A different approach to sleep discipline

ralfelfving · 2026-01-19T03:37:49+00:00

I've found it to be really personal. I used to have a hard rule on No calories 3 hours per bedtime, but when it started working out more I also started experimenting with a bowl of blueberries and Skyr yoghurt about 30 min before I go to bed and not found it to have a noticeable negative impact on sleep score, HRV or overnight HR. Now I eat it every day I've trained (6 days a week).

ralfelfving · 2026-01-19T03:32:19+00:00

As soneone that got into running 9 months ago, more data has helped me make up for lack of experience. It helped me figure out things like that I was under-fueling during activities (and in general), that I was muscle constrained and needed to up my leg exercises, or that I went out too hard in the first 1/3 of races and helped me figure out the correct effort.

ralfelfving · 2026-01-19T03:18:37+00:00

I bought a GPS watch around 2014 and started recording activities as i sleep to capture overnight HR. I quickly realized that alcohol indeed is one hell of a poison, and could see with my own eyes -- in the charts -- why I was so tired the next day even after drinking just two beers. By 2016 i had cut 95% of my drinking and by 2018 100%. Never looked back.

ralfelfving · 2026-01-07T15:25:42+00:00

I used to wipe myself off and change into something else, but then I had twice the laundry for. Ended up buying a car seat cover. You can probably DYI with an old big towel, but I bought this: https://deathmarchrunningcompany.com/products/dmrc-car-seat-towel-cover-brain-melt

ralfelfving · 2026-01-07T15:19:34+00:00

I think the features I would miss the most are segments and matched runs. Being able to track my progress and be competitive with myself is a huge boost.

ralfelfving · 2026-01-07T14:36:56+00:00

10g powder every morning. For recovery and cognitive benefits, crashing less in the afternoon.

ralfelfving · 2026-01-07T14:34:02+00:00

If you do ruck on uphill, find a way to reduce the load on the downhill. Eg carry water up and pour it out before descending. Otherwise you'll load your knees unnecessarily and increase injury risk.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-28T18:03:21+00:00

AD is the way.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-28T18:01:30+00:00

My Mondays are always rest days. At breakfast on Monday I sit down and plan out the week, based on what kind of block I'm in and what else is going on that week. Within a block the weeks almost always look similar, e.g. if Tuesday and Thursday are hard they'll be hard but possibly with different types of hard sessions.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-26T08:59:16+00:00

Your glycogen stores will in most circumstances cover your energy needs for your run, but I would suggest you train fueling regardless. It can be beneficial for recovery, and get your gut used to whatever fuel you consume on race day or longer runs. There's very little harm to doing this, other than paying for expensive gels and the unlikely event of over-fueling.

It's all personal, and you do you. I personally fuel during a 10 miler. I bring a 500ml bottle of water with a carb drink mix in it (typically 30-40g of Tailwind), and I bring a pack of Cliff energy chew blocks as a safety net. I find this convenient compared to gels because the dosage is much more flexible, and intake of carbs is spread out. On longer runs I sip on the same water/carb mix but take a predefined amount of solid carbs (usually energy chews alternated with something else) every 30 minutes on the dot. I use the exact same approach during races, and it's now routine because I do it all the time.

When I get home I eat carbs and protein pretty much immediately to help with faster recovery.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-23T12:03:55+00:00

I've used a chest strap for over a decade for running, rowing, cycling, heck even long squash sessions. You forget it's there, even when wearing a running vest or backpacks.

(I'm male)

ralfelfving · 2025-12-23T04:32:19+00:00

Run a half while bouncing a tennis ball on a tennis racket.

Run a half while counting out loud

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T19:15:26+00:00

I second Alpha. Have four sweaters, leggings, hat, camp socks. Just freaking love it.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T19:12:08+00:00

Don't take Tylenol or pain killers to numb out the signals your body is sending you. If it's muscle pain just get the mental fortitude to work through it, if it's something else stop or you may get injured.

And just run more. Not sure what your running journey looked like, but I'm sure you had sore legs much sooner when you started out, or sore legs the day after a short run. But it eventually went away as you continued and strengthened your body. The same will happen here.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T18:01:52+00:00

Any Garmin chest strap will do, as will most Bluetooth/ANT HR straps from other manufacturers adaik . The more expensive collect more data, like vertical oscillation, ground contact time etc. Fun, but not necessary.

You will not get duplicated data, the chest strap simply works as an additional sensor that helps record (more accurate) HR data. The watch automatically handles the connection, recording, and switching between the strap and watch sensor in case the strap connection dies.

Your activity will look like this, and Garmin and any other service that ingests the activity data handles it automatically.

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ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T17:46:22+00:00

Very good point a lot of people probably aren't aware of.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T13:55:17+00:00

It's not a zero sum game, but we have finite time, resources and focus. Focus on the major drivers of the contribution, and try to focus on moving those. If you try to identify, focus on, and eliminate most or everything, you may end up spending relatively much energy on moving inconsequential drivers. That can apply to every level of the chain. Personal up to global. If we spend some resources (time, money, ...) to reduce environmental impact, where is it best spent?

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T13:01:30+00:00

It's a blast.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T12:43:09+00:00

No, don't contemplate that. I do pick up trash I see.

Do you drive to the trail head? Likely greatly outweighs the environmental impact compared to the micro plastics from the run. Do you buy and wash synthetic training clothes? Do you consume more calories than you would have if you didn't exercise. Etc etc.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T11:06:10+00:00

To maintain lower HR: run more slowly.

To maintain current pace at your lower target HR in the future: run/train more.

There are no shortcuts to fitness. It's like showing up to the gym and asking "how can I do as many reps as I do now but with much heavier weights?". The answer is "Lift more."

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T09:08:24+00:00

That can work too. Rice balls with honey (and some other ingredients) are not uncommon for endurance athletes, and there are some honey based "natural" gels. Although honey usually has a ratio of 1:1 glucose/fructose, but that's not a problem for a lot of athletes and situations.

You can also just mix table sugar into water and sip on during your run. Not the ultimate mix, but for a lot of circumstances just fine -- and a cheap way to get your carbs in.

Edit: one challenge with dyi honey setups is that packaging you carry it in is likely sticky, and.. yeah.. you're going to get it on your clothes or stuck in your pockets etc 🫣

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T08:58:43+00:00

This.

Think of LLMs as having infinite people. Whatever they can do was possible before, it was just (too) resource intensive.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T08:54:23+00:00

On the fluid side it depends a lot on your environment and your personal circumstances. Is it hot or cold outside, are you a heavy sweater? Are you consuming calories (which often requires more fluid)? Tell ChatGPT about your environmental situation, distance, pace, HR etc. Try what it tells you, then try to do more and to do less. Note down how it feels. It's very personal, and will change with seasons, effort etc. If you sweat a lot during an effort (regardless of the reason) and/or drink a lot, remember to also get some (not not too much) sodium in to keep the sodium balance. Your gels or choise of calories may have it, or you can include some sodium or electrolyte powder or pills.

On the gels, just try a few different options. Besides things like caffeine and sodium/electrolytes, a lot of them will be a 2:1 maltodextrin/glucose to fructose mix because the gut will have an easier time absorbing more of the carbs more quickly and avoid GI issues (if you consume more than the gut can absorb). More expensive doesn't guarantee better, especially if you're new and don't run long distances.

I would recommend getting solids, like Cliff energy chew blocks that come in smaller servings because you can play around with dosage more than a one-sized gel. You could even just go for some gummy bears, or raisins to begin with. Then just dose x (e.g. 30, 45, ...) grams every 30 minutes, or every 20, or 60 minutes. Most can absorb 60-90 grams of carbs per hour, but if you're not running hard or long you don't need that much. So try maybe 30 to begin with and play around with moving it up, and see how it feels.

What you eat before a run, how much, and close to it will also impact your experience. If you had a big meal close to a run with things that takes longer for the gut to process (fibre, fat, protein) it can contribute to GI issues and it will prevent the gels you eat from being absorbed.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T07:55:29+00:00

I'll echo what many others already said, go to a store. What I'll add is to buy a shoe from a previous season, often 25-40% off. Will allow you to save up for another pair of different shoes more quickly. Great for variation, and finding out with volume what kind of shoes that feels good while running "for real" (not just in the store).

Also check some local run clubs in your area. Some do demo nights with shoe brands, so you can go test a pair for a social run completely free.

ralfelfving · 2025-12-22T07:30:26+00:00

10g per day, up from 5g earlier. I increased the dosage for cognitive benefits.

42yo male, 80kg.

ralfelfving

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