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On May 28, I completed the final 5K race of my 17-week Garmin Coach adaptive training plan.

Final Result

• Time: 21:50
• Pace: 4:21 / km
• Effort Rating: 9/10 (very rare – only 2–3 runs in hundreds earned this)

Reflections

Honestly, it was a mixed feeling — not bad, but not the breakthrough I had hoped for. I beat my previous 5K record by 8 seconds, which is still a win, but I expected more spark at the finish line.

That said, the race was even and steady, with a visible improvement in heart rate control:

• 1 km: 4:21 / HR avg 173
• 2 km: 4:22 / HR avg 182
• 3 km: 4:22 / HR avg 184
• 4 km: 4:23 / HR avg 185 (mini-crisis hit here)
• 5 km: 4:18 / HR avg 185 — last 150m with a sprint finish

Key Improvement

• Average HR dropped from 187 bpm (previous cycle) to 181 bpm.
• I handled the critical phase better — crisis came at 4 km this time, not 3 km like before.
• No collapse, no giving up — just consistent effort to the end.

Conclusion

This wasn’t my most inspired performance, but it was one of the most resilient. I’ve come a long way in pacing, endurance, and mental fortitude. Next cycle will be stronger.

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The TAPER phase of the Garmin Coach 5K adaptive plan ran from May 19 to May 27, aiming to reduce volume while maintaining intensity to let the body supercompensate and arrive fresh for race day.

Summary

Despite the taper framework, my legs never fully regained freshness. Each day included ~40 minutes of base running — low intensity but consistent. There was no break long enough to allow a true taper bounce.

• Garmin showed PEAK readiness briefly, about 5 days before race day.
• That peak vanished within two days, replaced by productive, then maintenance.
• After the final session — a 29-minute run with 5x 15s sprints (~4:05/km pace) — the system unexpectedly crashed me into RECOVERY status.
• HRV and resting HR, which had been excellent throughout the taper (HRV: ~130+, HR: 40 bpm), also dropped sharply the day before the final race.

Observations

• Training load was never truly reduced enough to allow full freshness, despite the “taper” label.
• The final workout may have been too taxing: while short, the sprint segment hit hard, possibly triggering excessive recovery demand.
• Body responded well, but signals were mixed — legs felt heavy, but cardiovascular performance remained solid.

Metrics During Taper

• HRV: Peaked at 133, dropped before race
• Resting HR: 40 bpm, stable until drop
• Daily base runs: ~5:50–6:00/km @ HR ~145
• Final workout: 5x15s sprints on May 27 — possibly disrupted peaking curve

What’s Next

Now that taper is complete, it’s time to race. Based on feel and metrics, I’m cautiously optimistic — the engine is strong, even if the chassis feels a bit worn. Let’s see what the final test shows.

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The PEAK phase of the 17-week Garmin Coach training plan (Apr 24 – May 18) was the most demanding stretch — physically and mentally. And it delivered.

Highlights

• May 10: 17 km long run → total wipeout. Napped 2h later. CNS fried.
• Final week: VO2max workout during a full-blown cold. Got through it.
• Calimove: Shifted microcycle from 7 to 10 days to recover better.

Performance Gains

• Base pace: 5:45/km @ HR ~147 — light and manageable.
• Threshold & VO2max: locked in and replicable.
• Garmin VO2max: steady at 50, near lifetime best (51) — but fitness feels deeper now.

Biometrics

• HRV: 138 (May 18) — all-time high.
• Resting HR: 39 bpm, stable for 3 days straight.
• Sleep: 7.5h, with solid REM and deep.

Reflection

In past years, I pushed blindly. In 2025, I trained with clarity, restraint, and control.

This block built a solid engine. Not the flashiest, but the smartest I’ve ever executed.

Now comes taper. The race is near.

Somewhere in May 2025, something shifted.

I can’t tell you exactly what caused it.
Maybe it was the NeuroForge protocol.
Maybe the deep conversations with sharp minds.
Maybe the books — Aurelius, the Bible, and everything else I’ve been reflecting on.
Maybe the intellectual tension of chess.
Or maybe the physical demands — learning new motor patterns in calisthenics, pushing mobility work, confronting physical limits with mindfulness.

Maybe all of it.

But the result is clear:
I feel like I’ve leveled up — cognitively, emotionally, spiritually.

For the first time in years, I’m not just doing things.
I’m thinking through them.
I question, reflect, analyze. I search for meaning.
Even books I once skimmed for tips — now I pause and ask, “Why does this matter?”

And I think this is how real transformation works.

It’s not fireworks.
It’s not loud.
It’s that stonecutter effect:
You hit the rock 100 times, nothing happens.
Then the 101st strike — and the rock splits.
Or like in Atomic Habits:
The temperature rises from –10°C to –5°C to –2°C…
and then finally, at 0°C, the ice begins to melt.

I was focused on the system, not the goal.
And the system delivered.

My brain — my actual cognitive architecture — feels different.
New neural patterns, new awareness, new depth.
And the most powerful thing?

I can feel it.

And once you feel it — once you realize it’s real —
you don’t want to go back.

Not ever.

On May 13th, I got sick. A full-blown cold — dripping nose, low energy.
And yet… I still ran. I still trained.
An hour of calisthenics outdoors — in the rain.

That’s not new.
I once did a full 90-minute winter workout during a snowstorm —
hands freezing, wind cutting through my jacket.

But what struck me is this:

Discipline isn’t built on good days.
It’s forged in the worst conditions.

When I move through discomfort —
when everything says “skip it” and I still show up —
that’s when I grow stronger.

And it leaves a mark.
A kind of silent confidence that says:
“You did this when it sucked —
so you’ll fly when it’s easy.”