Stu

[Brady Holmer @Brady_H]

I have been an avid reader, my entire life.

Now that I read basically for a living, my pleasure reading has dropped.

But every weekend, I will at least try to sit on the couch and read a book unrelated to my work for around an hour.

I realize that reading has now become a skill. It’s hard to do, especially when we are used to the quick digestible content that comes with scrolling social media.

But it makes me realize that practicing the skill of reading is probably essential and it’s doing something unique to the mind that we need to maintain in this modern era.

[kilian jornet @kilianj]

I wrote an article of my training, race strategy and execution for @wser where I finished 3rd with a time of 14h19’:

https://t.co/Q5y5Zim5hD

( Thanks @Jesusah80 for the guidance!)

[Brady Holmer @Brady_H]

Marathon running: “Kipchoge just passed mile 18. He’s moving at 15.4 mph and his last 5k split was 14 minutes and 32.45 seconds!”

UltraRunning: “So we think Kilian is in 3rd place but we aren’t sure. We lost him on camera but think he’s through mile 60? Check back in one hour.”

[Steve Magness @stevemagness]

Every fitness person online is screaming...

One camp shouts: Zone 2.
The other: Go hard or go home. HIIT!

But if you look at what the best in the world actually do?
It’s simpler. More thoughtful. Less dogmatic. More varied

A new study surveyed elite endurance coaches and the patterns were striking. Let’s break it down.

[John Davis @JDruns]

People know that age-based formulas for max heart rate are not accurate, but I don't think they appreciate HOW BAD the predictions are. Even the best age-based prediction have a margin of error of +/- 18 beats per minute!

[Steve Magness @stevemagness]

Please do not reduce interval training into a "best" workout.

There is no single best interval workout to improve cardiovascular fitness. Science does NOT show this. It is NOT the NORWEGIAN 4x4min as many health people claim. It's just not...

The best interval training is varied. Change the stimulus (speed, rest period, rest type, rep distance). Especially if you are after general fitness.

Focusing on a single best interval workout is what we did in the 1940s and 50s when Zatopek ran endless 400s, and Bannister ran 10x400 most days.

We've evolved since then. (And even Zatopek ran some 200s every now and then.)

Let's bring hard workouts into the 21st century.

My preference for general fitness is to rotate your hard workouts between:
1. Short and fast, but smooth
2. Medium length at 5k pace
3. Longer and steady

Examples:
1. 10 to 15 x 200m at mile pace with 200m jog recovery (or a pace you can sustain for 5-8min)
2. 5x 3min @ 3k-5k pace (pace you can sustain for 10-18min) with 3 minutes rest
3. 3x8min @ tempo/steady effort (pace you can sustain for ~hour) with 2min rest

These aren't magic either. Vary them up and alter the stimulus.

You can do option #2 (medium intervals) as short intervals if you make the rest really short (i.e. 400s with 25sec rest @ 10k pace). Or option #3 tempo, you could do in short intervals with really short rest at not too fast of a pace (10x2min on/30sec off at 15k pace) Why? Because you manipulated the speed/rest to get the same aerobic stimulus as doing longer intervals, with longer rest, at a touch slower.

The basic idea is do something that is manageably hard (7/8 out of 10, not max). Do a hard workout once, maybe twice per week. And lots of easy surrounding that.

The magic is in the manipulation of the variables. Not in a single special workout.

For more: https://t.co/vFWJmQNx84

*On the research on intervals: It's not that the research is bad. It's that you can't test interval training as it's done in the real world. So what happens is researchers isolate intervals for ~ 6 weeks and see what does "best" in improvement of a parameter. So you take a bunch of people doing easy mileage, then put them through 6 weeks where everyone does X, Y, or Z workout 2-3x a week.

It's not a reflection of what occurs in the real world. Often, studies on interval training are just a demonstration of what helps people peak for a "race" (or in many cases some physiological test).

It's why interval training almost always appears better in studies than it actually works in the real world. Why? Because we aren't constantly peaking...we're training for months on end, not 6-8 weeks.

I break down the Norwegian 4x4 claim here in full: https://t.co/d8359Fmxz3

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

Current road shoe options. Asics Superblast 2 and Puma Deviate Nitro 3.

[Liam @aidstationfireb]

RECORD WATCH: David Roche is through May Queen inbound (mile 87) in 13:29, 16 minutes up on Matt Carpenter’s 2005 split, and 27 minutes up on Rob Krar’s 2018 split.

Stay tuned folks. History is being made. #LT100 #Leadville100

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

@SageCanaday I absolutely love this type of thing!! 😂 I’m sure I saw one about % males that thought they could beat a grizzly in a fight

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

@UltraRunnerPod Have you tried physio and strengthening? That’s number one for tendons in my experience

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

@tyromper Top class, algo sent me here because of the running emoji and marathons (probably!) but the rest is brilliant too! Nice Tyler’s dad!

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

@aidstationfireb Nice!

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

@scottcarlinpt I’ve got two - @runspeedland GS:PGH and @thenorthface Summit Vectiv Pro. Incredible midsole, fit and versatility in both.

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

@aidstationfireb @MelansonFinn Does seem that way. I’ve tried to think of a way that’s not the case.

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

Vail seem to main issue reading Gary’s blog (maybe due to chat underway w/ UTMB?). lot of damage is done with Nth Americans but doubt rest of world is as bothered. My current feeling is 80% vail and 20% @UTMBWorldSeries naughty split @MelansonFinn @aidstationfireb @ajoneswilkins

[Gary Robbins @gary_robbins]

I would like to take the time now to say that @CoastMtnTrail are officially announcing our intensions of launching a BC race in direct competition with this event, in September 2024.

https://t.co/nmaqURoqZk

[Stu @stuartrmunro]

@ajoneswilkins I was relaxed about it, but this is ugly. Doing it in North America is foolish where opposition seems to be strongest and loudest. Momentum can swing away quite quickly, if a handful of top elites + tons of amateurs go elsewhere for their key race, that could change it all.