is exposed to increased training volumes, intensities, and often both.

This overload stimulus initiates physiological and metabolic processes that lead to adaptations such as increased muscle strength, improved cardiovascular fitness, and enhanced energy utilization.

However, if the overload continues indefinitely without respite, the body’s finite energy resources will eventually become depleted, leading to overtraining and burnout.

To counteract this, periodisation incorporates recovery phases or periods of reduced training load.

These recovery periods serve several crucial functions:

1. Energy replenishment: They allow the body to replenish depleted energy stores, such as glycogen in the muscles and liver, which are essential for high-intensity training and performance.
2. Tissue repair and adaptation: Recovery periods provide the necessary time for damaged muscle fibers to repair, for the body to adapt to the previous training stimulus, and for the central nervous system to recover from the accumulated fatigue.
3. Psychological recovery: Periods of reduced training load help alleviate mental fatigue and burnout, allowing athletes to maintain motivation and enthusiasm for their sport.

By respecting the body’s need for recovery and replenishment through periodisation, athletes can maximize their training adaptations without exceeding the body’s finite energy resources or pushing it into an overtrained state.

This strategic approach to training not only enhances performance but also reduces the risk of injuries, illness, and burnout, enabling athletes to train consistently over the long term.

Building on from the previous DB Conversation, All About Stress (https://differentbreed.io/the-relationship-between-training-stress-and-recovery/) I am going address the importance of monitoring and managing fatigue levels during endurance training. This topic aligns nicely with the discussion about balancing training stress and recovery, managing the body’s finite energy source, and optimising performance and adaptation in endurance training.

This should provide valuable insights and practical strategies for endurance athletes and coaches seeking to maximise training gains while mitigating the risk of overtraining and burnout.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining:

1. Persistent fatigue:
   Feeling unusually tired and sluggish, even after adequate rest and recovery periods.
2. Decreased performance:
   A noticeable drop in athletic performance, despite maintaining the same training load.
3. Muscle soreness:
   Prolonged and excessive muscle soreness that persists for days after training sessions.
4. Increased injuries:
   Experiencing more frequent or nagging injuries, which can be a sign of overtraining and insufficient recovery.
5. Disturbed sleep:
   Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or experiencing poor quality sleep.
6. Mood disturbances:
   Changes in mood, such as increased irritability, anxiety, depression, or a lack of motivation.
7. Suppressed appetite:
   A noticeable decrease in appetite or a loss of interest in food.
8. Increased resting heart rate:
   An elevated resting heart rate, which can indicate the body’s inability to fully recover.
9. Increased susceptibility to illness:
   Frequent colds, flu, or other illnesses due to a compromised immune system.
10. Menstrual irregularities:
    In female athletes, overtraining can lead to changes in menstrual cycles or amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).

* It’s important to note that overtraining is a complex condition, and individuals may experience different combinations of these symptoms. Monitoring and addressing these signs and symptoms promptly is crucial to prevent more severe consequences, such as burnout, prolonged performance decrements, or long-term health issues.

5 Simple Strategies for Assessing Fatigue Levels

1. Resting Heart Rate Monitoring: Monitor your resting heart rate (RHR) first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. An elevated RHR compared to your baseline can be an indicator of fatigue or incomplete recovery from previous training sessions.
2. Subjective Rating Scales: Use a simple rating scale (e.g., 1-10) to quantify your perceived level of fatigue, muscle soreness, motivation, or overall well-being. Tracking these subjective measures over time can help identify patterns and potential overtraining.
3. Performance Tracking: Monitor your performance metrics during training sessions or competitions. If you consistently struggle to hit your target paces, power outputs, or lift the same weights as before, it could signal accumulated fatigue.
4. Sleep Quality Assessment: Pay attention to your sleep quality and quantity. Persistent poor sleep, difficulty falling asleep, or frequent waking during the night can be signs of overtraining and inadequate recovery.
5. Mood and Motivation Monitoring: Keep track of your mood and motivation levels. Persistent irritability, anxiety, depression, or a lack of enthusiasm for training that you previously enjoyed could indicate overtraining and the need for a recovery period.

By incorporating these simple strategies into your training routine, you can gain valuable insights into your body’s fatigue levels and make informed decisions adjusting your training load, incorporating more recovery periods, or seeking professional support if necessary.

Hopefully this helps and gives you some better insight into how to monitor and manage your fatigue levels.

To fully understand fitness and how to make lasting and meaningful changes to your endurance you really have to understand the key concepts of stress and recovery.

Training is just a form of stress and training stress refers to the physical and mental demands placed on the body during exercise or athletic activities.

Recovery, on the other hand, is the process by which the body repairs and adapts to the stress imposed during training.

It should be simple right. You put your body under stress through your training and then you take a bit of time to recover, and the improvements happen. Rinse and Repeat…

Unfortunately though, it isn’t quite that simple, especially for those trying to reach a new level of performance. This is because both stress and recovery utilise the most important resource the body has: Energy!

The relationship between training stress and recovery:

This is a delicate balance that athletes and fitness enthusiasts must maintain for optimal performance and injury prevention.

Adequate recovery is crucial for allowing the body to replenish energy stores, repair muscle damage, and promote adaptation.

Without proper recovery, excessive training stress can lead to overtraining, increased risk of injury, and diminished performance.

Therefore, it is essential to strike a balance between training stress and recovery, allowing for appropriate rest and recovery periods to maximise the benefits of training and prevent burnout or overuse injuries.

The human body has a finite energy source:

Proper management of this energy is crucial for making gains in fitness and avoiding overtraining or burnout.

Here’s an explanation of how this works:

1. Energy stores: The body’s primary energy sources are glycogen (stored in the muscles and liver) and fat. These energy stores are limited and can be depleted during intense or prolonged exercise.
2. Depletion and replenishment: During training, the body utilizes these energy stores, leading to depletion. If the energy stores are not adequately replenished through proper nutrition and rest, the body will eventually reach a state of fatigue and diminished performance.
3. Recovery and adaptation: After a training session, the body needs time to recover and adapt to the stress imposed during exercise. During this recovery period, the body replenishes its energy stores, repairs muscle damage, and adapts by becoming stronger and more efficient.
4. Overtraining and burnout: If the body is not given sufficient time to recover and replenish its energy stores, it can lead to overtraining and burnout. This can result in decreased performance, increased risk of injury, and prolonged recovery times.

Making gains in fitness while managing the body’s finite energy source:

To do this it is essential to follow these principles:

1. Periodization: Incorporate periods of high-intensity training followed by periods of lower-intensity training or active recovery to allow the body to replenish its energy stores and adapt to the training stimulus.
2. Nutrition: Consume a balanced diet with sufficient calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats to fuel the body and support recovery and adaptation.
3. Rest and sleep: Allow for adequate rest and sleep, as these are crucial for recovery, energy replenishment, and muscle repair.
4. Monitoring: Pay attention to signs of fatigue, decreased performance, or increased susceptibility to illness, as these can indicate the need for more recovery time.

By respecting the body’s finite energy source and implementing proper training, nutrition, and recovery strategies, athletes and fitness enthusiasts can maximize their gains in fitness while avoiding overtraining and burnout.

Last week I gave you some insights into why how you breathe really does matter if you want to take your endurance performance to the next level.
If you missed it, you can read it here

This week I am going to give you some practical tips and exercises to help you develop and maintain that regular breathing pattern.

1)Rhythmic Breathing:
Practice inhaling for a specific count (e.g., 3 or 4) and exhaling for the same count, syncing the breath with your movement patterns.

2)Nasal Breathing:
Breathe through your nose as much as possible during low-intensity activities to promote diaphragmatic breathing.

3)Breath Counting:
Simply count your breaths (e.g., 1-2-3-4 inhale, 1-2-3-4 exhale) to reinforce a consistent rhythm.

3)Use a Metronome or Music
Set a metronome or select music with a consistent beat per minute (BPM) that matches the desired breathing rate. Try to synchronise your inhalations and exhalations with the metronome or music beats.

4)Breathing Ladders
Start with a short breathing pattern (e.g., 2 steps per inhalation, 2 steps per exhalation) and gradually increase the length (e.g., 3 steps per inhalation, 3 steps per exhalation).
Alternate between shorter and longer patterns to challenge breathing control.

5)Straw Breathing:
Breathe through a small straw during low-intensity activities to promote controlled, diaphragmatic breathing.
This can help you become more aware of your breathing patterns and maintain a consistent rhythm.

6)Visualisation and Cue Words:
Visualize and mentally rehearse your desired breathing patterns before and during activities.
Use cue words or phrases (e.g., “inhale, exhale,” “rhythm,” “control”) to reinforce consistent breathing.

8) Focused Breathing During Warmups and Cooldowns:
Dedicate specific segments of your warmup and cooldown routines to focus solely on controlled breathing exercises.
This can help you establish a consistent breathing pattern before and after intense efforts.

The key thing when practising any of these methods is to start with shorter durations and gradually increase the time and intensity as you become more comfortable with maintaining a regular breathing pattern.

Consistency and regular practice are key to developing this important skill.

In short, Yes!

Now for the longer answer:
The more efficient your breathing the better you will perform. In endurance aerobic capacity is such a key element of your fitness. Oxygen is your primary energy source and your heart rate spikes when your brain doesn’t know when the next hit of oxygen is incoming.

Therefore, the more regular the breathing pattern, the lower and more stable the heart rate.

To break it down further here are the key reasons building and sustaining a regular breathing pattern will elevate your athletic performance.

1) Oxygen Efficiency: It can help improve the efficiency of oxygen uptake and utilisation during exercise. This in turn can enhance endurance and delay the onset of fatigue.

2) Respiratory Muscle Training: It helps train the respiratory muscles, such as the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, to work more efficiently. Stronger respiratory muscles can improve breathing economy.

3) Stress Reduction: It has been shown to have a calming effect on the body and mind. You can better manage stress and anxiety, which can negatively impact performance.

4) Pacing and Rhythm: It can help establish a steady pace and rhythm during activities where maintaining a consistent effort level is crucial.

5) Recovery: Proper techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing or nasal breathing, can aid in recovery. They can help facilitate the removal of metabolic waste products and promote faster recovery.

6) Mental Focus: Focusing on breath work can help you stay present and focused during your sessions. It can also improve concentration and mental toughness, which are essential for optimal performance.

7) Technique Reinforcement: In some endurance sports, like swimming or rowing, a regular breathing pattern is closely tied to proper technique. Emphasising good breath work can reinforce good technical habits and improve overall efficiency.

A thought-provoking question recently popped up in my Instagram inbox, courtesy of one of my athletes: “Is athletic success determined by genetics or mental toughness?” It sparked a lively debate, prompting me to delve into this topic for this week’s blog.

Firstly, it’s crucial to acknowledge that opinions on this matter vary widely. If you have thoughts to share, head over to my social media post and join the conversation.

In my view, success in athletics is influenced by a combination of genetics and mindset. Undoubtedly, genetics endow certain individuals with predispositions for particular sports due to factors like muscle fiber distribution and oxygen efficiency. However, it’s essential to emphasize that genetics are individualistic, and attributing success to race is unfounded.

Nevertheless, genetics merely provide a foundation; it’s the interplay of nature and nurture that molds elite athletes. Rigorous training and opportunities are indispensable for realizing one’s athletic potential. Different sports demand diverse innate abilities, but achieving true greatness requires more than sheer effort.

While hard work is vital, I’m inclined to believe that innate physical aptitude often outweighs it. Occasionally, exceptional individuals defy this notion, almost transcending humanity with their prowess. Yet, for most, achieving extraordinary feats hinges on mental fortitude.

The stories of David Goggins, James Lawrence, Sean Conway, and Ross Edgley exemplify the power of the mind in overcoming physical barriers. For recreational athletes, irrespective of their level, nurturing mental resilience is as crucial as physical training. That’s why at Different Breed, we emphasize both the five Training Pillars and five Mindset Pillars, laying the groundwork for success.

I’ve witnessed remarkable transformations in athletes when their mindset shifts. Enhanced self-belief, focus, and determination invariably elevate performance levels. To unlock your true potential, set audacious goals that intimidate you, and pursue them relentlessly.

Yet, few are willing to embark on this journey. What sets exceptional individuals apart is their unwavering commitment to improvement and their aversion to mediocrity. As one of my athletes aptly puts it,

“Training talks. Bullshit walks
(with a whole of excuses).”

Are you ready to step up your game? If you’re driven to push your limits and aspire for greatness, join our community. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or aspiring podium finisher, together, we’ll redefine your boundaries.

Sign up for our athletic endurance performance coaching today or leave a comment below to be part of the discussion. Let’s embark on this journey to excellence together.

Liza xXx

Embrace the lows, they’re the launchpad to your highs.

The 5th Training Principle of Different Breed focuses on recovery and understanding that the highs and the successes are only possible due to the dips and the down time.
This can be one of the hardest things for some athletes to put into practice

Everyone I work with is more than happy to do all the training sessions but often I get a lot of push back or reluctance regarding rest days, active recovery days, deload weeks and taper phases.

One of the main reasons given is guilt. Guilt for taking time off when they could be doing something, which feels lazy. I totally understand this notion but it is not a healthy attitude or a smart logic.

These aspects of training are just as important as the work. Without them the effort you are putting into to your training could end up wasted.

So, let’s break it down a little, one by one…

Rest days during a training block are crucial to allow your body to adapt to the stress of hard training. On rest days, avoid strenuous activity and let your body and mind recharge. Minimum one rest day a week which involves nothing more than walking and mobility work is the standard rule.
Proper rest days enable you to come back stronger for your next hard workout. Without adequate rest, you’ll experience fatigue, loss of motivation, and increased injury risk. Plus you could experience a progress plateau, or even a regression as your body fails to recover and absorb the level of training stress you are enduring.

Active recovery days involve light exercise that increases blood flow to enhance recovery without producing additional fatigue. This could be an easy jog, swim, spin or even involve some light bodyweight strength work as long as it done at low intensity. The increased blood flow will transport nutrients to fatigued muscles while removing metabolic waste products. Staying moving on recovery days will help you feel fresher when returning to hard training while still allowing adaptation to occur. If only having one rest day every 7 then including one active recovery day could make a massive difference.

Deload weeks should occur every 3-4 weeks of hard training. The purpose is to back off and allow more complete physiological, mental, and emotional recovery – not just within a week but accumulated over weeks of training. Reduce your training volume by around 50% during the deload week. You can maintain some intensity but this should not be high for every session. You’ll return rejuvenated and ready to stress your body with hard training again during the next mesocycle. Deloads prevent overtraining, burnout, and loss of enjoyment.

Tapering prepares you to perform at your peak on race day. Gradually reduce your training volume by 30-50% over 1-3 weeks leading up to your key event. Frequency and intensity stay higher to maintain fitness. The reduced load allows time for any accumulated fatigue to dissipate. You’ll feel refreshed, motivated and ready to give your best effort. An effective taper requires patience and avoidance of the temptation to overtrain during this crucial phase.

Hopefully this helps you understand a bit more about the how and why of effective endurance training and how recovery plays such a critical role. You should now fee l totally confident to put these key phases in to your plans without a hint of guilt, knowing you are doing exactly what you need to do to help move the needle on your fitness, outside of the hard graft of training.

The 4th Training Principle of Different Breed focuses on being consistent with your training, but also being adaptable and not letting life’s curveballs completely derail your progress.
We all know that sometimes ‘life gets in the way” but having a solid plan in place and building commitment and discipline is the true way forward to race day success.

Let’s talk first about why consistency is so important.

Consistency in endurance training is key to seeing continued improvements and being prepared on race day. By training regularly – following a plan and sticking to a steady weekly mileage or hours training – your body adapts to the stress of exercise. Consistency allows physiological changes like increased aerobic capacity, muscular endurance, and lactate threshold. It also prevents overtraining injuries.

Athletes who train sporadically, or too much, often find themselves injured, exhausted, or hitting a performance plateau.

Showing up regularly and putting in the miles, intervals, strength & conditioning, core and cross training outlined by your training plan is equally important in those last key weeks leading up to race day. Consistency sets you up to taper and fully absorb all the hard work you’ve put in.

By settling into a regular routine and habits, you don’t need to think about motivation or readiness. You’ve trained your body and mind to deliver a peak performance. A consistent training block pays off on race day.

However, sticking to the plan can sometimes be extremely taxing when you have a full and busy life that demands you pull focus from your training plan.

But, it doesn’t mean you just give up. If what your are working towards is truly important you will find a way through the tough times.

If you are lucky enough to be working with a coach, the first thing is to talk to them. They will help you figure out what you can do, to keep you progressing.

If you are flying solo, you have to figure it out on your own.

In both scenarios, here are the two key pieces of advice:

1) Be honest with yourself about how much time and energy you actually have available.
There is no point putting a plan in place that you know deep down is just too much for you. Progress can still be made, even if you have to accept that your gains are going to come a little bit slower. The takeaway is that you will still making progress… which is the goals right!

2) Focus on what you CAN do. Not what you can’t.
OK, so life is going to look a bit different for a little while, and it doesn’t look how you want it to. So what? Change the picture, you are where you are and you can either adapt, or you can fail… and remember, at Different Breed you only truly fail when you give up completely.
When you are dealing with life’s curveballs remember:
Build Consistently, Adapt Relentlessly:
Every small step fortifies your foundation. When hurdles appear, leap higher.

Staying flexible and adjusting your expectations are key to dealing with life’s curveballs that negatively impact your training. Rather than getting fixated on a specific race goal or mileage target for the week that is now unattainable, shift your mindset to maintenance and damage control.

Accept that you may need to take a few days off, cut back intensity or distance temporarily, or modify your workouts. The priority becomes holding onto the baseline fitness you built up without trying to forcibly progress.

Use crosstraining and active recovery to keep moving when you can. Mentally prepare for the fitness setback but know it is temporary. Stay focused on getting through this short detour without losing too much ground by supporting overall health first. Trust that when life stabilizes again, you can gradually ramp back up.

The successful athlete understands that they need to be flexible and that unexpected interruptions as part of the training process.

Hopefully this helps you understand a bit more about the how and why of effective endurance training plans.

Now, don’t get it twisted when reading that headline… I am not saying minimum effort as in you can sand bag your training sessions.

What I am talking about it the Minimal Dose Response, the third training principle of Different Breed.

Endurance training aims to improve the body’s ability to sustain prolonged physical activity. As you do more endurance exercise, your fitness and endurance capacity improves. However, there is a minimal amount of training that produces most of these adaptations.

If you train beyond this minimal dose, additional benefits become smaller and more gradual. The body can only adapt so quickly – extra training stimulates diminishing returns. So more endurance exercise is not always better once the minimum stimulus threshold is surpassed.

In fact, training well beyond the minimal dose without proper recovery can lead to overtraining, fatigue and burnout. This impairs performance and endurance capacity. So for efficient and sustained fitness gains, the minimal effective training dose with good recovery time optimized long-term development.

Simply put, more endurance exercise is not always more beneficial if the minimum dose is already achieved.

The second reason this principle is so important is because it minimises the injury risk.

When you regularly train well beyond the minimum recommended endurance training volumes and intensities, it dramatically increases repetitive impact and strain on the body. For example, ramping up running mileage too aggressively places a lot of stress on joints and tissues.

This accumulative overload over weeks and months gradually fatigues structures like tendons, cartilage, and bones beyond their capabilities.

It makes them more vulnerable to microtears and inflammatory conditions – this manifests as painful overuse injuries like stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, patellofemoral pain.

By sticking closer to the minimum effective endurance training you ensure adequate rest and recovery between sessions. The body has more time to adapt and get stronger to withstand subsequent sessions. Tendons, bones and muscles are strengthened overtime before being exposed to heavier loads.

So in every way, less training can equate to more in the long run.

Hopefully this helps you understand a bit more about the how and why of effective endurance training plans.

Your ability to sustain is your ticket to success and is the substance behind my second principle of training. You must adapt, endure and then you can conquer.

Specificity develops the physiological capacities, technical skills and fortitude in the exact muscles, energy systems and movements needed to excel in your chosen endurance activity. It puts focus into every training session for everyday athletes.

The SAID principle is commonly used by coaches in all sports and it stands for Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.

It is a key training principle for endurance that states your body will adapt specifically to the type of training you do and the amount of training stress you endure.

Some of the key points regarding the SAID principle:
It targets the specific energy systems and muscles needed for your sport/activity. Endurance activities like running, cycling, swimming etc. rely heavily on aerobic energy systems and slow twitch muscle fibers. Training plans tailored to these systems and muscles will optimize endurance capabilities.

It matches the specific movements and mechanics. The motions and techniques of running are different from swimming or cycling. Sport-specific drills and training adapts the body to handle those unique demands efficiently.

It allows for proper recovery and adaptation. Endurance training causes microscopic tears and fatigue in muscles and energy systems. Sport-specific training doses the right amount of stress so you can recover and bounce back stronger in time for your next training session or event.

It prepares you for the specific rigors and conditions. Training should mimic the motions, duration, terrain and conditions of your goal event as closely as possible. This sport-specific overload principle boosts specific fitness and skills.

The SAID principle highlights the need for specificity in training and endurance athletes need to focus their training on taxing the aerobic system.

However, if you just repeat the same session over and over again your body will soon adapt to that training stress and your progress will plateau as there is no demand there any more. Similarly just doing generic exercise won’t necessarily improve endurance, not to any great degree anyway. It certainly won’t yield the results you are truly capable of.

This means you have to do a variety of different training sessions that specifically target different outcomes if you want to be able to race faster for longer.

Here is a 4-session running plan that provides different stimuli for endurance athletes:
Long Slow Distance (LSD) Run: A long run at an easy, conversational pace. This builds aerobic endurance and teaches the body to burn fat as fuel. Aim for 60-90 mins.
Tempo Run: Run at lactate threshold pace, which is slightly faster than marathon pace. This improves speed and efficiency at higher intensities. Aim for 20-40 mins.
Interval Training: Short, fast intervals (e.g. 800m-1200m) with rest periods in between. This builds speed and anaerobic capacity. Aim for 6-10 x 800m with 2 min rest.
Hill Repeats: Short, fast hill repeats targeting max effort. Builds leg strength and power. Aim for 6-10 x 30 sec uphill sprints with jog back recovery.

The long run provides an endurance base, while the faster sessions develop speed and efficiency. The intervals add anaerobic and leg power.

Combining these different stimuli allows runners to become stronger and faster overall.

Rest and recovery around the hard sessions is also key.

This week we are going to delve a little bit deeper into the first training principle of Different Breed:

Strength Reigns Supreme in Endurance.

To excel in your chosen endurance sport you obviously need to practise the disciplines of your sport and build an extraordinary level of fitness in all required i.e running, cycling, swimming

However, the key to racing your true best performance lies in developing a robust strength foundation.

Full-body compound movements such as the squat, deadlift and bench press will provide the muscular endurance to maintain proper form through the later miles when fatigue sets in. During the early off season while you are in the General Prep Phase you should focus on maximal strength, so lifting heavy, to bulletproof your body meaning you will be less prone to injury and able to sustain high levels of training stress.

Accessory exercises improve balance, engage stabiliser muscles, increase your range of motion and help prevent overuse injuries. Unilateral exercises (single leg or arm) allows athletes to identify and improve any muscular imbalances.

Core exercises train the abs, obliques, lower back and hips through their full range of motion. Developing endurance in these muscles leads to better form, injury prevention and stronger overall core stabilization. This allows endurance athletes to maintain power and efficiency even after many miles on the course when fatigue sets in. A strong core is a must for excelling over any long distance event.

Very smart and specific sprint intervals performed at the end of a strength session boost stamina and fatigue resistance.

Committing to an S&C program encompassing all these elements will give you a huge payout on race day.

Right now is the perfect time in the season to implement a smart S&C program so get on it, if you haven’t already.

Remember, if there is a particular subject you want covered, drop me a message and let me know. I want this conversation to be as useful to you as possible.

I was recently interviewed for a magazine and one of the questions I was asked was:

Q: What are the biggest mistakes people make with their overall endurance training?

As this is clearly such an important topic I thought I would share my answers with you here 🙂

A: People make so many mistakes when left to their own devices but here are the main three that are the most common, and the most serious.

1) Ignoring S&C!
I speak to so many triathletes who just run, bike and swim and think that time doing S&C work is time wasted. Or, they do it but they don’t take it seriously. They do it to just tick the box.

Smart S&C can be the thing that truly elevates someone’s endurance performance as there are so many benefits: Better running economy, better posture, better form, improved speed and power, better muscle fibre recruitment, faster reflexes… to name just a few 🙂

You will never be the best endurance athlete you can be if you are not doing really good S&C… and the ‘C’ is important. A lot of people focus on the Strength and not the Conditioning.

Plus S&C is the biggest prehab tool for injury prevention. It’s how you become a bulletproof racer.

2) Repetitive training.
I see people share their run/cycle/tri training plans and they include the same sort of session week in, week out. The same sort of runs, the same rides etc.
The SAID principle is so important in both Endurance and S&C.
Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.
You need to force your body to adapt to different stimulus to ensure progression. If you only ever run at a similar pace, lift a certain weight or bike for a certain time or distance you are blunting your progress because there is nothing for your body to adapt to.

3) Thinking more is more, and wanting to do way too much.
I know so many athletes that think deload weeks are wasted weeks and that tapering means just not doing anything for a couple of days before the race. It can be a real struggle to help someone truly understand, appreciate and most importantly execute a strategic and meaningful deload or taper period.

Too many endurance athletes either break themselves, burn out or hold themselves back simply by doing too much.

Personally I am a fan of the minimal dose response – using the minimum amount of good, targeted, specific work, to gain the maximum amount of benefit. I have honed this technique over my years of coaching and my athletes really benefit. One of the common pieces of feedback I get is ‘I cant believe how much I’ve improved. I thought I would have to do way more to achieve these results.’

The SAID principle stands for Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.

It is a key training principle for endurance that states your body will adapt specifically to the type of training you do.

Some key points about the SAID principle:
Your body adapts to the specific demands and stresses placed on it during training. The adaptation is very specific to the type of training.
To improve endurance, you need to do endurance training that stresses the aerobic energy system. To improve strength, you need to stress the muscles with resistance/strength training.
The training needs to be progressive, gradually increasing volume, intensity and frequency over time to see continued adaptation and improvement.
There needs to be enough recovery between training sessions for the adaptation to take place.
Variety and periodization of training is important to promote continued adaptation. Always doing the same training will lead to a plateau.

The SAID principle highlights the need for specificity in training.

Endurance athletes need to focus their training on taxing the aerobic system.

This means doing a variety of different training sessions that specifically target different outcomes.

Just doing generic exercise won’t necessarily improve endurance. It certainly won’t yield the results you are truly capable of.

The training stimulus needs to match the specific demands of the sport/event.

That’s why the SAID principle is so foundational – it underpins the need to tailor training properly for the athletic goals and events being targeted.

Here is a 4-session running plan that provides different stimuli for endurance athletes:

Long Slow Distance (LSD) Run: A long run at an easy, conversational pace. This builds aerobic endurance and teaches the body to burn fat as fuel. Aim for 60-90 mins.

Tempo Run: Run at lactate threshold pace, which is slightly faster than marathon pace. This improves speed and efficiency at higher intensities. Aim for 20-40 mins.

Interval Training: Short, fast intervals (e.g. 800m-1200m) with rest periods in between. This builds speed and anaerobic capacity. Aim for 6-10 x 800m with 2 min rest.

Hill Repeats: Short, fast hill repeats targeting max effort. Builds leg strength and power. Aim for 6-10 x 30 sec uphill sprints with jog back recovery.

The long run provides an endurance base, while the faster sessions develop speed and efficiency. The intervals add anaerobic and leg power.

Combining these different stimuli allows runners to become stronger and faster overall.

Rest and recovery around the hard sessions is also key.

Over the past couple of weeks we have been discussing Lactate Threshold Testing and why using your Lactate Threshold is better for endurance training than Max Heart Rate.

Now you know how to test and how to set your zones, here is some information about how to use those zones to best effect and leverage heart rate training to achieve yous race goals:

Zone 1 – Recovery: Below 80% lactate threshold
Zone 2 – Aerobic: 80-90% lactate threshold
Zone 3 – Tempo: 90-99% lactate threshold
Zone 4 – Lactate Threshold – 100%-104%
Zone 5 – VO2 max: 105% – Above lactate threshold

Zone 1 Recovery: Below 80% lactate threshold
This is light, conversational pace training. Running in this zone helps develop basic aerobic fitness, allows for recovery runs, and serves as a good warm up/cool down. It shouldn’t be the bulk of training but is useful.

Zone 2 Aerobic: 80-90% lactate threshold
This is general aerobic training.
Running in this zone builds aerobic base, improves fat burning capabilities, and prepares the body for harder efforts. It makes up the largest percentage of easy/long run training.

Zone 3 Tempo: 90-99% lactate threshold
This is tempo/threshold training.
Running in this zone starts to challenge the lactate threshold which improves speed and efficiency. It also develops mental toughness crucial for racing. Including tempo runs helps build strength, both physically and mentally.

Zone 4 Lactate Threshold – 100%-104%
This is lactate interval training.
Running in this zone stresses the VO2 max to increase it over time. The hard efforts tap more into speed and anaerobic power. Including lactate work builds speed and tolerance to pain/fatigue.

Zone 5 VO2 max: 105% – Above lactate threshold
This is full-out sprint training.
Running all-out in this zone boosts max speed and form. The intense bursts train the nerves to fire faster and recruit more muscle fibers. Including sprints develops power and leg turnover.

Following a training plan that incorporates all the heart rate zones will provide physiological and mental benefits to fully optimize your fitness for your goal race distance.

We’ve been discussing how Lactate Threshold trumps Max Heart Rate for Endurance Training (LT over Max HR) and in the last post I explained how to test your Lactate Threshold (Test your LT)

Once you have done the two step test and properly determined your Lactate Threshold you will be able to set your training zones as follows:

• Zone 1 – Recovery: Below 80% lactate threshold
• Zone 2 – Aerobic: 80-90% lactate threshold
• Zone 3 – Tempo: 90-99% lactate threshold
• Zone 4 – Lactate Threshold – 100%-104%
• Zone 5 – VO2 max: 105% – Above lactate threshold

Equip your watch (and connect your heart rate straps) to record data for zone training. 

Re-testing lactate threshold every 2-3 months (depending on the fitness age of the athlete) is required as zones will need adjusting as fitness improves, meaning your field tested data stays accurate and allows for fully robust training sessions. 

As you improve your aerobic fitness, you would expect your average heart rate during a 30 minute lactate threshold time trial to decrease. 

This is because the heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood and oxygenating the muscles as cardiovascular fitness increases.

There are a few key reasons why heart rate at lactate threshold pace decreases with training:

• Increased stroke volume – The amount of blood pumped per beat increases, so the heart can deliver more oxygen at a lower heart rate.
• Improved diastolic filling – More blood fills the heart between beats, boosting stroke volume.
• Increased capillary density – More blood vessels in the muscles allow better oxygen extraction.
• Greater mitochondrial density – More cellular mitochondria let muscles utilize oxygen more efficiently.
• Enhanced fat burning – Greater reliance on fat metabolism and less on limited glycogen stores.

The cumulative effect is that the cardiovascular system can sustain a given pace with less effort and lower heart rate.

So if you see your lactate threshold heart rate dropping over time, it’s a good sign you are building robust cardiovascular fitness.

In last week’s conversation I discussed why Lactate threshold is a better guide than maximum heart rate for heart rate run training.  

In a nutshell it’s becuase it gives you a more personalized and accurate measure of your aerobic capacity.

As promised, this week I’m going to lay out a simple way to test your lactate threshold on your own, meaning you need no fancy equipment (beyond your watch and ideally a heart rate chest strap for better accuracy) or a coach to deep dive into a load of data and do a lot of analysis.

The method I am going to explain here is not the only one, but it is the most accurate I have found for an athlete to do by themselves.

The Incremental Step Test

1) Complete an easy 10 minute warm up.

2) Run progressively faster 1/2 mile intervals, starting easy and increasing the pace each mile and take note of your average heart rate during each mile

Aim for a pace increase of 30 seconds per interval.

Take a short break between intervals to allow your heart rate to come down.

When you start to struggle to complete an interval or your heart rate stops increasing with increased effort, you are nearing lactate threshold.

The interval before you start struggling is around your lactate threshold pace and heart rate.

For example, if you struggled to complete the 7:30 pace interval but the 8:00 pace felt sustainable, your threshold is around an 8:00 mile pace. If your average heart rate during that 8:00 mile interval was 158, then your lactate threshold is 158.

You then confirm this by running a 30 minute time trial at your lactate threshold heart rate.

If you can sustain it for 30 minutes, it’s likely a valid measure of your lactate threshold.

Only do this test after a full period of recovery. If you try to go off to soon you will skew the data.

I advise doing this as a two day process, following a full rest day with the Incremental Test on day 1 and the Time Trail on day 2.

Retest every few months as your fitness improves. Using lactate threshold for training helps target the right intensities to build your endurance and speed.

Lactate threshold is a better guide than maximum heart rate for heart rate run training because it gives you a more personalized and accurate measure of your aerobic capacity.

As you exercise harder, lactic acid builds up in your muscles and bloodstream.

Lactate threshold is the exercise intensity where this buildup rapidly accelerates.

For most runners, this occurs between 80-90% of maximum heart rate.

The problem with just using max heart rate for training is that it varies widely between individuals based on factors like genetics and fitness level.

So a heart rate that’s 80% max for one runner could be too easy or too hard for another.

Lactate threshold is a more functional measure of your ability to work aerobically.

Knowing your lactate threshold heart rate zone allows you to tailor your training to target the ideal intensity for building endurance – hard enough to challenge your body, but not so hard that you’re wheezing or struggling.

Using lactate threshold for heart rate training helps optimize development of your aerobic system.

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. So far I’ve discussed Rule #1 Control the Controllable, #2 Find the Positive, #3 Focus on You and #4 100% Effort.

Time for the last piece of the Mindset puzzle…

#5 – Extreme Ownership

Hands up, this one isn’t mine. I stole it from Jocko Willink, ex Navy Seal.

If you haven’t heard of him or heard of his theory of Extreme Ownership before do yourself a favour and look it up. He has many YouTube clips, there is a short 13 minute TedxTalk and he has actually published a book called Extreme Ownership and it is 100% worth a read, or a listen.

In a nutshell Extreme Ownership means having a unwavering “the buck stops here” attitude.

It means owning your failures and your mistakes. It means never looking for someone else to blame, even if other people did contribute to the situation.

Why? Because when we own our problems we find solutions. When we take ownership we get shit done.

Ultimately you are responsible for your life. If you want to be a success, take full responsibility.

Stop blaming the fact you are tired, you are busy blah blah blah.
Most people are tired, most people are busy. You aren’t so different, your circumstances arent all that special.
You are just getting in your own way.

If it is something worth chasing, find a way to make it happen. It might look a little different to how you thought it would but if it works, it’s working.

If you want to truly be the best version of you, it’s time to take

#ExtremeOwnership

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. So far I’ve discussed Rule #1 Control the Controllable, #2 Find the Positive and #3 Focus on You.

Time for…

#4 – 100% Effort

This should be the easiest of all the rules to absorb and commit to quickly.

If you can’t you are, for whatever reason, just not fully ready for the journey yet.

It doesn’t require any deep mindset practice or any great amount of thought… and really, is pretty self explanatory!

It simply requires you to show up and do what it required, giving your true best effort every time, all the time.

It means never dialling it in. It means not cutting a warm up, a RAMP, an interval, a set/rep or a piece of mobility as they all have value and meaning and are there to make you better.

It means not looking for the shortcut or quick fix as you know such things don’t exist. True champions know this all too well.

100% effort means just that. 100% effort. In EVERY aspect of your life that requires it in order for you to achieve your goals. In sport and in life.  

Everyone has a different level of ability which means that your 100% and mine may look a little, or a lot different. That does make one less valuable than the other  – and if you have truly taken on board rule 3, Focus on You, you won’t be aware or concerned about what anyone else is doing anyway!

It comes back to ‘better athlete = better person’. 100% effort means having integrity and doing the work, regardless of who is watching as you know that it has to be done.

If you want to be the best you, you will do the work. All of the work.

It’s that simple.

#100%Effort

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. so far we have covered Rule #1 Control the Controllable and Rule #2 Find the Positive.

Time for…

#3 – Focus on YOU

This can be the hardest one for some athletes to get.

It sound simple but in a world of social media and Strava (Social media for sport) there are a thousand and one distractions.

It is one of the reasons I advise all my athletes to leave the facebooks groups etc at least two weeks before their events. Those places become a drain and if you have trained right, they are not needed. They mostly just become a source of anxiety and annoyance – not great for building the right headspace to head into an event with.

Thanks to the ability now to constantly see what everyone else is up to, you can be fooled in to thinking that your goal is to go faster than other people.

It isn’t. Your only goal is to go as fast as YOU can go.

You are put in a start pen, or on a starting line, against other athletes but your job is not to race them. It is to be the best that you can be.

I get so much push back from athletes when I tell them I want them to come off Strava. “I like seeing what others are doing” “I’m only looking at ‘X’” are common replies.

If you are focusing on other people, you are not 100% focussed on yourself. And that means wasted time and wasted energy.

My most successful athletes are the athletes that really buy into this way of thinking.

Their only focus is on their pacing, their Heart Rate zones, their FTP, their preparation etc. They don’t engage with other people about what they are doing in their training as it is of no concern to them.

This doesn’t mean they don’t support others. It is not about being selfish or shut off. It doesn’t mean they don’t want the best for their fellow athletes. They do. They just don’t need to see the numbers or hear about the details.

As their coach, I need to know the numbers. I am data driven when planning their training. I need to know what results we are aiming for. But thats another part of what a great coach will do for you. They will unburden you of all the noise and distraction and build you the stage on which you can rise to your true, full potential. You just have to want to perform.

If you are still looking all around you at what others are doing, you are just not there yet. You are not really ready.

If your focus is anywhere but on your own capacity and capability you will never reach your true best.

So cut the noise and cut the distractions.

If you want to become Great stop competing with others and start only competing with yourself.

#FocusOnYou

First thing to remember:

The very important rule: 

If the race is important to you, nothing new on race day! 

Do not be tempted to try that snack new bar in the vendor village. You have trained hard for this event so no point screwing up your chances by putting something in your system that may not agree with you, or not digest properly leaving you feeling sluggish, or worse, with digestive issues. 

Breakfast

You will need to be prepared to consume a few hundred calories in the morning to ensure that you start the day right and end up properly fuelled to begin the event. 
*This may be hard for some athletes, so be sure to practice prior to the event. 

Breakfast should be easy on the stomach so it needs to be low in fibre and easily digested.  Stick with simple carbohydrates again like a bagel or even rice, possibly some fruit and just a little bit of easy to digest protein like egg or nut butter.

Include your normal coffee/caffeine routine.

In an ideal world you would finish breakfast 2 hours before race start and once you have eaten you should aim to consume 500ml of water every hour until you are out on course. 

Race Start
At the 10 minute countdown to race start, you should be drinking 1/2 to full bottle of sports drink or a sports gel plus water for a final carbohydrate boost. Do not take the gel without water as it will not digest well. 

Avoid taking in this fuel in the 30-60 minute pre-start window as you will lose the benefit of the boost and are more likely to suffer a drop in blood sugar at race start.

Front Half of the Race
In the “front half” of the race (especially the early stages) your gut is able to absorb the nutrients much easier than when your body begins to shut down blood flow completely to the gut in the closing stages of the race. 

In the closing stages your body will be sending all blood flow to your working skeletal muscles, which means limited flow will be sent to the gut and this often results in those dreaded GI issues. 

A common mistake people make is going too hard in the early stages and then failing to hydrate and refuel efficiently. This leads to a big drop off in performance thanks to the combination of fatigue, dehydration and low energy. 

General Rule of Thumb
Endurance athletes should aim to eat 60-90 grams of carbohydrate per hour during their event. You will need to practice and experiment to see what exact levels work for you. 

Fluid Intake
Your fluid intake plan needs to take into account the hourly amount of fluid you need (example, some athletes need about 1 litre/hour to match their sweat rate – others need half that amount and some need nearly double that).
*The only accurate way to really know is to perform a sweat rate test which means taking pre and post body weight checks when racing in similar conditions and intensity as you have on race day

Ensure you have practiced with your chosen electrolyte fluids and that it has enough of the critical component; sodium 800 mg/litre of fluid is a good “starting” amount. If racing in particular hot conditions this may need to be closer to 1000-1,500mg/litre while some people suffice with only 400-500mg/litre,

Back Half of the Race
The total fuel intake here is typically lower. However, you still need to ensure you are maintaining hydration and electrolyte balance (again – the importance of sodium) and going with more fluid energy intake, rather than eating bars/chews. 

Consuming a caffeine liquid, such as a flat coke on the last couple of laps is common place in endurance sports such as Ironman and can be beneficial but I generally wouldn’t recommend starting to drink coke until you’re at least half way through the back half. Ideally you would, if needed, consume something like this in the last 10K to 10 miles.

There Three Big Mistakes

1. Not hydrating early enough. If you wait to start your hydration plan this can result in early dehydration. This can have a huge negative impact on your race as your body then has a reduced ability to process fluids and fuel for the rest of the day. 
2. Not having enough sodium in your fluids. This means you do not ingest enough sodium which at best can cause bloating and at worst, potentially dangerous hyponatremia (low blood sodium) which can result in coma and even death. 
3. Taking on too much fuel and/or taking on too much fuel in one go. If the body needs to work at digesting food it will divert blood flow away from the working muscles to the digestive system and your race will suffer. 

The Week leading up to your Race

As you are heading into your race week your training phase will be Competition Phase. 

During the Competition Phase your macronutrient intake will switch slightly to slowly increase your carbohydrates and fully build your glycogen stores. 

During the Prep Phases you will most likely sit somewhere around a 40%P, 30%C, 30%F split (as a guide) as we are looking to build lean muscle to increase power and speed as well as maintaining a strong base of muscular endurance and cardio ability. 

In Competition Phase the split will be a little more carb heavy to ensure you are properly and fully fuelled for racing. Not the best for body composition but that’s not the concern now as that work has been done

A Competition phase will look more like 25%P, 50-55%C, 20-25%F (again as a guide, each athlete will have there individual needs). 

Do not leave your carb loading until the night before and just eat all the carbs thinking you’ll be good… you won’t be! 

Best Carbohydrate Sources

Increasing carb intake should be done smartly, using the best sources possible to maximise your results. 

You don’t want to smash the chips, crisps and pizza thinking “hey, it’s carb loading!” 

You want to include foods that are low on the Glycemic Index, especially the closer to race day you get as these are broken down more slowly in the body and do not cause spikes in blood sugar. 

Some of the best food choices are:
Bananas
Berries
Brown Rice or Quinoa
Yogurt
Oats 

Avoid Food that causes inflammation

This sounds obvious but some people are not aware of the inflammatory actions of some foods. As you approach race day you want to reduce and ideally eliminate your intake of all these bad boys.  

Biggest Offenders are:

Red Meat and Processed Meat
Refined Grains including White Bread/Rice/Pasta and a lot Breakfast Cereals
Snack Foods such as Crisps, Cookies, Pastries etc
Dairy Products 
Fried Food
Anything with added sugar
Soda and Sweetened Drinks
Alcohol

Why Eat after a workout

Focusing on recovery is one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of proper sports nutrition.

An effective nutrition recovery plan supplies the body with the right nutrients at the right time.

Recovery is the body’s process of adapting to the previous workload and strengthening itself for the next physical challenge.

The key nutritional components of recovery are:
Carbohydrates to replenish depleted fuel stores.
Protein to help repair damaged muscle and develop new muscle tissue.
Fluids and electrolytes to rehydrate.

A full, rapid nutritional recovery plan supplies more energy and hydration for the next workout or event, which improves performance and reduces the chance of injury, meaning we become fitter and improve our endurance.

Rapid recovery is especially crucial during periods of heavy overload training and anytime two or more training sessions happen within 12 hours 

When to start replenishing carbs

Training will generally deplete muscle glycogen.

The first 30 minutes or so after exercise provide the best opportunity for nutritional recovery due to factors such as increased blood flow and insulin sensitivity, which boosts cellular glucose uptake and glycogen restoration. 

To maximise muscle glycogen replacement, you should consume a carbohydrate-rich snack within this 30-minute window. Ideally this should include foods providing 1.0-1.5 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight. Since it can be difficult to eat whole foods so quickly after exercise liquid and bar supplements may be useful and convenient choice. 

For endurance athletes especially, if you are going to do another intense session within 24 hours you should ideally repeat this carbohydrate load for 2-hour intervals for up to 6 hours, 

Consuming smaller amounts of carbohydrates more frequently may be the way to go if the previous recommendation leaves you feeling too full.

Now on to Protein

Recovery nutrition is essential for muscle tissue repair and muscle growth. Whether you’re focusing on endurance or strength training – or both, taking on protein after your session provides the amino acid building blocks needed to repair muscle fibres that get damaged and promote the development of new muscle tissue. 

As a rough guide, as protein requirements vary from person to person, consuming 15-25 g of protein within 1 hour after exercise can increase the muscle rebuilding and repair process and help you achieve those all important strength gains. It will also help those trying shift, or maintain, their body composition from fat to lean muscle and can be worked into a calorie restricted diet. 

Effective Rehydration

Pretty much all weight lost during exercise is fluid, so weighing yourself (without clothes) before and after exercise can help gauge net fluid losses. Knowing this is something recommended for endurance athletes especially. 

Be sure to replace fluids gradually and not by gulping down an entire litre of water as soon as you are done. The recommendation is, over the course of 4 to 6 hours drink 1/2 a litre of your chosen recovery fluid or water for every pound of weight lost. 

It is essential, for performance levels, to properly rehydrate before your next exercise session. If your sessions are an hour or less as low to moderate intensity than water should suffice. However, if you are in hot or humid conditions, or undertaking long or high intensity sessions you will likely find rehydration more effective if sodium is included with the fluid and food consumed. 

GET IT RIGHT

As with effective pre workout nutrition, post workout nutrition will need personal experimentation regarding the best fluids and foods to deliver the necessary nutrients. 

Everything here is a guideline, a recommendation and a starting off point. There are no exact hard and fat rules that suit every individual.

Pay attention to how you feel during your sessions. Notice when you feel like you have no energy to being with or when you book really quickly on your runs and/or rides.

Play around with timings and quantities until you hit upon what really works for you and your body. 

Why Eat before a workout

The main goal of eating before a workout is to replenish your glycogen, the short-term storage form of carbohydrate.
Glycogen supplies immediate energy needs and is especially crucial for morning workouts, as the liver is glycogen depleted from fuelling the nervous system during sleep. The muscles, on the other hand, should be glycogen-loaded from proper recovery nutrition the previous day if you hit the post workout routine right. 

The body does not necessarily need a lot (depending on the timing and type of session), but it does need something to prime the metabolism, provide a direct energy source, and allow you to perform the session at the planned intensity and for the given 

As for what the something is, following the basic guidelines it is best to experiment with a few different snack and meal choices and see which works best for you. 

What to Eat Before a Workout

As stated above, this will come down to personal preference. 

The majority of nutrients in a pre workout meal should come from carbohydrates. You also need some protein, but not a significant amount as protein takes longer to digest and does not serve an immediate need at the beginning of your workout. Fat and dietary fibre also should be marginal to minimise the potential for gastrointestinal upset – we’ve all been there right! 

Research has shown that the type of carbohydrate consumed does not directly affect performance across the board. Some thrive on regular foods (e.g., my personal favourite; a bagel with peanut butter). Some reach for the convenience options such as an energy bars or replacement shakes.

One crucial element that is often overlooked is Pre-workout fluid intake. This is critical to prevent dehydration, which results in a severe drop in performance as best and serious help issues at worst. Be sure to time your fluid intake so that you are not busting for the loo during your workout. Ideally start 4 hours before and aim for 5-7mls per kilo of bodyweight. 

When to Eat Before a Workout

When is a huge consideration for pre workout nutrition and almost as important as what. 

Eat too early and the calories are gone by the time the exercise begins. Eat too late and the stomach is stealing all your energy trying to do its digestion thing, and making you feel uncomfortable in the process. 

As a general rule the ideal time for most people to eat is about 2-4 hours before activity. Again, you can play with this depending on the session/day you have and figure out in different situations, what works best. 

If your meal time is 4 hours before your workout you can safely consume up to 1,000 calories. If the gaps between eating and training are much shorter (a pre-7 a.m. workout, for example), eating a smaller meal of around 300-400 calories or less, about an hour before the workout, can suffice.

A general recommendation that can be a good jumping off point to figure out what works for you is to consume about 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight if working out 1 hour after eating, 2 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight if working out 2 hours after eating… and so on. 

To avoid GI issues it is advised that anything consumed less than 1 hour before an event or workout be in liquid form, such as a sports drink or smoothie.

Get it Right

An effective pre workout nutrition plan should be planned based on the duration and intensity of session. You should also take into consideration your ability to supplement during the activity (if longer than 45-60 minutes), your personal energy needs and environmental factors; is it hot, humid, cold etc.

Determining how much is too much or too little and getting the timing right can be frustrating, but experimenting is vital for success.

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. Last week was Rule #1 Control the Controllable

This week it’s Rule #2

Number 2) Find the Positive

Like the first Golden Rule, this one takes a lot of practice and commitment. You can’t just wake up one day and change your mindset. It takes work.

Finding the Positive, like Control the Controllable, means embracing the Stoic way of thinking and controlling your reaction to situations.

As an Endurance Athlete finding the positive is crucial to success.

You are going to have bad races. You are very likely going to experience a DNF. You are very likely going to get injured at some point.

Endurance events are tough. You are going to spend a lot of time feeling beaten up and wondering “why the hell am I doing this”  

How you handle being placed in tough situations, as well as dealing with the lows,  are what is going to make you as an athlete.

Race DNF – sure it sucks, but what went well.

Why did you DNF? What can you learn?
I had a mechanical failure very early on the bike leg at an Ironman, which was my first DNF ever. It was devastating BUT I had a great swim. I took that away with me. Attempt 1 done… live it, learn it… head back for Attempt 2. Yay, I get swim in the gorgeous lake again.

Injured – yep, its annoying for sure but injuries are opportunities.

Can you train around it?

Yes, then let’s go and it might be the chance to work on a new strength or skill!

No, ok great. Then you now have a bunch of time to devote to developing a different skill that will help you become a better athlete, and a better person.  

Jocko Wilink, ex Navy Seal, calls his take on this theory ‘“Good”.

Whatever happens, the response is “Good”

Didn’t get the promotion you wanted.

Good. It gives you more time to sharpen your skillset and become better in your current role.

Can’t afford that fancy piece of equipment you wanted.

Good. It gives you more time to become a savage using the basic things you have available.

As I said, this one isn’t easy but it is worth it.

People love to complain. People love to make excuses… but those people are the  ones content with being average at best.

If you want to rise up, you will find the positive and say “Good”

#FindThePositive

In a previous blog I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m going to dive a little bit deeper in to each one, starting here with Rule Number 1

Number 1) Control the Controllable

Only certain things are within our control. If it isn’t something you have any say over, forget it. Only expend energy on the things that you can directly influence.

My personal belief system and ethics are shaped by philosophies and teachings of Buddhism and Stoicism.

At the heart of Stoicism is the understanding that the only thing we can truly control is our reaction to the things that happen. If we can learn to control our reactions and remain steady there is no situation that can either completely undo us or over inflate us.

It doesn’t mean not feeling joy or celebrating the wins. It also doesn’t mean never feeling sad, angry or let down.

What it does mean is learning to control those emotions so that they don’t overtake your life and screw you up.

Learning this lesson as an athlete can help set you free and elevate your performance.

Weather looks bad on race day – nothing you can do about it and it’s the same for everyone. What can you control? Having the right kit. Practising in all conditions throughout your training so you know how it feels.

Can you actually turn this into an advantage? Going to a hit race? So many people underperform in heat – can you heat train? I did some of my turbo sessions in front of my fire in my living room, in a hat and long sleeves to prepare for the weather in Spain)

Forgot a piece of kit, maybe a piece of clothing or nutrition – What can you do about it? Is ranting, swearing, getting stressed out helpful? Absolutely not. So what can you do? Do you have time to source something? Can others around you possibly help? If not, whats the best case scenario.

At an Ironman event this year someone got to the swim having left their wetsuit back at their hotel. They spoke to the IM announcers. The announcers asked over the PA system if anyone had a spare wetsuit and within 5 minutes that athlete had their pick of 4 wetsuits!

These are just two examples.

Anyone that knows my story from IronMan Vitoria Gastiez in 2022 knows that I came up against obstacle after obstacle in a race that ended in a mechanical DNF 20km into the bike.
Without all of the work I have done on my mindset over the last 5 years that situation probably would have broken me, especially as that race was 4 years in the making.

Yes I got upset. Yes I was bitterly disappointed. But I was also making a plan for my come back before the first athletes had even crossed the finish line that same day.

Another big lesson – Its only failure if you give up completely. Otherwise, it’s just an attempt.

For me, that race was merely attempt 1. I hadn’t failed yet. Attempt 2 was July this year, one year later, and I finished that damned race!

Whatever situation you face…

#ControlTheControllable

My personal ethics and belief system are a mixture of Buddhism and Stoicism and this heavily influences who I am, both as an athlete and a coach.

As an athlete, I hold myself accountable to same 5 rules that I apply to my coaching, and I try and instil these into my athletes.

As an Endurance Expert these 5 rules have been shaped over many years of racing and they are the foundation I believe every great success can be built upon.

*I’ll go into each one in more detail as the subject of their own conversation.

1) Control the Controllable

Only certain things are within our control. If it isn’t something you have any say over, forget it. Only expend energy on the things that you can directly influence.

2) Find the Positive
Even in the most disappointing situation (that race DNF, that training injury) there will be a positive IF you are willing to look for it.

3) Focus on You

This is one of the hardest ones for athletes to really internalise and act upon. Looking at what others are doing on Strava and/or comparing yourself to other athletes is a waste of your time and mental energy. All of your focus should be on your own performance.

4) 100% Effort
In everything you do. This feeds into the message of the previous weeks conversations…Integrity to do the work even when none is looking and acting like the athlete you want to become.

5) Extreme Ownership

Thank Jocko Willink for this one. No matter what the situation or anyone else’s involvement, take ownership. Don’t find someone else to blame. Make it your problem and find a solution.

#TheFiveRules

Let me ask it another way… Are you truly acting like the person, and athlete, you want to be?  

I work with a range of athletes across various endurance sports; Triathlon, Obstacle Course Racing, Hyrox etc.

Every single one of them has a goal they are working towards. For some it’s an age cat or podium finish. For others it’s simply to complete their A race and finish it well.

Every goal, regardless of size, requires some level of sacrifice alongside a huge amount of hard work and dedication.

Most people have a good idea of what it takes to achieve their goal. The hours of training required, the organisation of daily life to make that time, the dialled in nutrition, the early nights, the early mornings, saying no to certain social gatherings, saying no to certain favourite races or events as they just don’t mesh with the overall Big Goal … the list goes on and for some, it just doesn’t sound worth it.

Thats why so many people are content with just being average…if that.

Some are content to make the excuses, hide behind busy lives and find all the reasons not to do what is truly required.

Others say that they really want it, but their actions just never quite meet their words.

It may be that they just aren’t quite ready yet, or maybe they like the idea but in practise they really aren’t willing to do what it takes.

I’ve definately been guilty of this in the past. I would say I really wanted to achieve “X” but I wasn’t acting the person who would do that. I wasn’t watching my nutrition, I was still eating badly, watching my weight creep up but not doing a damn thing about it. I would say I was too busy to count macros but come on – it seriously only takes a few extra minutes of effort to weigh food and log it correctly. I was just being lazy. Plus, that still didn’t explain the amount of crap I was eating!  I was hitting my training sessions, for the most part, but I was content that that was enough. I wasn’t truly ready or willing to do everything it would take.

Luckily I have managed to shed that person and now I can, hand on heart, say that I truly act like the person I need to be to achieve my goal.

The first step – getting real with yourself and figuring out if you are truly willing, and able, to do what it takes.

This might involve a conversation with your coach as you may be willing but not be actually sure exactly how to make it work, especially if you have a very busy life that seems inflexible. As I said in the beginning, it will require some sacrifice but a smart coach will be able to help you figure out how to lessen the impact and make it work.

Is it hard? Yes… but then so is dialling it in, living behind excuses and not living your true potential. Both are hard. One is infinitely more worthwhile than the other.

We’ve all met those people. You know the ones. They turn up on the start line and immediately tell you all the “ reasons” why they are likely not going to have a good event. They got a poor night sleep / They woke up that morning with a weird niggle / Their dog ate their training plan…. Preloaded excuses give weak minded people a get out of jail free card. It doesn’t matter if they suck, because they already told you they would… and it’s not their fault.

Do not be one of these people.

Do the work that’s required, ALL of the work that’s required and whether you do or not, own your shit.

Also, remember this (one of my favourites: No one Cares. Work Harder.

Once you have set your sights on a goal, make sure you go all in and back yourself 100%

#ActLikeTheAthleteYouWantToBe

*As this was a Goggins event I thought I would use his suggestion in his book ‘Cant Hurt Me’ and file my challenge review as an AAR, After Action Review.

4x4x48 – After Action Report

Establish the Intent:

The 4x4x48 is a training tool that David Goggins (DG) has been using for however many years – I don’t know. I first heard about it while listening to Jessie Itzler’s book ‘Living with a Seal” as DG puts Jessie through it in the book. 

Its a simple format: Run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. If you can’t run you do your chosen alternative activity for 45/60 mins instead. 

It became an event that people took part in last year but because of work etc I didn’t even consider it. I first talked about doing it this year with my very good friend Chris James in January – as I knew he’d be up for it and probably already mentally signed up. I then sat down to discuss it with Carl, my husband, at the beginning of Feb (as he would have to take over dog walking duties etc, plus it would just be generally disruptive to his weekend) and once it was clear he was on board I was committed. 

Up until the start of Lockdown 1 (23/03/21) my running was pretty ok. I was training for my IronMan and had been running a marathon or Ultra a month since September. I’m not a fast runner but I’m pretty good at staying the course and I’m a stubborn bitch so I will get the distance done. However, as soon as Lockdown hit I stopped running as I wore myself out doing so many online classes trying to keep my fitness business going. That has levelled out as this Covid situation has progressed but I hadn’t run more than 22 miles in any one month, with a couple months registering a big fat zero! 

My intent for the event was simple… Align with David Goggins (he started at 8pm Friday, which meant 4am Saturday here) despite it being a pig time wise and finish It. And finish it injury free, with minimum recovery required. I had no pacing goals. Speed, Cadence, Pace etc were not my concern. The aim is to run each lap as a zone 2 run to minimise stress. 

Outline the Performance

I met my goal and completed every one of the 12 runs. I stuck to the timing schedule and completed the event as prescribed. Run times ranged from 44min18 to 52min56. I achieved the goal of maintaining a zone 2 HR as much as possible. There were instances of walking to either get out of zone 3, or just because I needed to walk. Again, pace was not part of my game plan so this was not an issue. 

Report on the Learning

Positives/ What went well

1. I met the objective. I completed the challenge and am injury free. Recovery is looking good so far, 16 hours post event finish. 
2. I ran every lap on my own, testing my true mental grit. I wanted to see what happens when its just me. No eyes on me, no one to cajole me alone, no one to cheer me on. I realised that all the things I say in relation to mindset, grit etc are really true. I don’t just talk the talk, I do actually walk the walk.I am proud of myself for this. 
3. While I ran every lap on my own I did have the best pit crew at home. Carl made it so that I didn’t have to think about anything other than running and what to do during the down time. He had coffee, tea, baths waiting as required and made everything that little bit easier. 
4. Forming a team with my 3 fellow badasses was a great idea. We quickly became Team NBR, No Bling Required – which sums up our ethos quite well. We were not together physically  but supported each other via our WhatsApp group. The pre run check ins and check outs reminded me I was part of something bigger than just my efforts. Although it was a solo mission, we were still there for each other as all good team people are. 
5. Changing up the route where possible (i.e. during daylight hours) helped break the monotony. (It still got boring though)
6. Finding two different 1 mile loops that started at my house made me feel safer during night ops, but also gave me at least a little bit of choice. 
7. Kit choices were smart. I have done enough other events to know how to dress for running in all weathers I am fully aware that you need to stay warm and that, once you get cold, it is too late. In the cold icy nights, layers are your friend. I also had the right clothing for running in the dead of night plus a second head torch and spare batteries. 
8. Creating an event schedule that tracked the run times, plus essential warm up timings, hydration requirements and carb/protein intakes ensured I didn’t miss anything key, meaning I enhanced my goal of finishing injury free and minimising my recovery time. 
9. Forming an UK event facebook group (Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge UK (Unofficial) https://www.facebook.com/groups/230741878545765 with Chris, which grew quicker than either of us expected, gave us a sense of community and allowed us to connect with other people who actually get shit done, rather than just talk about it. These are the people I want to know and hopefully even learn from. 
10. Deciding to add a fundraising element, as a team, meant that we got to put something good out in to the world. No member of the team usually does any of the events we do (Obstacle Courses, Marathons/Ultras, Triathlons, Sportive’s etc) We do them purely to test ourselves, or just to have fun with our friends in the mud. We are always asked “oh, why are you doing that? Is it for charity?” so we decided to add that element to this challenge. Not because we needed it, but just because we figured that, even if we raise only a few £££, that has to be a good thing. We all know people that have been effected by this past year so chose Mind, the Mental Health Charity as our benefactor.
    https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/liza-chris-pete-4x4x48

Negatives/What went wrong 

1. The week of the event was planned as a Taper week but I got taken down ill on the Monday with a fever and spent the next 3 days in bed unable to work or really even move. I went for a Covid test Wednesday morning but luckily that came back negative. It was left as a down to the wire decision as to whether I would participate or not. 
2. Lack of run training. Having decided for sure a month before the event that I would definitely take part, I ramped up my run training. I broke every rule in the book about how to increase volume etc and my lack of talent as an endurance athlete showed itself after the first 24 hours. Luckily talent was not required as I had the mental grit to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Coming from a CrossFit background helped the lack of run training not become an issue as my general fitness carried me through. 
3. Felt nauseous on both 8pm runs. I have examined my food diary and the break between the 4pm and 8pm run is when I ate most solid food. It is clear I have not yet built up the endurance athletes ability to consume food… and I def should not have had that extra pizza slice on the Saturday! 
4. Finding a way to make the 3 hours pass in between runs, once you have stretched, foam rolled etc gets tough, especially the 9pm to midnight gap! 
5. Inability to sleep. A lot of people in the group were talking about getting their heads down in between runs, and some saying the key to success was sleep gaps. I managed a grand total of 4 and a half hours sleep from 3am Saturday to 1:30am Monday. This isn’t a massive downer for me as I am able to function on little sleep, if and when required – as long as this isn’t too often. This is because I abide by the main rules all year round – get 8 hours sleep, hydrate like its your job and fuel your body for what you want it to do. Getting these basics right massively improves your chances of success, in all situations. 

Provide a Future Outlook

If participating in this event again next year the only real thing I will do differently is ensure that my running is on point way in advance of the event. Now that I have completed it relatively stress free I would take it to the next level, increase the difficulty and the obvious way to do this would be to push the pace and set myself specific targets for each run. 

I enjoyed the event the way I did it, for me the challenge was definitely more physical than mental. At no point did I question whether to get moving, ready for the next run… I did have a small negative moment after the penultimate run (8pm) as midnight seemed so far away and I just wanted to go out and get it over with. Having to hang out and wait for 3 hours began to annoy me, a lot! 

Knowing that I can mentally handle it the way I did it I would push the envelope and see if I can hold on to that if I make it tougher. I saw the DG changed it up although I only saw his 11th leg, where ehe did 45 minutes of Jumping Jacks… maybe this is an idea to play with. There are many options, IF, I decide to do it again. 

Hopefully, if I do do it again, these crazies will be right there with me… maybe even in person if the world sorts itself out.

Let me preface this by saying if you are already a Zone 2 convert then this post is not for you as you have already learned the secret and it would be a pretty safe bet to assume you are reaping the benefits. 

However, it seems lockdown has pushed a lot more people to get outside and get running. I’m guessing a good percentage of these will not continue to run when they can get back to their old routines but some will. Some will have started to find that place where running starts to suck a little less and actually becomes something (almost) enjoyable. 

Maybe thats you, or maybe you’ve been a runner for a long while now but you’ve never heard of Zone 2 or you’ve heard of it but not bothered to look into what it actually means. Well lucky for you, I’m going to break it down and make it real simple for you. 

Zone 2 training is probably the best tool available to improve your running, especially if you want to get faster over longer distances. This is also the perfect solution for those of you that struggle to breathe properly whilst running. 

Zone 2 refers to heart rate zone 2 so in order to unlock this magic you will need a heart rate monitor, preferably of the chest strap variety (as these are way more accurate than the monitor in the watch on your wrist). 

Your Heart Rate Zones

Zone 1 – 65% to 79%
Zone 2 – 80% to 89%
Zone 3 – 90% to 94%
Zone 4 – 95% to 99%
Zone 5 – 100% + 

% of what ????

I know, I know.. the next question is % of what exactly and the answer is your Lactate Threshold. 

It is better to work off your Lactate threshold rather than Max Heart as this gives better results for running performance and it is easier to work out your Lactate Threshold than Max Heart Rate; no Max Heart Rate is not 220 minus your age. It’s a calculation used as it’s better than nothing but wildly inaccurate for a lot of people and doesn’t take into account he myriad of factors that affect your heart rate. 

What is my Lactate Threshold?

Put as simply as possible the lactate threshold is defined as the fastest pace you can run without generating more lactic acid than your body can utilise and reconvert back into energy. I’m sure you’ve all experienced that uncomfortable burning in the muscles when working at high exertion. That burn is lactic acid! 

How do I calculate my Lactate Threshold 

With an uncomfortable 20 minute max effort run.
This must be completed while feeling rested and refreshed – Do not do this under fatigue!
Here are the steps to follow…

1) Ensure you can record your run on a device that will record your heart rate for your 20 minute effort. 

2) Put your heart rate monitor on (if you have a chest strap)

3) 10 minute warm up run. Gentle pace but with 2 or 3 sprint intervals that spike your heart rate as high as you can. Ensure the last spike allows for 2 minutes easy recovery.
Do not record this warm up on your watch or if you do make sure it can be separated from your 20 minute effort.
You do not want heart rate data from your warm up mixed in with the data from your 20 minute effort. 

4) 20 minute max effort run. Basically ensure your watch starts when you start and run as hard as you can for 20 minutes.
Distance is not important, only time and your effort.
Stop the watch after 20 minutes.
If you do not go as hard as you can the data will not be accurate, which means your work following this test will not yield the best performance improvement possible. Make sure you give this your all. It will hurt, it will not be any kind of fun but it is important and necessary.

5) Recover! Make sure you take some time to walk off the effort.
Please do not finish the 20 minutes and then just collapse on the ground. Take a few minutes, walk around the park/block. whatever. 

6) Workout your Lactate Threshold – yay… at last I hear you say, and it’s really simple;
Your Lactate Threshold =  your AVERAGE Max heart rate for the 20 minute effort. 

Now what? 

Now, you add Zone 2 runs into your programme. Some of the best runners and endurance athletes do nearly all their training in Zone 2. All you do is go for your planned run and keep your heart rate in Zone 2.

Sounds easy huh? ell, it is easy but it is also hella frustrating when you first start out. It’ll be frustrating as I can can pretty much guarantee you will end up walking a lot because as soon as you run your heart rate shoots into zone 3 and above.
I usually advise people to start with 5k. If you haven’t got to that distance yet then you do whatever you can.

The key to Zone 2 training is patience and perseverance. Because you end up walking a lot in the beginning many, many runners give up, claiming it can’t be doing any good. Oh how wrong they are.
For maybe the first month it might feel like a pointless exercise but just hold on, good things come to those who wait. 

Once you manage that first 5k where you can run the whole way and that heart rate stays in the right place you are well and truly on your way.
You will soon find you can run that 5k at your old pace but in Zone 2, where it feels soooo much easier than it used to. Then you start increasing distance and soon you are running long distance, at a great pace, all in Zone 2 where you feel comfortable and in complete control. 

Don’t Get to Comfortable   

Just remember to retest your Lactate Threshold every 3 months or so. The heart is a muscle and like every muscle, the more you train it the fitter it gets.

To continue getting great results you must ensure you are working with accurate information. 

Body Comp Stats 
Weight: 76.1kg (+0.5kg)
Body Fat %: 28.3 (-0.6)
Muscle %: 33.8 (+0.4)

Mon: 12:15pm Total Body Conditioning

Come on, you know it by now… Monday = Row, Bike Ski 🙂
Today it was 1 min Row, Bike, Ski, 2 min, 3 min, 4min and back down. No rest and, as those that mentioned this found out, no sympathy either!

Mon: 1pm 20 min Core Conditioning

Another go at Eliud Kipchoge’s core routine (taken from his training camp for the 2 hour attempt) which takes roughly 10 minutes and then 10 minutes of GHD, Sit Up, Russian Twist, V Up work.

Tue: 12:15pm FTP Test (Take 2)

It isn’t really advisable to do two FTP tests in two weeks but I wanted to validate my Ramp Test result with a 20 minute Test and I really wanted to do it on a Concept Two Bike -Erg. Luckily my Coaches recently purchased one and very kindly let me have some quality time with it.

Man, does it burn!!! My test result was very slightly less than last weeks Ramp Test but I kinda expected that so I wasn’t disappointed. I’m excited to see what I can achieve when I retest in 12 weeks time 🙂
Toby and I were going to do a second workout, something called Acid Bath (I will explain more when we do it) but he informed me that we were postponing that joy as he was still a bit broken from his session yesterday. The only good thing about this was that I could go all out on the FTP test without worrying about what was coming next.

Wed: 6:45am Indoor Cycle Class and 2 mile Run

Certain things are becoming routine and coaching my class then heading straight out with Gary for a quick out and back run is one of them. I am a believer in routine being the enemy but my indoor cycle changes week on week and you can’t beat a brick session when preparing for a triathlon.

Wed 1pm PT with my Coach, Kerry

The focus today was on building leg strength and power so say hello to Bulgarian Split Squats, with a barbell. 5 sets of 5, with a little interlude from Toby informing me these were the thing that fucked him up! Obviously I wasn’t doing them anywhere near as heavy as he was, plus I wasn’t doing any of the other stuff he did with it so I was pretty sure I would be ok… and I was. I mean, don’t misunderstand, it was hard work and my glutes were on fire in that way that you are very aware of your ass for the next 24 hours but I was ok.

Thu: 9:30am Indoor Cycle

It was week 8 of my indoor cycle programme; Unbreakable, a tough race – climb – race pyramid session and one of those sessions that I was cursing myself for creating at certain points.

Thu: 6:30pm Double Coach By Colour Indoor Cycle

I hit the training jackpot this evening. Rather than coaching a class then participating in a class I was asked to cover the second class meaning I got to control the programme. The first class stuck to the programme so, second shot at Unbreakable (I was not the only person cursing me this time!) and then I chose to bring back one of my favourite 2019 sessions called Relentless… which is exactly what it sounds like. A brutal mix of racing and hills that simply didn’t let up.

Fri: Unplanned Rest Day

Again, my Friday plans went awry but like last week, because I had coached an Insanity, LBT and Tabata class all by 10:15am I wasn’t too worried. I was also aware that next Monday is Hell Session day so an extra rest day isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Sat: Planned Rest Day

Sun: 7:30am Pool Swim and Coach By Colour Indoor Cycle Class

I made up for my missing swim by hitting the pool early but I guess other people had a similar idea because wow was the pool busy. But, this turned out to be a good thing as I had a lightbulb moment while following an older lady up and down the lane towards the end of the session. I realised that swimming had suddenly got easier and it was simply because I had slowed my stroke.

I remembered things that I had learned a long time ago and clearly forgotten. Its like rowing… power over speed. Unfortunately I figured this out at the end of the session so I’m excited to get back in the pool and test out my re-learned knowledge.

Quick change and straight up to the cycle studio. I had 30 minutes before the class so I got to put in a decent amount of time in the saddle. I wasn’t coaching this class so I was able to just focus on the work and nothing else. My training plan had me doing a 40 mile ride and by the end of the class I’d hit 37 so not too bad at all. Hopefully the weather changes soon and I can actually get outside.

Body Comp Stats 
My weigh in is on a Sunday morning at the end of each week and as we were out the door at 6am on Sunday for an Ultra race I didn’t weigh in!

Mon: 12:15pm 6 Hour Hell Session

Last Monday of each month between now and the IronMan is Hell Session Day 🙂
Workout 1: 6 rounds of 30 cal Ski Erg and 15 Double 10kg DB Front Squats. Rest 1:1.
Workout 2: Accumulate 5 Minute Wall Sit (total time to achieve = 7:26)
Workout 3: Accumulate 10 Minute in Dead/Active Hang off rig (I broke this into 2 sessions doing the last 4 minutes after workout 5). Attacked this Tabata style hanging for 20 secs, dropping for 10 secs and repeating.
Workout 4: Build to a heavy set of 5 Deadlifts and then 5 x 5 @ 80% – this one was cut short as my back wasn’t playing. At 45kg I could feel my back pulling despite good technique so not worth pushing through.
Workout 5: 8 Rounds of approx 1km run loop and 15 squats… in my weight vest! This one was done in the pouring rain and one of my favourite workouts as I love running in the rain. That doesn’t mean it was easy, I just really liked it.

Workout 6:
3k Assault Bike + 50 Bar Facing Burpee
6k Assault Bike + 40 Bar Facing Burpee
9k Assault Bike + 30 Bar Facing Burpee
12k Assault Bike + 20 Bar Facing Burpee
15k Assault Bike + 10 Bar Facing Burpee
Total time = 1:50:35
This workout was the worst thing my coach, Kerry, has ever programmed for me. I told her as much and she looked very pleased with herself. Maybe if I had done it first it would not have been so bad and pretty much after finishing it I was considering when I would do it again to test that theory!

Tue: Rest Day

Wed: 6:45am Indoor Cycle Class + 2 mile run

Same as usual, coach a 45 min cycle class and head out the door for a run. Not much more to say really 🙂

Wed: 1pm Pull Up and Push Up work

Again, with my friend Amy we worked through 5 as slow as possible Negative Pull Ups, a 10 minute Pull Up EMOM of 3 strict banded reps and a 10 minute Push Up EMOM.

Thu: 9:30 Indoor Cycle Class

Week 5 of my programme sees the return of the Power Pyramid, the first indoor cycle session I ever created and 5 years later it still forms an integral part of the periodised programme. It is a brilliant session for increasing both aerobic and anaerobic fitness and improving recovery. Who doesn’t want that.

Thu: 6:30 Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class

Power Pyramid take 2… oh my god I nearly died on the final round but the Coach By Colour system is a great motivator, especially when you are up on a platform with the entire class able to see if you turn down, slow down or give up.

Fri: Rest Day

Another extra rest day this week in preparation for the South Coast 50 on Sunday… a 50km+ ultra race.

Sat: Rest Day

Sun: 8am South Coast 50 Race

5 repping the Forza Fitness Squad today 🙂
It was quite simple… start is on the pier in Littlehampton and, via a self directed route with check points/aid stations roughly every 7 miles, run 33 miles back to Portchester Castle. I had a really lovely day on this run. Unfortunately the boy (My husband, Carl) voluntarily withdrew at mile 23 in Emsworth, but still hit his longest run distance to date so went home happy.

As you can probably tell from these training logs I don’t actually do what most would call traditional training runs, partly because I find them quite boring but mainly because of the way I train I don’t feel the need. I don’t care enough about pace and times to give up my other training (or time at home with the boy and the dog) to hit the pavement. I run for enjoyment enjoy. I can comfortably run decent distances and thats enough for me. I get asked quite a lot about why (and how) I rock up to these endurance events without properly training for them and my answer is that I do train for them, just not how most people expect. If I was more competitive, or cared more, or wanted to focus just on running, I could probably become a much better runner but honestly, who cares. I definitely don’t. In a year, a month, or even a years time will it matter how fast I ran this race? No it won’t, What I will remember is having a brilliant day out with my husband and my friend Claire, who, until this race I hadn’t spent any one on one time with and now know much better.. I am very grateful for this and means more to me than a time.

Body Comp Stats 
Weight: 75.6kg (-0.4kg)
Body Fat %: 29 (+/- 0)
Muscle %: 33.4 (+/- 0)

Mon: 12.15pm Total Body Conditioning

10 Rounds of 40 seconds on 20 seconds off; Row, Bike Ski, Rest.
That rest minute meant that each 40 seconds of work should be a hard effort. I tried but it got tough!!

Mon: 1pm 10 min Pull Up EMOM + 10 min Push Up EMOM

Same as last week but we (meaning me and my friend Amy, who is doing this extra work with me) have added in some negative phase work before the banded work to try and fast track our Pull Up progress.

Tue: 12pm Pool Swim

Today was a CrossFit day according to my training plan but I decided to go back to the pool and put a bit of extra work in on my swimming. Just a short session focussing on trying to improve my breathing, working specifically on breathing on every 3rd stroke. I’m fine on 2 but if I do 3 stroke alternating sides, after 50 meters my lungs feel like they want to explode. It got a little easier but it needs a lot of work.

Wed: 6:45am Indoor Cycle Class

I do love coaching indoor cycle and no matter how tired or sluggish I feel when I wake up by the time I start this session I am buzzing. Tracking my performance this year I can already see that I definitely don’t perform as well at 6:45am as I do later in the day.

Wed: 7:30am 2 Mile Run

Straight out of the spin studio on to the road for a little run. Training is usually better with someone else and this was no exception. My friend, PT client and fellow Ironman in training (he has already done one though) Gary did my Indoor Cycle class and then kept me company on the run. I do love my friends :0)

Wed: 1pm PT with my Coach, Kerry

Does your Coach make you cry with laughter during your sessions? Mine does! We did some strength work, specifically Strict and Push Press, and between lifts she was telling me a story that had me howling with laughter. Thank goodness, as the lifting was enough to make me cry with frustration… but so far I’ve only cried over a deadlift and I don’t want to add to that list! I know I lost a lot of strength due to “ribgate” but it’s still a little frustrating to realise how much. At least knowing where I am means I can figure out what I want to do about it. Before I signed up for the IronMan I had planned on focussing on the Barbell and improving all of my lifts. I think this will be the first thing I do after… once we get back from our trip to the CrossFit Games.

Thu: 9:30am Indoor Cycle Class

Ohhhh the hamstrings were feeling the workload today. I got asked recently if, as the instructor, I ever turn it down and coast through the class. The honest answer is no I don’t. I ask my class participants to give me 100% so it only seems fair I give them the same. I know that I find it difficult to engage with an indoor cycle class if the coach isn’t in it with me. If I have a reason to take it a bit easy I tell the class beforehand. I coached a 1hr class the day before the London Marathon. I said to the group I was heading straight to London after the class so I would be just having an gentle ride (what I call a “Do as I say, not as I do” class) but I got wrapped up in the class and ended up leaving a sweaty mess as usual.

Thu: 11:45am Pool Swim

It was time to increase the distance with 3 x 400m metre intervals with a 3 minute rest in between. I alternated between 2 and 3 stroke breathing so that I could focus a little more on distance and pace. It still isn’t what I would call smooth or easy but it did feel a little better.

Thu: 6:30pm Coach By Colour Indoor Cycle Class

Oh my god, I struggled towards the end of this one. It’s week 4 of my programme, which means ‘The Scorpion’, an intense, progressive interval session which improves active recovery. Twice in one day was tough. Enough said really!

Thu: 7:30pm 2 mile Zone 2 Run

Rather than doing a double in the spin studio I swapped the second class for another little brick session of cycle and run. This time the Boy (meaning the Husband) kept me company and to be honest, to have 20 minutes of side by side running, just the two of us, was pretty lovely. We train at CrossFit together quite a lot, participate in OCR together quite a lot but hardly ever is it just the two of us. Hopefully there will be a bit more of this.

Fri: Unplanned Rest Day

Today was supposed to be a TBC and CrossFit day but after coaching my three classes at Nuffield Chichester I decided to take the rest of the day off. I tweaked my glute during Insanity at 6:45am and if a client had done that I would be telling them to go home, stretch and look after themselves. So, I listened to my own advice and did just that.

Sat: Pool Swim

My friend and client Anna wanted a bit of company in the pool so she picked me up at 7:15am (!) (Saturday is normally my rest day which means I lie in until about 7:30/8am) for the lane swimming session. Just an easy recovery session for me consisting of 800m all done in breaststroke.

Sun: 8am Bike Ride

The boy was happy to stay in bed with the dog so I was on my own today. God, it is a bit dull on your own! I’m also not overly familiar with cycle routes, roads etc so headed out to see if I could do 30 miles without getting lost. I chose a fairly straightforward (and straight) out and back but after 9 miles my hamstring started to really pull so I turned round earlier than planned and headed home. Slightly annoying but with a 6 hour hell session tomorrow and a 50k ultra run on Sunday it is all about the long game.

* I am not including the classes I coach in this training log but for reference I coach 3 indoor cycle, 2 Insanity, 2 Boxercise, 1 LBT and 1 Tabata class a week between Tuesday and Friday.

Once again plans went awry but at this stage in the game I am not worried about it. I’m lucky enough to be a part of an Accountability Group with 5 awesome guys I met doing Tough Mudder. We check in with each other, discuss workouts, training plans, share anything we think will be useful, and talk about David Goggins… a lot! One of the things we’ve started doing recently is setting a personal weekly goal and due to how things have been going I have made mine for next week really simple; Train 6 days out of 7 as last week I only hit 5. My training plan is always 6 days on, 1 day off with Saturday as my rest day so to make sure the fundamentals are right this week that is my main focus, rebuild my routine. Yes it has only been a week but stuff can start to slide really easily if you let it and I am just making sure that doesn’t happen.

Mon: 12:15pm Total Body Conditioning

Mon is always a pure Row, Bike, Ski day and todays formula involved 3 rounds of Tabata on each piece of equipment. Simple and highly effective.

Mon: 1pm CrossFit Class

I was on my own for class today which was tough as for a workout like this one it is good to have someone to go against. I really love rowing next to someone really strong as it pushes me to go that little bit more. Class format was straight forward; 10 x 250m sprints, rest 1:1 (meaning rest as long as each sprint takes). Fastest sprint 51.9, Slowest 54.9. It was a true slog and suckfest but Coach Toby turned ‘The Prodigy’ up loud (one benefit of being in class by yourself – you can own the playlist if you ask nicely, although I didn’t need to ask, Toby knows me that well!) and I was away 🙂

Tue: 12pm Zone 2 5k run

My zone 2 (low aerobic) heart rate ranges from 140 to 156 and for the first two miles I could hold a steady run and stay in this zone. The last mile went completely to hell and I seemed to be walking every minute as the moment I started running I was pushing into the high aerobic zone. Very frustrating but I am trusting the process and just going with it.

Tue: 1pm CrossFit Class

Today was a repeat of an Open workout, 14.5 and 16.5. A grim couplet of Thursters and Bar Facing Burpees. It was sweaty, it hurt but my goal was just to keep moving and get the thing done and I made the time cap. Job done.

Tue: 2:15pm A Harry Workout

I was rehydrating in the social area at the gym post class, everyone else had left and I was about to get my stuff together and leave when Coach Harry looked at me and said just two words “Bike Sprints?” Me being me, my only response was “how many?’ and that was that. 6 rounds of 90 sec work/ 90 sec rest, completing 15 cals on the Assault Bike and as many 10kg DB Power Cleans as possible in the remaining time. It was my first time working out with Harry and I was determined to put up a fight on the bike so as not to get left behind. It was tough but fun. For some reason Assault Bike and Dumbbells are a favoured combination of mine.

Wed: 1pm PT Session

Dogshit Deadlifts today! Yes I know I am getting over a cracked or broken rib or whatever but we did deadlifts not even a month a go and I did better than I did today. The plan was 5 x 5 but I didn’t get that far. 65kg went up fine, 5 times, no issues. Add 5kg and for whatever reason I could not pick 70kg up off the floor. Last time, I was picking up 80 for 5 and my rib is better now that it was then so no idea what was going on.The only thing I know for sure is, it was a weak day! Second part of my session went much better; 45kg Deadlifts and Prowler Pushes. Talk about a lactic acid quad burn.

Thu: 12pm Zone 2 5k run

Another run where the first 2 miles were great but the third mile was spiking heart rates and lots of walking. This has to get better though right?!

Thu: 1pm CrossFit Class

All about the Back Squat today and after my shit day with the barbell yesterday lets just say I was feeling a little nervous about how this was going to go. 5 sets of 3, building to a heavy 3 for the day. Since ‘rib gate’ I haven’t tested my back squat, or any squat that much, but in July I hit 65kg which is a good average for me. I am pleased to say that I hit 65kg today, although I took my time getting there. I hit 60kg ok, put 65 on the bar, did one rep, decided I didn’t like it so took it off again. Hit 60kg again, had a word with myself, loaded up 65 and hit my 3 reps. What was all the fuss about? It’s a barbell, I love it but I am not confident with it so yes, sometimes I make a fuss! Finished the session with some accessory work in the shape of 3 x 20 15kg DB 24″ Step Ups.

Thu: 2pm Playtime with Jade

I was trying to decide what else to do when I noticed Jade at the back of the box with a barbell out. We’d already done 30 burpees as it’s her 30th birthday today and the tradition in our gym is that you do birthday burpees. I managed to coerce all of the 1 o clock class in to doing them with her as who wants to do 30 burpees alone on their birthday. I ended up joining her and her barbell and we worked our way through sets of power cleans and power snatch. Next up was 30 Pull Ups, then 30 Push Ups and finally some skipping. Happy Birthday Jade 🙂

Fri: 12:15pm Total Body Conditioning

Another ‘made up on the spot and ingenious session’ by head Coach Toby involving a 10 min Assault Bike Test, Goblet Squats, Max Effort Rows and a Team Challenge of Ski Erg Cals and Burpees. Just like last week, I had planned to jump in the 1pm class but was completely done in so skipped it and just helped judge the guys doing The Open.

Sat: Rest Day

I had planned to do something today as the Forza Fitness squad were going out in the evening and I knew that Sunday would most likely be a write off. But, the day was busy, no workout was done so, rest day. There were a couple of burpees on the dance floor that night though!

Sun: Rest Day

And here is where it all fell apart. Sat night some of us made plans to train together today. The night wore on, more cocktails were drunk but we were still talking, and fist bumping, about training. Roll on Sunday and everything is quiet… no messages are being exchanged, everyone is busy, my dog went back to school (advanced classes as well 🙂 ), the boy and I had an afternoon nap, dinner time rolls around and it is clear that nothing resembling a workout is going to happen. No biggie though, last night was worth it and come 2020 the alcohol will be cut completely. I barely drink as it is and these nights happen less than once every 2 months so I’m not beating myself up about it. Whats the point. It’s done, it’s happened. Tomorrow is a new day, a new week and I have my goal. Train 6 days out of 7, no excuses. So I will do just that and have no remorse about 1 missed workout!