John Natiw

Chief Researcher at Get Off Your Ass and Do Something. #paramedic #run #bike

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

Ordering DoorDash

Me [waiting for wife to figure out what she wants]
Wife [to herself, ostensibly]: I wonder if I can get something off the kids menu. [beat] They don’t know I’m not a kid.

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@Alan_Couzens In perhaps the best example of peak irony I’ve seen in some time, an advertisement for an AI chat bot popped up in the replies to your excellent observation. “Ever wished for an AI you can talk to anytime?” 👀🤣

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@CrimeInTheD Is the sky also blue?

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@kicknyrgios Omg. 🤣🤣🤣

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

Lil wet at #MIS #NASCAR #letsgoracin #boogity

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@BruceLeeMTB @Alan_Couzens I have pen and ink journals back to the mid 80’s myself. But tools like training peaks offer some interesting and fun data.

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@Alan_Couzens This doesn’t seem an either or proposition. I’ve arrived at May 1 in some of the best shape of my life thanks to indoor riding this winter. Between weather and scheduling I am finding it an invaluable training tool. But give me outdoor adventure any day. 👍👊

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@Alan_Couzens I’ve given this a lot of thought the past few years. So much so that I made a Cycling Fun Chart. The idea is to make sure I do things that I really enjoy every month in addition to training. Been working well so far.

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@runliftrunlift This thread gives me hope. Tweaked a knee a couple years ago. Have tried to come back a few times since. Just seems so much harder coming back this time.

[Alan Couzens @Alan_Couzens]

An effective loading day needs to be only slightly above an athlete's long-term average to serve as a stimulus for growth.

When you do the math on those long-term averages, you might be surprised by just how "mild" an effective loading day can be.

[Alan Couzens @Alan_Couzens]

@whennotcycling I generally shoot for ~+30CTL to qualify as a loading day.

That said, someone with your fitness should probably be riding to the nearest country on occasion, if only because you've worked too hard not to enjoy the full extent of its awesomeness 😊

[Alan Couzens @Alan_Couzens]

"But don't I *need* speedwork if I'm racing a 5k/10k?"

I've had athletes run 17min 5k's off pure base work - the only 'speedwork' being short alactic strides & pick-ups.

Will an advanced athlete run a little faster after a period of sharpening? Yes.

Are you an advanced athlete?

[Alan Couzens @Alan_Couzens]

On a related note...

https://t.co/rB14XMrT6f

[David Abbott @runliftrunlift]

How long should your long run be?

Frank Shorter said 20 miles or 2 hours, whichever comes first

Most training plans call for a peak of 20-22 miles

On Training Peaks I’ve seen 25-27 miles recommended for experienced runners

If there were a clear answer we would have it by now. I know runners who subscribe to different beliefs. And they all get good results.

After 6 years of running, countless long runs and double digit marathons, here is what I would say:

1)A good “base” long run is 90-120 minutes. I try to keep my fitness level high enough year round to be able to jog at least 90 minutes. For half marathon training I stick to this 90-120 range also.

I’ve heard research that says there are diminishing health returns once you get beyond 90 minutes, which makes sense. Note that this applies mostly to flat road running. Trail running is a different ballgame.

2)In a marathon training block I would increase the number to 120-150 minutes, 150-180 minutes for some runners. I believe more in time on feet rather than distance.

The quality of your long run should be measured by your ability to recover from it. If you get wiped out and it compromises your next week of workouts, it wasn’t an effective long run. This is always a key consideration: weigh the training stimulus vs the recovery time needed from that run

3)Long runs are a leverage game. Meaning that the bigger your aerobic base, the bigger “risk” you can take with very long and hard runs to get the biggest adaptations.

My first sub 3 marathon (2:54) came 2 weeks after running a 3:08 (PB) marathon. I didn’t plan it like this, but in hindsight I have no doubt the adaptations from the first race led to the second. Another runner I know ran a 2:56 marathon 3 weeks after a 3:21 PB.

It can work the other way also! I had a bad race in 2018 that took me a long time to recover. Which compromised the race after that.

This is why for experienced runners I think it’s good to have a few marathons scheduled when you are really fit. It gives some flexibility to decide whether to approach each marathon as an A B or C race depending on different factors.

Conclusion
This is just my hypothesis for now. After a training block and races this year perhaps I will change my mind. That’s what is fun about running…only one way to find out 😁

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@RoadmanCycling First bike - 5 years old. First “ten speed - 12 years old. First serious road bike? 43. First mountain bike? 47.

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

Saw this post. Then, what I thought was a response to it. #thisishowmymindworksinthemorning

[David Abbott @runliftrunlift]

Make it hurt once a week
Slow easy comfortable the rest of the time

Running well and running sustainably is this simple

Making it hurt is not going 100%
Just a few pumps of lactate into your system

It’s Wednesday. Intervals tonight. Time to make it hurt.

How bout you?

[John Natiw @Detroit_Medic]

@JasonFitz1 Was doing some of the best running of my life (started when I was 22) in my late 50’s in 2019. Caught a rare injury (for me). Haven’t been the same since. Just feels like running beats me up too much. But I miss it. 😕

[Jason Fitzgerald @JasonFitz1]

Dynamic warm ups are a game changer. Try this one: https://t.co/lztu5GyFNd

[Steve Magness @stevemagness]

Win more workouts than you lose.

One year, I had athletes rate every hard workout on a 1-3 scale: bad, average, or good.

After, I looked at those who improved the most versus those who stagnated.

The improvers had fewer bad workouts.