Genetic potential? Sure. But excuses matter more. January 24, 2020 “Uh oh, you’re not going to like that,” my wife said. We were in a bookstore, and I had picked up a copy of The Sports Gene. I often sneer at discussions about genetics in sport. It’s not that I disbelieve that genes set our limits. They do in an absolute sense. What I despise... More
“Aerobic Capacity: When can I stop easy training?” January 15, 2020 When I introduced an allowance to our oldest son, I used three jars: Spend, Give, and Save. The three jars represented three big-picture elements of managing money. After describing the first two, I got to the one that I was most excited about, the Save jar. “And with this jar,” I said with glee. “This... More
What is the most important intensity? January 10, 2020 Performance in an endurance event comes from the highest average speed. Training determines what the highest average speed–“race pace”–will be. The higher the race pace, the faster the time. The faster the time, the better the performance. So the more race pace training an athlete can tolerate, the better prepared the athlete will be. They’ll... More
A review of my 2018/2019 skimo training November 13, 2019 The 2018/2019 skimo season was my best ever. I finished the season sixth in Canada and went to the World Championships in Switzerland. A lot of factors contributed to that outcome, luck included. My 2018 training cycle was a big factor. It was much different than in previous years with several helpful differences. And it... More
Six drills to make ARC training more effective June 25, 2019 After a ten-year hiatus, I’ve started rock climbing again. I “remember” how to move–thank God for engrams–but I started with zero climbing fitness. My forearms felt pumped and acidic within seconds. Even after two months of training, I’m just starting to feel like I have some endurance. To rebuild my fitness, I’ve been using the... More
How bored can you be? June 21, 2019 “I’m bored,” my son often says. He uses it as a justification for distraction. Boredom is bad, he thinks, so something external should be sought so the boredom can end. But the mind is a muscle. And boredom can make it stronger. More
VO2 Max: A 14-year retrospective June 3, 2019 In 2005, I went with three friends to get our first VO2 max tests. I didn’t know what the results meant. But fourteen years later, that first test is a good benchmark, and I can make some unfortunate conclusions. When More
Is 5.11 the junk zone of rock climbing? May 28, 2019 Between 2005 and 2010, I focused on sport climbing. I redpointed 13c and flashed 12c. A key part of my progress was avoiding 5.11. More
How to calibrate a treadmill November 13, 2018 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
Don’t fill the bowl November 1, 2018 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
