@Jesse Garn and I discussed why runners can feel ready to increase training before their bones and tendons have adapted, and compared “stairs” versus “ladder” progressions. We also covered how tracking training and recovery can help identify what’s behind a flare-up and guide earlier adjustments. Key takeaways: - Use a “stair” progression: Increase training, then hold steady for 2–3 weeks before increasing again, rather than adding a little every week. This gives the body time to adapt. - Feeling fitter doesn’t mean every tissue is ready: Cardiovascular fitness can improve faster than tendons and bones adapt, so runners may do more before those tissues are ready for the added load. - Keep changes identifiable: Holding a training level - and avoiding changes to too many variables at once - makes it easier to understand a flare-up and avoid pulling back more than necessary. - Track training and recovery: When symptoms appear, look at changes from the prior 2–4 weeks, including training, sleep, stress, illness, and other activity. Daily app check-ins can help spot trends early enough to adjust the plan.

@Jesse Garn and I will be live in the group tomorrow at 11am (not noon). Come join us or send any running related questions here and we'll talk about them on the call!

Happy Friday! Another chat with Jesse today - this one about ankle sprains. Mini summary: -Ankle sprains are common and often recur because proprioception, ankle mobility, and strength are not fully restored; prior sprain is the biggest risk factor. -Move beyond prolonged RICE toward early, tolerable weight-bearing, then rebuild dorsiflexion, calf/peroneal strength, balance, plyometrics, and graded running - especially before technical trails. Also discussed are the Ottawa Ankle Rules to rule out a fracture after an ankle sprain. If negative, generally movement of the ankle and early loading help to speed recovery (not pushing beyond mild pain). Attached graphic from: https://www.roshreview.com/blog/rapid-review-ottawa-ankle-rules/ Also discussed was how PEACE & LOVE is preferred over RICE for acute injuries. Attached graphic from https://beyond-physio.com/peace-love-injury-recovery/

Ran my first 50mi event, first event ever. Only able to finish 41/52mi due to poorly planning for the elevation gain and properly train. Neglected the course details, assumed 1500’ elevation, but was actually 5,000’ total. So my strength and downhill durability was highly lacking. Almost surprised I was able to finish the 41 so intact. Lesson learned, study your event and train properly! Fueling went great, just need to adjust from the plan when certain GI sensations arise. Lesson learned, should have held off on more carb intake for a period and just take in more electrolytes & water. Let the digestion catch-up. But I kept taking carbs and hit that pressure/bloating. Didn’t stop me but def slowed me down. Final lesson learned, should have had a better “after the race” training plan setup to not have just a blank “let’s see how I feel after” strategy and go from there. Ended up doing zero running for 9 days after, just walks. Want to do another race for sure, absolutely do the same 50 mile next year and get my revenge! Looking for some hundred K options in 2027. Thanks for reading, hope you found something helpful.

Another great Friday chat with @Jesse Garn. We talked about why injuries come back: - Pain relief isn’t full recovery: Getting out of pain is only the Restore phase; runners need to Reload and Optimize capacity to avoid recurring symptoms. - Build an “injury buffer”: Maintain injury-specific strength, progressive loading, and running exposure beyond symptom resolution so the body can handle training spikes, terrain changes, and racing demands. - Address the full context: Recurrent injuries can reflect training errors, insufficient capacity, proprioception gaps, and behavioral factors such as underfueling, exercise compulsion, or social pressure - not just a weak muscle or painful tissue.