# Scott Semple
> Use the best of what other sports have already figured out.
Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. Use `/llms-full.txt` for consolidated page and post context.
Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`).

## Pages
- [The Skimo Cheat Sheet](https://www.scottsemple.com/32-tips.md) - Sign in to download 32 Tips.
- [Hello.](https://www.scottsemple.com/about.md) - I coach mountain sports at Evoke Endurance.
- [AI Declaration](https://www.scottsemple.com/ai-declaration.md) - I abide by the Not By AI 90% Rule. This website has undergone a third-party human review.
- [All About the Frown](https://www.scottsemple.com/all-about-the-frown-2.md) - How Skimo Racing Makes Backcountry Skiing Fitter, Faster, & More Fun
- [Bibliography](https://www.scottsemple.com/bibliography.md) - The list of my training mistakes over the last 25 years is long... Thankfully, these books kept it shorter than it might have been.
- [Climbing & Skiing CV](https://www.scottsemple.com/climbing-skiing-cv.md) - Skimo Racing * Competed at the 2019 ISMF World Championships as a member of the Canadian National Team; * A national-level competitor in Canada, consistently placing in the top ten. Finished the 2019 season as 6th overall; * Numerous first place finishes in the 40-49 Masters category; * Completed t…
- [Get in touch.](https://www.scottsemple.com/contact.md) - Feedback? Questions? Read a first draft?
- [Downloads](https://www.scottsemple.com/downloads.md) - Download handy checklists and instructional PDFs on what to plan, practice, and use when training and racing. Subscribers only.
- [From Geek to Freak](https://www.scottsemple.com/from-geek-to-freak.md) - How to Plan, Prepare, and Perform as a Skimo Racer
- [Home](https://www.scottsemple.com/home.md) - I write about training and performance. Start reading
- [Influences](https://www.scottsemple.com/influences.md) - Scott Johnston Starting in 2005, Scott mentored me in endurance theory, advised me on training during my skimo days, and coached me from October 2016 to March 2017. Scott pointed me toward the people below in addition to engaging in our 17-year dialog on endurance training. At last count, that exch…
- [Latest](https://www.scottsemple.com/latest.md)
- [powered by grief](https://www.scottsemple.com/powered-by-grief.md) - In 2022, I lost my oldest son. He died by suicide when he was 18. It felt like my life and my brain were split in two. There was The Time Before and The Time After. The person from The Time Before had interest, memories, and skills that the person in The Time After no longer cared about or valued.…
- [Testimonials](https://www.scottsemple.com/testimonials.md) - Skimo Racing If we've made this kind of progress in 4 months, then I look forward to what can be done over the course of a couple of years. I can't thank you enough. I have learned an immense amount about how structured training works and how beneficial it can be. Just wanted to say thanks for a go…
- [The Skimo Survival Guide](https://www.scottsemple.com/the-skimo-survival-guide.md) - How to Try Skimo Racing Without Being Embarrassed, Getting Destroyed, or Spending a Dime
- [What is skimo racing?](https://www.scottsemple.com/what-is-skimo-racing.md) - Surprisingly, the mainstream media got it almost right.

## Posts
- [Embrace the next generation.](https://www.scottsemple.com/embrace-the-next-generation.md) - A lesson in scrambled eggs, a legendary climber, and sim racing—how experience can benefit from new knowledge.
- [Do your feet make noise?](https://www.scottsemple.com/do-your-feet-make-noise.md) - Move safely and efficiently in steep terrain by changing how you walk. Learn why “quiet feet” reduce wasted energy, improve balance, and prevent dangerous slips.
- [Race before you're ready.](https://www.scottsemple.com/race-before-youre-ready.md) - Your first race is research, not a report card.
- [Zone 3 Confusion & the Fatigue-Equals-Fitness Trap](https://www.scottsemple.com/zone-3-confusion-and-the-fatigue-equals-fitness-trap.md) - A common mistake in endurance training is equating effort with progress. In reality, not much intensity is required.
- ["skimo" means racing.](https://www.scottsemple.com/skimo-means-racing.md) - Using "skimo" to mean ski mountaineering—or vice versa—flags the speaker as either: a non-English speaker, which is fine; or a beginner, which might not be what they’re going for.
- [Paint your toes.](https://www.scottsemple.com/paint-your-toes.md) - Save time in transitions. On your boot, mark the location of the binding inserts.
- [Trim your skins.](https://www.scottsemple.com/skimo-skin-useful-length.md) - Almost all of the grip comes from under the heel.
- [Beware of buoyancy.](https://www.scottsemple.com/beware-of-buoyancy.md) - Context is much like buoyancy. It influences outcomes but is often invisible, and sometimes insidious.
- [Should PERMA(V) become REVAMP?](https://www.scottsemple.com/should-perma-v-become-revamp.md) - The PERMA model for wellbeing grew out of positive psychology. To me, putting the P first reflects the bias of the field and, perhaps, its naivete.
- [The Poor Man's Power Meter](https://www.scottsemple.com/respiration-the-poor-mans-power-meter.md) - Use respiration rate to monitor training intensity and target a sustainable race pace.
- [Lactate Curves: 3 Shifts, 13 Reasons](https://www.scottsemple.com/lactate-curve-interpretation-3-shifts-13-reasons.md) - A lactate curve is shaped by the tension between anaerobic and aerobic capacity. Judging a curve by only the latter is incomplete and error prone.
- [WHOOP, I did it again.](https://www.scottsemple.com/whoop-i-did-it-again.md) - In 2018, I did a thorough test of WHOOP and sent it back for a refund. Is WHOOP 4.0 any better? (Nope.)
- [Five Benefits of Training in Silence](https://www.scottsemple.com/train-in-silence.md) - Silence doesn’t just remove noise—it reveals signal. And multiplies it by ten.
- [Free PDF: How to Design a Training Plan](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-to-design-a-training-plan.md) - Check out this 39-page summary of how to design a detailed training plan.
- [Is light equipment overrated?](https://www.scottsemple.com/is-light-equipment-overrated.md) - No, a -1% in weight can mean +5% in speed. Here's how to figure it out.
- [How much faster is skimo race gear?](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-much-faster-is-skimo-race-gear.md) - A lot. Based on some back-of-the-napkin testing, every 1% increase in total system weight led to a 5% decrease in uphill speed.
- [Sand Castles: A Mental Model of Endurance Training](https://www.scottsemple.com/sandcastles-a-mental-model-of-endurance-training.md) - Training endurance is like building a sandcastle. If you get the mix wrong, your castle will collapse.
- [Plan your attack.](https://www.scottsemple.com/plan-your-attack.md) - Decide where and how to apply your strengths—and make up for weaknesses.
- [Preview the course.](https://www.scottsemple.com/preview-the-course.md) - Redlining at a race pace is not the time to figure out where to go.
- [The Skimo Cheat Sheet: 32 Tips](https://www.scottsemple.com/the-skimo-cheat-sheet-32-tips.md) - Thinking of a last minute skimo race this season? Use the Cheat Sheet.
- [The Pure Speed Cheat Sheet](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-to-train-pure-speed.md) - By starting a macrocycle at the extreme of speed, an athlete can start to build a "speed base."
- [Four Key Ingredients of Pure Speed](https://www.scottsemple.com/four-key-ingredients-of-pure-speed.md) - Even long-duration sports benefit from a "speed base." But like many training protocols, how to train pure speed is counter-intuitive.
- [The serious athlete is neglected.](https://www.scottsemple.com/the-serious-athlete-is-neglected.md) - A simple guide to "How to Run Your First 5K!" will always outsell an essential-but-dense tome like *The Lore of Running*. But training to survive short-term participation does little to maximize long-term performance.
- [What is converging periodization?](https://www.scottsemple.com/what-is-converging-periodization.md) - A goal-specific planning method that starts at four extremes, trains them concurrently, and progresses each toward a goal event
- [Can a three-hour run reveal aerobic threshold?](https://www.scottsemple.com/can-a-three-hour-run-reveal-aerobic-threshold.md) - "Is it crude to use the average heart rate from a 3-hour run to roughly guesstimate aerobic threshold (AeT)?"
- [What is your preferred method of testing anaerobic threshold?](https://www.scottsemple.com/what-is-your-preferred-method-of-testing-anaerobic-threshold.md) - "I have been getting frustrated using AeT and thought I was just doing something wrong/not reading the data correctly... If not aerobic threshold, what is your preferred method of testing anaerobic threshold?"
- [Detraining: How far can you fall?](https://www.scottsemple.com/detraining-how-far-can-you-fall.md) - Over three years of detraining, my anaerobic and aerobic threshold speeds have declined 23% and 26%, respectively. At a climb rate of 1,000 meters per hour, my heart rate has increased 37%. Detraining, age, altitude—and attitude—are all factors.
- [What can you learn from a post-race postmortem?](https://www.scottsemple.com/what-can-you-learn-from-a-post-race-postmortem.md) - Should you warm up if you're "only in recreation mode"? Is it worth pushing to avoid bottlenecks? How do you eat when using poles?
- [When can you get away with not carrying extra food and water?](https://www.scottsemple.com/when-can-you-get-away-with-not-carrying-extra-food-and-water.md) - Nutrition confusion often comes from guides and plans being labeled "...for Event X." But duration and intensity are the key factors, not distance.
- [How long can aerobic capacity improve?](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-long-can-aerobic-capacity-improve.md) - "I've read that aerobic capacity building can go on for 6, 8 or 10 years, even for full-time athletes. And I recently read how Nils van der Poel spent ~30 hours/week for 3 years in building his aerobic base."
- [How does cooling down improve aerobic capacity?](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-does-cooling-down-improve-aerobic-capacity.md) - "What is the reason for cooling down after a workout? What are the consequences if we never cool down? Does the kind of workout matter? What does the ideal cool down look like?"
- [What metabolic information can we get from a flat half-marathon?](https://www.scottsemple.com/what-metabolic-information-can-we-get-from-a-flat-half-marathon.md) - "I've read that a time trial for 10k or 45 min or 1 hr is a general test for one's anaerobic threshold, and a marathon is raced at one's aerobic threshold. Is that true?"
- [Why Transitions Matter ☝️](https://www.scottsemple.com/why-transitions-matter.md) - Do them well, and skimo transitions will be an insignificant portion of your race. Do them poorly, and you'll lose to that guy you can't stand.
- [How to practice 🎹](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-to-practice-transitions.md) - Speed doesn't come from doing everything faster. It comes from not doing things that don't matter.
- [Entering a transition zone 🛬](https://www.scottsemple.com/entering-a-transition-zone.md) - Regardless of the transition type, approaching a transition zone has a handful of common actions.
- [Skin to Ski: Single Rips❗](https://www.scottsemple.com/skin-to-ski-transition-single-rips.md) - At the top of each climb, a skimo racer must switch from uphill skinning to downhill skiing and do it in less than 30 seconds to be competitive.
- [Skin to Ski: Double Rip ‼️](https://www.scottsemple.com/skin-to-ski-transition-double-rip.md) - After the final ascent, the change from skinning to skiing is unique. Instead of two single-skin rips, it's much faster to double-rip both skins and stuff the sticky mess in your suit.
- [Skin to Boot 🥾](https://www.scottsemple.com/skin-to-boot-transition.md) - Bootpacks are too steep to skin, so racers must switch from skinning to booting. With practice, a bootpack transition can be done in a few seconds.
- [Boot to Skin 🦿](https://www.scottsemple.com/boot-to-skin-transition.md) - Bootpack sections, especially in the sprint event, often end with more skinning. Transitioning from booting to skinning is the shortest transition and often only takes a few seconds.
- [Ski to Skin 🦿](https://www.scottsemple.com/ski-to-skin-transition.md) - At the bottom of each climb, a skimo racer must switch from uphill skinning to uphill skinning and do it in less than 60 seconds to be competitive.
- [Boot to Ski ⛷️](https://www.scottsemple.com/boot-to-ski-transition.md)
- [Exiting a transition zone 🛫](https://www.scottsemple.com/exiting-a-transition-zone.md) - Regardless of the transition type, leaving a transition zone has a handful of common actions.
- [Do we have an effort bias?](https://www.scottsemple.com/do-we-have-an-effort-bias.md) - In January, I started using Anki, spaced repetition software, to study for an exam. My first impression was negative. "This is too easy," I thought. "This can't be helpful." But as I read more about spaced repetition, my initial reaction reminded me of how people get sucked into HIIT training. HIIT…
- [How I Estimate Goal Times](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-i-estimate-goal-times.md) - If you run all out for 10 kilometers in 30 minutes, does that mean that you can run all out for 20 kilometers in 60 minutes? No, but there is a way to make a decent estimate of a goal time.
- [How much of your training is bioavailable?](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-much-of-your-training-is-bioavailable.md) - "More is better" is almost never the case. Like nutrients, the body can only absorb what it can absorb. Anything more than that dose is wasted or, worse, counterproductive.
- [The Basics of Basic Training Principles](https://www.scottsemple.com/the-basics-of-basic-training-principles.md) - To maximize performance, an athlete needs to do some anaerobic training. But to optimize the anaerobic benefits, an athlete needs to have an aerobic foundation. The bigger the base, the bigger the benefit. The bigger the benefit, the better the performance.
- [Does arduous exercise compromise immunity?](https://www.scottsemple.com/does-arduous-exercise-compromise-immunity.md) - Originally published at Uphill Athlete in July 2020. A recent article solicited opposing expert arguments about exercise and immunity. The researchers wanted to know whether “arduous exercise” compromises immune function. But for practicing athletes, the answer doesn’t matter. And it could be detri…
- [What is aerobic evolution?](https://www.scottsemple.com/aerobic-evolution.md) - Many athletes get suckered into believing that physical potential is a genetic lottery. That's only partially true.
- [Does more fatigue mean more fitness?](https://www.scottsemple.com/does-more-fatigue-mean-more-fitness.md) - Training causes fatigue and fitness to appear in sequence. Then athletes confuse the degree of fatigue with future fitness. Sometimes, it’s the opposite. I’ve had a sinus infection for three weeks. On day 17, I started taking antibiotics. The next day, I felt much better. Did the antibiotics help?…
- [Gap the mind.](https://www.scottsemple.com/gap-the-mind.md) - Climbers feel fear but cannot act on it. Forced restraint widens the gap between stimulus and response. A tunnel becomes a decision tree.
- [To perform or protect? Which is better?](https://www.scottsemple.com/perform-or-protect-which-is-better.md) - Most mornings, I make pour-over coffee. I weigh and hand-grind 20 grams of whole beans. I pre-rinse a filtered V60 cone. Then I put the grounds in the cone on a mug on a digital scale. When the water reaches ~93 degrees Celsius, I start to pour. First, I saturate the grounds with 40g of hot water a…
- [Genetic potential? Excuses matter more.](https://www.scottsemple.com/genetic-potential-excuses-matter-more.md) - “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 are feigned tests of…
- ["When can I stop easy training?"](https://www.scottsemple.com/aerobic-capacity-when-can-i-stop-easy-training.md) - 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. “…
- [What is the most important intensity?](https://www.scottsemple.com/race-pace-the-most-important-intensity.md) - 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…
- [A Review of My 2018/2019 Skimo Training](https://www.scottsemple.com/a-review-of-my-2018-2019-skimo-training.md) - 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 help…
- [Six Drills to Make ARC Training More Effective](https://www.scottsemple.com/six-drills-to-make-arc-training-more-effective.md) - 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…
- [VO2 Max: A 14-year retrospective](https://www.scottsemple.com/vo2-max-a-14-year-retrospective.md) - 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 compared to two more tests that bracket six years of heavy skimo training, it’s c…
- [Is 5.11 the junk zone of rock climbing?](https://www.scottsemple.com/is-5-11-the-junk-zone-of-rock-climbing.md) - 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. When I was sport climbing, I learned a lot from my friends Jay Audenart and Simon Villeneuve. Simon in particular has a fun, irreverent attitude that has helped him cli…
- [Functional Mysophobia: Crazy Ways to Stay Healthy](https://www.scottsemple.com/functional-mysophobia-crazy-ways-to-stay-healthy.md) - Originally published at Uphill Athlete in February 2019. For endurance athletes, staying healthy while training represents more money in the fitness bank. Imagine that for every day you were sick, you had to dig into your savings and pay your employer two and a half days of income: * Five days off…
- [How to calibrate a treadmill](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-to-calibrate-a-treadmill.md) - 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 th…
- [Don't fill the bowl](https://www.scottsemple.com/dont-fill-the-bowl.md) - 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 cer…
- [Should WHOOP be called WHOOPs?](https://www.scottsemple.com/should-whoop-be-called-whoops.md) - I hoped a WHOOP would guide me toward better recovery. I sent it back for a refund.
- [Lactate Test #5: Progress](https://www.scottsemple.com/lactate-test-5-progress.md) - 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. What does this lactate test show? Anaerobic capacity has increased In my last test, I used a pace of 3,000 mhr…
- [First Impressions: Whoop vs. Garmin](https://www.scottsemple.com/first-impressions-whoop-garmin.md) - 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 h…
- [Lactate Test #4: Stupid is as stupid does](https://www.scottsemple.com/lactate-test-4-stupid-is-as-stupid-does.md) - Over a month ago, I did my fourth lactate capacity test of the season. I did both the aerobic and anaerobic portions on the same day, albeit with a break and some food between them. Since my last test in early July, I’ve been doing a lot of Local Muscular Endurance (LME) training. I was keen to get…
- [Training on a treadmill: Accuracy versus precision](https://www.scottsemple.com/training-on-a-treadmill-accuracy-versus-precision.md) - In early 2018, I bought a treadmill. Training on a treadmill sounds horrible to most–and for long, steady sessions it is–but for high-intensity training, it’s perfect. Yesterday, I wrote about the big impact that gradient has on climb rates. While writing, I looked online for an angle-to-gradient c…
- [Gradient: Small changes in angle, big differences in climb rate](https://www.scottsemple.com/gradient-small-changes-in-angle-big-differences-in-climb-rate.md) - When using climb rates as benchmarks, make sure that the grade of the terrain during tests is consistent. Small variations in gradient will create big differences in climb rates and misleading results between tests. I often use a treadmill as part of my warm-up for strength sessions in the gym. At…
- [Slow & steady is boring. Is it really necessary?](https://www.scottsemple.com/slow-steady-boring-necessary.md) - Originally published at Uphill Athlete in July 2018. I love The Matrix. In my favorite scene, Neo straps himself to an archaic dentist’s chair. He’s learning martial arts by downloading them into his brain. Once they’re installed, he can use them in the digital world. To make the downloads, Neo’s c…
- [Lactate Test #3: Moving in the right direction](https://www.scottsemple.com/lactate-test-3-moving-in-the-right-direction.md) - Last week, I did my third lactate test of the season. As planned after my second test, I wanted to minimize glycogen depletion in the anaerobic portion, so I split the test into two parts. I did the aerobic part on July 2nd and the anaerobic on July 3rd. Since my test on May 21st, I’ve started loca…
- [Planning a training season](https://www.scottsemple.com/planning-a-training-season.md) - The chance of any plan going according to plan is zero. But the chance of arriving at an unknown destination without a map is also zero. Reality unfolds somewhere in the middle. For the 2018/2019 season, I did an analysis of where I’m at and what I need to work on. By using that brainstorm as a rou…
- [Lactate Test #2: What happened to aerobic capacity?](https://www.scottsemple.com/lactate-test-2-what-happened-to-aerobic-capacity.md) - On May 21st, I did my second lactate capacity test of the season. I planned on both an aerobic and anaerobic capacity check during the test. But the aerobic part of the test was too long. It likely caused a bit of glycogen depletion. Depletion would have compromised the results of the anaerobic par…
- [Lactate Test #1: Where am I starting from?](https://www.scottsemple.com/lactate-test-1-where-am-i-starting-from.md) - On April 7th, I did my first lactate capacity test of the training season. A lactate capacity test tells you: * Your aerobic capacity by plotting ~2 mM/L and ~4 mM/L against pace and heart rate; * Your anaerobic capacity by measuring the peak lactate output during the test; and * The relative stren…
- [Sand Castles: A Mental Model of Endurance Training](https://www.scottsemple.com/sand-castles-a-mental-model-of-endurance-training.md) - Originally published at Uphill Athlete in May 2018. Training endurance is like building a sandcastle. You need sand, water, the sense not to overdo it, and both the expertise and creativity to build something great. Basic endurance is like piling dry sand. It can’t be shaped, just piled higher. For…
- [Making the best recovery test even better](https://www.scottsemple.com/making-the-best-recovery-test-even-better.md) - When I woke up this morning, I knew that I needed to change my training plan. My Training Peaks metrics are positive, but my reality is far different. My TSB is near zero, but I’m tired. I should be feeling recovered and ready to start another training block. But I don’t, and I’m not. A year ago, I…
- [Clogging Up the Drain: Why You're Forced to Slow Down](https://www.scottsemple.com/clogging-up-the-drain-why-youre-forced-to-slow-down.md) - Originally published at Uphill Athlete in July 2018. When I first started skimo racing, I started races way too fast. The gun would go off, and I’d bolt forward. I’d feel great for about 60 seconds, and then as if I was running through molasses I’d have to slow way down. With that kind of start, th…
- [Caffeine: How a man can feel like a boy](https://www.scottsemple.com/caffeine-how-a-man-can-feel-like-a-boy.md) - The race season is over. Caffeine season has begun. In my training, I often do fasted, caffeinated runs first thing in the morning. Fasted sessions are one method of depletion training. Starting a training session with low glycogen stores stimulates aerobic adaptations in slow-twitch muscle fiber.…
- [How to destroy aerobic capacity](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-to-destroy-aerobic-capacity.md) - I’ve had a high anaerobic threshold for the past several years. Six weeks ago, I followed some bad advice and did way too much intensity for my fiber type. I almost blew up. I had one race during that period, and I finished several minutes behind my usual cohort. (Several minutes is a lot.) Now I’m…
- [Skimo fitness tests](https://www.scottsemple.com/skimo-fitness-tests.md) - From April 2018 to March 2019, I'll be doing lactate tests to track my training progress. The following charts will be the results of those tests. Some of the charts below benefit from a comparison to the same workouts from last year. As I add more to the Google Sheets where I track this data, the…
- [When Caution Cost Me](https://www.scottsemple.com/when-caution-cost-me.md) - I planned to ease myself into skimo racing, doing things only when I felt ready. Caution has its advantages, but perhaps not with learning.
- [It's not the speed; it's the terrain.](https://www.scottsemple.com/not-speed-terrain.md) - Last week, I went skiing with my friend Jordy, a competitive freeride coach. He teaches younglings how to throw themselves down very steep terrain and to do it quickly and in control. I put Jordy on skimo skis, so that he could see just what we’re dealing with in races. He helped me a ton that day,…
- [Learn the language.](https://www.scottsemple.com/learn-the-language.md) - “…in running, the moment someone says ‘HIIT,’ my mind shuts off. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the phrase (it means ‘High-Intensity Interval Training’), and I’m not trying to be rude. Instead, it’s a natural reflex developed over time. [Using HIIT is] a signal that the person standing in fr…
- [Expected value or expected growth?](https://www.scottsemple.com/expected-value-or-expected-growth.md) - A potential positive outcome is not enough to take action. The long-term trend of repeating the behavior must be considered. Hope, as they say, is not a strategy.
- [Can gambling theory stop overtraining?](https://www.scottsemple.com/can-gambling-theory-stop-over-training.md) - Overtraining—like overbetting—leads to ruin. Undertraining only slows the growth rate (but makes it more sustainable).
- [How to run a 4-minute time trial](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-to-run-a-4-minute-time-trial.md) - Over the past week, I’ve run two four-minute time trials. I botched the first one by starting way too fast. The splits of the second trial were much more consistent. To get reliable results, I recommend the following: * Use an 8x 30-second format; * Set interval alarms for each 30″; * Start “slowly…
- [It's just dark.](https://www.scottsemple.com/its-just-dark.md) - The power went out at 4am this morning. My brain is still on Mallorca time, so I was already awake, laying and staring in the dark, when the face of my alarm clock went black. I went downstairs, suited up, and pulled on my running shoes. Once outside, I started trotting down the middle of the stree…
- [How to come back from an unplanned break](https://www.scottsemple.com/how-to-come-back-from-an-unplanned-break.md) - I think it was Wolfgang Gullich who said, “The hardest part of training is starting.” He was close, but not completely correct. It’s true that starting to train is hard. It’s easy to procrastinate. But even worse is starting over because it’s often accompanied by regret or despair from what precede…
- [Why I Stopped Using HRV Apps](https://www.scottsemple.com/why-i-stopped-using-hrv-apps.md) - Originally published at Uphill Athlete in May 2017 as a collaboration with Scott Johnston. I loved the idea of an app that could tell me to train or not to train, to go easy or go hard. I liked the convenience of one train-or-don’t-train metric. It would take away the second-guessing and keep me he…
- [Putting Humpty Dumpty back together again](https://www.scottsemple.com/putting-humpty-dumpty-back-together-again.md) - On October 24th, 2016, I hired a coach. I had previously made so many mistakes that I was left with a declining work capacity and worries that I may never train again. Months later, my coach told me, “I was surprised at how fragile you were.”
- [Jan Olbrecht & the Magic Bullet Theory](https://www.scottsemple.com/jan-olbrecht-the-magic-bullet-theory.md) - It’s been known for a long time that training at one’s anaerobic threshold is not a magic bullet. Then why is it still so popular?
- [Is sponsorship a sin?](https://www.scottsemple.com/is-sponsorship-a-sin.md) - No, but bullshit is.
- [Guy's gone.](https://www.scottsemple.com/guys-gone.md) - As one of the most prolific ice climbers in the world, Guy Lacelle was—more importantly—a charming character and all-around good guy.
- [The Talent Myth](https://www.scottsemple.com/the-talent-myth.md) - "My mother said to me, ‘If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.’ Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso."
- [Under the Influence](https://www.scottsemple.com/under-the-influence.md) - In December 2002, Will Gadd, Kevin Mahoney, and I completed the first ascent of "Howse of Cards" (VI M7- WI6X), a difficult and controversial new route on the northeast face of Howse Peak.
- [Maximum Speed ⚡](https://www.scottsemple.com/maximum-speed.md) - Short, intense efforts—with proper form and long passive rests—help increase muscle fiber recruitment, lay the groundwork for anaerobic capacity, and improve mechanics.
- [Influences & Acknowledgments](https://www.scottsemple.com/influences-acknowledgments.md) - Influences Scott Johnston Starting in 2005, Scott mentored me in endurance theory, advised me on training during my skimo days, and coached me from October 2016 to March 2017. Scott pointed me toward the people below in addition to engaging in our 17-year dialog on endurance training. At last count…

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