Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Getting A Sacral Stress Fracture From Running
This blog is as much for me, as it is for others, as I try to figure out how I went from running the fastest times in my life to having a stress fracture in my sacrum. “Warden et al (2021) reported that bone stress injuries symptoms typically begin appearing approximately 3-4 weeks following a…
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Reviewing Stryd’s New Features
“As far as I’m aware, no one is looking to purchase Stryd, but I could probably see an acquisition by Coros, Garmin, or even TrainingPeaks to try an acquire thier software or hardware tech.” https://youtu.be/bYglHuSwUTs Transcript Dr Will O’Connor 00:03 Stryd has recently released some major updates. One of them being the integration of training…
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Should I Use Heart Rate or Pace for Running?
Both! I always cringe when I use the term ‘it depends’, but that’s the sports scientist in me. Zone 1 – Zone 3 = Heart Rate. Zones 1 to 3 are the only steady-state zones, which means your physiology can reach a relative balance of supply and demand. We can rely on heart rate to…
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Analysing A Marathon Training Session in TrainingPeaks
The five pillars of quick analysis was designed by myself by Dr Matt Miller in our Sports Science Masterclass. It provides a quick and effective way to analyse training sessions. 1. What was prescribed? 1 km warm-up power zone 1 19 km in power zone 2 5 km in power zone 3 (marathon power output)…
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Nasal Strips, Fad Science or Performance Enhancer?
A nasal dilator is a narrow strip of flat plastic, with an adhesive on one side that is folded over the soft part on the nostrils such that it exerts a slight springing action to spread the nostrils.Multiple published studies have reported the opening of the nostrils significantly reduces snoring. As with a lot of…
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What I Learnt from Running 100km with a Power Meter (yes running).
At the end of 2016, I ran the inaugural Taupo Ultramarathon 100km event along the stunning Great Lake Trail which runs from the western to the eastern side of Lake Taupo, New Zealand. This was to be my first ultramarathon and being a sports scientist I wanted to get as much data as possible. To…
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Analysing Your Training – Time in Zones
I’ve noticed that volume addicts tend to be carrying so much fatigue due to their “I MUST train” attitude that they end up slogging through most of their training below zone 2. It’s essential to assess whether you’re training appropriately for the goal or event you’re trying to target. A simple way to check your…
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Low Carbohydrate and Metabolic Flexibility
Metabolic flexibility and low-carbohydrate endurance exercise is a topic close to my heart because it’s what I researched during my PhD. Don’t like to read? watch the video or listen to the podcast at the bottom of the blog. When it comes to low-carb and endurance exercise I believe a lot of people are missing…
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Rest is Best
“Am I giving up on myself too easy? Am I being soft? Should I just do it?” The other day I was stuffed. It was a Tuesday evening, and I didn’t want to run, but I NEEDED to run because I’m in the middle of dedicated marathon training. To get motivated, I drove out to…
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A Deeper Look at Running Cadence
A scientific paper published at the end of 2018 presented some rather interesting data from the first field-based experiment of running cadence. The study looked at data from 20 athletes from the top 25 finishers at the 2016 100 km Running World Championships in Los Alcazares, Spain. Running cadence or stride frequency (SF) refers to…
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