The Ascent Journal

80/20 training is a staple in endurance training circles. The risk is, with all of the focus on optimized methods, that we forget how to adapt in a way that preserves good fundamentals when our situation doesn’t allow for “optimal.” A recent study by researchers in Italy set out to test how essential 80/20 training really is to making progress. Their results will probably surprise you.

"One thing I've always been able to do is find pleasure in discomfort. Again, that sounds like I'm trying to be a tough guy, but I think fun trumps tough... every time, especially in a race like this. So if I say to myself, you're a tough guy, push through it, push through it, it's not gonna work for me. This race is the pinnacle of ultra marathon. I'm so lucky to be doing stuff like this. Look at the scenery, look at the people you're meeting, look at the texts and calls flo

Early in my coaching career, I came across this idea that has sort of lurked in the shadows of the coaching world for decades: while science is humming along providing rigorous data on what will move the needle on an athlete’s performance, coaches are the innovators. The narrative goes “Science will likely take 10-20 more years to explain why the practices coaches are using today are effective.” The first 2 months of my masters work involved recalibrating my understanding of

One of the things that drove me to coaching years ago was how the learning process has no end. New ideas, perspectives, and data are always emerging. Along that grain, I know it's been a good year when I feel like I see the world in a slightly different light than when the year started. I found that these titles added perspective. Perhaps next year one or two of them can widen yours as well. Here's our 2025 book list.

The books we read in 2024 that were near-impossible to put down.