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.

Planning a training season

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... More

Lactate Test #2: What happened to aerobic capacity?

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 part of... More

Lactate Test #1: Where am I starting from?

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 strength of each system: aerobic... More

Sand Castles: A mental model of endurance training

Training endurance is like building a sand castle. You need sand and water, the sense not to overdo it, and the expertise to make something great. Basic endurance is like piling dry sand. It can’t be shaped, just piled higher. For every inch of height, it takes a greater volume of dry sand than the... More

Making the best recovery test even better

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. HRV... More