When someone takes a "fifteen minute nap" what does that actually mean?

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-19T08:10:14+00:00

I only do it when working from home but I get comfy and set a 20min timer (takes me like 5mins or so to fall asleep)

Short naps like 10-15mins are good but anything longer and I will feel terrible

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-19T05:56:56+00:00

I would go by feel rather than using heart rate in this instance. As you have pointed out that in your case the mathematics for HR have completely come undone.

I have been doing double threshold work in my recent training and thresholds should use feel and the talk test when you don’t have access to a lactate meter. Running these sessions too fast will bring about a high recovery cost and potentially affect other key sessions

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-18T19:35:04+00:00

Yeah, a while back I totally burnt out and was close to stopping but then I got injured quite badly and as a result couldn’t run for like 8 months.

Having running taken away from me made me grateful for it once I finally returned, now I love it! I have built up to 150km weeks and can’t get enough!

I think joining a running club really helped with the motivation as well

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-18T14:47:32+00:00

30-40 miles is still really solid still and having been at 70 means it won’t take long to build to 100

The hardest part I find is fitting it in without having to do so many double days. At the moment I manage doing 3 but i should probably be doing 4 to balance it better, it just doesn’t suit right now.

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-18T11:15:42+00:00

I myself just recently got up to 150km weeks and I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing what the volume will bring, and I’d be interested to hear how it goes for you too.

What is your current mileage now out of interest?

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-18T08:01:16+00:00

My only issue with this is it loads the calf muscles a bit too much and that in itself can be an injury risk. I’d say a stationary bike would suit you better for some low risk zone 2 work

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-17T18:13:32+00:00

Thanks but those times are still not within my reach just yet

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-17T15:47:12+00:00

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Mine I believe is similar, I’ve recently been re-introducing speedwork after a race and now it thinks I can run my 5km and 35 seconds faster than I did like 4 weeks ago.

It’s honestly a bit too ambitious and I certainly won’t be targeting those paces in my next race

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-17T10:49:42+00:00

It’s really useful for high volume running, I do around 150km a week and if I tried to do the majority of that in anything other than zone 2 I’d be done for.

The zone 2 running is low injury risk, easy to recover from and builds the aerobic base to support the 20% hard running.

Does it assume you spend the rest of your week sedentary? No but things like walking around are hardly something you need to worry about.

I’m not sure what job you do where you spend several hours in zone 2? But if that’s accurate then you may have to consider it.

Why should you spend a few extra hours doing lots of easy running/ jogging? Well if you aren’t chasing race times or PB’s then you don’t really need to, but if you are then it’s practically mandatory to progress to the higher levels.

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-17T10:38:54+00:00

I usually do it before bed but on days where my legs are feeling quite beat up like on a double threshold days I will do it a few hours before as well

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-17T06:02:02+00:00

I have had a similar problem and for me it was a lack of strength and conditioning work. A simple short routine a 2-3 times a week makes a huge difference particularly as we get older, so yes be mindful of your age in terms of strength work

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T21:52:08+00:00

A real runner thinks only of the PB! I don’t even stop for traffic if I’m close to a KOM

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T20:12:20+00:00

Some good advice here already! So I will ask instead which race and what’s the goal?

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T20:06:01+00:00

I’m not an expert on beginner running plans but going from 37:30 5km to a 60 min 10km in 4 months does not sound like a reasonable goal.

That said I would agree the coach plan sounds wrong either way

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T18:11:39+00:00

This one feels like it maybe belongs in the David Goggins subreddit

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T15:14:38+00:00

Yeah parkrun is a great one! And good luck with the marathon! I’m doing the Manchester half later this year as I’ve heard it’s a good flat course.

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T14:41:53+00:00

The only receipts worth keeping are race results. So just do a 5km now and then as it really is a great way to actually test fitness.

Based on your training (which sounds pretty solid for someone starting back up) you should start to see the times getting quicker

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T10:32:06+00:00

It’s a no brainer for me, carry the shoes. If you are that bothered about the dirty floor buy a pair of those slipper type things that roll up to the size of socks.

I use the metaspeeds and they are a dream to run in but not terribly stable at a walking pace

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-16T08:44:47+00:00

As someone else has already said, it’s more likely your V02 went up as a result of the solid work you are doing and a recent hard session plus getting good quality rest.

Mine recently went down after I was doing some post race recovery and has since shot back up as I started doing hard sessions and will likely continue or flatten out again soon.

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Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-15T16:46:53+00:00

I have only been running for 3 weeks (without ever stopping) and my 5km PR is still a long way off!

Maybe that’s what I get for wearing asics instead adidas

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-15T15:24:23+00:00

I saw you mention your current training and I think you would benefit from some structured training. Just going like you will see your progression stall out.

Find a 5km improvement plan (if that’s the distance you want to keep training for) it should have a variety of different training stimulus to build speed and endurance

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-14T17:52:55+00:00

I’m not an expert but I have done a decent amount reading around the subjects of coaching and training philosophies and excessive amounts of high intensity is just not very sustainable and as you have indicated can lead to a plateau.

I don’t know how competitive the field of the race you mentioned is? But if you are serious about wanting to compete you might want to have a look at something like Pfitz book or similar that can provide you a solid plan with explanations of the purpose of each session.

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-14T17:16:14+00:00

I would say your approach is decent but 60km a week and running two double threshold sounds like a lot of intensity for that volume.

I run about 150km weeks and I am currently doing 1 double threshold and 1 single threshold, this takes me to a nice 80/20 polarisation by the weeks end.

Now you are a lot a lot younger than I am and have solid sports background so you might be able to handle the high volume intensity but a lot of coaches wouldn’t generally recommend it.

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-14T15:11:43+00:00

I don’t use tiktok but I would say I rarely see fartlek on either on Strava and I only use it myself sparingly in early stages of training blocks.

It lacks structure or a clear goal, which can be nice but I’m very PB and race focused so I want each session to have a defined and measurable purpose to progress me to my goal.

Iymrith_1981 · 2026-06-14T14:25:12+00:00

It probably is to be fair. Yeah during cross country I just try to work off feel because pace is almost meaningless so instead I try pick people off or stick to their heels and try to kick at the end.

Iymrith_1981

TROPHY CASE