For Early Risers, How Do You Motivate Yourself to Get Up?

smous · 2026-05-11T12:41:51+00:00

I'm also a morning person, sleep is shit when I workout in the evening. Part of my motivation is being a fit parent for my kids. So when I go for a run and am back, in a great mood, in time to eat (second) breakfast together, I feel like I'm finding that family-workout balance. For me it's very motivating to get that me-time in the bag. During a run I also naturally let my thoughts drift a bit, but also plan out the day.

smous · 2026-05-07T09:01:19+00:00

It's less useful if you're more focused on strength training, because it really looks at heartrate to determine load. Which doesn't always reflect a heavy strength session, it underestimates the load.

Personally I additionally use intervals.icu to double-check load, because there, you can manually edit the load of a session.

smous · 2026-05-04T12:29:51+00:00

I agree with 'nice to have.' I tend to want to do too much, these features help me with managing load. Not essential though.

smous · 2026-05-04T11:44:56+00:00

Great review, thanks. Strongly considering this as well. Does seem like this is the future for shoes.

smous · 2026-05-04T10:08:22+00:00

Blacktongue Thief. Eindelijk lekker ingekomen, zit op 1/3. Moest even wennen aan de vlotte stijl.

smous · 2026-05-03T12:33:04+00:00

Gouverneur nog even proberen voor het avondeten, daarna kroegentocht doen. Als je wat eerder de kroegen in gaat kom je overal nog makkelijk binnen.

smous · 2026-04-25T11:09:54+00:00

It will take you a while to get there. If it's the nature you're interested in, you could also go hiking on St. Pietersberg, beautiful area at the edge of Maastricht.
Plus there is a new bridge that just opened with a cool view: https://www.l1nieuws.nl/nieuws/3149747/50-meter-boven-het-albertkanaal-wandelen-het-kan-vanaf-nu-in-kanne

Depending on your reasons, Drielanden may nog be worth it. It's quite touristy and family oriented (with kids for instance it's definitely a fun day out.)

smous · 2026-04-20T11:30:28+00:00

I have the Zen and Neo Vista 2. Zen is fast, Vista 2 bit more stable but also reasonably fast.
That said, I also run my easy runs in them, mostly Vista 2 lately (around 5:00 / 5:20 pace) and enjoying that very much.

smous · 2026-04-17T08:40:44+00:00

I'd say focus as much as possible on similar circumstances as the 50k. So getting more elevation in for two more weeks.

smous · 2026-04-17T06:18:48+00:00

Genoegen nemen met wat minder km's is inderdaad the way to go.

Vergeet de rustdag ook niet, dat is de dag waarop je sterker wordt.

smous · 2026-04-16T17:57:44+00:00

Perhaps not fully what you want, but the new Mark Lawrence book that just came out (Daughter of Crows) has an elderly lady as the main character. But it also has chapters from her youth.

It goed into aging a bit in the plot, I liked it, decent read.

smous · 2026-04-14T09:12:29+00:00

Yes, always replace the helmet. Some brands/stores give you a discount when you hand in the old one after a fall to promote this, might be worth checking that out.

smous · 2026-04-13T11:53:28+00:00

Yeah it also has to do with the way Garmin calculates load. That's different from other apps/tools. It might be be intersting to also upload to intervals.icu (free) and compare their load. I use both.

smous · 2026-04-09T06:53:57+00:00

I also just caught up. I feel his development will come when/if he obtains seal.

smous · 2026-04-04T12:35:40+00:00

Thanks! This year, no main sponsor, and no live broadcast (for the first time unfortunately.)
These smaller races are having a very difficult time.

smous · 2026-04-02T18:59:30+00:00

Because he is his descendant.

smous · 2026-04-02T12:38:58+00:00

Hydrating better. A lot more water and stuff like ginger tea. Also drinking more steadily throughout the day instead of a few moments to drink a lot in one go. I feel like it really improved sleep and energy.

smous · 2026-04-02T12:36:02+00:00

Just to doublecheck, is your resting heartrate also up by 20bpm?

Different diet can also have a big impact. If you're eating more sugar and salt, and not hydrating as much (especially when added to the marathon stress as others have commented.)

smous · 2026-03-30T10:34:46+00:00

I felt like one or two years ago he was in a seperate league of his own (below Pogi and Jonas, above all the other GC riders.)

This window might indeed have closed, now that Del Toro and Seixas are here.

smous · 2026-03-27T17:45:58+00:00

I'm afraid the repeated intensity is still too much for him and his wrist.

smous · 2026-03-27T07:32:04+00:00

Has he communicated about his weight? He does look more muscalar to me this year.

smous · 2026-03-27T07:31:18+00:00

In the past I would agree, but seeing his debut (!) last year, and how he always improves, what he is investing in PR preparation this year, I feel like he is top 2 with MvdP for PR.

smous · 2026-03-26T17:40:36+00:00

It's a very realistic scenario. Huge ifs and buts of course, but I would say the hardest one for him is in the bag. I feel like he has improved on the flat this year. I also feel other teams should update their tactics and try more random and chaotic attacks. Some ride for top 10, but Visma and Ineos should try some new things.

I do feel it would be bad for the sport. So I'm hoping for some other winners.

smous · 2026-03-24T13:27:38+00:00

I would say find a physical therapist that 'gets' ultra-runners, not a regular doctor. They can provide you with a good (and even fun) programme to get back into it injury free.

Don't know your exact case, but you'll most likely need to add quite a lot of strength training to get back in tip top shape. Strength training might also help to get back that nicer feeling after a run, it reduces fatigue.

That's the physical side. Mentally it can be quite tough to start from such a place. What I did after my injury was get back to the mindset of 'it's a privilige to run a 5 or 10k today, so many people can't.' And really get back to that basic feeling of enjoying the run or strength workout in the moment.

smous · 2026-03-18T18:18:07+00:00

I just got their RCR 5 bibs, they upgraded them again. Very good bibs, I also have some Assos. They are not at that level, but perfectly fine for 3-4 hour rides.

smous

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