The Ascent Journal

"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

Apple Inc. made headlines last week with the announcement several new products that will be forthcoming, including the Apple Watch Series 12. Among the bold claims backing the new Apple Watch, Apple notes that the Series 12 offers “the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable.” They even included a link to a new company white paper to substantiate their claim. I read the study, and there are a few details to keep in mind when we evaluate how true Apple's superlative cla

The evidence has been compounding for decades, and it hasn’t slowed down. Muscles matter. Human muscle mass has been shown to play a massive role not just in strength in the gym, but in healthy aging, prediction of lifespan, and regulation of key features of metabolism, like blood sugar. A new study in Nature offers greater clarity as to whether or not the New Year’s resolution we made in January, to do more strength training, will still have done us any good by the time we m

The implicit assumption is that all of those mitochondria are created equal. That’s where a new paper by Mikael Flockhart and colleagues at the Swedish School of Sports and Health Science in Stockholm picks up. If not all mitochondria are the same, then what exactly do the bad ones look like, and how do we avoid them?

Is your training app running the show? “All models are wrong. Some are useful.” -George Box It used to be that we decided for ourselves how we were doing. I still remember my old manual training log where I’d enter my mileage for the day and a quick thought about how it went. But the roles have reversed. If training apps and sports watches are the new training logs, then it seems more like the training log is telling us how we’re doing instead. There’s a common favorite way t

Running-related overuse injuries remain a plague on the sport, sidelining some 20% of runners for at least a few days each training block. Shoe manufacturers and running retailers have worked with clinicians (podiatrists, physical therapists, etc.) to help runners and walkers alike find a footwear solution that will keep them free from injury. With the advances in shoe design and materials science over the last decade, what should we know about footwear's injury-reducing c

How to use the end of competition season to gear up for a successful next-season.

What you should know and how to achieve weight loss that serves your ultimate goal.

Developing fitness is one part of achieving big things, but developing these skills might matter even more.

Read the the story by Head Coach Greg Marshall just published in Outside Magazine.

What athletes need to know about the new ingredients in the Awesome Sauce energy gel by Spring Energy.

This post is to better define how and what athletes can communicate to me as their coach.

An explanation of how much road running and trail running fitness translate to one another.

What's fascinating about the 62-page manifesto by World Record Speed Skater, Nils van der Poel

Understanding the importance of long runs, avoiding misconceptions, and training strategies for long distance races.

How to over-specialize and limit your athletic potential.

If you’ve struggled to create a strength training habit because you’re not sure what you stand to gain from it, this article is for you.

Avoiding or recovering from burnout as an endurance athlete.

A comprehensive guide to fueling your best long distance running performances.

How to create goals that you'll stay committed to.