Adarq.org

ooh i had forgotten about that table. gives me an equivalent of 19:07 for the last 5k race i did (dew point 70 = -5%), so i like it lol.

i definitely feel you about hills, a big climb in km 4 is what killed me going sub-20 in that race. mental strength is one way to think about it, but i think another way is self-knowledge: my lack of mental strength in that situation came from not being sure that i would have anything left in the tank for the last 4 minutes if i pushed a bit harder up the hill. as it happened, i finished less tired than i had in the parkrun i did a couple months prior. so next time i'll gun it a little harder up late climbs and see what happens. racing is a learning experience. that's one of the things that's fun/valuable about it.

ETA: magness even alludes to that in his video about kipyegon's sub-4 attempt today: fading in the third quarter is more common with inexperienced runners.

Oh yeah for sure. I guess meant mental game generally rather than just strength per se. For sure just need more racing/learning what it's meant to feel like when you're going the right level of hard.

26-06-25

Run --
w/u
3 x (10' on / 1' off) [4:32 avg]
c/d

Total 10.22k, 54:40

27-06-25

Run -- 6.46k, 42:31

Notes

1k less running today counts as a taper right?

not that much faster. but anyway i'm sure you're right about playing with the format.

yeah i think people over anchor on the 3x SubT + 3x Easy + 1 long run format as being the core, when really it's just "track load, don't do too much, but do more over time", and that format is what James settled on + works generally for most people

24-06-25

Run --
w/u
5 x (6' on / 1' off) [4:31, 4:28, 4:25, 4:26, 4:23]
c/d

Total -- 10.38k, 55:01

22-06-25

Run -- 16.00k, 1:38:23 [avg HR 132]

Seated Calf Raise --
45kg x a bunch
55kg x a bunch
45kg x a bunch

Notes

Nabbed the treadmill under the air con unit at the gym, so this was nice. Again really don't mind treadmill it seems, didn't get bored. Just lock into pace and listen to my thing and roll on. Was like 30 mins @ 6:19, 40 mins @ 6:00, 10 mins @ 5:43 which I decided was too fast (HR averaged 136 in that portion, didn't seem to be drifting, but it touched 140 which I didn't want), back to 6:00 for a while then last 2k at 6:40 to chill a bit. Tbh love having this much control over exactly how I'm running.

Counted breaths at various points and was always 20-22 per minute, even during the 5:43 portion.

On the one hand I believe that the seated calf raise is a trash-tier exercise (every study comparing seated vs standing shwos that both produce equivalent soleus gainz, but only standing trains the gastroc meaningfully), but on the other hand it is more fun to do for whatever reason. Could set up on the leg press machine for some calf raises but that's just takes too much time, whereas this is trivial to get going.

Over last couple weeks have been getting a little bit of arch pain here and there in my right foot. That's the side with the less mobile ankle/weaker calf, previous hip issue etc. So given that obvs my hips are not meaningfully weak (rdls, airplanes, etc), I guess calves must be the weak link, esp since that's more foot specific. So calf gym work can only be a good idea, esp since it's also a bomb way to stretch, since you can just hold the bottom position for 3s+ per rep, so across like 30 reps that's 90s of weighted intense stretching. Arguably this is a case where seated is better for me b/c straight leg ankle mobility is fine on both sides, but bent is poor on right side. Anyway, will try to do those after runs any time I use the gym. Can just do one of my classic drop or myo sets.

Oh 70k for the week  partly aided by doing long run in aircon/on treadmill, but avg pace for the week is basically same as always, i just somehow ran for 7 hours instead of the usual 6:30. Mostly a result of making an effort to keep all my weekday runs 50mins +, those 3-8 mins/day really add up. Not sure I can extend much past 70k/week without just getting faster.

ETA: other nice thing abt treadmill is it is easier to bring more liquids. Consumed like 1.2L during this which wd just be annoying outdoors.

ETA: also, evidence for my somewhat (played-up for effect) HR-sceptical stance. I was surely fresher yesterday than today, trained at about same time with same pre-workout nutrition, both on treadmill, etc etc. Today, HR never went above 140 and spent <1 min over 138, no HR drift, etec. Yesterday, I was 138 @ 6:19, 144 @ 6:00 and 147 @ 5:43. Exact same paces today were 128, 134, 136 avg. Used same HR strap. Now one confounder is using a different treadmill, maybe yesterday's had a faster belt. But still, interesting!

when do you think the a/c turning point will be for the UK? it's been ubiquitous in the states for decades, i've never lived in a house without it.

at homes? maybe new builds have them, not sure tbh. my office aircon is great, at least.

btw check out the latest magness video, especially the first and last 3 seconds 

I meant breaths per minute. Less confounders than trying to pair with steps since cadence changes with pace (for me at least), and also counting two things at once is hard.

Check out the article i linked in my previous post, it's a nice overview on using respiration rate as an effort proxy.

Quote from: LBSS on June 15, 2025, 10:39:16 am

migraine started friday night and is just now starting to dissipate close to midday on sunday. not an auspicious first week for my 50-miler build.

update: or second week, obviously. woke up this morning without a headache for the first time since last friday. will go for a cautious run later, probably inside because it's hot today and that just seems like asking for trouble.

btw @joe, i watched a short from will o'connor where he talks about how easy it is for a run with hills on it to slip out of zone 2 when you're climbing, even if HR doesn't change. apparently, if you're aerobically fit enough, you can buffer the extra costs of running uphill for a little while (i guess longer and/or steeper the fitter you are) without it affecting HR. an argument in your favor against relying on HR as the primary metric. seems like you can kinda fudge a power-based workout with just the watch but to do it right you have to get a stryd pod. oh boy, more gear... i'll probably stick with HR as the main thing and use pace for intervals.

gotta be honest that read like bs and i went to watch and i still think that's bs. first of all, stryd/power meters for running stink. secondly, if you're buffering that stuff, then like so what it's probably not really creating extra fatigue? and third, like who cares if it's a "zone 2" run (love this interview for debunking the zone 2 hype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6DhfMJH84E -- gist, in terms of adaptation, doesn't really matter that much what zone you're in, just aim for whatever combination let's you accumulate the most training).

way i think easy runs is that hr is great for setting an upper bound, b/c if you're below some arbitrary fairly low number (i use 70%, which probably puts me in zone 1 rather than 2 anyway), you're defo going easy enough. pace fine too but hr does a better job of keeping me honest (you can see how slow i go, when the same calculators i use for interval paces are saying i should be doing like 5:50 or whatever for easy runs), and i have to take my easy runs very easy so i can do 3 sessions a week.

and yeah, for intervals, i like pace as the like framework, and then hr as the progression metric, kind of like sticking with the same weight/reps and having more reps in reserve over time.

I read this article the other day: https://modeltheruncom.wpcomstaging.com/2025/05/17/respiration-rate-1/

that left me feeling very intrigued by respiration rate as a metric. have been counting breaths during some sessions to try and build an internal sense of where various thresholds sit in relation to each other. might try out the step test this weekend on a treadmill if i feel like hiding from the sun for the saturday session.

Also, wishing you the best with the migraines!