[Participant]

Scott Semple on December 9, 2018 at 3:20 pm · in reply to: Zone 2/Zone 3 Trade offs #15232

Or does the HRM have alerts? With most HRMs, you can set up beeping and/or vibrating alerts to tell you when you exceed a custom value.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on December 3, 2018 at 11:38 am · in reply to: Carb intake based upon intensity #15079

As with most things training, there are no hard-and-fast rules; just general principles that need to be tailored to the individual. Regardless of what any studies say, you’ll need to do some experimenting to find what works for you.

Here’s a great infographic that summarizes some general principles:

[Participant]

Scott Semple on November 23, 2018 at 4:05 pm · in reply to: Recovery time after long fasted workouts #14617

+1

[Participant]

Scott Semple on November 15, 2018 at 1:15 pm · in reply to: Recs for smallish fitness watch with decent wrist HR monitor? #14479

Ack. Sorry for the double-post!

[Participant]

Scott Semple on November 15, 2018 at 1:13 pm · in reply to: Recs for smallish fitness watch with decent wrist HR monitor? #14478

Below is an image comparing the data from the same activity using two different HR monitors. I recorded it using a Garmin Fenix 2 with an HRM-Run chest strap and the optical wrist monitor on a Whoop.

Based on my limited experience, I would never train with an optical monitor. If the Whoop is any indication, optical monitors are just way too imprecise to be of any use for effective endurance training.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on November 15, 2018 at 1:10 pm · in reply to: Recs for smallish fitness watch with decent wrist HR monitor? #14476

Below is an image comparing the data from the same activity using two different HR monitors. I recorded it using a Garmin Fenix 2 with an HRM-Run chest strap and the optical wrist monitor on a Whoop.

Based on my limited experience, I would never train with an optical monitor. If the Whoop is any indication, optical monitors are just way too imprecise to be of any use for effective endurance training.

To quote a Wareable article from 2016:

“…if you’re serious about your sport and data today, then steer clear of the wrist monitor. It’s a great way for entry-level runners and fitness fans to take control of their plans, but for those using the data to train, it’s not up to the task.”
~ Wareable, Optical HR Accuracy: The experts speak (February 12th, 2016)

[Participant]

Scott Semple on November 2, 2018 at 4:58 pm · in reply to: ultra/extreme ultra + ME – ratio? #14258

200 miles!!!! Eeeesh.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on November 2, 2018 at 9:17 am · in reply to: ultra/extreme ultra + ME – ratio? #14246

I’ll let Scott J. speak to the specifics of a ratio with ME, but I can comment on general proportions of intensity.

In order to maintain aerobic capacity in a long-duration event, I don’t think that you want the minutes of high-intensity training to exceed 5% of total training time. This’ll vary by individual, but that’s a rough guide.

(I say “minutes of high-intensity” to distinguish it from counting volume by sessions.)

I hope that helps.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on October 31, 2018 at 11:40 am · in reply to: The myth of the waterproof shell #14217

Ha, ha! True. I’ve never worn one, but I imagine a dry suit is… dry.

I don’t know anything about the material, but I suspect that dry suit material would be too heavy or clammy to use in mountain endurance sports?

[Participant]

Scott Semple on October 31, 2018 at 11:26 am · in reply to: The myth of the waterproof shell #14214

I don’t think there’s any such thing as waterproof clothing. There’s is snow-proof, drizzle-proof, etc, but full-on waterproof? It’s only a matter of time (in full-on rain or meltwater) before the wet gets in.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on October 31, 2018 at 11:18 am · in reply to: Training form while running easy? #14213

A comment on technique changes:

In my experience, it’s normal for HR to increase when you change your technique. My guess is that this happens because we’re not efficient when first trying new movement patterns. Our brains likely over-recruit the muscle required which would increase the load, and therefore increase HR.

It’s tempting to think that–after reading about the “best” way to do something–that we can just plug it in and see benefits. I think it’s more realistic to expect that those benefits will only come when a new movement pattern is old. With older movement patterns, our brains know exactly what’s required, and it’ll let go of what’s not, making the movement pattern less stressful overall.

As an example, I changed my running form from being a heel striker to landing midfoot. It took two years for it to fully feel normal. Now, funnily enough, if I try to heel strike, it feels horrible and foreign, even though that used to be my normal movement pattern. Now that I land midfoot, I have far fewer joint issues than I used to, but it took a long time to change the pattern.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on October 27, 2018 at 5:49 pm · in reply to: Ultra running off season #14154

Sorry for the confusion. I wasn’t suggesting racing; time off is important. (I rarely race in the summer.) I was just saying that if you want the best winter support for running, skimo training would be a better option, I think.

But mental freshness is probably more important than anything. Do both?

[Participant]

Scott Semple on October 27, 2018 at 9:53 am · in reply to: Recovery time after long fasted workouts #14152

Another option is to do blended workouts in order to meet the volume requirements of your training plan. You can start aerobic sessions fasted, but take food with you. When you start feeling hungry, eat, and continue with the workout. That way, you can get some time fasted, but also keep the workout long enough to get the volume you need.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on October 27, 2018 at 9:50 am · in reply to: Ultra running off season #14151

I was an alpinist and ice climber for ~15 years, and I’ve been skimo racing for five. Skimo will give you much better sport-specific support for running than climbing.

Walking around with heavy packs is much less specific than moving on light skis with a (super) light pack. Plus, the bang-for-the-buck factor is pretty low in climbing. When I go climbing now, I’m amazed at how long it takes to do so little.

I love climbing, but if running was my priority, I’d focus on something more similar in the winter.

I hope that helps.

[Participant]

Scott Semple on October 27, 2018 at 9:47 am · in reply to: Running vs Indoor Cycling #14150

Unfortunately, no. From what I’ve heard, you’d need to do 2-3x more cycling volume to get a similar training effect. Weight-bearing activities recruit a lot more muscle which is more specific to mountaineering.

You can read more on specific training.

If you hope to achieve your best Skimo results you need to be training with full weight bearing exercise. While we understand the appeal of cycling, and for some injured athletes it is the only alternative, it cannot compare to the overall training loading of running and the other methods we recommend below. Even in walking the forces through each foot/leg/hip musculoskeletal structure is about 1.5 times body weight. When running, even at moderate paces, these forces increase to 2-4 times body weight.