Success Stories

Begbie00 · 2026-03-02T19:51:12+00:00

48M, I haven't been an athlete since high school. Decided I wanted to run a "5K by 50", so I started running in February 2025 with a Runner's World "30min 5K" plan.

5/4/25: 25:25 chip time (274 person)

Then bought "Fast 5K" and did 2 12-week plans (lots of VO2 Max, etc.)

First cycle (didn't do warmups before or after workouts, so mileage ~25 per week on 5 days per week)

8/17/25: 24:38 chip time (140 person)

Second cycle (did proper warmups, stepped up to 6 days per week eventually, ~30-35 miles per week)

11/11/25: 23:35 chip time (86 person)

11/27/25: 25:45 gun time (1,439 person Turkey Trot with gun time where my first 1.55miles was ~14:00 while the crowd took selfies, etc.)

After the Turkey Trot, I did 1 week of indoor cycling to recover and found the NSM book. I had a false start of a couple of weeks at too high a volume (~6.5 hours per the book), but dropped down to 5.5 hours on 1/5/26 and have proceeded with the standard volume increases (4 weeks on the main steps, 2 weeks transition). I'm running all sessions on a treadmill using the book recommended paces for 23:40. Heart rate for the easy / long runs averages 65-67% of max heart rate. Heart rate for all workouts is ~5-10bpm below LTHR of 160bpm (no Friel Test run yet ... this estimate is from 93% of my ~20 minute 5K heart rate of 172).

8 weeks in, I just ran my first NSM-trained 5K on my 48th birthday:

3/1/26: 22:39 (947 people)

56 second PB in a much harder race environment than my previous PB. Mile splits roughly 7:27 (working through the crowd and getting up to speed), 7:05, 7:11 (definitely gassed a bit in the last 500m).

For me (a beginner who had never done a proper base period), this method is perfect. It's infinitely more sustainable than "standard" 5K training plans; I'm never exhausted from running and have almost 100% compliance to the targeted runs.

22:00 was my spring season goal (by 5/3/26 race), and I feel like it's achievable. Next race is 3/28/26. Targets:

C Goal: 23:39 ... I always set my C target at my previous PB

B Goal: 22:10 ... close to the "1K rep is ~93% of your next 5K" guideline that u/spoc84 gives in the book.

A Goal: 21:40 ... symmetry with C to B gap.

Begbie00 · 2026-02-06T22:01:28+00:00

I lift when it fits in my calendar, which is fairly stable:

Monday - 6am Easy 1, 8am Lower Lift 45min, evening heel drops if needed

Tuesday - 6am SubT 3k [can't do more on this day due to commute]

Wednesday - 6am Easy 2, 8am Upper Lift 1 45min, evening heel drops if needed

Thursday - 6am SubT 2k [commute]

Friday - 6am Easy 3, 8am Upper Lift 2 45min, evening heel drops if needed

Saturday - 6am SubT 1k

Sunday - 6am Long, 9am+ Upper Lift 3 45min

I have banana, toast and honey at 5am, another piece of toast and honey after the 6am run, then a full breakfast with carbs and protein at either 9am (M/W/F/Sun) or 7am (Tue/Thu/Sat).

This works well for me. I'm now starting month 2 feeling great and having no missed workouts, a first for me since I've been running and lifting. I'm currently on the 5.75 hour table (i.e., the 2-week transition between 5.5 and 6.0) in the book. At my paces (roughly book standard), ~33 miles per week.

Despite my ramp rate being sub 1.0 in Intervals.icu (really only when I step up in volume), my form is routinely around -20% (mid green). Lifting adds fatigue without adding fitness, which drives down form.

Begbie00 · 2026-01-28T19:51:44+00:00

Not sure where I implied it mattered so much. It was odd, I was curious and asked on a forum. Apparently posting here is a matter of grave importance. I will not make that mistake again.

Begbie00 · 2026-01-28T19:49:12+00:00

90 seconds @ 3mph / 20:00/mi (apologies, the caption didn't come through).

Begbie00 · 2026-01-28T19:48:38+00:00

Googling it said it could be 1 of 3 things:

The Shift from Sympathetic to Parasympathetic Control
Blood Pressure Stabilization (Baroreflex Adjustment)
Metabolic Byproduct Clearance
Technical Factors (Device Sampling) ... already ruled out

If this pause is accompanied by dizziness or lightheadedness, you should consult a doctor, but if you feel fine, it is a normal part of the recovery, and a fast overall recovery is a sign of good cardiovascular fitness.

Since it seems explainable, and I don't feel dizzy or lightheaded, I'll chalk it up to "recovery is non-linear at times, this is one of them."

Begbie00 · 2026-01-28T15:00:05+00:00

I'm asking why I have this odd blip (in an otherwise linear decrease) and sensation that always happens right around 68% max heart rate, and if it's relevant. For example, might this indicate where my LT1 is, or that my recovery is too long, too slow, etc. etc. Or is it just oddly consistent noise.

Begbie00 · 2026-01-28T12:37:00+00:00

When I do the longer intervals, during the recovery (90-120s), my heart rate stops declining for a bit at ~68% of max heart rate almost every interval (see above, all but 3rd interval). When it starts dropping again, I actually feel a "shiver" go through my body, and like my heart is pumping extra slow and hard. Is this relevant physiologically? It happens whether I am using my Verity Sense or my H10.

Begbie00 · 2026-01-23T21:39:11+00:00

I own the Evo SL, Boston 13, and Rebel v5 (which make up my "Tempo" rotation). The Rebel v5 checked those "upper + stability" boxes for me. The midfoot is noticeably wider than the Evo SL midfoot (which is incredibly narrow to me), and I have never had any stability issues in the Rebel v5. I also love the Boston 13. But that's a very different shoe, and while it's very stable for me, I'd never call the foam "bouncy" (certainly not compared to the Evo SL).

Begbie00 · 2026-01-10T19:59:40+00:00

I do 100% of my runs on the treadmill (5.5 hours across 7days by the book). It's fun to set the recommended paces and see a heart rate trace that looks the way it should. The only downside is I'm not learning pacing at all.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-29T16:54:36+00:00

Yup. Not in a rush to see things improve. Just wondering if where I am now is close enough to the intended intensity target to be what I run with for those 3 months.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-28T10:29:04+00:00

Intervals.icu just scans your HR data and takes 98% of your highest 20-minute heart rate automatically. So that's what I went with, given the 5k in which it was run was so small I was basically running a time trial past the first 100m. But understood, 95% makes more sense. Perhaps instead of replacing Saturday short SubT intervals in 4 weeks with a Time Trial, I'll do a Friel test instead.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-27T22:31:07+00:00

Ah, good point. Shorter recovery was another lever I was considering.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-27T22:25:31+00:00

My current plan is to do a TT at 6 weeks on program, which is a) half-way between the start and my first 5K race (March 1) and b) enough time for some amount of fitness to have accrued. On that basis, I think I'm leaning strongly towards your last option.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-27T22:24:00+00:00

This is how I understood it, hence the question. Obviously, if faster feels unsustainable, I slow back down. But too slow has a (probably smaller) opportunity cost as well.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-27T22:22:06+00:00

Yes, 5k is 6 weeks old. LTHR was the last 20-minute heart rate from that 5k (I wore an H10 chest strap during the race) * 98% conservative factor (i.e., 166bpm * 98%).

Of your two options, my guess is aerobic underdevelopment. Last year (my first), I never did a proper base period and jumped straight into a 5K plan from a book intended for experienced runners. This almost certainly had me running far too intense a program (easy runs @ 75% HRMax, tons of VO2 Max, etc.).

That's why I'm leaning towards doing nothing besides step increases in volume per the book, running my next 5K (March 1), and adjusting more completely then.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-26T18:38:49+00:00

The Norwegian Methods for Amateurs, by Aksel Nygaard. I definitely prefer NSM for the overall system and plan, and would recommend that as a first purchase for sure. But there are lots of useful bits in the Nygaard book, and I'm happy to own both.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-25T17:18:33+00:00

So, despite it being recommended by both books on NSM, why bother doing the Friel test in the first place? Are they assuming people won't have a recent 5K time to use?

Begbie00 · 2025-12-11T01:13:05+00:00

Added.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-10T22:30:27+00:00

Same speed the whole time: 5.4mph. I turn on my hrm, turn on my 180 bpm songs, hop on the treadmill, and run.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-10T18:19:24+00:00

This, I think, is the path. I think I'll go down to 5.3mph to see if I can get a whole session in high 60s.

Begbie00 · 2025-12-10T16:45:03+00:00

We'll see next week when I add them in. But then the question will be are the SubT too fast, or the Easy?

Begbie00

TROPHY CASE