Scott Semple (Page 8)

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Slow & steady is boring. Is it really necessary?

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

Lactate Test #3: Moving in the right direction

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

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

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

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

Sand Castles: A Mental Model of Endurance Training

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.

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

Clogging Up the Drain: Why You're Forced to Slow Down

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

Caffeine: How a man can feel like a boy

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. Adding caffeine to

How to destroy aerobic capacity

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.