Tag: Training Theory
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Weekly Newsletter: Giving yourself an off-season
Last Sunday, I concluded my season with a historic half marathon (literally called the Historic Half Marathon). I think I’ve often looked at this year’s races as somewhere within the ‘B’ tier, with no standout results, no podium finishes and no ‘A+’ days. I’m inevitably hungry for what’s to come in 2026 and to put…
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Weekly Newsletter – The Strava metrics that actually matter
Recently, I’ve noticed a wonderful trend with my fitness. My heart rate has continued to lower by the month, both on easy runs and workouts. Faster paces are more manageable than they’ve been in years. Yet Strava has continuously shown a downward trajectory in my “Fitness”. It’s easy to see that this isn’t correct. But…
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Weekly Newsletter – The best fitness stems from a variety of stimuli
My greatest transformation this year has been really loving running on flat ground again. Running on roads in particular (which, actually, aren’t flat at all where I live), and the flatter paths that I might have previously avoided. And it’s completely showed up in my fitness! Here is why you need a variety of work…
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Weekly Newsletter – Dealing with low motivation
As the 2025 racing season comes to a close and the distant goals of next year feel oh so far away, it’s important to continously check on your moitvation levels and ensure that you’re in a good place for when training starts to get serious again. Here is how you can resolve feelings of low…
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Weekly Newsletter: My favourite workouts of 2025
As the year starts to come to a close, I reflect upon my favourite workouts of 2025.
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Weekly Newsletter – The biggest lesson I learned each year on the trails
As another year of training racing starts to approach its end, I reflect on the biggest lessons I’ve learned in each of my years in the sport of trail running so far!
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Weekly Newsletter – Post-Race Blahs & Blues
After the high of a race, it’s inevitable that you may experience a low. Here is everything you need to consider to avoid falling into the trap of the post-race blahs and blues!
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Training theories for a shorter, faster race
As I gear up towards my next few shorter races and coach many athletes doing the same, I wanted to share some thoughts on the training theories for a shorter race taken from my most recent training block – leading into the Harricana 28K.
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Weekly Newsletter – The 80/20 Rule & Analyzing Heart-Rate Zones
If you’ve consumed any endurance content within the last few years, you’ve likely heard about the ‘80/20 rule’. It’s a great starting place, but requires a lot more nuance and knowledge of heart rate zones than at first glance. Here is how to analyze your own heart rate data, using examples from mine as a…
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Ranking every shoe I tried in 2025
After using Saucony all my life, I became increasingly annoyed about how little the shoes lasted on the trails. As a result, I explored six different shoes from five different brands this year. Here is my ranking of all the shoes I’ve tried in 2025, from bottom to top!
Rhys Desmond 