Read, write, run. Repeat.

An ex-alpinist. And now, a skimo racer.
Canadian National Development Team

I write about using unpopular methods to make sought-after gains. I focus on mountain sports, value investing, and the principles they have in common.

How to calibrate a treadmill

I recently discovered that my treadmill doesn’t report its actual speed. At first, I was disappointed. Then I calibrated the machine and found that it under-reports its speed. Phew! The other day at the gym, I warmed up on a treadmill that I had used many times in the past. The speeds that I set... More

Image of an overflowing bowl

Don’t fill the bowl

When I “fill the bowl”, life is too jam-packed. Everything in the bowl competes for space. When the unexpected happens, the important things suffer. The solution? Don’t fill the bowl. — Most mornings, I eat eggs with lentils, bruschetta, and hot sauce. This morning was no different, but all our cereal-size bowls were dirty. I... More

An image slice of graphed heart rate data from Whoop and a Garmin Fenix

Should Whoop change its name to Whoops?

Last month, I started using a Whoop. I hoped that it would guide me toward better recovery. Unfortunately, the Whoop’s activity tracking is too inaccurate and imprecise to be of much use. I sent it back for a refund. The Whoop is a 24-hour activity tracker marketed to athletes. It purports to quantify “strain” and... More

An image of my 5th lactate test in 2018

Lactate Test #5: Progress

On September 18th, I did my fifth lactate test for the season. As with previous tests, I did both the aerobic and anaerobic portions on the same day with a break and some food in between. In mid-September, I completed my fifth lactate capacity test of the season. The results are promising, showing improvements in... More

An image comparing the data of Whoop and a Garmin Fenix

Comparing Data: Whoop vs. Garmin Fenix 2

This morning was my second workout with a Whoop on my wrist. In both cases, Whoop’s data is inaccurate and grossly overstates the intensity of the workouts. I recorded both sessions with the Whoop and a Garmin Fenix 2 with an HRM-Run chest strap. The workout was a recovery session with an average heart rate... More