The Unconventional Running Coach

I was looking through some papers this week, just one of the fun things I do when on annual leave. This combined with starting to reread the Art and Science of Low Carb performance, reminded me of why I train the way I do (other than I can't stay below 14-15 stone when on any other "diet". So yes I asked AI to outline a blog post so I could write something off the back of it... here goes on looking at the impact on Lactate threshold.  Unlocking Your 5K Potential: How a Low-Carb Diet Alters Lactate Threshold For decades, the golden rule of endurance sports has been simple: if you want to race fast, you need carbohydrates. This belief is especially prevalent for high-intensity, shorter-duration events like the 5K, which are widely considered to be "carbohydrate dependent." However, research into keto-adaptation is turning this traditional dogma on its head. If you are a keto-adapted athlete looking to maximise your 5K time trial performance, understanding...

 In the modern era of "high-intensity interval training" (HIIT) and "no pain, no gain" fitness culture, the suggestion to slow down is often met with scepticism. However, if we look at the gold standard of exercise physiology, the evidence is clear: to run fast, we must first master the art of running slowly. Today, I want to take a deep dive into a seminal paper that forms a cornerstone of my coaching philosophy: "Maximum Aerobic Function: Method for Determining Aerobic Fitness in the Resistance Era" by Dr Phil Maffetone and Prof. Paul Laursen (2016).                                         The "Resistance Era": Why We Are Over-Training The authors begin by identifying a modern crisis in fitness. We live in an "over-fat" and "over-stressed" society, yet our approach to exercise is often to add more stress. Maffetone and Laursen argue that many athletes are stuck in a cycle of "anae...