Beta Alanine For Runners - The Science Behind This Unknown Protein

And fartlek workouts and your govt weather app are 1% better things I’m into right now

In the next 11 seconds you’re going to find out about the following three things;

• 💊 Beta-Alanine isn’t a quick fix—it’s a slow-burn solution for better endurance

• 🏃🏽‍♂️I used to hate Fartlek workouts—they made me feel out of control

• 📱Did you know the wrong weather app can ruin your long run?

PS - Like your content as video or audio? Go here to watch and/or listen on your next run.

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Trying something new here—I'm a runner, and like everyone else, I need stuff. While I'm not big on buying things just to buy them, some purchases are necessary. I'm all about sharing products that can actually improve your life; no shame in that… capitalism, while flawed, is still a good thing for humans.

One day I'll create 1% Better Runner gear or digital content, but only things I actually use and believe in will help you. For now, I'll stick to recommending the tried-and-true stuff that I know will help you on your journey to consistency and self-improvement.

DISCLAIMER: These are my recommendations, not influenced by payments or sponsorships. If that ever changes, I'll be upfront about any free products or compensation. Right now, there are also no affiliate links, but that could change. I'll always keep you in the loop because honesty and trust are everything.

💊 Nutrition I’m Digging

Beta-Alanine Supplement: An easy way to get a 1% gain on race day and in training.

It’s a weird one because I swore it off after taking it for two days last year and getting crazy itching inside my body (aka paresthesia). I’ll touch on how I sorted that out shortly.

Beta-alanine also is not a race day hack like caffeine or beetroot juice extract that you take, and it immediately gives you a 2% performance boost. It’s a slow burn. Like 6-8 weeks of slowly saturating in your body, specifically your muscles. I’ve been taking it for about four weeks now, and I’m seeing the start of some gains. Either that, or I’m riding the fitness boost wave from my half marathon three weeks ago. 🤷🏽‍♂️

What Does It Do?

Beta-alanine is an amino acid that helps buffer acid in your muscles, which can delay fatigue during high-intensity exercise. It does what all endurance sports supplements should do: it enables you to push harder for longer by reducing that burning sensation when you're going all out.

Power athletes and sprinters have widely used this for years, and there are a lot of science and real-world studies to document its success in most short distance and middle distance (5k) up to 25 minutes. The shorter, the more effective it is, but if you can tolerate it and afford it, it doesn’t hurt to try it for longer distances.

So, the way I got rid of the internal body itching and anxiety feeling was the ol’ low and slow technique. The dose you should try to take is three to five grams every day for six to eight weeks for full effect. When I first took it, I did all three grams at once. No bueno. I was trying to scratch the inside of my body more than Tyrone Biggums from the Chappelle Show.

I heard on the Huberman Labs podcast with sports scientist genius Andy Galpin that if you get the itching sensation, take a little bit for a few days and then slowly work your way up to three or more grams. I was like, “No way!”. I can say with confidence it works—zero itching. There is a bit of tingling in my mouth, but it lasts for ten seconds. I slowly upped the size from half (.5) grams to one gram, then two grams and then three grams for two weeks. Now, to get five grams per day, I split 2.5 grams in the morning and evening.

I don’t think you can overload it in phases (like creatine for weight lifters that want quick gains - which I highly recommend runners DO NOT DO with pretty much anything).

From my research: “Unlike creatine, beta-alanine doesn't have a quick loading phase. It would be best if you took it consistently for a while to see results. The sweet spot is about 3 grams daily for 6-8 weeks. This slow-and-steady approach helps build up muscle carnosine levels (that's the good stuff) without giving you that weird tingly feeling. Taking more won't speed things up and might make you uncomfortable. So, stick to the plan, be patient, and you'll likely see better results in the long run.”

Most medical professionals say to do the low and slow-approach when introducing anything new to your body. Hell, we run coaches tell you to do this with new running shoes, running gear, running plans, and strength. Why would it be any different for supplements?

Oh, it also takes like nothing/a tiny bit sweet, unlike most other protein powders.

I’ll report back after eight weeks and my possible 3k (10 minute) track race debut on how it did. I’ll also do a deeper dive into Beta-alanine in a longer piece of content around “My 100% Legal Science Backed Top Hacks For Race Day,” which I’ve been using through the years.

📱Apps I’m Using

The Basic AF Australian Government Weather App: BOM

What was the problem before?

Let me back it up so you get some context as to why a weather app is inside a running newsletter/piece of content.

So, ever since my triathlon days in the mid-2010s, I’ve checked the weather incessantly. Always 3-5 days out, sometimes 5-10 days out (in Sydney, Australia, I don’t trust anything until it’s 24-48 hours as it has rained on many of a “0% chance of rain” day. It legit is rainining before my eyes when the weather app says “no rain” for hours. I digress.

But there is a huge problem with the mobile phone app weather that I use - It’s usually wrong. Not 1-2 degrees wrong; I mean 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit (3-6 Celsius) off. And the rain forecast, as I said before, can be disgustingly off.

How it’s helping me

Ignoring my obsessive-compulsive tendencies of controlling everything, checking the weather informs my training plan. I speak to many runners I coach/advise, and they don’t check the weather and instead get a rude awakening when they suit up and look outside to see cold, soggy weather before a long two-hour run.

In the off-season, when I’m crossly training more, I’m always moving workouts around and asking myself if I should do a swim on this warm day or harden up on the bike out in a downpour (no, that is not me anymore). Looking ahead helps me with gear planning and with commuting (I don’t have a car); I can get my rain gear ready, etc.

Why am I using this?

So… the secret sauce in the basic AF Govt one is that it has all these data points. For some reason, weather.com (a US company) powers Yahoo Weather, Apple Weather, and a few others. Weather.com gets its info and data from local government meteorological companies. I don’t get how it can be so inaccurate, but maybe they are playing telephone, and the message gets distorted as it gets passed along the way to our smartphones.

It also has a tenth decimal place of the temperature. I dunno why I love it so much, as the difference between 18.4 and 18 degrees Celsius (65-67 Fahrenheit) is negligible to most humans; I still like the accuracy. If I’m using data, got dammit, it should be as accurate and clean as it can be.

I think most countries have their own weather apps. If you're in the United States, the National Weather Service (NSW) has an app at Weather.gov. A few other countries are here. Weather.com isn't the only player in the game.

🏃🏽‍♂️The Most Obvious Workout I’m Doing For The First Time

Fartlek kinda... Yes, the Swedish word for speed play. I’m sure you’re like, “Dude, really?!” But hear me out.

I’ve found that I personally hate Fartlek because of the lack of structure. I’ll blame it on my ADHD and OC (obsessive-compulsive) tendencies. While I’ll be the first to admit I’m a control freak (working on it), it’s more so that my brain doesn’t spin out of control with the infinite options.

With Fartlek, the options are unlimited, and that is a recipe for anxiety.

Think about it: Go out and run randomly fast and randomly slow for different durations and intensities. WHAT?! How?! I’m already confused writing that sentence. 🥹

So, instead of just doing a Fartlek, which has zero boundaries, I now do a structured Fartlek. Potato, potatoe?!

It usually has an input or end goal. If It’s a Fartlek between base and race period, then I’ll do shorter stuff and try to get about 10-12 mins of fast running total until I feel fatigued. So that would most likely be in the vo2max range and probably even higher anaerobic zones (z4/z5 effort). I’ll then rest until I feel recovered or whenever the road is safe (even surface, not slippery, etc.) and go again.

It’s kinda fun to do the short-structured Fartlek stuff in the trails, too.

I’ve also prescribed structured Fartlek to some of my runners to give them a sense of direction as they can easily do it “wrong” and overcook themselves, but I think there is no wrong or right with Fartlek.

After doing two of these, I can say that I don’t hate it. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it. Right tool, right job.

Shoes I’m digging

Next time

Tech, I’m digging

Next time

Clothes I’m digging

Next time

Thanks again for giving this new format a shot! I'll keep tweaking it to make sure it delivers value and helps you grow a little more each day.

Like your content as video or audio? Go here to watch and/or listen on your next run.

11 Ways To Run Longer, Farther and Not Hit The Wall

Workout Of The Month: 90 min long progression aerobic pyramid Run

• ♾️ How To Run Forever

• 🏃🏽‍♂️Workout of the Month: 90 min Long Run Progressive Aerobic Pyramid Run

• 🐢 Consistency Before Intensity

♾️ 11 Ways To Run Longer & Farther Without Hitting The Wall

Ever wonder how our ancestors chased down prey without Nikes or energy gels?

Simple - They perfected the art of persistence hunting, which wasn’t about speed but stamina.

By jogging slowly, walking, and stopping here and there, they could follow prey for days until the animals simply collapsed from exhaustion. This was possible thanks to their incredible ability to sweat and harness the power of oxygen and fat as fuel.

Now, how do we channel that inner caveman to run forever without bonking and hitting the wall? I’ll answer that and more up next.

What You’ll Learn

I’m going to show you my eleven steps to run ALMOST forever without getting tired. I’ll start with three easy “hack” like technique-related things you can do right now. Then, I’ll progress to eight critical habits you can incorporate into your training life as you build your distance to run farther.

If you follow these eleven steps, you can improve by 1% each day, run without getting tired for as long as possible, and perform better as you age.

Win-Win-Win in my book.

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1. Practice Running Slow

Start by running slowly and gradually increase your pace and distance to prevent early fatigue.

This is way easier said than done, and most experienced runners—myself included—mess this up because “it feels good to run fast.”

One hack I’ve found is to use the run-walking technique. This method was developed by former Olympian Jeff Galloway in the 1970s. Even I do it and have run a sub3-hour marathon.

2. Use The Talk Test

If you use a five-zone heart rate system, easy running is usually zones one and two. ** The show notes provide More information about heart rate zones.

How do you know you’re running easy? You are easy if you can complete entire sentences without gasping for air mid-way.

How does this work? When running easy, you are aerobic and mainly use oxygen to fuel your muscles. Simply speaking, the air you breathe in gets used to propel you forward.

Are you into tech and gadgets? Get a chest strap heart rate monitor and pair it with your smartwatch. Find out your zone 1/zone 2 from a few tests and stay there. Yes, it’s that easy. But without going on a rant, you must train your body in many different ways to do this if you want to run for hours on end and complete a marathon.

3. Sign Up For A Race, Rind A Coach Or Join A Club

Find a race or event that excites and scares you. Then, follow a training plan to stay motivated and achieve your goals.

Finding a coach is the next step if you have the capacity and money, but getting a training plan that adapts to your needs and life is just as effective early on.

A run community/club is your last option, and you can combine it with the two. They offer a community and social vibe that can boost your motivation. But remember, these groups may only sometimes match your specific pace or training needs.

Try it all.

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Alright - here are eight more key steps that take a bit more work than the previous three, but if you stack them up, they create insurance for you to stay healthy. Which means you can run forever.

These eight things also involve improving your ability to use fat and oxygen as fuel more efficiently. This is how you get 1% better each day, run not just without getting tired but for as long as possible, and perform better as you age. Do most of them on most days, and you’ll bank up enough health credits to get through the inevitable punches life throws at you.

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4. Strength Training

Most runners know they should strength train more, but most fail to do it. From my research, it’s a combo of time and mental energy. Not another thing, right? Yes, but if you want to run without getting tired, you need to set aside 20-45 minutes 2-3 times a week to strength train.

Think of it as insurance for your overall body as you get older. Running is great for cardio health, but it doesn’t build strength and breaks down muscle.

How to do it? There are so many plans, websites, and exercises out there that I won’t go into too much detail because ** I’ve already done a few episodes on that here and in the show notes,

My rule is that you should try to lift heavy (almost to failure) whenever possible and with force/power. Kettlebell swings, plyos, box jumps, form drills, and even sprints are simple, low-equipment ways of proper run strength training.

But the best plan is the one you stick with for as long as possible.If you want to step up your game, go to a specialized running physical therapist and have them assess your running form and body. They will get your history, and you will tell them your goals. They can then give you specific workouts.

Shoes/Footwear

In running, everyone thinks shoes are everything. While I don’t buy all the hype around shoes, I know they are essential. It’s the only thing that touches the ground and your body. I won’t go into what shoes are best, but I will just give you some simple guidelines and rules.

• Rotate your shoes. If possible, have 2-3 different shoes for different types of runs. Light, fast shoes for fast workouts, races, and longer ones, and more cushioned and structured shoes for shorter, easier runs.

• Change shoes out every 400-800km/250 -500 miles. This varies based on the shoe, your run gait, etc. However, higher-end carbon shoes or high-heeled drop shoes with a lot of structure usually wear out faster. Minimal essential shoes and lower heel drop last longer.

6. Diet, Nutrition, Hydration and Electrolytes

What goes in your body is your fuel. Again, most people know this is obvious, but when you start ramping up your running, you get really hungry and eat most things in sight. I’ve found meal planning and knowing what to eat after specific workouts at certain times is best.

Don’t like eating the same thing all the time like me? Add variety to your meals by having 2-3 variations of your staples.

Hydration throughout the day is another “duh”, but don’t overdo it. Drink to thirst and make sure your pee isn’t dark. Salt, magnesium, and a range of electrolytes are just as important as drinking water on hard, long, hot days.

You need a healthy mix of good fats, protein and carbs. Yes, you can get away with running in a low-carb state, but if you want to run very far, science has proven the body runs best on carbs. Simple sugars get a bad wrap but can be beneficial immediately before, during and after a hard workout. Should you be drinking fruit juice or soda all day, though, on a rest day? Probably not the best move. Not sure what’s best? See a sports nutritionist/dietician to dial in your diet.

Read, watch and listen to the other five ways on your next run or workout here.

🏃🏽‍♂️Workout of the Month: 90 min Long Run Progressive Aerobic Pyramid Run

You can “run with me,” as I went more in-depth on this in a recent video podcast episode about running faster at a lower heart rate. Read, watch, or listen to it on your next run or ride here.

What is it?

A Long Run Progressive Aerobic Pyramid Run is like a workout where you start easy, ramp up the intensity, and then bring it back down, kinda like a pyramid. It's meant to hit different effort levels to help you build endurance, boost your aerobic fitness, and get better at pacing. This run is gonna be 90 minutes long, mixing up easy jogging and faster tempo runs.

Why It’s Dope

1. Builds Endurance: Ramping up the intensity bit by bit helps you get that strong cardio base, super important for long runs.

2. Boosts Aerobic Fitness: Running at different effort levels makes your heart and lungs work better.

3. Teaches Pacing: Mixing up your speeds helps you learn how to pace yourself during races and long runs.

4. Prevents Overtraining: The pyramid setup means you won’t overdo it, keeping injuries at bay.

5. Builds Mental Toughness: Switching up the paces in one run makes you mentally stronger, which is key for races.

6. Breaks Up Monotony Of a Long Run: This is a great run indoors on a treadmill when the weather is “can’t be f*cked to go outside.”

How to do it?

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

• Start with an easy jog (Zone 1) to loosen up your muscles and get your heart rate up. Include some dynamic stretches and strides to prepare for the workout ahead.

Main Set (70 minutes total)

1. Easy Pace (Zone 1 - 10 minutes):

   • Run at a conversational pace, focusing on warming up your body.

2. Easy Pace (Zone 2 - 10 minutes):

   • Slightly increase your effort to a comfortable but steady pace.

3. Steady Pace (High Zone 2 MAF - 15 minutes):

   • Run at your maximum aerobic function (MAF) pace, around 70-75% of your maximum heart rate.

4. Tempo Pace (Low Zone 3 - 10 minutes):

   • Increase your effort to a sub-lactate threshold pace, about 80-85% of your maximum heart rate. This should be very comfortably hard and is most people’s “grey zone”.

5. Steady Pace (High Zone 2 MAF - 15 minutes):

   • Back down your effort back to your steady pace, focusing on maintaining a smooth rhythm.

6. Easy Pace (Zone 2 - 10 minutes):

   • Further reduce your pace to a comfortable effort, focusing on recovery.

7. Easy Pace (Zone 1 - 10 minutes):

   • Finish the main set with an easy jog to bring your heart rate down.

Cool-Down (10 minutes)

• End it with an easy jog and some static stretching to aid in recovery and prevent injury.

Tips for Crushing THis

• Timing: Do this well into your race season and you should be very fit. I’d say 6-8 weeks of base before this and have ran up to 70-80 minutes a few times within the next 4 weeks.

• Great For: Everything from the marathon down to the 5k. I use this to improve my aerobic base for the 5k.

• Hydration and Nutrition: Ensure you are well-hydrated and have adequate electrolytes before, during, and after the run. Fuel adequately before the run and consider bringing along energy gels or snacks for longer durations.

• Recovery: Allow ample recovery time after this workout, incorporating rest days or easy runs to help your body recover.

Want to apply this to your life and get 1% Better? Download the free 30-day habits guide to slowly work your way up to running faster at a lower heart rate.

I love putting together this newsletter every week. I get to make you slightly better with some stuff that I’m digging at a slower pace than usual social media content. I’d love to hear from you if you liked something, didn’t like something, or were confused. Hit the button below to let me know how you’re feeling!

Begin with small, manageable steps and cultivate the habit of showing up consistently. This helps form a new self-image.

Once consistency is established, gradually ramp up your efforts.

Why Soft People Don't Do Hard Things

Learnings From The Olympic Runner That Paces People to Sub-3 Hours

• 🍦Why Soft People Don’t Do Hard Things

• 🏅Learnings From The Olympic Runner That Paces Celebs to Sub-3 Hours

• 🩸Norwegian Double Lactate Threshold Training Formula Explained

• 🌱 Why Plants & Animals Don’t Fight The Winter

• 🤡 An October Bad Dad Joke

🍦Why Soft People Don’t Do Hard Things

What the 2008 Disney x Pixar movie Wall-E got right about humans

I’m pretty sure I’m offending someone in the world with the saying, “Soft people don’t do hard things.” Hell, I have it printed out on my wall behind me right next to my trail, running on almost 45 degrees of slanted sharp rocks in Tasmania, Australia, for all my podcast videos and business meetings. Oh well. It’s true.

I say this a lot in my head whenever I’m about to make a relatively small, lazy decision. Actually, I sing it…

But is David Goggins right? Should we all stay hard all of the time? When is a good time to be soft? Do many soft, meaningless, lazy decisions add up to a life more blubbery than a seal? Let’s unpack this really quick to see.

The statement is for me to remember that when something is mildly irritating, to push through it. Don’t be soft.

Example: I live in an apartment building. The stairs are actually closer in proximity to where I'm usually coming from than it is to get the elevator. I’ve timed it, and taking the stairs down is 2x faster than taking the elevator. Taking the stairs up is about 50% faster than the elevator. This is pure logic here and zero emotions. Oh, and I live on the 8th floor! What about the people on the 2nd and 3rd floors? More softness.

You can take the statement “Soft people don’t do hard things” as a prompt to do more challenging things because, let’s be 💯 here… our lives are softer than whipped cream on top of marshmallows. If you’re reading this and care about running, you most likely have everything you need to live a relatively risk-free and safe life, yet we don’t do a few key hard things to make sure we stay fit for the long run. We take shortcuts everywhere and look for all the hacks in half the time.

But what about rest days? What about relaxing and recharging? That's gotta be an okay time to be soft.

Yes - Rest, sleep, and general recovery are crucial — but that’s actually mentally hard for most to do. Stepping away from things for a short or long while is necessary. And that is the opposite of soft. Most people go too hard with their training and don’t respect the slower pace or the rest days. And boom, they are injured, burned out, or sick. That’s also being soft because it’s mentally lazy even though you are physically doing something hard. That may have sounded like a bowl of word salad, but… it’s true.

You know what happens when you don’t use your muscles and push them? Atrophy — which is when your body goes, “Welp, guess you don’t need these; I’ll put these resources somewhere else.” Before you know it, you’re losing lean muscle mass and gaining body fat, and your bones are now soft and brittle.

After 700 years of floating on a ship with zero worries, the citizens of B&L didn’t have to walk or do anything else. They just laid back with everything that was done for them and complained about being bored. Everyone just became these blobs of unproductive human flesh—zero hard, all soft.

Do you still think soft people don’t do hard things? Tell me why I’m wrong.

🏅Learnings From The Olympic Runner That Paces Celebrities to Sub-3 Hours

There’s something kinda crazy about signing up for a marathon. But there’s something properly bananas about doing one under three hours and attempting that for 20-plus years. So, why did Casey Neistat (the YouTuber) and Lil Nas X (The pop star who actually did a half-marathon) do it? Because they had Roberto Mandje—a guy who’s not just an Olympic runner, but someone who takes “mind over matter” and turns it into a lifestyle choice. Roberto doesn’t just train you to run faster; he basically makes you question everything.

Okay, so we need to talk about marathons for a second—specifically, the ridiculousness of a sub-three-hour marathon. I mean, running 26.2 miles isn’t challenging enough? Now, you want to do it in under three hours? Sure, why not? And apparently, Lil Nas X and Casey Neistat—yes, the YouTube guy and the rapper—decided that they, too, wanted in on the madness. So, they called in the big guns: Roberto Mandje, an actual Olympic runner, to whip them into shape.

Roberto, though, didn’t just hand over some magic training plan. He gave them a whole new way to see life. It’s like he tricked them into thinking it’s about running when, really, it’s about turning you into a better human. Or something like that.

Watch, read and listen to the full episode on your next run/workout here.

🩸Norwegian Double Lactate Threshold Training Formula Explained

Two to three years ago, a blog post from a former pro-middle-distance runner started making the rounds in all of the running forums. It exposed Olympic 1500m/5k Gold Medalist Jakeb Ingebrigsten’s and other Norwegian endurance athletes’ training protocols. On the surface, it looks crazy. They are running a threshold session (the pace you can sustain for an hour) twice a day, multiple times per week… in the off-season!

Yeah, I also spat out my energy drink with the quickness. But after the hype subsided and more experts chimed in, things got more clear and started to make more sense. This is a way of pushing your aerobic system into more of the lower zone 3 stuff but not going into the zone 4/vo2 max work that could deplete it. You’re basically putting your hand on fire and then taking it off very fast. If done right, it actually does lead to significant boosts in aerobic fitness. To do it right, you need a mixture of heart rate monitors, treadmill running, and lactate monitors with finger pricks after the end of intervals(not fun!) But if done wrong, you can easily overtrain, burn out, and get injured.

Someone has finally adapted the training model for amateur runners who don’t run 15+ hours a week and have their whole lives centered around their sport. I might be trying this out in my next half-marathon race block, and I’ll let you know. Find out how to do that in this article by here.

I love this newsletter. I get to make you slightly better with some stuff that I’m digging at a slower pace than usual social media content. I’d love to hear from you if you liked something, didn’t like something, or were confused. Hit the button below to let me know how you’re feeling!

🌱 Why Plants & Animals Don’t Fight The Winter

“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is the time of withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.

Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious season in which the world takes on a sparse beauty and even the pavements sparkle. It’s a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order.

Doing those deeply unfashionable things—slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act now, but it is essential. This is a crossroads we all know, a moment when you need to shed a skin. If you do, you’ll expose all those painful nerve endings and feel so raw that you’ll need to take care of yourself for a while. If you don’t, then that skin will harden around you.”

It’s one of the most important choices you’ll ever make.”

— Katherine May, from her book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in difficult times

🤡 An October Bad Dad Joke

What does a runner lose after they win a race?

Their breath.

Is Running Really Skill or Just Effort?

And the best thing to do after your run for recovery kickstart

What to expect:

• 🧘🏽The perfect time to meditate is right after a run

• 🏃🏽‍♂️Is Running Really Skill or Just Effort?

• 🎢 Workout of the Week: Hill Sprints + 300s

• 🫀The Physiology of Running Faster for Longer: VO2max, Lactate Threshold & Running Economy

🧘🏽The perfect time to meditate is right after a run

It’s so obvious, but I never did it until a few months ago.

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."

- Blaise Pascal, 17th-century French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher.

There are a lot of things in life that I learn, and I’m like, “Wow, I didn’t know that.” This is not one of those things.

A lot of people (including myself) struggle to give their time towards meditating, being mindful or even just sitting still and reflecting while breathing in a controlled manner.

Meditation and mindfulness are quite trendy now, but like most things, it’s a tough habit to make sticky.

I know some folks are allergic to the thought of “sitting quietly with their thoughts”, so here is a quick way to hack your brain to not think of it as mental punishment. And instead like a recovery treat that may help you perform better post-workout.

My Meditation Back Story

Meditation, for me, always seemed like what the woo-woo hippies would do. I remember telling a friend, “I don’t need to meditate; I drive, ride my bike, and run. I’m good”. While those activities force me to just focus on the thing in front of me, those things are not really meditating and being fully mindful.

Most folks, again including myself, think of me as a pretty upbeat person. But back in 2012, I had a 30-year-old life crisis and developed some very unrealistic expectation about a career in music that didn’t pan out. What followed was a wave of mild depression/severe sadness. Whilr talking to a great friend, he said matter-of-factly, “Daren, bruh… you just need to meditate.” It hit me hard, and without an app or any guidance, I just sat down half crossed legged and figured it all out. Starting at two minutes per day and then building up to 5-10 minutes. I’ve been meditating on/off for 12 years and consistently for the last six. Most days between 5-20 minutes and sometimes even multiple times per day.

I have ADHD, and this is one behavioral tactic to avoid medicine and keep me at a baseline to avoid ADHD anxiety ridden spirals

Proper sleep, diet, and, you guessed it, exercise are also a few other ways to keep that monkey in my mind from causing more chaos. Stacking meditation after your workout makes so much sense from a sequential and scientific place.

Science To Back That Up

So, on the Huberman Labs Podcast with expert exercise scientist Dr Andy Galpin, they spoke about down-regulation breathing in their recovery episode

and the best time to do it was right after a workout. Downregulation breathing after a run helps shift the nervous system from a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state to a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state, promoting faster recovery and reducing stress hormones like cortisol.

From the studies he cited, the below is one of the best ways to do it:

• Time: 4-7 mins

• Place: Either a towel over your head, in a dark room, or just your eyes closed

• Method: Box breathing, double inhale, and fast in, slow out, and most preferably through the nose, are all effective

I also got the post workout sequence idea from Mark Sisson’s (Mark’s Daily Apple) weekly newsletter, who said he struggles to meditate and this works well for him

Try It Yourself

If you’re someone who struggles with just sitting still, all you have to do is start at two minutes with controlled, focused breathing right after your run. There are a million apps that can help you with this. Then, look to add one minute per week and try to get it up to 7-10 minutes.

Boom, that’s it—no chasing thoughts, clearing the brain, or any of those more complex meditation techniques. You can do that later if you choose. With this entry level method you’ll still be getting the main benefits of the down-regulation breathing post-workout while laying down the foundation for mindfulness and meditation in the future.

Hell, you can even try habit stacking it to right after you stretch. Then, it’s a nice transition from moving vigorously to gentle movement to rest.

Let me know how you go.

🏃🏽‍♂️Is Running Really Skill or Just Effort?

How do you feel after this sentence;

Running isn’t a real sport because real sports require skill.

Is running really just a challenging competition with yourself? Does an activity like bowling take more skill than running? Does that make it harder to do?!

In this episode, we’re getting extra existential on this one and going deep down the rabbit hole of the “difficulty” of running.

Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or a casual jogger, understanding the balance between technique and hard work can transform your performance. We’ll uncover how elite runners optimize their form, improve efficiency, and why for amateurs, simply pushing harder might not be enough.

Watch, read, and listen to this on your next run or workout.

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I love putting this newsletter out each week! It’s like my way of sharing some cool, “Deep Daren” running thoughts and practical tools & tactics I have accumulated over the last 12 years. But I’m super curious… what stands out to you? Or is there something you think I should dive deeper into? Drop me a comment below, and let’s see where this conversation goes."

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🎢 Workout of the Week: Hill Sprints + 300s

I’ve decided to train concurrently for an 800m (my first track 800m race in 20 years) and a 3k (my first one ever).

They are technically two different races to be training for on slightly opposite ends of the spectrum as far as energy systems. Rarely can someone train for a distance that is that far of a jump away.

Example - If I was pro and properly trained, I could, in essence, train for the 800-meter and 1500-meter races at the same time. They use similar energy systems. The 1500, steeplechase (3k race) and 5k are also all quite similar. And the 5k and 10k are pretry much identical in training and the latter is double the length. The 800m and 3k are pushing it.

Note - Swedish gold medal Olympic distance runner Sifan Hassan said hold my beer to that theory. She is someone who can (and did) run at a world-class level in the 1500m and then turn around and win the marathon, which makes no human sense.

But I’m not a pro, so YOLO, let’s figure out how I can train for both at the same time and enjoy what makes me curious.

Here’s the workout:

• Find the steepest hill you can run with good form for 30 seconds (live in a flat place? A bridge or stairs/bleachers is fine)

• 6 reps x 30 seconds hill sprints @ 90-95% effort | Rest: jog/walk down to the bottom of the hill. 95% effort should feel like an all out 100-200meter sprint

• 3x300m @ 90% for the entire 300m or current 800m fitness | rest 3 min between reps

Notes

• This workout looks so easy and short on paper, and yet it fried me the first time I tried it

• You need to be in race-ready shape, have a solid base of 8 weeks, and have done some speed/interval work for at least 2-3 weeks to be safe and not pull something

• Make sure you feel rested before this workout by doing this at least 48 hours after a long or hard session

🫀The Physiology of Running Faster for Longer: VO2max, Lactate Threshold & Running Economy

This video is another gem that neatly explains running science but without dumbing it down.

My favorite part is the section where he likens Vo2 Max to how big your fuel tank is, lactate threshold to how high you can redline the car and running economy to how fuel efficient your car is. He then says that to run fast, you need three variables: high vo2 max, high lactate threshold, and great running economy. He said most sub-elite amateur runners are pretty good at all three and the pros and exceptional at one or two. Rarely are they great at all three.

If someone has all three, then they could theoretically run a 1:57:58 marathon. This is actually based on a paper that Michael Joyner wrote in the late 90s about how the fastest current humans (without any biological augmentations/enhancements) could run the marathon.

Again, dumbing it down for the smart people in the back!!! I’m always looking out for ya. Watch the video here.

How a 64-Year-Old Ran 82 Marathons and Averaged 3hr 15min | Ron Romano

On chasing speed vs letting it come to you

Summary of what you will download into your brain

• 💨 Chasing speed vs letting it come to you

• ⏰ How a 64-Year-Old Ran 82 Marathons and Averaged 3hr 15min – What’s Ron Romano’s Secret?

• 🤬 Strava is paceIST and doesn’t care about short-distance people

• 🔬 Running Sports Science Explained for Distance Running in 4 minutes

💨 Chasing speed vs letting it come to you

Have you ever noticed that the best runs happen when you’re not forcing them? And it’s usually the same for life.

I like short-interval speed workouts. One to five minutes tops. They’re fun for me. Others like tempo workouts: You know, the 10-30 minutes at threshold slightly faster than half marathon pacing.

Because of my genetics and natural love for speed, I have caught myself many times chasing the faster paces. On many occasions, “I have to run this fast because insert thing” takes up space in my mind rent-free.

Usually, it’s “I have to hit this time to be race-ready in 4 weeks.”

But sometimes it’s “I can’t run slow because that means I’m getting older”.

But one thing I’ve found is that the first interval is rarely the predictor for how the rest of the workout will go.

Even after a 10-15 minute warm-up, my nervous system may not be operating at peak efficiency during the first interval. This gradual adaptation is known as neuromuscular activation, where the nervous system progressively increases its firing rate and motor unit recruitment as exercise intensity rises. Additionally, my brain may be regulating my effort subconsciously through protective mechanisms, possibly making the initial exertion “feel more difficult” to prevent overexertion or injury before my body is fully acclimated to the demands of the workout.

So I’ve stopped chasing speed, and I just let it come to me.

How did I do it so that you could try it for yourself?

1 - The mentally hard way - Don’t look at your watch

Feel it out and trust that you’re most likely going faster than you think. But in that same breath, if you do finish your interval and see your watch says a slower time, don’t sweat it.

This is why it’s the harder way: You’re trusting the process and not freaking out. Easier said than done. If this feels too difficult, try number two (below) first and work towards number one after.

2- Do a “blow out the cobwebs repetition”

This is a rep that’s 25-50% shorter than what you’re going for but at the power, pace or effort that you should be hitting for your intervals.

For example - I like to do anywhere from 5-12 x 400 meters to 1k reps at my current 5k fitness to see where I am in the training block/period.

I’ll do about 50% (for a 1k set, I would do 500m) as my last warmup surge/run-through at whatever feels right. Then, look down and see what the pace/power is. Again, it’s usually faster than I want to run, which means I’m ready. But if it’s slower than what I want, that doesn’t mean I’m not ready; I need to adjust expectations for the first interval and ease into it.

Like most good things in life, this is just a framework: Modify it to your needs. Don’t force it and let it come to you.

⏰ How a 64-Year-Old Ran 82 Marathons and Averaged 3hr 15min – What’s Ron Romano’s Secret?

I’m finally able to run while video podcast. I’m calling this new series “Conversations in Zone 2”. It’s where I literally go for a run with someone in zone 2 (or sometimes zone 1!) and talk about something that I’m curious about to help us all better understand consistency, focus, patience, belief, etc. All the cores of the 1% better runner.

How Consistency Transforms Your Running Performance at Any Age

If you’re trying to level up your marathon time—or get better at running overall—here’s the facts: it’s not about crushing crazy workouts or following some weird diet. The secret? Boring consistency, recovery, and getting your mindset right. Oh… and “Age ain’t nothing but a number” is very, VERY right. Ron Romano, who’s 64 years young and has finished 82 marathons (the last few have been in the 3 hours and 15-minute range), proves that if you stick with those basics, you can keep running fast, stay injury-free and actually enjoy it as you keep getting older. Crazy, eh? Let’s dive into how he does this magic.

Consistency Beats Going All-Out Every Time

Let’s keep it real: one big, hard workout won’t make or break your running. What really works is showing up regularly, even for the easy stuff. It’s like compound interest—those small, steady deposits pay off in the end and grow. Running ain’t different. It’s the consistent effort, day after day, that eventually gets you faster and stronger. So yeah, it’s fun to go hard sometimes, but the jelly and the sauce of this habits sandwich are just staying consistent, even when it’s boring.

Read, watch and listen to our conversation on your next run or workout here.

🤬 Strava is paceIST and doesn’t care about short-distance people

For the last few years I’ve had this running joke in my head that Strava legit doesn’t care about the easy short runs or even the short hard runs. The algorithm is a weird one. However, algorithms are based on how humans interact. The human side of things was validated after talking to a runner that I coach. He said he doesn’t like putting up his warmups and cooldowns of his long runs because it lowers his average pace, and he wants the average pace of the long run to reflect the overall pace/effort (Even if it’s easy). I was blown, because he said that his friends make fun of other guys on his ground for putting up slow runs. I had to check his age because this is not how a 40-year-old, fully functional professional adult should act. But yeah, this is a thing.

Anyway, I decided to record this on my way to the gym, and it somehow is one of my most viewed and most commented posts of all time on Instagram. The hateful comments directed at me are hilarious and I’ll be doing more deep dives on Strava, run fitness algorithms, virtual coaches, and more.

PS - the title (that only two people have gotten) is a play on Kanye’s first and most infamous 2004 George Bush rant.

dlakecreates

A post shared by @dlakecreates

I love putting this newsletter out each week! It’s like my way of sharing some cool, “deep Daren” running thoughts and practical tools & tactics I have accumulated over the last 12 years. But I’m super curious… what stands out to you? Or is there something you think I should dive deeper into? Drop me a comment below, and let’s see where this conversation goes."

🔬 Running Sports Science Explained for Distance Running in 4 minutes

In another timeline, I should have been a scientist. I love experimenting on myself and reading studies, papers and the nerdy scientific side of running. Obviously, I’m not a sports scientist, but I do like it when things are TLDR’d and explained simply but without dumbing the science down (I’ll soon be certified as a run coach and have certifications in general sports/exercise science).

The problem is trying to find this type of Andrew Huberman Labs-style data dump about running is actually not that abundant on the internet. I get it, the mass of people want easy how-to stuff. I make some of that, but when you take away the science and terms behind a lot of things in running, it loses it’s meaning.

This video about the science of distance running does a great job of “dumbing it down for smart people”, as I like to say. Definetly will be posting more of this in the future to, at minimum, scratch my own curious itch.