Scott Semple (Page 8)

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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.

Skimo fitness tests

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

When Caution Cost Me

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.

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

Learn the language.

“…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