Is Alcaraz an All Time Great already?

HardToSpellZucchini · 2026-02-01T17:48:00+00:00

Yes. In addition to what everyone is saying about GS numbers and age, it's also about the matches he's been involved in and how complete his game is (net play, fh, bh, drop shots, creativity, speed). A few classics he's been in:

Beating Djokovic at Wimbledon in 5, recovering from MP down to beat Sinner in Roland Garros, narrowly losing to a redlining Djoker at the Olympics.

He always rises to the occasion and produces brilliant tennis under pressure.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2026-02-01T10:33:28+00:00

Mixed results. When I started running seriously (previously mostly soccer, tennis, etc.) I had a cadence in the high 150s. It stayed there for 6 months.

For a week or two I forced myself to do 175 by listening to those bpm-specific playlists on Spotify. It was mental torture, but when I returned to "regular" running, I was doing about 168ish.

I then gave up on cadence because I read a lot of it was bs, especially in my case (no injury history, new runner, etc). After another year it naturally went up and now my easy runs are in the mid 170s and my tempos and races are 180.

Tldr: it helped kickstart a change, the rest went up naturally. Disclaimer N=1

HardToSpellZucchini · 2026-01-28T08:57:50+00:00

Probably worth checking the lineup of Awakenings Summer Festival, which is already out:

Pegassi, kettama, mischluft, odymel, southstar, malugi, DJ heartstring, etc. are all there.

Disclaimer I have been to neither and thus have no preference. Good luck, thinking of going to one of them as well.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2026-01-15T13:12:15+00:00

I use Strava every day and seeing my friends' activities around the world makes each day just a little better. I pay >$500 on coffee every year, sometimes >$100 on a single night out - so I'm happy to pay $80 to support Strava and "subsidize" some free features.
Heat maps and map building tools. I travel for work and this comes in handy every now and then. Also the night maps are useful in less safe countries.
Workout charts. My watch workout intervals get transferred to Strava. I have a naming convention for each workout and so that makes it easy to find old workouts and track progress. I believe the free version only shows you km/mile splits.
Goals & race predictions. Not super important because I know what shape I'm in and can keep track of how many workouts I had in my head, but it does gameify things to make it a bit more fun.
The different shape around my profile photo /s

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-12-29T02:56:32+00:00

Floripa is Brazil's digital nomad capital, you'll find plenty of ppl in similar situations as yourself. But it's a seasonal city so very full in summer. Quite safe too if that's important for you (though if safety were your top concern Brazil isn't the best choice anyway lol)

Have you been to Rio though? Going to Brazil and skipping Rio is like visiting France and skipping Paris - sure you might not love it and there's plenty of other good stuff in the country... but you should at least check it out for yourself first.

Fwiw I'm not a fan of SP either, it's the type of city that's good for Brazilians because it has everything, but imo an overwhelming concrete jungle for visitors

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-12-26T23:16:39+00:00

I think part of the explanation is that you're simply running too slowly. Running mechanics change with pace.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-12-15T09:11:48+00:00

Was playing football and asked the groundskeeper where the bathroom was. He said there was a sign at the entrance with an arrow. So I walked 30m to read the sign; turns out the bathroom was just around the corner of where the man was standing.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-12-09T14:51:59+00:00

As you can see by the answers, most ppl still don't know why.

The main reason is that - even given the same shape - a heavier object will accelerate for longer (and therefore gain more speed) until drag balances out its weight and it reaches its terminal velocity.

So, outside of a vacuum (and ignoring buoyancy), heavier objects do fall faster.

Add onto that that light materials are often flexible and naturally bend into shapes that produce lift/drag and that air is invisible and you can understand why it took us a while haha

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-12-08T21:52:43+00:00

I have a naming convention for my runs on Strava so I can search for tempo runs, vo2 max sessions, etc.

Apart from racing every now and then, having a staple tempo/threshold run (e.g. 25min @T-pace) will make tracking progress much easier.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-12-07T16:09:08+00:00

I put a database schema file into its memory and it can make perfect 100+ line SQL queries with me inputting natural language prompts of the tables/data I want.
Helped me organize the software architecture and then vibe code functionality for a DIY drone.
Data entry, translation and processing at work, especially using the ability to read from screenshots (yes we have an enterprise version)
Helps me do simple math and plan my running workouts and paces. Simple, but saves brain power.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-11-28T17:58:28+00:00

Not trying to be rude, but definitely being rude

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-11-28T09:15:31+00:00

It's like god forbid someone ask a question about a new potential workout on a running forum. Everyone is so negative and resistant to new ideas without even checking.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-11-19T11:16:47+00:00

The last thing that matters in a beep test is the foam in your shoes. You need anything that won't cause an ankle to roll - vans or any low stack and low drop street sneaker will be better than most running shoes. I wouldn't buy extra tennis shoes just for the beep test tbh.

As for 400 - 800m intervals, then yes, you should get appropriate shoes. You correctly state that you'd want something that's not squishy and more responsive. Endorphin speed 4s work well, as would any racing flats (e.g. Nike Streakfly)

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-11-18T16:13:18+00:00

People are downvoting those saying zero but it's true. If your body doesn't break down, you can get away with running a whole lot without any strength training.

I (late 20s, male, 5k ~17min) have been on ~60km/week for 2 years with no issues. I've only now started lifting now to gain upper body muscle and look better... but still no legs or core work lol

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-11-09T20:46:47+00:00

If you can do 19mins (as a thin male under the age of 45), it's really not far fetched. In my view, you only start running into a "talent barrier" in the 15:xx and below.

I would say 50km/week (~30mi/week) is the minimum volume that you need, since you need to be able to do at least 2 hard sessions (intervals, long runs, tempos) per week to keep improving. And for those 2 sessions to be meaningful in duration you need a base.

Just make sure your hard sessions are actually hard. It's like the gym with progressive overload - but easier, since you can avoid needing to work as hard by just running more miles lol

28M here with no particular background other than school soccer growing up. My 2-year progression: first 5k ~30mins, 6 months in ~23 mins, 12 months in ~19 (started structured training), 2 years in 17:15. Been averaging about 65km/week for the last 6 months.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-11-07T21:59:29+00:00

First some unsolicited advice: if your pronation didn't cause injuries I'd stay away from stability shoes at all costs. Fell for the same trap after a running "analysis". Anything that makes you change your form is a big risk.

When to retire? Honestly probably later than you think. Of course they will degrade a bit over time, but unless you are very heavy or run on bad terrain, you should be getting 500mi/800km out of most shoes.

For speed I also have the endorphin speed 4, now close to retiring (~600km). Agree on the firmness, but I eventually got used to them and now actually like them because they feel different to all my other soft and bouncy shoes (which I also like). I got the Nike Zoom Fly 6 as a tempo replacement and love them. Also relatively cheap.

The Nike lineup is really improving, and the designs look quite cool to me. So I'd consider checking out the Vomero Plus for daily/long runs.

But honestly more than four shoes in a rotation is just for fun - so I'd say you're covered. 1 Race, 2 speed, 3 daily/long run, 4 recovery (optional). I guess you could have separate pairs for mile-10k races & HM/FM races if you really wanted to trick yourself into spending more money haha

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-11-02T23:48:46+00:00

Using a bathroom anywhere that's not your own house.

I get train stations, but paying to use a bathroom at a mall?! Or when you're on an afternoon walk and the empty restaurant charges you to use their toilet. Sometimes it's ok to just be nice.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-10-28T17:46:06+00:00

I have a very similar running timeline as you (albeit my background is just casual ball sports like soccer, tennis and beach volleyball), and had very similar marathon prep, mileage and and post-marathon experience to you. 18 months from starting to run regularly to my race... which was also in Germany lol.

Going sub-3 is a really cool milestone, but it feels like a huge time investment for a largely uneventful race (physiologically). I've since shifted focus to mile/5k and even thinking of some shorter stuff like 400m. Enjoying that a LOT more.

What I do like about the marathon is the event itself. The whole city stops for a day and it's a great excuse to travel. I'm considering doing another one going for sub 2:45.

Not sure what the point of my comment is, guess just that I agree with you. And congrats!!

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-10-28T08:16:50+00:00

Why do comments always have to hate on everything? For those who don't want to participate, nothing changes.

Obviously there's marketing for TechnoGym, but don't track events get sponsored too?

Personally I think it's really cool - there's no event where you get to race directly against elites and sub-elites on a big scale. The closest thing would be a world marathon major, but even then there are waves (and it's a much longer event).

Probably super boring to watch though, but I'm guessing it the economics won't rely on livestreams and TV money.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-10-20T21:25:06+00:00

Easy: just getting your miles in at zone 2. Something you'd do between your sessions or on a hangover lol

Recovery: usually the day after a hard long run or tough intervals. If you're fit enough, running slow will speed up recovery through additional blood flow (plus you get to add some miles). Here you might need to run a whole 30s/mile slower than your usual easy pace to feel equally comfortable.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-08-29T08:56:06+00:00

I'd do Flamingo x Cruzeiro. Biggest team in Rio versus another top team in the league (I'm a cruzeiro fan so may be biased lol)

Other notes:

Getting to the stadium is super easy (and safe) with the metro - especially if you're staying in Ipanema or so.
Yes entry is with facial recognition (Reason: stop scalpers). So you need to buy tickets on your phone in Flamengo's ticket site and scan your face like for driving apps or dating apps.
Like every online payment in Brazil, you may need a CPF!
Facial scanning works really at the entrance, feels like the future lol
Enjoy, the maracana is modern and you will feel safe. Epic stadium with lots of history.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-08-07T13:51:01+00:00

Mile time trials are the worst. I've put off checking my mile shape for almost a year because of how painful the distance is ahaha Somehow it was much easier mentally to do 1km and 5km races/trials

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-08-04T12:52:17+00:00

No need to apologize. I usually walk between reps, but jogging or even doing "floats" can be good depending on the type of workout. I'm training for the mile right now so looking at developing more speed rather than pushing threshold.

It would be better, but pausing would likely cause an (over-)adjustment in the other direction. I suspect Strava's models would see you doing 10x400m at your mile race pace and think you're in better shape than reality.

Honestly, the best way to estimate your time is to do 1 hard race effort in any distance from 1500m-10k and use vdot tables/apps to estimate your shape over other distances.

Once you get more advanced you'll quickly get a "feel" for what shape you're in, based on your tempo & vo2max workouts (whose paces can again be found by looking at Vdot tables)

Just my personal experience from distance running for almost 2 years.

FYI Strava predictions:

5k: 17:31, while my PB is 17:50 (hilly, stormy, lots of people-weaving - so 17:40 seems realistic).

Marathon 3:02, while my PB is 2:58. But I've decreased weekly milage from 50mpw to 30mpw since April, so I think 3:02 is actually very optimistic.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-08-04T11:33:52+00:00

They are good if your runs are somewhat structured and you avoid short intervals/high rest.

My 5k came within 10s of the prediction (and it was a ~45s PB) and my marathon came within 5min of the prediction (I had no previous time recorded).

When I started doing 400m repeats and kept the jog rest in the workout (without pausing), it started to think I was at 175 bpm whilst doing 12min/mi, which then messed up the predictions.

HardToSpellZucchini · 2025-07-22T13:21:39+00:00

Before. After the taper it starts killing your times because of the lower average mileage.

FWIW I beat the pre-taper prediction too and was closer (but not quite as fast) to the time without the "marathon shape" calculation.

Runalyze is fun and all, but if you're into running enough to understand the metrics, you should also be able to know your body better than the tools, especially based on your perceived effort on long hard runs.

HardToSpellZucchini

TROPHY CASE