🎓 Learning Mindset
Lately, I’ve been coming back to Jim Rohn a lot — especially this quote:
“If you wish to be successful — study success.
If you wish to be happy — study happiness.
If you wish to be wealthy — study wealth.
Don’t leave it to chance, make it a study.
Some people just go through the day with their fingers crossed.
See, that won’t do it.
You’ve got to study the things that can change your life.”
That line hit me hard.
If I want to stay healthy — and, as a result, run better — I should study running success, not just grind.
It’s not about chasing records, but about training efficiently, wisely, and in a way that actually supports long-term health.
🧩 How Study Changed My Running Each Time
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When I couldn’t even run 1 km, it was science and structure that helped me start.
That’s how Start Running for Beginners was born — a story of how I learned to jog for 30 minutes without pain. -
When I spent two years stuck around 6:00/km pace, I learned a different kind of lesson: training plans.
Following structured programs like Garmin Coach: 3-Year Journey finally broke my plateau — from over 30 minutes on 5K down to 22 minutes. -
In 2025, I finally understood the importance of strict zone discipline.
Training Maturity 2025 marked a shift from “run fast whenever I feel good” to “train within physiological zones.” -
Then came the Amy Parkinson Time Goal Plan targeting a 22-minute 5K — and with it, the hardest stretch yet.
Physically effective, yes — VO₂max skyrocketed — but I was wrecked.
Brain fog, HRV dropping, elevated resting HR, sore legs, Achilles on the edge.
I kept grinding like a soldier, pushing through 5×3-minute intervals at 188 bpm and ~4:00/km pace.
Then it escalated: 7×3 min… then 7×3:30 min.
My body started collapsing.
That was week 13 out of 15 when I realized something had to change — not in effort, but in approach.
💡 From Numbers to Understanding
My top priority has always been health and mental clarity.
Running used to refresh my brain, not drain it.
Dr. Terrence Sejnowski once said that research shows how running improves brain function — yet I was feeling the opposite.
That contradiction hit me hard.
So I made a decision: to study running scientifically.
I ordered Jack Daniels’ Running Formula — not to read it casually, but to master it.
And to take things further, I bought the Lactate Scout Sport — to start measuring my blood lactate and make sure my training zones are real, not just Garmin’s color bands.
⚙️ The Limits of Garmin’s Algorithms
Garmin is great — it tracks HR and HRV beautifully, giving insight into cardiac and nervous system recovery.
But it doesn’t tell you what your legs and muscles are going through.
Its LTHR estimate is solid, but zone calculations are still based on statistical models built for the average athlete.
And what if I’m an outlier?
If my physiology deviates from the Gaussian curve — those default percentages fail.
That’s why I want to validate it.
To check if “Z2 blue” on my watch truly means <2 mmol/L, and if pushing further actually helps — or silently harms.
🧠 Closing Thoughts
Jim Rohn said: Don’t leave it to chance, make it a study.
That’s the path I’m on now — to study running the way I’ve studied everything else in life: deeply, deliberately, and with awareness.
Not to win medals, but to train efficiently, sustainably, and in harmony with the mind.
Because running should expand both body and brain — not exhaust one to feed the other.