Running advice to elevate your life: twice a month

🏃🏽‍♂️Skim time (5k pace): 1 min 35 sec

🚶🏽‍♀️Read time (long run pace): 5 min 58 sec

👋🏽 Welcome aboard, newcomers, with fresh enthusiasm! And to our long-time companions, we raise our (running/cycling) caps.

TLDR about what’s coming up;

1. 🧡 Threshold tests for different sports | Present Training Tip for you to try right now
2. 📊Training Updates & Music hacks | Past things to learn from me
3. 🌶 Spicy Slow Tempo Intervals | Future stuff for you to try

Feeling this? Why not…

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Sponsor: MOS COACHING

If you were in need of a coach, my coaching sub company – Master of Some MOS (MOS Coaching) is finally offering limited coaching spaces.

We know a lot of runners like to self-coach themselves but sometimes struggle with having an objective view of what they are doing, or just may not know how to get to where they want and (insert your goal).

There is a way to be in the middle – I call this “Run Advice”. Just like a general practitioner (GP) doctor would recommend you to a specialist, I can do that for you by talking with you once, once a month, or once before you start your big race block.

Go here or email me if interested – coach@dlakecreates.com.

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Ladies and gentlemen, if you didn’t get the last two emails, here is an FYI – we have dropped Three Thing Thursday, so say hello to your new twice-monthly-ish run productivity partner, One Percent Better!

In under five minutes, you’ll be on the road to achieving greatness. I’ve spent 11 long years experimenting with myself to figure out how to become a better person as I age. And now, I’m here to share that knowledge with you.

So buckle up your racing shoes and get ready to hit the “road/trail/track”!

You’ll get a bunch of ideas from me as well as the internet coming your way that you can choose to implement.

Let’s go!

🧡 Threshold tests for different sports & and trying simplified HR training methods | Present Stuff

3 Zone vs 5 Zone Heart Rate Training Method

Read, listen and learn all the full details here

What is it?

The 5-zone heart rate model is traditional and what most workout plans have been using for the last 30-40 years.

The 3-zone heart rate model is more fluid and realistic in the real world.

Why does it matter?

Heart rate training is honestly some of the best training I do most of the year (not all) and is a great way to learn how to run by feel. But, the 5-zone HR method can be a bit confusing.

The 3-zone model is great for beginners and even advanced runners use it at times (while I wouldn’t say I’m advanced, I use it as a tool from time to time)

How do you implement and do it?

First off, learn the difference between the three and five-zone models by listening to my podcast or reading this article. It’s like knowing the difference between a burger and a steak. Both can be delicious, but they’re not the same sheez.

Next, figure out which model is gonna work best for you. Are you into the weeds and details like me and love the techno babble and analytics of endurance sports? Or are you more of an “I kinda hate my smartwatch, but I know I should track SOMETHING” type of runner? If you are the former, then maybe use the five-zone method. If you are new or you don’t like technology – try the ladder.

And finally, use heart rate training in combination with your own perceived effort and pace. Like cheffing a gourmet meal – you gotta use your own intuition and experiment with different flavors until you find the perfect recipe.

Threshold testing for different sports

Learn more here

What is it?

Threshold testing is crucial to improving your athletic performance. It sets effective training intensities and helps measure your progress

Why is it important?

• Don’t front – we all want to be better and faster. This test helps set the right training intensity and measure progress.

How to do it?

• You can do a 20-minute time trial or one of the other shorter tests like a 8-minute time trial or a 3-minute critical velocity test.

Here are some testing methods:

• Running: Try a 30-minute time trial or use your recent 5K/10K race results
• Cycling: Do the standard 20-minute time trial or the 30-minute time trial or 3x8minutes
• Swimming: Perform a 1,000-meter time trial or the critical swim speed

Don’t worry if you’ve been putting off your next field test. These shorter tests are just as effective and less taxing. With threshold testing, you can make the fun parts of training more effective and enjoyable.

I like to do these tests after having a block of base (minimum 6 weeks) and then retesting every 4-8 weeks throughout the build/race blocks.

📊Training Updates & Music I listen to when running | Past stuff to learn from me

July was a rough one. Not as bad as March, but def set me back. I was cruising hard with a lot of fitness gains going into late June and boom. Life, sickness, family, etc. happened.

Nothing catastrophic but more of a wakeup call that;

1 – We have zero control over things

2- The more ambition you have to do stuff, the higher the risk chaos/stuff will go crazy and sideways

3- we are just on a rock floating in space inside a galaxy that is floating towards “the great attractor”

Yes, that last one was existential and woo-woo, but I do woo pretty well and it’s true.

Next year is looking more and more like a “rebuild” year where I just take off from racing and focus on building my body, aerobic engine and general mind back.

And the crazy thing – I don’t even feel stressed out. Haha, it’s like my tolerance for stress and chaos is much higher. I still don’t like it. and when I don’t like things I change them.

Music for my runs

Drum n bass dj mixes are AMAZING for all running. Esp if you can control the tempo by using an app like VLC player or just youtube searching a specific drum n bass mix in a bpm range. This is one of my fav of all time that I listen to a lot.

For those Americans that don’t know what DnB music is – Drum n bass is a mixture of hpi hop, techno, reggae, and a whole bunch of electronic music. I prefer liquid funk from the 2000s as it has a very funky and liquidy and jazzy vibe to it.

It’s fast at 170-190 bpms and can get quite aggressive if you’re not into it.

So hip hop at 90bpms is a great alternative but I haven’t found a lot of mixes in the 90 bpm range (the whole mix is set at that) except for this chill out/trip hop mix which isn’t the end of the world.

Juxtaposing chill music against your fast running is kind of nice and refreshing, actually. Everything don’t gotta be hyped… it’s okay to chill out.

Hmm… maybe I should make a few of these 90 bpm mixes… hrmm :starts dusting off my dj headphones:

🌶 Spicy Slow Tempo Intervals & Appreciation | Future stuff for you to try

💪🏽 Physical Thing For You To Try ASAP

What is the spicy slow-tempo run?

One kilometre (0.61 miles OR 2.5 laps on the track for you metrically sensitive folks) Slow tempo repeat intervals with a 30-second burst at the end (the spicy part!)

Why Is It Important?

Most of us don’t run on a flat straight line. Life is also not like this either. (oh, that fitness as a metaphor for life thing is real) We have to slow down, speed up, get up the hill, run on sand, and mud, quickly sprint past that dog on the path/bike/car that is in our way, etc.

When we race, the same thing happens, so why not change up the pacing a bit?

Yes, I hear you in the back – this sounds like a fartlek workout. You are correct, but this is a bit more structured. I personally don’t like Fartlek because of the lack of structure.

How To implement it?

The one-kilometre part is run at that sweet spot between your CURRENT (not goal) half marathon and marathon fitness pacing. You want to use pace for this and not heart rate or effort (unlike my last article about HR training).

The 30-second sprint is run between your 1 mile and 5k effort. You most likely won’t feel 100%, but it’s nice to blow out the cobwebs a bit.

You should know these pacings by the last time trial, or interval workouts you’ve done in the last few weeks. Oh, you don’t do time trials/races or intervals? Then yeah, you can do them slightly faster than your long runs if you haven’t done a time trial/race/intervals in a while.

Side note – I would NOT do this without proper base training and having a few weeks of speed work under my belt. This is not an easy run.

Question

Hit reply to answer and/or hit me up on Instagram (link tbd) to learn from the Master of Some community and one percent better your running life.

🧠 Mental Thing For You To Try ASAP

I love Marvel comics and movies. They transport me back to when I was a kid, but their storylines, themes, and lessons learned are applicable to pretty much everything I do in life. They also focus on everyone’s superpowers, being a mind-body connection similar to running.

Like a superhero powering up before a big fight, reflecting on the positive aspects of our long runs can be a powerful tool for cultivating gratitude and mindfulness. By intentionally seeking out the good in our experiences, we can shift our focus away from the negative and cultivate a more positive mindset.

Reflect on the positive aspects of your daily experiences, whether it’s your morning run or your morning cup of coffee.

Make a list of the things you appreciate and refer to it when you need a boost of positivity.

When we are grateful, things are better. When we are resentful, life is suffering. Our mental states usually have a strong effect on our physical performance.

And…

… for August 2023

PS – If you were in need of a coach, I’m finally offering limited coaching spaces. Go here or email me if interested – coach@dlakecreates.com

PPS – Want to get hyped before a race or run event? Watch this trailer, then watch the whole movie.

THE FEEDBACK LOOP

What worked, what didn’t, and what’s still a mystery? And don’t forget to send in your training updates and any righteous articles you come across so we can share it out with the Master of Some community.