Training with Pain #12, I Feel Fitter, Stronger and More Capable

Training Update

It's been another good week. I can actually see the light at the end of this half marathon tunnel. Race day is getting close and, strangely enough, I'm starting to look forward to it.

Every now and then I'll picture myself standing on the start line and I get that feeling in my stomach. Butterflies, a bit of tension, your heart starts beating a little quicker. Nerves?

The interesting thing is that physiologically, excitement and anxiety are almost identical. Your brain releases adrenaline, your heart rate increases and your body starts preparing for action. The difference is often the story we tell ourselves.

If I tell myself, "I'm nervous," it feels like something to worry about. If I tell myself, "I'm excited," the exact same feeling suddenly becomes something positive. It's a little trick I've used for years, whether it's before a race, giving a presentation or doing something that pushes me outside my comfort zone. The feeling doesn't change, just the interpretation.

Last week was a deload week, which was exactly what I needed. The km's came down slightly and, more importantly, the mental load came down as well. I still managed four runs and two strength sessions, but everything felt more manageable.

I miss strength training more than anything. Running has become the priority for now, which means something had to give. For the past five weeks I've completely stopped training legs. Is it ideal? No. Would I recommend everyone else does the same? Definitely not. But every decision has to match the goal.

At the moment, every hard leg session leaves me carrying fatigue into my key running sessions. Right now, the half marathon is the priority, so I'm accepting that trade-off. The good thing is I know this isn't forever.

One thing that reassures me is that strength doesn't disappear overnight. Research shows that it takes several weeks of reduced training before most people see meaningful losses in strength. Muscle size tends to reduce a little faster than strength, but even then, it comes back surprisingly quickly once training resumes. There's a concept called muscle memory, where previous training allows you to regain muscle much faster than it took to build the first time.

So while I'll probably have lost a little over the last couple of months, I'm not worried. The running goal comes first. The squats will be waiting for me afterwards.

Running Update

Last week's deload still included 40km of running. Thursday was 10 rounds of 60-second hill sprints at Brimbank, followed by a beautiful 15km cruise around Albert Park on Sunday. Sun was out, delightful.

This week the intensity has gone straight back up and I'll finish around 51km.

The week has looked like this:

• Monday: Easy 11km
• Tuesday: Tempo session
  • 2km @ 4:50/km
  • 2km @ 4:35/km
  • 2km @ 4:20/km
  • 2km @ 4:10/km
• Thursday: 8 x 800m efforts
• Saturday: 19km progressive run

Tuesday's tempo session went really well and gave me another little confidence boost. Thursday was all about the 800s. The goal was to hit 4:00/km or quicker for every rep. Thankfully, I managed all eight.

I love these sessions because they're hard enough that you have to concentrate the whole time. You can't drift mentally for even 30 seconds or the pace starts slipping. They're fantastic for improving VO₂ max, running economy and learning how to stay relaxed while working hard. Half-marathon pace starts feeling a lot more comfortable once you've spent time running faster than race pace.

Saturday morning is another big one. 19 kilometres around the Maribyrnong river. Starting at 6am.

The session is:

• 4.5km @ 4:50/km
• 4.5km @ 4:30/km
• 4.5km @ 4:20/km
• Easy running to finish

If anyone wants to join me, I'll be starting just across from Middle Child Café. We'll head down towards the river, cross the bridge and head towards the city. It's going to hurt a bit. But after the last couple of weeks, I'm quietly confident.

Strength Update

As I mentioned, I'm down to two upper body sessions each week while the running takes centre stage. I am slightly weaker and I've lost 1 to 2kg.

It's funny looking back over the years because I've followed just about every strength programme you can think of. Bodybuilding splits. Powerlifting. CrossFit. Wendler 5/3/1. Smolov. Olympic lifting. Individualised high-performance programmes. Every one of them taught me something and every one of them had a purpose.

But if someone asked me today what the average person should be doing to stay healthy, build muscle, move well and still enjoy training into their 40s, 50s and beyond, I'd choose our Functional Bodybuilding programme every single time.

It's the programme I've enjoyed the most and the one that's left me feeling the best. I've been doing it for more than 8 years. We lift heavy. We chase a pump. We spend time in deep ranges. We improve mobility while building strength. We challenge the heart and lungs without forgetting the muscles. Most importantly, it's sustainable.

Watching all of you improve has also been brilliant. The squats are deeper. The dips are getting stronger. The ladies are proudly flexing their biceps after class. I honestly love seeing it. I'll turn 40 in September and, hand on heart, I feel fitter, stronger and more capable than I did ten years ago.

I genuinely believe that's achievable for most people if they consistently combine strength training, cardiovascular fitness, good nutrition and decent recovery.

Dr Samina Workshop, This Saturday

Just a reminder that Dr Samina's workshop is on this Saturday at 11am. It's completely free and we've already got 15 people booked in. We'll be doing our best to host a workshop every quarter because I think education is just as important as training. This one is going to resonate with a lot of people.

Book in through the Courses section in the app if you haven't already.

Coffee First

Rosetta Coffee will be with us from 10:30am. Come down a little early, grab a coffee and have a chat before we get started.

Winter Challenge

The team and I have been talking about how we can help everyone stay motivated through winter. July isn't exactly the easiest month to jump out of bed and train. The idea we landed on was a simple points system. I love it because it rewards consistency rather than perfection. Big results are almost never the product of one huge effort. They're built from hundreds of small decisions that stack on top of one another.

Getting to bed on time. Hitting your protein target. Going for a walk. Turning up to strength training. Doing your mobility. They're all fairly small things on their own, but together they completely change where you end up.

James Clear talks about habit stacking in his book Atomic Habits. The basic idea is attaching a new habit to something you already do consistently. For example, doing five minutes of mobility after brushing your teeth or taking a walk straight after dinner. The less thinking involved, the more likely you are to keep doing it.

Our Winter Challenge is built around exactly that idea. We're not looking for perfection. We're looking for momentum. And when you've got a whole community working towards the same thing, it becomes a lot easier to stay accountable.

Finally, without mentioning any names, I just wanted to say to those of you who've recently been unwell or have been dealing with some personal challenges, we're thinking of you. Take your time. We'll be here when you're ready.

Chat next week,
Craig