Training analysis, physiology and race strategy for endurance athletes who want to understand the reasons behind every number and decision. With scientific sources.
23 articles
How do you choose the duration and intensity of a long run? What should you test for race day, and how do you judge whether the session achieved its purpose? Practical examples to help you fit your long runs into your overall training plan.
To finish the Athens Marathon in 3:30, you need an average pace of around 4:59/km. But that pace does not tell you how to start, how much to slow down uphill or what to expect when the course begins to descend.
A recent race result can help estimate Threshold pace, Critical Velocity and VO₂max pace. Turning these numbers into suitable pace-based training zones requires understanding what you are calculating, its uncertainty and why results are not guaranteed to be correct.
The same pace requires greater effort as temperature and humidity rise. Learn how the Heat-Adjusted Pace Calculator works and how to turn its estimate into a realistic training or race plan.
Your gearing should cover climbing speed, main race speed and maximum pedalling speed at your preferred cadence. Learn how to use the Race Gearing Calculator and interpret relative losses from chainline, cross-chaining and sprocket size.
12 km/h converts mathematically to 5:00/km. That does not mean the belt is actually moving at the displayed speed, or that the same pace requires the same effort indoors and outdoors. Learn what changes, when an incline is useful and how to set your training paces.
Convert a finish time or pace into running splits from 400 m to the marathon. Learn how to use intermediate checkpoints in training and racing, and why a pace chart's equivalent times are not performance predictions.
A few seconds of pace do not change the energy system your body uses. Pace zones turn threshold pace into practical ranges, but their value depends on the model, threshold accuracy and how you use them.
Critical Power and W′ describe two different aspects of the power–duration curve. Learn how they are calculated from 2–4 maximal efforts, why CP differs from FTP and how to use the model effectively in training and racing.
Grade-Adjusted Pace converts uphill or downhill pace into an estimated flat-ground pace at equivalent effort. Learn how GAP works, how to use the calculator and why the result does not capture a course's full mechanical and technical demands.
A calculator can convert a target finish time into minutes per kilometre. Turning that number into a realistic race plan requires recent data, sufficient testing in training and adjustments for the course, weather and other factors that may affect the day's result.
The same pace does not require the same effort when wind strength and direction change. Learn why a headwind costs more than a tailwind gives back, how to adapt your race plan and how to use the Wind Pace and Track Wind Calculators correctly.
Higher pressure can reduce tyre deformation on a smooth surface, but on real roads it can increase vibration and total energy loss. Learn what breakpoint pressure means and how total weight, measured tyre width, road surface and system limits determine a fast, safe tyre setup.
FTP and a calculator can provide training zones in watts. These boundaries offer a practical way to organise training intensity, rather than an exact measurement of your physiology. Learn how FTP is estimated, what 3-, 5- and 7-zone systems mean and how to use power zones effectively.
A maximal 5-minute effort can provide a useful VO₂max estimate from W/kg. Learn how the model works, how to perform the test correctly and why the result differs from a respiratory gas analysis test.
A race predictor can convert a recent race performance into equivalent finish times at other distances. The prediction is a mathematical estimate, not a guarantee—especially when estimating a marathon or half marathon from a much shorter 5K.
LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heart Rate) from a field test is neither maximum heart rate nor a laboratory lactate measurement. Learn how to estimate zones using a 30-minute time trial and why running and cycling need different zones.
Pace in a 25 m pool is usually faster than in a 50 m pool, mainly because of extra turns. Learn why the difference varies between swimmers and how to use the Swim Course Converter effectively.
Race fuelling is not about replacing every calorie you burn. Learn how carbohydrate intake changes with duration, why higher targets need a different mix of carbohydrate sources and how to test your plan before race day.
A negative split means completing the second half of your race faster than the first. It is not always the fastest strategy, though. Learn when it helps, how it varies by distance and how to use the Split Calculator effectively.
1500 m in 25:00 means 1:40/100 m. Learn how to turn a target time into useful training splits and why the same pace does not automatically transfer from a 25 m pool to a 50 m pool or open water.
Critical Swim Speed is calculated from two maximal efforts over different distances and gives you a practical reference pace for swim training. Learn how to perform the test, what CSS and D′ represent and why the result is not automatically your threshold or race pace.
The Triathlon Finish Time Planner adds your swim, T1, bike, T2 and run durations. To make that number a realistic finish-time target, your inputs must reflect the course, conditions, preparation and accumulated race fatigue.
