Rebuilding after a break — science, news and the fall season ahead 🍂

Tue Aug 5 · 🇺🇸

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👋🏻 Hey Reader!

Tuesday August 5 · Weekly edition

Good morning to this beautiful community. Our week starts on Tuesdays — because if we try to start on Mondays, nothing works. Just like diets, haha.

We will be with you through Saturday. Sundays are for early long runs and then church — we keep that day sacred.

This edition is loaded: news, stories, gear, tech and the weekly motivational quote. And today's topic is perfect for this time of year — summer is ending, fall is coming, and with it the major marathon season. Time to rebuild if you took a break.

🔬 This week in science

📖 Cardiac adaptations and the break · PMID:40667749

Cardiac adaptations to endurance training are dynamic — not a fixed state. With weeks of inactivity, the heart begins to reverse some of those adaptations. What you built over months starts to erode over weeks. That is not failure: it is biology. But it does require adjusting the plan.

📖 Exercise biomarkers and recovery · PMID:41922043

Physiological stress biomarkers do not always move in parallel. Feeling good during a run does not mean all systems are ready. Connective tissue (tendons, ligaments) adapts much slower than the cardiovascular system — and that is where most setbacks happen.

📖 Caffeine and recovery sleep · PMID:39458438

Afternoon and evening caffeine can significantly alter recovery sleep after periods of deprivation or physical stress. During progressive return, sleep is your most valuable resource — and poorly timed caffeine is what silently sabotages it most.

Henri's perspective — how to apply it

When an athlete returns after a break of 2+ weeks, my rule is simple: start at 50-60% of previous volume, not where you left off.

Weeks 1-2: Short runs, all easy. No intervals, no hills. The goal is for the body to remember the movement pattern, not to recover performance.

Weeks 3-4: Reintroduce variability with caution — some terrain, a short hill. Watch how the body responds.

Week 5+: Only now do intervals return. At 50-60% of prior quality volume. Intensity is the last thing to come back, not the first.

📖 Full article — 8 min read · 4 studies with PMID

The blog includes the full week-by-week framework, why connective tissue is the limiting system on return, and a special note for masters athletes (45+).

🇺🇸 Read full article → 🇪🇸 Leer en Español →

Quote of the week

"If you always want more, then you'll find the most you can have will always be too little."

— James Clear

🌍 This week's news

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Athletics

Diamond League returns August 23 in Chorzów, Poland

The Wanda Diamond League circuit returns after nearly a month off, with the Memorial Kamila Skolimowska. Three dates remain in the season before the final close.

Running · Colombia

Over 10,000 runners at the third Maratón del Valle, Cali

The third edition of the Maratón del Valle saw over 10,000 athletes across three distances. The first Colombians to hit the qualifying mark will represent the country at the World Championships in Copenhagen.

Trail · Chamonix

UTMB World Series 2026: 64 events on 5 continents, final in Chamonix August 24-30

The circuit confirms 64 events with nine new competitions. The HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc will bring together the world's trail running elite in Chamonix in under three weeks.

⚙️ Tech & Gear

New · Racing shoes

Brooks Hyperion Elite 6 — the most advanced shoe from the brand to date

Dropped August 1. Experts note it finally achieves the right balance between responsiveness and comfort for long-distance races — something previous versions never quite delivered.

See analysis →

✨ Story of the week

Sarah Allaben wins the Volcanic 50 and records the second-best women's time in race history

Sarah dominated the demanding trail race that circumnavigates Mount St. Helens with a time of 5:37:21, finishing second in the overall general classification — ahead of most men. The Loowit Trail features approximately 7,400 feet of positive and negative elevation gain.

Read full story →